Ukraine has requested €6.6 billion from the (apparently misnamed) European Peace Facility (EPF) to spend on a renewed military offensive against Russia.
The demand, in a letter dated June 26th but only recently made public, claims there is a six-to-nine-month battlefield “window of opportunity” where the expenditure could have maximum impact. The claims are based on Kyiv’s recent drone incursions into Russia, which have disrupted logistics and morale alike, although such tactics have been deployed since at least 2023.
In the letter seen by Reuters, defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov estimates Ukraine’s total defence requirements will cost around €136 billion this year, with around €53 billion to be paid from Ukrainian government coffers.
About €28.3 billion is already earmarked for defence this year from Ukraine’s €90-billion European Union loan. Fedorov expects the EPF funds to become
one of the most impactful European contributions to Ukraine’s defence effort this year, but only if those resources are directed where they can generate the greatest and most immediate military effect.
Two weeks ago, Fedorov told a June 17th news conference that he was seeking an additional $20 billion (€17.5 billion) from the 50-nation Ukraine Defence Contact Group (the Ramstein group) on top of an already-committed $40 billion (€35 billion).
