The European Parliament supported a EUR 90 billion loan for Ukraine

In Wednesday's vote, the European Parliament supported the European Union granting a loan worth EUR 90 billion to Ukraine. The procedure was approved with 499 votes in favor, 135 against and 24 abstentions.

The loan was agreed at the EU summit in Brussels on December 18, 2025. As the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia withdrew their support for the loan, the agreement was concluded under the enhanced cooperation procedure – a mechanism enabling interested EU member states to cooperate in specific areas. In accordance with the Treaties, the enhanced cooperation procedure requires the consent of the European Parliament.

On Tuesday, Members of the European Parliament decided to urgently work on the loan and the accompanying applications. They now need to be agreed by the Parliament and the EU Council under the ordinary legislative procedure.

In January, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, proposed that EUR 60 billion of the EUR 90 billion should go to military support, and EUR 30 billion to budgetary purposes and reforms.

Funds for military purposes will be used to purchase equipment mainly from Ukraine and the European Union. – If it is not possible to buy the necessary equipment in this region, (…) sometimes there may be a need to purchase equipment from outside the European Union and from outside the region – von der Leyen said then.

This means a restriction on the possibility of purchasing American equipment, which also applies to the SAFE program for co-financing defense purchases in member states.

The President of the European Commission also noted that the Commission's proposal to use the assets of the Russian central bank frozen in the EU remains on the table. “This should serve as a stark reminder to Russia that we reserve the right to use its immobilized assets,” von der Leyen said.

The loan will be taken out on the capital markets by the European Commission and will be secured by the EU budget. Ukraine will repay it when it receives reparations from Russia. Until then – in accordance with the decisions of the EU summit – Russian assets will remain frozen.

EU Commissioner for Financial Affairs Valdis Dombrovskis, asked earlier whether the EU would be able to take out the loan before April, when Ukraine will be left without money, replied that he expected the legislative work to be completed in early March.

– At the same time, we cooperate with other international partners who provide financial support to Ukraine. We want them to pay their contributions already in the first quarter of this year to cover the financing gap, (…) and I can say that this work is also progressing quite successfully, Dombrovskis said.

From Strasbourg Łukasz Osiński (PAP)

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