Von der Leyen announces the disbursement of €3.2bn to Ukraine, drone funding will follow shortly

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Thursday 25 June the disbursement of the first €3.2 billion tranche of macro-financial assistance from the EU's €90 billion loan to Ukraine and said funding for drone production will begin shortly.

According to von der Leyen, the EU and its member states have provided Ukraine with around €200 billion in assistance since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.

"Today, we are transferring the first tranche under this loan, €3.2 billion in macro-financial assistance," von der Leyen said at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk.

She also announced that in the coming days, the EU will begin transferring funds from a €6 billion package earmarked for drone production in Ukraine.

"This is solidarity in action," von der Leyen said.

In May, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the Loan Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding under which Ukraine is to receive €90 billion in financial assistance from the EU.