Poland demands full EUR 450M EU refund for weapons supplied to Ukraine

11.06.2026 17:43

Ukrinform

Warsaw is insisting on a full reimbursement of its expenditures – around PLN 2 billion (approximately EUR 450 million) – for weapons supplied to Ukraine, and does not want these funds to be directly redirected to military support for Kyiv.

The dispute within the European Union over the allocation of EUR 6.6 billion, released after Hungary lifted its veto on European Peace Facility (EPF) funds, Ukrinform reports, citing the Polish outlet RMF24.

According to the report, a disagreement has emerged among EU member states regarding how the funds should be distributed.

The Polish side rejects a proposal by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, which foresees a proportional reimbursement of only 10% of expenses to each member state that supported Ukraine with weapons, while suggesting that the remaining funds be used for training Ukrainian troops and for joint procurement of weapons for Ukraine. Germany, however, believes the funds should be directed directly to supporting Kyiv.

Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk stated that Warsaw will "fight for every euro," adding that Brussels is trying to change the rules in the middle of the game. Slovakia supports Poland's position.

Meanwhile, France and Scandinavian countries are closer to Kallas's proposal, although Paris has raised a reservation that weapons procurement should apply exclusively to European-made equipment.

Germany, the largest contributor to the fund in proportional terms, noted that returning several hundred million euros to national budgets would not make a significant difference, and therefore Berlin is prepared to waive reimbursement in favor of Ukraine. According to a diplomatic source, Germany will allocate a total of EUR 11.5 billion in support of Kyiv this year.

The issue has now been moved to a technical level of negotiations and is expected to proceed to the level of ambassadors of EU member states.

At the end of 2024, Poland stated that it had provided Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees with military, material, and humanitarian aid amounting to nearly 5% of its GDP – the highest ratio in the world. The transferred military equipment included 320 tanks, 250 infantry fighting vehicles, and 14 MiG-29 aircraft.