Ukraine will be able to purchase Chinese components for drones using a European Union loan — media reports
The Financial Times reports this, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Under the terms of this programme, defence equipment purchased with European funds must come predominantly from EU countries, Ukraine or other approved partners, such as Canada. Other allies may be eligible to participate if they sign a security partnership agreement with the EU, contribute to the scheme and provide substantial support to Ukraine.
However, there is an exception to these requirements: if similar products cannot be obtained from eligible countries quickly enough or in the quantities Ukraine needs, Kyiv may ask Brussels for permission to purchase them elsewhere.
Ukraine was granted an exemption for the first defence tranche of €5.9 billion, which is earmarked for the procurement of drones. This enabled Ukraine to purchase certain Chinese components that are not available in sufficient quantities in Europe.
It emerged yesterday that the EU plans to allow Ukraine to procure British weapons using a €60 billion loan provided for defence procurement. The British government will only make a financial contribution if Ukraine decides to use the loan to purchase military equipment from British companies. The UK signed this agreement on 13 July.
The EU defence loan is part of a wider €90 billion loan that EU leaders agreed to provide in 2026–2027. Of this amount, €60 billion will go towards military aid, with the remainder going towards budgetary support. The funds allocated for 2026 will be distributed as follows: €28.3 billion for defence and €16.7 billion for budgetary support. The loan will be repaid using proceeds from frozen Russian assets held in European banks.
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