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European Commission Greenlights Use of EU Funds for Ukraine’s $8.1B Defense Boost
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Ukraine plans to increase its defense budget by about 8.1 billion dollars under a new amendment to the 2025 state budget submitted to parliament. For the first time since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the European Commission has authorized Kyiv to use EU financial assistance to fund its defense sector.
The announcement was made by Roksolana Pidlasa, Member of Parliament and Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Budget on October 9.
“The amendments to the 2025 budget include an increase of 325 billion hryvnias for defense needs. The largest portion—about 5.2 billion dollars—will go to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, while another 2.5 billion dollars will be allocated for the production and procurement of weapons. Additional funds will also support other security agencies, including the National Guard, Defense Intelligence, State Border Guard Service, and Foreign Intelligence Service,” Pidlasa said.
She emphasized that the additional funding is almost entirely covered by assistance from the European Union.
Pidlasa noted that the government had appealed to the European Commission and, for the first time since the start of the full-scale invasion, received authorization to use EU macro-financial assistance to support Ukraine’s defense sector.
She said the total amount was 6.5 billion dollars, with about 4.3 billion already transferred to the National Bank and another 2.2 billion expected by the end of the year. According to her, the funds would be directed toward troop salaries and the purchase of drones, ammunition, and weapons.
Earlier, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for a stronger and more coordinated EU response to Russian airspace violations and hybrid warfare threats, explicitly affirming the bloc’s right to shoot down hostile airborne intruders.
