The European Commission has today suggested that Member States use EUR 21.3 billion in defence loans to support Ukraine, after Kyiv has indicated that it will need another EUR 70 billion in 2027.
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29/10/2026
by
Lusa
A European Commission today suggested that Member States use EUR 21.3 billion in defence loans to support Ukraine, after Kyiv has indicated that it will need another EUR 70 billion in 2027.
In a statement, the European Commission states that it has today invited the Member States to participate in the second round of the Safe Defence Loan, comprising €21,3 billion.
The Community executive encourages Member States to use these funds not only for their “national priorities and needs at defence level”, but also to “strengthen cooperation with Ukraine”, namely through “joint acquisitions”.
“ Member States should also give priority to the urgent needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Member States themselves in the areas of anti-aircraft and anti-missile defence systems, drones and anti-drone systems, as well as ammunition and missiles,” the executive said.
This €21,3 billion corresponds to the amount that has not yet been spent on the EUR 150 billion loan approved by the European Union (EU) in May 2025.
This figure came about because some Member States, such as Italy or Hungary, decided to review downwards and ask for less money than the originally planned share.
The SAFE programme aims to provide long-term and favourable prices to EU Member States for investment in defence capabilities.
These loans, which have to be implemented by 2030, will finance urgent and large-scale acquisition efforts.
In the first round of the loan, €5.8 billion was allocated to Portugal, to which the country ran in November last year with a plan to reequip the Armed Forces.
The call for the Member States to now use the money from the second round also to help finance Ukraine comes after, at the last European Council summit on 15 and 16 October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned the other Member States that his country will need another EUR 70 billion in 2027 than originally planned.
The Ukrainian Head of State stressed that, according to his government’s forecasts, the war “will cost EUR 155 billion” in 2027.
“And we need at least another €70 billion from you: for Defense, arms, for our resilience. This amount is realistic and I ask you to find a way to give us this support”, he called.
This call for EUR 70 billion comes after the EU approved this year a EUR 90 billion loan for Ukraine to be disbursed between 2026 and 2027.