EU to give Ukraine another €3.3 billion for missiles and drones

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the European Union will allocate an additional €3.3 billion to Ukraine for the purchase of missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. The announcement followed a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

According to von der Leyen, the funds for the weapons purchase will reach Ukraine on Friday, September 18.

New joint projects program

The European Commission chief also expressed readiness to use the remaining funds from the SAFE mechanism to launch a new program of joint defense projects between the European Union and Ukraine. The initiative aims to combine Ukraine's combat experience with Europe's industrial potential.

Von der Leyen recalled that last week the EU approved funding for Patriot systems under the Ukraine Support Loan, but stressed that more is needed. She said the EU and Ukraine want to jointly develop a European air and missile defense system, building on the shared anti-ballistic system Freya, in order to combine Ukraine's combat experience and innovation with European technology and industrial capacity.

Background

On the evening of September 17, President Zelensky reported on a call with von der Leyen dedicated to defense support for Ukraine. In her annual address to the European Parliament, von der Leyen had already announced plans to create a European Security Council involving Ukraine, and promised Ukraine Patriot missiles along with a joint EU system based on "Freya".