Phoenix 24
A veto that lasted more than three years has finally broken.
Brussels
European Union member states have reached a political agreement to release €6.6 billion in military assistance for Ukraine, ending a blockade that had frozen the funds since the spring of 2023. The money comes through the European Peace Facility, a mechanism used to reimburse governments for weapons and ammunition supplied to countries outside the bloc. The decision arrives as Kyiv faces mounting pressure on its defense budget and seeks additional resources to sustain weapons production and future deliveries. For the EU, the breakthrough also removes one of the longest internal obstacles affecting military support for Ukraine.
The package had remained blocked after Hungary, then led by Viktor Orbán, vetoed its release in 2023. Budapest objected at the time to Ukraine’s decision to place Hungarian bank OTP on a list of companies described as international sponsors of the Russian war effort. Ukraine later discontinued that designation system, but Hungary continued blocking the funds. The political landscape changed after Péter Magyar replaced Orbán as prime minister earlier this year, reopening negotiations over the frozen assistance.
The €6.6 billion package will be divided across three principal areas. Approximately €4.7 billion is intended to reimburse EU member states for military equipment already provided to Ukraine, another €1 billion will support joint procurement of defense materiel, and €900 million will finance the European Union mission responsible for training Ukrainian forces. Some governments may also transfer portions of their reimbursements directly to Ukraine rather than retaining the funds nationally.
The timing is critical for Kyiv. Ukrainian authorities estimate that the Ministry of Defence faces a shortfall of roughly €23.7 billion, with financing particularly important for drones, missiles and other domestically produced weapons. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that additional resources will be needed between October and November to secure deliveries scheduled for the first months of 2027. The newly released European funds will not eliminate that deficit, but they provide additional flexibility at a sensitive stage of the war.
Several legislative acts must still be completed before the entire amount can be disbursed. The agreement therefore represents a political breakthrough rather than an immediate transfer of €6.6 billion into Ukrainian accounts. Its broader importance lies in restoring a financing mechanism that had effectively disappeared from the EU’s active support architecture because of the prolonged veto.
Europe’s decision also sends a strategic message beyond the value of the package itself. After years of internal disagreement, the bloc has demonstrated that political changes within a single member state can rapidly alter the collective capacity to act.
Más allá de la noticia, el patrón. / Beyond the news, the pattern.