The European Union has released €1.24 billion for Ukraine to buy drones, drone interceptors, drone ammunition and munitions made at home, as Russia continues its full-scale invasion and escalates air attacks. The European Commission announced the funding on Wednesday. It will support defence production and military needs. Ursula von der Leyen said it would help protect “people and infrastructure” from Russia’s “deliberate strategy of terror”.
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi said the allocation would meet “our most urgent defence needs”. After deadly attacks in Ukraine’s Chernihiv region and the cities of Dnipro and Kremenchuk on Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said “air defence packages for us right now are a vital necessity”. Civilian life faces assault while governments direct vast sums into defence. The two realities sit side by side.
The Brussels war budget
The €1.24 billion comes from the EU’s Ukraine Support Loan, which totals €90 billion for 2026-2027. Two thirds of that funding has been earmarked for Ukraine’s military and defence needs. Brussels plans to release €28.3 billion in 2026 to support the country’s security, with further defence funding planned in the coming weeks. Russia’s increasingly aggressive aerial campaign in recent weeks has kept Kyiv on near-constant alert and disrupted daily life.
Public spending extends well beyond drones. EU governments plan to invest approximately €98.9 billion in maritime capabilities from 2024-2029. A leaked copy of the EU’s Annual Defence Readiness report, prepared by the European Defence Agency with contributions from the Commission and the EU’s foreign policy unit, assesses whether the 27 member states are on track to achieve defence readiness by 2030. It identifies shortfalls in naval munitions and missile stockpiles, naval Integrated Air and Missile Defence, long-range strike capabilities and protection of seabed infrastructure.
Black Sea, bigger security machinery
Drone attacks along Romania and Bulgaria’s coast have sunk commercial vessels, set ships ablaze and killed civilians. On Tuesday, an attack about 130km off Bulgaria’s coast sank one merchant ship and damaged another. Prime Minister Rumen Radev called it “absolutely unacceptable”. He didn’t attribute blame, and an investigation was underway.
On Monday, a Turkish-owned cargo ship carrying Ukrainian grain caught fire and sank off Romania. Two people aboard died. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian drones attacked the vessel. Foreign Minister Oana-Silvia Țoiu described a deadly incident off Romania’s coast a day earlier as “a flagrant violation of international law”. Ursula von der Leyen condemned both incidents: “The situation in the Black Sea is increasingly concerning. Attacks on civilian shipping are unacceptable.”
The EU launched its Black Sea Security Strategy in May 2025. It aims to secure the maritime corridor and protect critical infrastructure, including offshore installations and subsea cables. The plan also established a Black Sea Maritime Security Hub to coordinate support, boost coast-guard cooperation, analyse seabed sensor data and alert allies to potential dangers. European Commission spokesperson Christian Wigand said officials had initiated 65 projects worth €200 million under the policy.
Romania and Bulgaria requested satellite imagery after the attacks, Wigand said, and the European Maritime Safety Agency was delivering it. Romania and Bulgaria lead the hub, which is intended to improve maritime situational awareness and reflection of critical infrastructure. After the Bulgarian incursion, Romania’s foreign minister said the hub would be located in Constanța and Varna, the countries’ main ports.
Readiness measured in weapons
The report recommends maritime awareness, investment in large combat platforms and naval strike capabilities, and support for seabed protection. Maritime security expert Mihai Sebastian Chihaia of the European Policy Centre said strategies weren’t enough: “to really secure the Black Sea, you actually need capabilities.” He cited intelligence-gathering operations using sensors and radars.
Chihaia said NATO could develop a dedicated Black Sea strategy, but a broader vision for the region’s security architecture remained missing. “This hasn’t happened,” he said. Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said Bulgaria and Romania “play a crucial role to defend our eastern flank”; the two countries are receiving a combined €20 billion under the Security Action For Europe defence loan programme. The official answer to threatened shipping is another hub, more sensors and billions committed to defence. People killed aboard the grain ship remain in the figures. The spending plan looks toward the next capability gap.