BRUSSELS: The European Union has released a new €1.4 billion tranche to Ukraine, using profits generated by frozen Russian central bank assets, after another night of deadly Russian strikes on Kyiv. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the attacks as “horrible atrocities” and said Moscow should pay for the destruction it has caused.
The announcement came a day after Russian ballistic missile and drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital killed at least 17 people. Von der Leyen said the money would help Ukraine continue its resistance against Russia’s “illegal war.”
The EU froze Russian central bank assets shortly after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. While the assets themselves remain untouched, the interest and other profits they generate have increasingly been channelled to support Kyiv’s war effort and recovery. The European Commission says those assets have already produced about €8 billion in windfall profits, according to Euro News.
Most of the latest payment 95%, or about €1.33 billion will not go directly to weapons or military supplies. Instead, it will be used through the Ukraine Loan Cooperation Mechanism to help repay loans provided to Ukraine under G7 and EU support programs. The remaining €70 million will go through the European Peace Facility, which funds military assistance.
The split reflects the EU’s effort to balance financial aid, military backing, and legal caution as it keeps pressure on Russia without confiscating the frozen assets outright. Supporters say the arrangement turns Moscow’s own money into help for the country it attacked; critics in Russia call it theft.consilium.
The latest transfer is another sign that Europe’s support for Ukraine remains tied not only to battlefield developments, but also to the deeper struggle over how to make Russia pay for the war.
