Belgium and Spain will provide Ukraine with €1 billion in defense aid
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov held talks with his Belgian and Spanish counterparts ahead of the next meeting in the "Ramstein" format. The parties agreed on key areas of cooperation to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced this on his social media accounts.
Following discussions with Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken and Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles, the following priorities for cooperation were identified:
- strengthening air defense;
- developing drone capabilities;
- implementation of the “Czech Initiative” to supply the front lines with long-range artillery.
Belgium will allocate 1 billion euros in defense aid to Ukraine in 2026. The country also confirmed its intention to transfer additional F-16 fighter jets and ensure the supply of necessary spare parts for existing aircraft.
Spain will also allocate €1 billion to support Ukraine. The parties paid special attention to developing cooperation in the defense industry within the framework of the European “SAFE” mechanism.
The Ukrainian side proposed a list of manufacturers for cooperation with Spanish companies and also initiated the possibility of testing Spanish drones in combat conditions.
Mykhailo Fedorov thanked Belgium and Spain for their steadfast support of Ukraine. He emphasized that thanks to mutually beneficial cooperation, Ukraine continues to effectively deter the aggressor, de-occupy territories, strengthen air defense, and improve the effectiveness of intercepting missiles and drones, as well as strike at Russia’s economic potential.
As a reminder, Belgium and Norway have not yet transferred any aircraft due to the technical rearmament of their own forces and a critical shortage of spare parts.
Poland has not yet transferred MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. Dialogue between the parties on this issue is ongoing.
