According to a confidential report published by the newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad, the rules the EU is preparing for a €90 billion loan to Kiev “could force Ukraine to spend those funds exclusively on purchases from European companies,” which “would damage its defense capabilities.”

The Netherlands proposes legally guaranteeing that at least €15 billion of that loan can be used for purchases in the United States, arguing that critical parts such as spare parts for F-16 fighter jets and Patriot missiles come from there.

European policy analysts believe that the Dutch stance reflects the struggle between the industrial protectionism of powers like France and the pragmatic prioritization of Ukrainian rearmament, even outside the bloc.

The lack of consensus is palpable, with France pushing for the funds to be spent within the EU and countries like Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic refusing even to participate in the joint credit mechanism.

Presented as a “zero-interest loan,” the measure is conditional on Ukraine being able to repay it with future “reparations” from Russia, a premise that Moscow has called illusory and which only exacerbates the conflict.

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