“The Council is committed to an early agreement with the European Parliament so that the first payment can be made at the beginning of the second quarter of this year,” it said.
The decision was made with the participation of 24 EU member states at the level of EU ambassadors at a meeting in Brussels.
However, it will not affect the budget contributions of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, which decided not to participate in the expanded partnership.
Interest on the loan will be paid from the EU budget.
€30 billion is planned to be spent on budgetary support for Ukraine, another €60 billion – on defense assistance.
The EU Council statement said that defense products for Kyiv should be purchased only from companies from the EU, Ukraine or countries of the European Free Trade Association / European Economic Community (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, which are not members of the EU).
If Ukraine's military needs require the urgent supply of defense products that are not available in the EU, Ukraine or EFTA/EEC countries, “certain exceptions will apply.”
President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky expressed gratitude to the Council of the European Union for the decision taken.
“The legal framework has already been agreed upon to provide Ukraine with €90 billion in financial assistance for 2026–2027. We expect that all further steps will also be implemented as quickly as possible, because these funds are our financial guarantee of security,” the head of state wrote.
Thank you to the European Union for today's decision. The legal framework for the provision of 90 billion euros of financial assistance to Ukraine for 2026–2027 has already been established. We guarantee that all further terms will be implemented as quickly as possible, because these costs are our financial guarantee of security.…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Volodymyr Zelenskyy (@ZelenskyyUa) February 4, 2026
According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty editor Rikard Jozwiak, the European Parliament is likely to vote on the agreement next week.
Context
On December 19, 2025, the EU agreed on a financial assistance package for Ukraine worth €90 billion, designed for 2026–2027. The loan will be secured through EU borrowing on capital markets and backed by the union's budgetary reserves.
Politico wrote that 24 of the 27 EU countries will take part in the overall borrowing, except for Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
On January 14, 2026, the European Commission presented a proposal to use the loan for Ukraine.
At the end of January, members of the European Parliament allowed, without the consent of all EU countries, to provide Ukraine with an EU loan in the amount of €90 billion. However, official approval of the loan is possible only after the details are agreed upon between the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, the press service of the European Parliament reported.
The media wrote that the final approval of an EU loan for Ukraine in the amount of €90 billion was blocked by France.
