Zelenskyy directs €45bn EU tranche

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine will use the first tranche of the European Union’s €90 billion support package for domestic defense production. (interfax.com.ua) (president.gov.ua) Speaking on April 26 alongside Moldovan President Maia Sandu, Zelenskyy said the first money would go to “domestic production for the defense of Ukraine,” including drones and the wider military-technology sector. He said energy was the second priority. (president.gov.ua) (interfax.com.ua) Three days earlier, Zelenskyy had said Ukraine was ready to direct the first tranche to the army’s needs, including weapons, air defense systems and winter preparations. He said Kyiv expected the first disbursement in May or June. (interfax.com.ua 1) (interfax.com.ua 2) The €90 billion package covers 2026 and 2027, but the immediate fight is over this year’s money. Ursula von der Leyen said on April 23 that €45 billion is assigned for 2026 and that the first tranche could still arrive before the end of the quarter. (president.gov.ua) Von der Leyen also laid out the split: one-third for budgetary needs and two-thirds for defense. She said the first package could be “a drone package” built in Ukraine for Ukrainian use. (president.gov.ua) That marks a shift from emergency financing aimed mainly at plugging fiscal holes. Zelenskyy and European Union officials are now describing the money as a way to expand Ukrainian weapons output, reinforce air defense and protect the power system before another winter. (president.gov.ua) (interfax.com.ua) The package had been politically stuck until an April 23 European Union leaders’ decision unblocked it. Zelenskyy thanked European Council President António Costa and von der Leyen for what he called a unanimous decision by all European Union leaders. (president.gov.ua) The loan itself was framed earlier this year as support for 2026-27 that should start working “as soon as possible and as effectively as possible.” In February, von der Leyen said the decision to provide it had already been made and “cannot be reversed.” (president.gov.ua) Ukraine is pairing that financing with a broader push on energy resilience. In the same February meeting, von der Leyen said the European Commission was preparing a 2026-27 winter energy plan with a €920 million package to stabilize Ukraine’s energy system. (president.gov.ua) For now, Kyiv’s message is narrow and practical: get the first tranche in quickly, turn it into drones, weapons and power protection, and carry that capacity into the next winter. (interfax.com.ua) (president.gov.ua)