EU Could Give Ukraine About €30 Billion in 2026 if Reforms Continue

Ukraine could receive about €30 billion from the European Union by the end of this year if it keeps carrying out the relevant reforms, European Commission spokesman Balazs Ujvari said on Monday, Oct. 19.

"First of all, before we talk about 2027, we need to talk about 2026. If you look at what we have in preparation, the figure is about €30 billion this year for Ukraine,"

Ujvari said. He added that most of the amount is the support loan to Ukraine, while part lies outside it. "For these funds to be paid out, Ukraine must continue to carry out the relevant reforms," he stressed. On the defense side, he said, the Commission must "obtain the agreements underlying the already approved production schedules."

The €3.7 billion macro-financial tranche

The Commission is also assessing whether Ukraine has met all the reform and legislative conditions for the next €3.7 billion tranche of EU macro-financial assistance. It is studying the laws the Verkhovna Rada passed last week. "Last week the Verkhovna Rada passed a number of important laws. We are now analyzing these laws, after which we will formulate our assessment," Ujvari said. He recalled that the EU already paid Ukraine the first tranche of macro-financial aid in 2026.

Among the laws is bill No. 16051-1 on value-added tax on international parcels and e-commerce, which the Rada passed as a whole. The Commission had said earlier that without a law ending the VAT exemption for low-value imported parcels, Ukraine risked not receiving the €3.7 billion tranche.

The 2027 gap

At a summit in Brussels, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the war would cost Ukraine €155 billion next year and asked EU leaders to find another €70 billion. The Commission acknowledged that Ukraine's 2027 budget is indeed short by €70 billion, to be covered by international partners, and the European Council asked it to prepare proposals to close the gap. More in Business.