Kyiv, September 18 (QNA) - The Ukrainian government announced today that it had received a new tranche of EUR 3.3 billion from the European Union (EU), part of the "Ukraine Support" loan, to meet defense needs.

Ukrainian Prime Minister, Serhiy Koretskyi stated in a post on Telegram that the country would allocate these funds to priority defense needs, specifically the procurement of missiles and drones.

For her part, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the Commission would disburse EUR 3.3 billion to assist Ukraine in purchasing drones and missiles under the "Ukraine Support" loan, reaffirming continued European support for Kyiv.

This marks the fourth tranche Ukraine has received under the loan's defense component, bringing the total disbursed by the European Commission to the country since the beginning of the year to approximately EUR 15 billion, covering both defense support and other forms of assistance.

The total volume of the "Ukraine Support" loan stands at EUR 90 billion for the 2026-2027 period, with EUR 60 billion allocated for defense and EUR 30 billion for general budget support.

Under this loan, the European Union had previously allocated up to EUR 45 billion for Ukraine for the year 2026, comprising EUR 28.3 billion to bolster defense capabilities and EUR 16.7 billion for general budget support.

On September 11, the European Commission approved the allocation of EUR 6.1 billion from the defense budget earmarked for 2026 to air and missile defense and other defense needs, including PAC-3 missiles used in Patriot systems. (QNA)