Ukraine is receiving a first disbursement of €3.2 billion ($3.6 billion) from the European Union's new support loan for Kiev on Thursday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said.
The first tranche is foreseen as budgetary support, von der Leyen said, speaking at a conference in the Polish city of Gdańsk focused on Ukraine's reconstruction.
An additional payment for the production of drones will follow in the coming days, she said.
The EU loan was set up earlier this year and foresees €60 billion in military aid and €30 billion for budgetary support for the years 2026 and 2027.
The first disbursement "shows Europe’s support for Ukraine is here to stay," von der Leyen said.
The money is meant to allow Ukraine to continue its defence against Russia's invasion and to prevent the country from going bankrupt.
The funds are raised by the European Commission on the capital market on favourable terms. Ukraine would only be required to repay the money if, following the end of the war, Russia makes compensation payments for the damage caused.
An agreement between EU leaders provides for Russian assets frozen in the EU to be used for repayment of the loan should Moscow fail to provide compensation for war damage.
EU countries approved the loan unanimously in April after former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán had blocked it for months.
