INVESTIGATION: 3.9 billion euros for Ukrainian drones — how the EU is arming Ukraine from Brussels

An Investment in Ukraine’s National Defense Industry

The requirement that the funds be used exclusively for the purchase of drones manufactured in Ukraine is not a mere administrative detail: it is a fundamental strategic decision. It aims to strengthen Ukraine’s national defense industry rather than finance purchases from abroad. Since 2022, Ukraine has developed a remarkable drone production sector—several types of locally manufactured reconnaissance, attack, and kamikaze drones have proven their operational value on the battlefield.

By financing the purchase of these drones through this loan, the European Union is creating a virtuous cycle: European funds finance Ukrainian production, which creates jobs and income in Ukraine, strengthens the local industry, and produces military equipment that can be used directly on the front lines. This is a model of military aid that simultaneously supports both the defense and the economy of the recipient country.

The context: 9,801 drones in a single day, 383,067 destroyed since 2022

To understand the urgency of this funding, one need only look at the operational report from June 30, 2026: Russia deployed 9,801 kamikaze drones over Ukrainian territory in a single day. The total number of Russian drones destroyed by Ukraine since February 24, 2022, stands at 383,067. These figures paint a picture of a drone war on an industrial scale that no one had anticipated.

In this context, the €3.9 billion in funding for Ukrainian drones is not a luxury: it is an operational necessity. Ukraine must produce in sufficient quantities to maintain its strike and interception capabilities against an adversary that is sending tens of thousands of drones per week. Without this industrial capacity, the drone war would be lost by default.

9,801 Russian drones in a single day. And Europe is shelling out 3.9 billion so that Ukraine can produce and destroy even more. This is the industrial war of the 21st century, funded by European budget lines. Someone has to do it. And Europe has decided that it will be Europe. Finally.

Compliance checks that delayed the payment

The European Commission stated in its June 30, 2026, announcement that the payment had been delayed because the Commission was “still verifying the drone purchase contracts submitted in support of the funding application.” These verifications are intended to ensure that the financial aid is used for acquisitions “agreed upon with the Commission and the Member States.” This form of conditionality distinguishes this loan from a blank-check grant.

This conditionality creates a natural tension: Ukraine is at war and needs funds quickly, while the Commission has obligations of sound financial management toward European taxpayers. The fact that the disbursement finally took place on June 30, 2026, following these verifications, suggests that the checks were successfully completed. “Additional payments will be made in the coming days” until the first drone tranche is fully covered.

Aid Governance: An Evolving Model

The 90-billion-euro loan represents a significant shift in the governance of European aid to Ukraine. The initial aid in 2022 was largely in the form of budgetary grants with few conditions attached. The current mechanisms—repayable loans, verification of usage contracts, and alignment with defense industrial capacity—reflect a growing maturity in the design of aid that aims to maximize its strategic impact while maintaining financial traceability.

This shift is fundamentally positive: it links European aid to the strengthening of Ukraine’s economic and industrial capacity, rather than treating it as a simple budget transfer. However, it poses challenges in terms of speed, which—in the context of an active war—can have operational consequences if verifications take too long.

Contract verifications that delay disbursement. I understand the necessity—European taxpayers have the right to know where their money is going. But I also think of the Ukrainian soldiers waiting for drones while Brussels verifies forms. Bureaucracy and urgency do not mix well. We need processes that take both into account.

Two disbursements in one week for two complementary objectives

The defense disbursement on June 30, 2026, is not an isolated event: it follows a disbursement of 3.2 billion euros from the budget support component of the same loan, made on June 25, 2026. These two disbursements, with different amounts and objectives, illustrate the complex structure of European support for Ukraine: multidimensional aid that covers both the functioning of the state (budgetary support) and military capacity (defense tranche).

Budgetary support is crucial for a country where a significant portion of the productive economy has been destroyed or disrupted by the war. The 3.2 billion euros disbursed on June 25 enables Ukraine to pay its civil servants, teachers, doctors, and retirees—the minimum social fabric without which a state cannot function and without which military resistance lacks a social foundation.

The 90-billion-euro loan in the context of total international aid

The 90-billion-euro European loan is part of a broader ecosystem of international aid to Ukraine that also includes U.S. aid, bilateral contributions from NATO member countries, and G7 instruments. The G7’s decision to use interest on frozen Russian assets to finance aid to Ukraine adds to these flows. Together, this constitutes massive financial support that Ukraine cannot do without without its war economy collapsing.

In this context, the June 30, 2026, payment is not just a financial transaction: it is a political signal. It tells Moscow that the West has not grown weary. It tells Kyiv that funds will continue to arrive. And it tells the European public that investing in Ukraine’s security is also an investment in European security.

7 billion in one week. This figure deserves to be put into perspective: it is slightly less than what EU member states collectively spend in just a few hours from their total defense budget. Supporting Ukraine is not an unbearable burden for Europe—it is a modest investment in security that is worth infinitely more.

From Wartime Craftsmanship to the National Defense Industry

In 2022, Ukrainian drone production was largely artisanal—hundreds of small businesses and workshops producing limited quantities using makeshift methods. By 2026, this sector had transformed into a full-fledged national defense industry, capable of producing drones of various categories on an industrial scale. This transformation was made possible by investments from the Ukrainian government, financial support from the West, and the expertise operators gained in real combat conditions.

The 3.9 billion euros in European funding, by financing firm purchase contracts with these Ukrainian producers, provides them with the financial stability needed to invest in additional production capacity. A guaranteed public procurement contract worth several billion euros allows a manufacturer to justify the purchase of new machine tools, the hiring of technicians, and the expansion of its facilities. This is basic defense economics—and the EU is now applying it to Ukrainian industry.

Types of Drones Funded: From Strike to Interception

The drone procurement contracts that Ukraine has submitted to the European Commission to justify the funding cover a range of systems, the details of which remain confidential for obvious operational reasons. But Ukraine’s documented needs include: long-range kamikaze drones capable of striking targets 500 km away and beyond; precision-strike drones for tactical fire support; reconnaissance and targeting drones; and anti-drone drones capable of intercepting Shaheds and other Russian projectiles.

These different categories address distinct and complementary operational needs. By funding this entire range through coordinated procurement contracts, European funds enable Ukrainian industry to specialize and scale up in each segment rather than spreading its limited resources across too many projects simultaneously.

Firm procurement contracts worth several billion for drones manufactured in Ukraine. That is the difference between aid that merely consoles and aid that builds. Europe isn’t giving Ukraine money just to help it survive: it’s investing in a defense industry that will outlast the war and from which Europe itself will benefit in terms of security and industrial capabilities. It’s a deal—and it’s a good one.

From Normative Power to Defense Power: A Historic Turning Point

Since its founding, the European Union has defined itself as a normative rather than a military power: an entity that influences the world through its rules, standards, trade agreements, and diplomacy. The allocation of 3.9 billion euros for Ukrainian combat drones marks a significant departure from this stance. The EU is not resolving a conflict; it is actively funding an army at war. This represents a major shift in the institution’s identity.

This transformation was not sought for its own sake: it was imposed by the reality of the war in Ukraine. But it sets a precedent that will shape European foreign policy for decades to come. The EU can finance arms purchases for a third country. It can do so quickly when necessity demands it. And it can do so while maintaining governance standards that preserve its credibility as a responsible steward of European funds.

Implications for Other Potential Conflicts

The mechanism put in place to support Ukraine—a massive loan on concessional terms, with tranches earmarked for defense and compliance checks—now serves as a model that the EU could mobilize again should a similar situation arise. This does not mean that Europe is seeking to become involved in other conflicts. It does mean, however, that it now has the institutional and financial tools to do so if the situation requires it.

For Moscow, Beijing, Tehran, and Pyongyang, this institutional shift in Europe sends a clear signal: the European Union is no longer merely an economic and normative giant that is militarily powerless. It is becoming a defense-supporting power capable of acting on a large scale when its fundamental interests are at stake. This shift in perception serves as a deterrent in and of itself.

The EU is funding military drones. Under different circumstances, this statement would have seemed implausible. Today, it describes reality. And I believe this is a necessary development, even if it comes with new responsibilities that Europe has not yet fully grasped. Funding war—even a just one—changes those who fund it. We must keep our eyes open.

The G7, NATO, and National Funding: The EU as a Piece of the Puzzle

The EU’s contribution of 3.9 billion euros is part of a broader ecosystem of Western support for Ukraine. The United States has provided tens of billions of dollars in military aid since 2022. The United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, Norway, Poland, and others are contributing bilaterally. The G7 has decided to use the interest from frozen Russian assets to finance an additional $50 billion loan. The EU is one piece—a very important one, but still just one piece—of this ecosystem.

Coordination among these various funding sources remains imperfect. There are overlaps, gaps, and delays. But taken as a whole, this represents an unprecedented effort since World War II to support a country under attack and maintain its ability to defend itself. And the payment scheduled for June 30, 2026, is one of the building blocks of this imperfect but very real structure.

U.S. Uncertainty as a Defining Factor

U.S. aid to Ukraine has been turbulent since the Trump administration took office: periods of suspension, new conditions, and ambiguous messages. This uncertainty has reinforced Europe’s concern about increasing its own contribution to offset the vagaries of U.S. policy. The 90-billion-euro loan is, in part, Europe’s response to this transatlantic uncertainty: to build a European support capacity that does not depend entirely on Washington.

In this context, Trump is the necessary evil that the West must manage: a powerful but unpredictable ally, whose support cannot be taken for granted. The rational European response is not greater dependence but gradual strategic autonomy. The June 30 payment is a step in that direction.

Trump as a necessary evil for the West. That is my position: his diplomatic stunts, his aid suspensions, and his ambiguous messages on Ukraine have done more to force Europe to take its defense seriously than twenty years of talk about strategic autonomy. Sometimes, it is the shock-and-awe approach that produces the results that reasonable persuasion has failed to achieve.

What This Payment Says About Europe in 2026

The payment of 3.9 billion euros on June 30, 2026, is, in substance, a financial transaction governed by a loan agreement. In form, it is a political act that defines Europe in 2026—a Europe that has learned, in the wake of the war in Ukraine, that security comes at a price and that this price is better paid in advance than too late. A Europe that has transformed its usual sluggishness into decisive action under pressure. A Europe that says “for as long as it takes”—and is beginning to prove it through its actions.

The 28.3 billion euros earmarked for 2026 alone under the defense tranche represent an unprecedented financial commitment by the EU to provide military support to a third country. This precedent will have lasting consequences for European defense policy—by normalizing the idea that the EU can and must play a direct role in funding the defense of countries that share its values and interests.

What Ukraine Will Do with This Money—and Why It Matters to All of Us

The 3.9 billion euros will be spent on Ukrainian drones. These drones will be used to defend cities, strike Russian military infrastructure, and protect civilians. Every drone produced with this money is a concrete response to the 9,801 kamikaze drones that Russia deployed on June 30, 2026, alone. This isn’t idealism—it’s the arithmetic of survival.

And for European citizens who pay their taxes and sometimes wonder what the European Union is for, here is a concrete answer: it is funding the defense of Ukraine, which defends Europe’s eastern flank and protects peace on the continent. This 90-billion-euro loan—of which 3.9 billion was disbursed on June 30, 2026—is perhaps one of the best security investments Europe has ever made.

3.9 billion. 90 billion in total. These figures are abstract until you translate them into drones, into soldiers protected, into cities that aren’t burning. Europe isn’t saving Ukraine out of charity. It’s protecting its own security with the wisdom of those who understand that war is always cheaper to prevent than to fight. This payment is geopolitics in euros.

By Maxime Marquette, columnist