Ukraine asks EU for additional funding: Brussels sets condition for financing

03.10.2026, 13:57 rubryka.com

Ukraine asked the European Commission to provide some of the funds scheduled for next year ahead of time. The request concerns the two-year Ukraine Support Loan programme, which provides up to €90 billion.

The need for additional funding arose after President Volodymyr Zelenskyi estimated Ukraine's additional defence spending needs at $27 billion this summer. The government asked the European Commission to help cover this shortfall using funds allocated under the programme for 2027.

The programme covers 2026–2027 and provides for up to €45 billion in funding per year. In 2026, Ukraine has so far received €15.7 billion. Delays in meeting some of the programme's reform benchmarks have been one of the factors affecting disbursements.

Brussels has rejected the request to release funds earmarked for 2027 ahead of schedule. At the same time, the EU says Ukraine could still receive around €34 billion by the end of this year if it fulfills its commitments.

The required steps include:

The European Commission has also stressed that Ukraine must continue to fulfill commitments it has already made. It cited, as an example, changes that would weaken requirements concerning politically exposed persons, or "PEPs".

European Commissioners Valdis Dombrovskis and Marta Kos said in a letter to Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk that additional funding for Ukraine in 2026 remains available. However, the Ukrainian authorities must implement the required reforms to access it.

As Rubryka reported, the European Commission does not consider Ukraine to have a 2026 budget financing gap. The EU said the country should have enough funding for this year from money already allocated and in the process of being disbursed.

What is known about the budget deficit

Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said the budget deficit was caused by the rising cost of the war, which has become increasingly technology-driven and requires greater spending. He also pointed to the Defense Ministry financing some expenses in the first half of 2026 using funds allocated for the second half, "which is now creating an additional problem." Another factor behind the deficit is the failure to fulfill all commitments made to international partners.

Koretskyi previously said that Ukraine could lose a significant portion of $29.5 billion in international funding if the Ukrainian parliament delays adopting the necessary bills. The government is also accelerating the implementation of its own commitments as the situation with public finances approaches a critical point.

At the same time, Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko said Ukraine is currently facing its most difficult budget situation since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. According to him, the country is already facing liquidity problems, while the uncovered external financing need for 2027 stands at $32.6 billion.

On October 2, Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said that Ukraine had received €2.9 billion from the European Union under the Ukraine Facility programme.