Italy denies formal approval of reported €3bn Ukraine air defense package

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said on August 26, 2026, that a purported 13th package of military assistance for Ukraine had not been approved and did not exist as a formal government act. His statement came in response to a report published the same day by La Repubblica, which said the Meloni government had already agreed the details weeks earlier and planned to formalize the aid through an interministerial decree.

The newspaper linked the assistance to SAMP/T NG air defense systems, Aster 30 missiles, and long-range radars, valuing the package at close to €3 billion and saying it would be funded through European loans. Crosetto said no Italian assistance had been formalized during 2026, though he did not dispute ongoing industrial cooperation. He described a joint offer from Italy, France, and the United Kingdom to help Ukraine build its own air defense capacity as a long-standing position rather than a new decision.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said later that day that the defense ministry was preparing a separate package, which would be presented to the parliamentary security oversight committee before any delivery takes place.

The underlying procurement plan for the SAMP/T NG systems is already public. It was outlined in a joint declaration by French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on July 14, 2026, following a letter of intent signed in November 2025. Under that plan, Ukraine intends to order four of the Franco-Italian systems, which would make it the first combat operator of the type. Financing would be drawn from European Union Ukraine Support Loan tranches for 2026 and 2027, with several radar systems also included in loan-linked procurement schedules.