Ukraine: 90 billion aid package extended to the UK

Brussels – The EU’s 90 billion aid programme for Ukraine also extends to the UK. The Council of the EU has decided that Kyiv will be able to use funds from the loan to purchase defence-critical products manufactured by companies based in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, in addition to the existing framework programme for EU countries and the European Free Trade Association (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland). 

The UK will be able to open its defence market to support Ukraine’s military response to Russia, enabling the accession candidate country to expand its supply base and defence capabilities. The approval of the agreement to include the UK follows on from the grant agreement signed with the EU on 13 July. Officials in Brussels explain that London’s participation is possible because the country meets the three conditions for third-country participation set out in the regulation on loans in support of Ukraine: London has committed to providing a fair and proportionate financial contribution towards the costs arising from the loan; it has entered into a security and defence partnership with the Union; and it is already providing significant financial and military support to Ukraine. 

Decided by EU Heads of State and Government at the European Council summit in December 2025, the €90 billion loan got the final go-ahead in April this year, and the first instalment of aid was disbursed at the end of June. Under this programme, €8.1 billion has already been disbursed, of which €3.2 billion was for budgetary support and nearly €4.9 billion for defence. In 2026, the Commission intends to disburse a total of €28.3 billion of the €60 billion earmarked for the defence package, to support Ukraine’s defence industrial capacity. 

All that remains are the legal details. Once agreement has been reached, the Council of the EU will formally adopt it “in the coming days” by written procedure. The decision will enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the EU, at which point the UK will participate fully in the aid programme for Ukraine.