Brussels, September 8 (QNA) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen revealed today that the European Union intends to allow Ukraine to use new financial assistance provided to it to purchase US Patriot air defense missiles.

In a joint statement with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Von der Leyen said EU member states had agreed to an exemption allowing European aid to be spent on the purchase of US weapons. At the same time, she stressed that the assistance generally prioritizes the purchase of weapons from European companies.

She noted that Ukraine would receive an additional EUR 2.3 billion (around USD 3.7 billion) as soon as possible, enabling it to protect its airspace from Russian attacks.

NATO, meanwhile, is participating in an initiative that allows European members of the Alliance and Canada to finance Ukraine's purchases of US weapons.

The new funding will be provided through the EU's existing USD 90 billion support loan for Ukraine, which will be disbursed through the end of 2027. A tranche of USD 3.2 billion tranche of the loan is expected to be disbursed in the coming days. (QNA)