When Ukraine will start receiving €90 billion EU loan: European Commission responds
Photo: European Commission spokesperson Maciej Berestecki (europa.eu)
The European Union is currently working on the final adoption of the legal framework needed to provide Ukraine with the promised €90 billion loan over the next two years. Kyiv may receive the first tranche in the second quarter of 2026, according to a statement by European Commission spokesperson Maciej Berestecki during a briefing on January 5.
According to Berestecki, the European Commission’s proposal to provide Ukraine with a €90 billion loan under the mechanism of "enhanced cooperation" is currently before the Council of the European Union. It still needs to be approved there, but blocking it will not be possible, as only a qualified majority is required.
In addition, approval of the decision on enhanced cooperation requires the consent of the European Parliament. It is planned that both of these steps will be completed "within the next few weeks."
The European Commission is also currently drafting a proposal for a regulation that will set out the terms of the loan for Ukraine. It is expected to be adopted as early as January, along with proposals to amend the EU’s multiannual budget through 2027, which are necessary to provide the loan.
"We are, of course, aware of the urgency of the financing needs of Ukraine. We are planning to issue a first disbursement to Ukraine the latest in the second quarter of 2026," Berestecki noted.
In December, during a summit in Brussels, EU member state leaders agreed to allocate €90 billion in support for Ukraine in 2026–2027. This involves a concessional loan that was considered a fallback option in case the mechanism for using frozen Russian assets is not implemented.
According to Ukraine’s Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko, these funds are effectively interest-free and conditionally non-repayable for Kyiv: repayment would only be possible after Russia compensates Ukraine for the damages caused by its full-scale war.
