EU revives long-stalled €6.6 billion military aid for Ukraine

European Union member states have agreed to release a €6.6 billion military aid package for Ukraine through the European Peace Facility (EPF), ending a deadlock that had stalled the program since 2023.

The political agreement was reached on September 25 at a meeting of the EU Political and Security Committee in Brussels. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas welcomed the decision, writing on social media: “That's good news for Ukraine and bad news for Russia.”

“Moscow's hybrid attacks try to intimidate Europe into scaling back its support for Ukraine. Europe is doing the opposite,” Kallas added.

The EPF was established to partially reimburse EU member states for weapons and ammunition supplied to Ukraine. The program became a major channel of European military assistance during the early years of the conflict but was blocked in May 2023 after Hungary imposed a veto.

According to Kallas, the newly agreed package will allocate €4.7 billion for reimbursements to member states, €1 billion for joint procurement of military equipment, and €900 million for the EU mission responsible for training Ukrainian armed forces.

Several legislative acts still need to be adopted before the funds can be released. Kallas said some countries would transfer their share of the reimbursement funds directly to Ukraine.

The agreement comes as Ukraine faces a significant funding gap in its defense budget. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the shortfall must be addressed by October or November to ensure payments for drone deliveries scheduled for early 2027.

“Everyone understands that Ukraine cannot be left on its own and that more must be invested in Ukrainian-made drones and missiles, because most of this deficit is precisely the funding needed for weapons,” Zelenskyy said.

 “Everyone understands how difficult it is to get through this period amid constant strikes. Ukraine will not be left alone,” he added.

By Vafa Guliyeva