European Union leaders hope that the first tranche payment of a EUR 90 billion loan to Ukraine will take place in early April.

This follows from a statement by 25 European Union leaders, excluding Hungary and Slovakia, adopted Thursday in Brussels during a European Council meeting.

Following the December 2025 decision to provide Ukraine with a support loan of EUR 90 billion for 2026 and 2027, the European Council welcomes the adoption of the loan by the co-legislators and looks forward to the first disbursement to Ukraine by early April, the document said.

In this context, the European Council also called for intensified outreach to third countries to help bridge the remaining EUR 30 billion gap in Ukraine’s finances.