Ukraine has been allowed to purchase Chinese components for drones using funds from a European Union loan. Financial Times reported this, citing sources.
According to the newspaper’s sources, Kyiv received special permission to use part of the first six-billion-euro tranche for that purpose. FT says the decision highlights both the continuing problems in the EU’s defense industry and China’s significant role in supplying both sides in the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Under the terms of the EU loan, defense products financed with this money are normally supposed to come from the EU, Ukraine, or partners approved by Brussels, such as Canada. In addition, such purchases must not conflict with the EU’s security and defense interests.
But the rules include an exception. Ukraine may ask Brussels for approval to buy goods from other countries if the required products cannot be obtained quickly from suppliers that meet EU conditions.
In April, the European Union approved a 90-billion-euro loan for Ukraine. Of that total, 60 billion euros is intended for the purchase and production of weapons, while the remaining 30 billion euros is earmarked for budget support.
The report also recalls earlier statements by the Ukrainian authorities on Chinese supplies. Volodymyr Zelensky said in May 2025 that China had stopped selling drones to Ukraine and European countries while continuing deliveries to Russia. Bloomberg had previously reported that Beijing also reduced shipments of some drone components to Western buyers, including magnets used in drone motors, while increasing such supplies to Russia.