The European Union is preparing additional funding for Ukrainian weapons, including drones and missiles. The plans come as Latvia’s president urges Europe to sustain military and financial aid and help Ukraine prepare for winter.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the planned support after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. She said further weapons assistance would follow that week. The amount and payment schedule remain unspecified.

EU backs proposed energy ceasefire

Zelensky called for a limited ceasefire covering attacks on energy infrastructure in both Ukraine and Russia. Von der Leyen backed the proposal while confirming plans for additional weapons support.

EU leaders are also expected to discuss Ukraine’s financing needs for 2027. Further progress toward the country’s potential membership of the bloc is another topic for those discussions.

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Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said in an October 12 television interview that he saw no signs Russia was ready for a ceasefire. He urged Europe to continue military and financial assistance and help Ukraine through the winter.

Rinkevics said information from Ukraine indicated numerous and varied attacks. He also said the use of jet-powered drones was making interception more difficult.

Europe takes a larger share of aid

A business magazine analysis published on October 12 put commitments from Ukraine’s three biggest backers at nearly $400 billion. That total covers support since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The analysis cited EU figures showing more than $226 billion from the bloc and its member states. Drawing on the Kiel Institute’s Ukraine Support Tracker, it put US support at about $136 billion and British support at about $37 billion.

It said the United States had announced no new aid since January 2025. Europe had filled the gap, making the EU Ukraine’s main supporter.

The EU’s €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan, financed through borrowing, began paying out in 2026, according to the analysis. Nearly €11 billion was allocated in May and June.

The analysis estimated that roughly half of aid supported Ukraine’s military, while roughly half helped keep the state running. It put EU and member-state military aid above $86 billion and budget support above $122 billion.

Funding needs and policy obstacles remain

European allies also pay for American weapons through NATO’s PURL scheme. The same analysis said more than 90% of supplies under that mechanism came from US stockpiles.

Euronews reported that European diplomats acknowledged limits to existing EU support programmes. They said it remained unclear how Ukraine’s continuing needs would be addressed.

Its reporting described recent Russian strikes on infrastructure and civilian sites across Ukraine. More than 30 people were reported killed in Kramatorsk after a glide bomb attack set two public buses ablaze.

Rinkevics said European countries had not reached consensus on transferring Russia’s frozen assets to Ukraine. He also said they had faced difficulties extending sanctions in some cases.