The Council of the European Union approved a €90 billion loan for Ukraine and the 20th package of sanctions against Russia.
This was reported by the Cypriot presidency of the EU.
The EU Council added that the first loan payments will begin as soon as possible — in the second quarter of 2026. Zelensky previously said that Ukraine expects to receive the first tranche of the loan from the EU by the end of May — beginning of June.
€30 billion will go to macroeconomic support, the rest to defense. The President emphasized that the funds will be directed, in particular, to weapons production, the purchase of necessary weapons from partners that are not yet produced in Ukraine, as well as to preparing the energy sector and critical infrastructure for next winter.
The Ministry of Finance added that the loan is designed for 2026-2027. This year, Ukraine is expected to receive €16.7 billion for budget support and €28.3 billion for defense needs.
€90 billion loan from the EU
In December 2025, EU leaders approved a decision to provide Ukraine with a €90 billion loan in 2026-2027. On February 11, the European Parliament supported this decision.
For a long time, Hungary blocked a loan to Ukraine due to the halt in the transit of Russian oil through the “Druzhba” oil pipeline. Ukraine explained that this happened due to Russian attacks, but Hungary and Slovakia believed that the pipeline was not damaged.
Finally, in March, Ukraine agreed to EU assistance to repair the “Druzhba” pipeline, and on April 21, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the repairs were complete. On the morning of April 22, work began on the Ukrainian section of the pipeline to increase pressure and fill the system with oil, and on April 23, Slovakia received its first deliveries.
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