Ukraine may need EU approval to buy US weapons with bloc funding

The European Commission may not automatically allow Ukraine to use EU military funding to purchase American-made weapons, European Commission spokesperson Balazs Ujvari said during a briefing in Brussels.

Commenting on the planned allocation of €5.9 billion for drone procurement, Ujvari explained that Ukraine would be able to spend the funds on US-made military equipment only if equivalent systems cannot be supplied by European defence manufacturers and if Brussels grants approval, TASS reports.

“Ukraine has the possibility to submit a request for exemptions. The European Commission will review it, but there is no guarantee that it will be approved,” he said.

Earlier, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the allocation of the first tranche of budget financing to Kyiv worth €3.2 billion, instead of the expected €9.1 billion, under the EU’s €90 billion funding programme for Ukraine for 2026–2027. According to her, the remaining €5.9 billion is expected to be disbursed next week.

By Jeyhun Aghazada