EU shuts out US weapons in $95 billion Ukraine loan amid deepening transatlantic split [View all]
Source: Courthouse News Service
January 14, 2026
BRUSSELS (CN) — U.S. defense contractors will be pushed to the back of the line under Europe’s 90-billion-euro ($95 billion) Ukraine loan, with new rules unveiled Wednesday requiring Kyiv to buy European and Ukrainian weapons first as support under President Donald Trump dwindles.
The European Commission — the EU’s executive arm — on Wednesday presented the legislative blueprint for the loan package EU leaders agreed to last month to keep Ukraine’s government running through 2027. The fine print shows that 60 billion euros set aside for weapons must go to European and Ukrainian suppliers first.
American companies can only compete if the equipment isn’t available closer to home or can’t be delivered fast enough. To qualify as European, weapons can’t have more than 35% of their parts made outside the continent — the same standard used in the EU’s 150-billion-euro SAFE defense program.
The rules have split EU countries. France is pushing for strict limits to keep money away from U.S. defense firms, while Germany and Northern European countries want more flexibility, arguing that Ukraine needs Patriot air defense systems that Europe simply doesn’t make.
Read more: https://courthousenews.com/eu-shuts-out-us-weapons-in-95-billion-ukraine-loan-amid-deepening-transatlantic-split/
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