The EU Commission has paid Ukraine €2.9 billion following reforms under the Ukraine Plan, including the first €800 million channelled through the Ukraine Facility from the Ukraine Support Loan. The payment supports financial stability and public services, bringing total support under the Plan above €32 billion.
EU defence ministers put Ukraine’s air defence at the centre of their meeting, reviewing €28.3bn in procurement plans and the distribution of €6.6bn under the European Peace Facility. They extended EUMAM Ukraine for two years, discussed Russia’s shadow fleet and hybrid threats, called for more assets for Operation ASPIDES and advanced work on EU defence readiness.
EU Member States have agreed to strengthen the European Defence Agency (EDA) to support Defence Readiness 2030, expanding its work on capability development, innovation and collaborative procurement. Yet turning Europe’s world-class research and innovation into defence capabilities remains a challenge. Explore how Europe wants to bridge that gap.
The EU Council has endorsed the first five European Defence Projects of Common Interest, covering drones and counter-drone systems, maritime and seabed defence, space, integrated air and missile defence, and the Eastern Flank. The EU Commission has allocated €325m under EDIP, with an average of 18 Member States involved in each project and Ukraine participating in four.
Ukraine is set to receive the eighth payment under the EU’s Ukraine Facility after meeting ten further reform targets. Nearly €800 million will come from the Ukraine Support Loan for the first time. The Council also added Norway’s approximately €92 million grant to the Ukraine Plan.
Andrius Kubilius will discuss defence readiness and support for Ukraine with Dutch officials, then visit the Port of Rotterdam to examine military transport corridors and cooperation with NATO. His programme also includes talks with companies working on European defence systems.
Magnus Brunner will visit Helsing and Bavaria’s counter-drone centre to assess capabilities as the EU expands support for drone security. He will then join representatives from 18 countries to discuss external borders, implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum, and returns.
Henna Virkkunen meets Greenland’s premier and visit the Joint Arctic Command and a satellite ground station as the EU prepares a new Arctic Strategy. The talks will cover security, critical infrastructure and connectivity, alongside a Commission proposal to increase financial support for Greenland.
Rebuilding Ukraine could strengthen Europe’s industry, energy security and defence, the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies argues. It calls for a Marshall Plan centred on grants and estimates that at least €32 billion in annual EU funding is needed—more than twice the amount proposed for the next long-term budget.
The agreement opens the way for Finnish and Ukrainian industries to share technology, develop drones and pursue joint production. It also aims to simplify defence export procedures. How will the two countries turn Ukraine’s battlefield experience into new capabilities?
At a press conference following the informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in New York, Kaja Kallas sought tougher action against Russia’s shadow fleet and military-industrial complex. She also said Operation ASPIDES needs more than ten ships to counter growing maritime threats and outlined closer security cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners.
The European Defence Agency has launched a pilot course to help 40 public officials move innovative technologies from concept and prototyping into operational military use. The programme covers funding, procurement, defence ecosystems and organisational change—while tackling the “valley of death” that can halt promising projects.
The fourth payment under the Ukraine Support Loan’s defence window brings EU Commission funding for Ukraine this year to nearly €15bn. The EU is also preparing a joint programme with Ukraine to develop a European air and missile defence system based on Freya.
MEPs have adopted the Defence Readiness Omnibus, setting a 42-working-day default deadline for permits and tacit approval when authorities miss it. The package simplifies procurement and intra-EU transfers, expands EDF support for SMEs and Ukraine-based testing, and is intended to facilitate up to €800 billion in investment under ReArm Europe/Readiness 2030.
MEPs want the EU to shift from reacting to hybrid attacks towards anticipating, disrupting and deterring them, identifying Russia as the gravest threat while also citing Belarus, China, Iran and North Korea. Parliament backs stronger intelligence sharing, a central role for the EU’s single intelligence analysis capacity, a new cross-cutting action plan and closer cooperation with NATO.
Moldova’s Deputy PM for Reintegration, Valeriu Chiveri, says Chisinau’s demand for Russian troop withdrawal and Transnistria’s demilitarisation stands regardless of new intelligence data. A joint SIS-military report puts the Cobasna arsenal at 14,000 tonnes, below earlier OSCE estimates, with only 2,800 tonnes classed as live explosive charge, as the EU keeps its call for a settlement.
During Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed’s first state visit to Germany, the two countries launched a Strategic Dialogue and announced a €40bn UAE investment package, including around 1 GW of new data-centre capacity. They also expanded cooperation on defence, energy, AI and trade, while German and Emirati companies signed 29 agreements worth more than €9.35bn.
The Alliance is an industry-led initiative which will strengthen Europe’s and Ukraine’s security by accelerating the development and production of next-generation drone and counter-drone systems. It brings together 18 founding members, including manufacturers, innovators, start-ups and scale-ups from EU Member States, EEA EFTA countries and Ukraine.
Mark Carney and Volodymyr Zelenskyy have launched a 100-year partnership centred on joint drone production, air defence and defence-industrial cooperation. Canada plans capacity for millions of drones within two years, with one-third destined for Ukraine, while adding C$350m for interceptors and more than C$600m in energy and reconstruction finance.
The funding will cover air and missile defence, ammunition, drones and electronic warfare, including US-made PAC-3 missiles for Patriot systems. The decision completes the allocation of the €28.3bn earmarked for Ukraine’s defence under the EU’s 2026 support package.
EU Member States have cleared a derogation allowing Ukraine to buy crucial Patriot air-defence products, backed by a €3.2bn loan disbursement. The UK is adding £100m for Patriot missiles and other air-defence equipment, as Kyiv presses NATO allies to accelerate deliveries before winter following repeated Russian missile and drone attacks.
You need to load content from reCAPTCHA to submit the form. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou need to load content from Turnstile to submit the form. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou are currently viewing a placeholder content from Vimeo. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou are currently viewing a placeholder content from YouTube. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou need to load content from reCAPTCHA to submit the form. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou are currently viewing a placeholder content from GTranslate. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou are currently viewing a placeholder content from Mailchimp. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou are currently viewing a placeholder content from reCAPTCHA. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More Information