Kiev close to receiving first tranche of EU loan in amount of 90 bln euros, but procedural steps remain to be completed - European Commission

BRUSSELS. May 28 (Interfax) - The first tranche of the loan to Ukraine in an amount of 90 billion euros for 2026-2027 may be disbursed in June, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

She congratulated the Ukrainian leadership "for the swift work to ratify the main documents related to the 90-billion-euro Ukraine support loan." "This hard work paves the way for the first disbursements in June," she said on the social network X on Wednesday.

European Commission Spokesperson Balazs Ujvari, commenting on the ratification by the Ukrainian parliament of a memorandum of mutual understanding and the EU-Ukraine loan agreement at a briefing in Brussels, confirmed von der Leyen's words on the possibility of disbursement of the first tranche of the loan to Ukraine in June.

At the same time, he said that "there are a couple of procedural and technical steps yet to be completed" and one can "move even closer towards the first disbursement" after they are fulfilled.

The Ukrainian side has to fulfil some other procedures, and the European Commission needs to become convinced that the conditions stated in the memorandum of understanding will indeed be fulfilled, he said.

"In light of this we can then determine when the first disbursement is good to go," Ujvari said, noting that the amount in question is some 9.1 billion euros. A total of 5.9 billion euros will be intended for defense needs (in this case, for procurement of drones) and the remaining 3.2 billion will be paid under a macrofinancial assistance program.