EU Parliament greenlights fast-track €90 billion loan for Ukraine
Illustrative photo: The European Parliament approved fast-track consideration of a €90 billion loan for Ukraine (GettyImages)
The European Parliament has approved the use of enhanced cooperation to provide Ukraine with a €90 billion European Union support loan.
The relevant decision was adopted by MPs on Wednesday, giving the EU Council consent to use a special mechanism that allows a group of member states to cooperate without the unanimous support of all EU countries.
Why enhanced cooperation was used
The support loan for Ukraine was agreed at the European Council summit on December 18, 2025, in Brussels and officially presented by the European Commission on January 14, 2026.
However, Czechia, Hungary, and Slovakia refused to support this decision. As a result, the EU decided to apply the enhanced cooperation procedure, a mechanism provided for in the EU treaties that requires separate approval by the European Parliament.
How lawmakers voted
The decision was adopted by a majority vote:
- 499 voted in favor
- 135 voted against
- 24 abstained.
The day before, on Tuesday, the European Parliament also agreed to speed up consideration of this issue and related legislative proposals.
What's next
The next step will be to agree on the details of the loan program between the European Parliament and the EU Council as part of the normal legislative procedure.
€90 billion for Ukraine
In December, the European Union decided to provide Ukraine with €90 billion in financial assistance over the next two years. These are non-repayable and interest-free funds.
The funding will be used to cover budget expenditures and defense needs, and the issue of repayment may arise only after Russia has compensated Ukraine for the damage caused.
Recently, the President of the European Commission announced that €60 billion of this amount is earmarked for the defense sector, with another €30 billion for budget support.
The aid is planned for 2026–2027. At the same time, the European Union is continuing to discuss the mechanism of a so-called reparation loan for Ukraine at the expense of frozen Russian assets.
