European Commission Plans €19.5 Billion Arms Transfer to Ukraine

BRUSSELS, August 13. /TASS/. The European Commission intends to transfer another 19.5 billion euros to Kiev this year to buy weapons as part of its 90 billion euro program for 2026-2027, but it is not yet sure whether Kiev will be able to purchase Patriot air defense missiles with them, said European Commission Spokesman Balazs Ujvar.

"We have foreseen to disburse 28 billion euros to Ukraine this year under this scheme for defense purposes, of which 8.5 billion have already been disbursed, notably for drones, missiles and fighter jets," the EC representative said at a briefing.

Asked by a Ukrainian journalist whether this money can be used to purchase Patriot air defense missiles, Uyvari didn't answer directly.

"Ukraine looks at the situation on the battlefield, identifies what the needs are, and on that basis puts forward what we call product schedules," he said.

Uyvari explained that to receive money through this initiative, Ukraine must determine its needs for weapons, prepare a contract with European manufacturers for its supply, and submit the contract for approval to the European Commission for approval. He said that "by the time we make the disbursement, usually the respective contracts between Ukraine and the industry are ready."

According to European experts, the main problem with the Patriot missiles is not their price, but their extremely low supply, as there are very few of them left due in part to the US war with Iran. The small production capacity of these missiles, which are made only in the United States, does not guarantee that even if a contract is signed, Kiev will be able to physically receive them in the foreseeable future.