The European Union is preparing new funds for Ukraine’s air defence as stocks of Patriot interceptors dwindle. Brussels is reviewing a multibillion‑euro request from Kyiv for PAC-3 Patriot missiles and hopes to approve the financing as early as next week amid an intensification of Russian airstrikes.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary‑General Mark Rutte that the Commission had received a fresh disbursement request. The request amounts to several billion euros and is intended to cover Ukraine’s air‑defence needs, including the purchase of high‑tech PAC-3 Patriot interceptors.
EU member states must approve an exception to the terms of the Ukraine Support Credit, which limits the purchase of non‑European defence products to 35 % of their value when a European alternative is available. The Commission president did not disclose the exact amount of the request so as not to increase pressure on member states, an unnamed European Commission official told Euronews. NATO may also contribute part of the funding, although negotiations are ongoing. According to the official, no other exceptions were sought under this payment besides the one concerning Patriot systems.
Challenges for Ukraine’s air defence
Russia has intensified its airstrikes on Ukraine in recent weeks, sometimes launching up to 30 ballistic missiles in a single night, further depleting Kyiv’s already limited interceptor stocks. Patriot systems are among the most advanced means of countering ballistic missiles, but their production takes considerable time. Interceptor stocks have been exhausted after more than four years of war in Ukraine and the conflict between the U.S. and Iran earlier this year, which forced Persian Gulf states to use large numbers of their own interceptors.
At an informal meeting of EU defence ministers in Ireland earlier this week, EU representatives urged member states with significant stocks to transfer some to Kyiv. So far, that pressure has not yielded the expected results. “Member states are currently considering Ukraine’s request, but I can say that everything is moving in the right direction,” Ursula von der Leyen said.
According to Ukrainian media reports, Kyiv has asked the European Commission to allow spending around 2 billion euros on Patriot interceptors. The number of missiles that can be bought with this sum will depend primarily on the terms of the deal. However, the main problem for Kyiv is not financing but the availability of interceptors.
Next steps and alternatives
In July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine would need at least 140 Patriot interceptors to defend against a single Russian attack involving around 70 ballistic missiles. Ukraine has already secured an exception for U.S. Patriot systems under the €90 billion credit, as well as another exception allowing the purchase of Chinese components for drones, despite France increasing pressure to gradually phase out non‑European suppliers.
National representatives are set to discuss the request on Monday to consider approving it as early as next week. After that, the Commission will need signed procurement contracts before it can disburse the funds. Ursula von der Leyen also pointed to Freya—a pan‑European ballistic‑missile‑defence project led by Ukrainian company Fire Point with the participation of several European firms—as a potential way to help close Europe’s critical air‑defence capability gap.
“Since June, we have allocated €8.5 billion from this credit for drones and missiles for Ukraine. And these funds will also be used to purchase fighters from the European industry,” she said.
Source: Euronews
