European Union member states have authorized the release of €6.6 billion from the European Peace Facility to compensate nations for weapons supplied to Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced on Friday. The decision lifts a long-standing blockade that previously prevented disbursements under the former pro-Russian government in Hungary.
Budapest reversed its stance after Peter Magyar succeeded Viktor Orban as prime minister in April, opening the door for the funding to proceed. According to Kallas, €4.7 billion will directly reimburse member states, with some confirming they will utilize their portions to support Ukraine’s defense against Russia. Additionally, €900 million will finance the EU-led training mission for Ukrainian forces, while €1 billion is allocated for joint procurement of new equipment.
“Moscow’s hybrid attacks try to intimidate Europe into scaling back its support for Ukraine. Europe is doing the opposite,” Kallas wrote on social media regarding the decision.
The financial pledge comes amidst escalating violence in Ukraine. At least five individuals were killed in Russian strikes on Kyiv on Friday, including a 14-year-old boy. Local authorities reported that four bodies were recovered from a multi-story residential building struck during the day, while the teenager died during an earlier attack that coincided with the morning commute. Dozens others were injured in the assaults.
Israel’s foreign ministry confirmed that the deceased teenager was an Israeli citizen and that his mother was among the wounded. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the latest strike on civilian targets, transport infrastructure, and residential areas as “absolutely savage and sickening” and lacking any military logic.
Earlier in the day, Zelensky revealed that US President Donald Trump had approved licenses allowing Ukraine to produce Patriot air defense systems domestically. Zelensky has frequently urged Western allies to provide enhanced air defense capabilities to counter the increasing frequency of drone and missile barrages.
AFP journalists observed residents gathering around the damaged high-rise, where the ninth and tenth floors were left charred by the impact. While Moscow previously limited attacks on the capital to nighttime hours, jet-powered drones are now regularly sighted and heard overhead during daylight, bypassing some of Ukraine’s existing interception systems. Alisa Boyko, a resident of the building hit on Friday, stated that the Kremlin’s objective is to torment Kyiv’s population so that every citizen is affected.
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