EU Disburses €3.3 Billion to Ukraine for Missiles and Drones

The European Union disbursed €3.3 billion (~$3.7B) to Ukraine on September 18 for the procurement of missiles and drones, drawn from the remaining funds of the EU's €150B SAFE defense financing program as part of the 90 billion euro Ukraine Support Loan. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the payment following a phone call with President Zelenskyy, saying the two also discussed developing a joint European air and missile defense system building on the anti-ballistic FREYJA system. It is the fourth defense-earmarked payment under the loan program, bringing total disbursements to almost €15 billion over the past year. Zelenskyy called the initiative to use remaining SAFE funds for joint EU-Ukraine defense projects "very timely and genuinely needed."