EU says it cannot buy Patriot missiles for Ukraine until Kyiv submits signed contracts

What Happened

European Commission spokesperson Balazs Ujvari said on 18 September that Ukraine has not yet submitted signed contracts for the purchase of Patriot air defence interceptor missiles, so the European Commission cannot make relevant payments from the €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan mechanism. Ujvari said the Patriots were approved 'just last week' and the Commission needs to receive the contracts to examine them and then disburse funds for that specific equipment. He added that the defence component of the loan is expected to reach €28.3 billion in 2026, but Patriot-related payments would probably come later because the product schedules were only recently approved. With a €3.3 billion payment for drones and missiles made on 18 September, EU payments from the defence component in 2026 reached €11.7 billion, according to Ujvari.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The delay affects delivery of Patriot air defence interceptor missiles to Ukraine, which relies on such systems to counter Russian missile and drone attacks. The €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan is a major EU financing instrument for military assistance, and the €28.3 billion defence component expected in 2026 underscores the scale of planned support. The procedural requirement for signed contracts shows that EU disbursement is conditional on bilateral contracting between Ukraine and suppliers, meaning administrative gaps can postpone critical air defence reinforcement.

Watch For

Monitor whether Kyiv submits signed Patriot missile contracts to the European Commission and when the Commission examines them and makes subsequent disbursements from the defence component. Watch for further payments from the €28.3 billion expected in 2026, and for progress on von der Leyen's proposed European Security Council involving Ukraine and the joint EU-Ukraine missile defence system based on the Freyja project.