EDITOR’S NOTE: Certain details in this photo have been edited out for security reasons. A Patriot air defense system of the German Armed Forces at the airport in Rzeszów, Poland, on Sept. 1, 2025. (Michael Fischer / Picture Alliance / Getty Images)Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called on the EU to use a newly unblocked fund to buy U.S. air defenses for Ukraine after Russia attacked downtown Kyiv overnight on June 2 — even as there are more realistic options to pursue.After Russia carried out one of its largest-ever aerial assaults on Kyiv, Sybiha called on the EU to do more to support Ukraine — namely, to help the country bolster its air defenses."Use the unblocked European Peace Fund to fund the PURL program and buy additional Patriot systems and missiles for Ukraine," Sybiha posted on X. "Advance the anti-ballistic coalition. Increase investment in Ukraine's long-range capabilities." The Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) is a NATO initiative under which the alliance bundles up Ukraine's wishlist of U.S. defense products into $500 million packages, which are then paid for with voluntary contributions from NATO allies. Sybiha is proposing that PURL be topped up by the European Peace Facility (EPF), a pot of money funded directly by contributions from EU countries, which can be used to reimburse countries' costs for peacekeeping operations and to provide Ukraine with the means to militarily defend itself. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha speaks during a NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 3, 2024. (John Thys / AFP via Getty Images)The EPF's support for Ukraine had been blocked by former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, but now, with the change of government in Budapest, the objection is expected to be lifted."The EPF is by design one of the EU's more flexible funding instruments — assuming there is unanimity among member states," said Martin Leng of the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics think tank."Now that Hungary's veto is gone, there's no doubt that it should continue to be deployed in the service of Ukraine's defense."But while Politico reported, citing sources, that Hungary lifted its veto on June 1, the EU says the matter is still under discussion.The EU's spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Anitta Hipper, told the Kyiv Independent that "discussions are ongoing among member states on lifting the long-standing blockage of 6.6 billion euros ($7.7 billion) dedicated to Ukraine under the European Peace Facility. The exact use of the blocked funds is still being discussed."But Juraj Majcin from the European Policy Center think tank already cautions against expecting too much help from the fund.It "is expected to cover, to a large extent, reimbursement claims submitted by member states for military equipment already donated to Ukraine," he said."It therefore remains unclear how much funding will actually be available for expenditure next year, particularly as the original 17 billion euros ($20 billion) envelope has already been almost fully exhausted," Majcin told the Kyiv Independent.Is using the EPF in this way a good idea?Sybiha's request for European officials to make contributions via PURL follows a letter from President Volodymyr Zelensky to the U.S. asking for more air defense support.Deliveries via PURL are continuing, but they have slowed down since the U.S. began attacking Iran in March. New contributions to the list have also tended to be smaller and less frequent, a far cry from Zelensky's 2025 push to get NATO countries to treat PURL as a monthly subscription."It would be efficient and would demonstrate that NATO and the EU are capable of working together pragmatically," Majcin said of the idea of using EU funds to back PURL."Assistance to Ukraine should not be subordinated to the objectives of the EU's defense-industrial policy. The overriding priorities must be speed and Ukraine's operational needs," Majcin added.But Leng says, "There are more strategic uses of EPF funds than simply funneling cash to the U..S military-industrial complex via PURL — especially given the Trump administration's 'procurement-for-engagement' stance on Ukraine, which amounts to tacit blackmail."Instead, he argues that the money should strengthen European and Ukrainian defense production.Members of a Ukrainian air defense unit demonstrate their work near Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 8, 2023. (Andrew Kravchenko / AP)"Recourse to American suppliers should be a matter of military necessity — not transatlantic appeasement," Leng said.The EU itself has not ruled out providing support via PURL.On the contrary, Hipper said that Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, "has been in regular contact with member states to encourage them to increase ammunition pledges and deliveries, including through PURL."A European Commission spokesperson said that the EU's financial assistance to Kyiv, the Ukraine Support Loan, includes wording "under which Ukraine can buy defense products, including drones, from third countries," for example, when there is time pressure or a lack of a European alternative. Ukraine already secured one such exemption in April for drone production, where it relies on components from China.Editor's note: Got an opinion on anything you've read in the Kyiv Independent so far? 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