EU opens €21.3bn second SAFE round and urges joint arms purchases with Ukraine; Ramstein meets on 17 November

The second SAFE round

On 29 October the European Commission invited EU member states to take part in the second round of the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument. The new call is worth €21.3 billion in long-maturity loans and is open to all member states. Once it receives their target amounts, the Commission will inform them of tentative allocations within two weeks after the submission deadline.

The main emphasis is cooperation with Ukraine. Brussels encourages governments to include common procurement with Kyiv in their national investment plans and to prioritise the urgent needs of both Ukraine’s armed forces and EU militaries in three areas: air and missile defence, drones and counter-drone systems, and ammunition and missiles. The money is not ring-fenced for Ukraine, however: member states decide, and Ukraine can join common projects on equal terms.

What SAFE has delivered so far

The €150 billion SAFE programme was adopted in May 2025 and is a key part of the EU’s Readiness 2030 strategy. In November 2025 member states submitted their defence industry plans, some requesting less than initially agreed — and that unused room is what is now being reallocated. The EU has approved loan agreements with all 19 member states that chose to participate and has already signed 16 of them. Almost €13.5 billion has been disbursed to 11 countries that requested prefinancing.

Ramstein in Brussels

The next meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in the Ramstein format will take place on Tuesday, 17 November, at NATO headquarters in Brussels, convened by the United Kingdom and Germany, NATO said.

Ahead of the meeting Ukraine is asking partners to strengthen its air and missile defence, especially anti-ballistic interception, and to transfer Patriot interceptors from European stocks, as those countries are due to receive new batches from the manufacturer. Alyona Hetmanchuk, head of Ukraine’s mission to NATO, believes partners’ political reluctance to hand over interceptors remains one of the main obstacles to protecting Ukraine’s skies before winter.

German business backs a defence bank

On the same day the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) and seven other business associations, including the machine builders’ VDMA and the crafts federation ZDH, urged Berlin to become a founding member of the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB). The initiative involves Canada, other NATO states and Ukraine. The bank is meant to offer loan guarantees, concessional long-term loans, venture financing and equity investment. Its money could only be spent on goods and services from member countries, so business groups argue that joining would give German companies access to new procurement. Berlin has not yet made a final decision.

Why it matters

For Ukraine, European money for joint procurement means a chance to obtain more air defence and ammunition, including from its own manufacturers. That matters especially now, as Russia has stepped up ballistic missile and drone strikes on cities and energy infrastructure.