Written by Anna Flynn.
Updated on 23 February 2026.
The EU immediately strongly condemned Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine on 24 February 2022, and has done so repeatedly since. By 31 December 2025, the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine had reached 55 600, according to the United Nations. Over the past four years, the EU has provided €193.3 billion in support for Ukraine, representing the Union’s largest civil protection operation to date.
The European Parliament labelled Russia’s war ‘the most outrageous act of aggression conducted by the political leadership of a given country in Europe since 1945’. EPRS noted that ‘the ongoing attack has reverberated beyond Ukraine’s borders, affecting food security, energy prices and inflation both in the EU and beyond’. The EU’s response has been structured along three axes: political, economic and military support for Ukraine; isolation and containment of Russia; and enhancement of EU and EU neighbours’ resilience.
Parliament’s extraordinary meeting of 1 March 2022, during which it adopted a resolution unequivocally condemning Russia’s aggression and setting the direction for EU action, was one of the first international gatherings to which Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, spoke. Parliament’s President, Roberta Metsola, was the first EU leader to visit Kyiv after the Russian invasion, on 1 April 2022. In September 2025, Metsola officially opened a permanent European Parliament liaison office in Kyiv.
Since the start of the war, Parliament has dealt with multiple legislative files of paramount importance for Ukraine, and adopted numerous non-legislative resolutions on aspects of EU support for the country; including several rounds of macro-financial assistance, the Act in support of ammunition production (ASAP); and the Ukraine Facility, which earmarks €50 billion for Ukraine’s reconstruction from 2024 to 2027.
On 18 December 2025, the European Council agreed a €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan for 2026 and 2027. Without this, Ukraine was expected to run out of funds in early 2026. Instead of using Russian assets, this loan is financed through EU borrowing secured on the ‘headroom’ in the EU’s budget. On 27 January 2026, during a meeting with parliamentary committees, Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis stated that the support loan should cover two thirds of Ukraine’s financing needs for 2026 and 2027.
In order to implement the European Council’s decision, the Commission presented three legislative proposals on 14 January 2026.
- A regulation implementing the establishment of the Ukraine Support Loan for 2026 and 2027. This loan is based on enhanced cooperation, and therefore Czechia, Hungary and Slovakia will have no financial obligations under it.
- A regulation amending the Ukraine Facility in its current form so that it can be used for the Ukraine Support Loan.
- A regulation amending the EU’s 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework (MFF) to allow this to guarantee the loan and finance the interest.
On 20 January 2026, Parliament agreed that these three proposals should be treated under urgent procedure, meaning that it can vote on the regulations without a parliamentary report. Parliament gave its consent to use the enhanced cooperation procedure for the Ukraine Support Loan, and the three proposals were adopted by Parliament in plenary on 11 February 2026.
Parliament has also unwaveringly supported Ukraine’s EU membership aspirations, advocating successfully in June 2022 for Ukraine to be granted candidate country status, and in December 2023 for Member States to start accession negotiations. Screening meetings concluded in September 2025, meaning that Ukraine is ready to start negotiations on all policy ‘clusters’. Related to these negotiations, Ukraine has a list of reform targets to meet in 2026.
However, accession negotiations have not properly started due to lack of the required unanimity in the Council.
On 12 December 2025, the Council adopted a regulation indefinitely prohibiting the transfer back to Russia of Russian assets (of the Central Bank of Russia) immobilised in the EU. This money has been frozen since the war began. The European Parliament has repeatedly called for the assets (amounting to around €300 billion) to be used to finance Ukraine’s reconstruction. However, it is a divisive issue due to potential economic, legal, and reputational consequences, and for the moment the European Council has not decided to do so.
Parliament also supports the EU’s sanctions against Russia. On 6 February 2026, the Commission put forward the EU’s 20th package of sanctions. This introduces new measures such as a full ban on maritime services for Russian crude oil and new import bans on metals and chemicals that have not yet been subject to sanctions.
Parliament continues to employ its budgetary, agenda-setting, external action and law-making powers to mobilise solid EU support for Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s aggression, and to ensure that the EU honours its pledges.
Links
- EU Support for Ukraine for 2026-2027
- Ten Issues to Watch in 2026
- Financing Ukraine in 2026 and 2027
- State of play: EU support to Ukraine
- Act in support of ammunition production
Other links
- Number of civilian casualties in Ukraine during Russia’s invasion verified by OHCHR from February 24, 2022 to December 31, 2025
- Council agrees position on legal framework to provide €90 billion in financial support to Ukraine
- Statement by President von der Leyen on the 20th package of sanctions against Russia
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