Ukraine has asked the European Commission to provide several billion euros from the EU’s €90 billion ($105 billion) support loan to purchase PAC-3 Patriot air defense missiles, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday, Sept. 2. According to European Pravda, von der Leyen announced the request in Brussels before a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “It is worth several billion euros and would cover Ukraine’s air defense needs, including high-end PAC-3 air defense systems,” von der Leyen said. EU member states are currently reviewing Kyiv’s request, she added. Von der Leyen said it was moving in the right direction but did not provide a timeline for its approval. What would the EU funding cover? The requested funding would finance Ukraine’s air defense needs, primarily PAC-3 interceptor missiles – Ukraine’s primary defense against Russian ballistic missiles. President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned of a critical Patriot shortage for months before announcing a new delivery of unspecified quantity in late August. The funding would come from the EU’s €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan, which is already operational. Von der Leyen said the EU had disbursed €8.5 billion (around $9.9 billion) from the loan since June to fund drones and missiles for Ukraine. The money will also be used to purchase fighter jets from European manufacturers.