The key facts

  • The EU is allocating €4.36 billion to Ukraine: €3.7 billion in macro-financial aid and €660 million for defense
  • The funds were allocated under a €90 billion loan
  • This is part of the response to Zelensky's request to cover a €70 billion budget deficit

New aid tranche for Ukraine

The European Union will allocate €4.36 billion to Ukraine, which will go toward the country's budget and the needs of its army. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced this on November 5 on the social network X. 'Ukraine is about to enter its fifth winter of wartime. As efforts continue toward a just and lasting peace for Ukraine, the EU's unwavering support remains in place,' Gazeta.Ru quoted her as saying.

How this relates to the €90 billion loan

The European Commission's website statesthat the new aid was allocated under the €90 billion loan: €3.7 billion is macro-financial assistance and another €660 million is for defense needs. This tranche became part of a broader arrangement the EU reached after Kyiv's appeal: on October 16, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky requested additional funding from the European Union to cover a budget deficit of €70 billion. European Council President António Costa then statedthat the EU was ready to cover two-thirds of that amount — approximately €46.7 billion.

What remains unclear

In November, a source told Ukrainska Pravdathat the Europeans were ready to cover only part of the requested €70 billion — meaning the final scale of the deficit coverage remains uncertain. The European Commission's statement did not specify how the remaining commitments under the €90 billion loan are distributed over time. Earlier, Zelensky also announced new billions for Ukraine from Britain.