The European Commission announced on Wednesday that €1.24 billion had been released for Ukraine to purchase domestically manufactured drones, drone interceptors, drone ammunition and munitions, Euronews reports. The president of the EU executive, Ursula von der Leyen, said the funding allocation would help protect “people and infrastructure” in Ukraine against Russia’s “deliberate strategy of terror.” “Today’s disbursement will help strengthen Ukraine’s defence industry. And Ukraine’s ability to defend itself,” she said. Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi welcomed the funding pledge, stating that the EU’s allocation will go towards “our most urgent defence needs”. Following deadly attacks in Ukraine’s Chernihiv region on Wednesday, as well as the cities of Dnipro and Kremenchuk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated “air defense packages for us right now are a vital necessity.”