Main
News
Politics
The Verkhovna Rada has ratified a €90 billion loan agreement with the European Union

The Verkhovna Rada has ratified a €90 billion loan agreement with the European Union

28 May 2026, 11:25

The Verkhovna Rada has ratified a €90 billion loan agreement with the European Union

The Verkhovna Rada has ratified an agreement with the European Union on a €90 billion loan. The Rada also ratified a memorandum of understanding with the EU regarding the loan. These documents were submitted by President Zelenskyy in the morning as part of draft law No. 0376. It was supported by 298 MPs from all factions; no one voted against it.

This information was revealed in the bill’s summary on the parliament’s website.

The memorandum refers to an €8.35 billion macro-financial assistance loan to Ukraine from the EU — in three tranches.

Among other things, Ukraine has committed to:

uphold effective democratic mechanisms and the independence of the National Bank, and not to repeal measures already implemented under loans from the EU or the International Monetary Fund (IMF);
abolish tax exemptions on international parcels (with the exception of defence goods) and tax income generated through digital platforms; extend the 5% military levy for three years, adopt a new Customs Code and appoint a new permanent head of customs;
Combat the fragmentation of business into sole traders (FOPs) who are taxed under preferential arrangements;
introduce different tax rates for Group 3 sole traders — depending on their field of activity.

The memorandum with the EU echoes the IMF’s demands, which require Ukraine to introduce VAT on parcels up to €150 and abolish VAT exemptions for sole traders whose turnover exceeds 4 million hryvnias. Regarding the VAT requirement for sole traders, the Cabinet of Ministers and the IMF agreed to postpone it, whilst the Verkhovna Rada was unable to pass the law on tax on parcels on 26 May.

As a reminder, it was previously reported that the first tranche of the EU loan to Ukraine could be postponed until June 2026.

Politics

Zelenskyy has called on NATO to step up its support for air defence and speed up the delivery of Patriot systems

During a meeting of the Ukraine–NATO Council in Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasised the need to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences and increase supplies of Patriot interceptor missiles. He also thanked partners for their support of Ukraine and for attending the Alliance meeting in the Ukrainian capital.