EU prepares new loan for Ukraine despite Orbán's veto
Photo: Ursula von der Leyen (Getty Images)
On Wednesday, April 1, the European Commission adopted a package of documents that includes a proposal to the Council of the EU to allocate €45 billion to Ukraine for 2026, according to the European Commission’s website.
The proposal envisages providing Kyiv with €45 billion this year. Of this amount:
- €16.7 billion will be allocated to support the state budget;
- €28.3 billion will go toward the military, defense, and weapons production.
At the same time, Ukraine will be allowed to use these funds to purchase drone components outside Europe if they are urgently needed and no equivalents are available within the EU.
The proposal must be approved by the Council of the EU, after which the European Commission will be able to begin borrowing on financial markets and make the first disbursements.
"The budgetary support will be underpinned with strong conditions related to the rule of law, fight against corruption, economic resilience and sustainability," the European Commission states.
EU loan for Ukraine
At the end of 2025, the EU approved a $90 billion loan for Ukraine over two years. It was seen as an alternative to the decision on confiscating frozen Russian assets.
However, Ukraine has not been able to receive these funds from the EU because Hungary is blocking the procedural decision required to transfer the money. Hungarian authorities have issued an ultimatum, stating that the funds will only be released after Russian oil supplies to Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline are restored.
Recently, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that unblocking the EU loan is critically important for Ukraine and its defense capabilities. Without the funding, both the army and drone production would be affected.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico recently warned that his country could also block further loans for Ukraine.
