EU to give Ukraine about €3 billion more for drones and missiles this week

What was announced

On Sunday, 11 October, President Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Afterwards von der Leyen wrote on X that “this week, the EU will also provide additional funding for drones and missiles”, needed “to strengthen Ukraine’s defence and protect its airspace”.

Zelensky named the figure: according to him, about €3 billion in military support will be allocated as early as next week. “These are funds that will make us stronger,” the president wrote.

Where the money comes from

Zelensky thanked von der Leyen for the recent €1.24 billion defence tranche, which has already arrived in Ukraine. As Suspilne recalls, the European Commission released that money on 7 October under the defence component of the €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan programme. It is meant to finance production of Ukrainian drones, drone interceptors, ammunition and missiles.

Ukraine at the centre of the EU summit

According to von der Leyen, Ukraine “will be at the centre of the European Council’s agenda this week”. EU leaders will discuss Ukraine’s financing needs for next year and ways to mobilise new international support.

The Commission president also announced the opening of two more negotiating clusters in Ukraine’s EU accession process. Zelensky said Kyiv is working to have all remaining clusters opened by the end of the year. “Ukraine’s European path is a path that strengthens Europe itself,” he said.

A “new, darker phase” of the war

Von der Leyen said the EU “fully supported President Zelensky’s call for a ceasefire that would secure global food supplies and energy infrastructure in Ukraine and Russia”. In her words, the war has entered a “new, darker phase”: Russia, failing to make progress on the battlefield, is hitting civilians far from the front line.

During the call Zelensky told her about strikes that continued despite Donald Trump’s announcement of an energy truce. “Just before our conversation the Russians hit a power plant in Kyiv with a Shahed, and many districts lost power. Later there were strikes on energy facilities in Kharkiv region,” he wrote. The two sides agreed that their teams would discuss further joint steps in detail.

Why it matters

The new European money comes amid tensions between Kyiv and Washington over strikes on Russian refineries and the US decision to allow supplies of Russian diesel. For Ukraine, funding for drones and missiles above all means protecting its skies before winter, when Russia traditionally steps up attacks on the energy system. This week’s European Council will show how far the EU is ready to shoulder a bigger share of support for Ukraine in 2027.