According to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has already agreed at a closed level on a new military aid package for Ukraine, focused primarily on air and missile defense. The corresponding decisions, the outlet reports, are to be formally enshrined in the thirteenth "Aid Decree." The discussion of the package coincided with a public signal from Rome: on August 24, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, after a conversation with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, announced that a new delivery was being prepared.
Composition of the package
The core of the package consists of air and missile defense systems. It includes four SAMP/T NG batteries, capable of intercepting ballistic missiles among other targets, as well as Aster 30 interceptor missiles. Seven long-range radars are also planned to be added — six of French production (Thales) and one Italian (Leonardo).
The French-Italian track
According to La Repubblica, the agreements are the result of an accord between Italy and France reached in July. Both countries jointly produce the SAMP/T systems and Aster 30 missiles, which are used to defend against air and missile attacks, so the coordination of deliveries is being carried out within a bilateral track.
Production license
Separately, Paris and Rome may grant Ukraine permission to produce Aster 30 N1BT interceptors directly on Ukrainian territory. Such a step, the outlet notes, is intended to reduce Kyiv's dependence on deliveries of finished missiles from Europe and to ensure a sustainable supply of air defense systems.
Ammunition shortage
Ukraine already has two SAMP/T batteries transferred to it by Italy and France; according to La Repubblica, the systems have proven effective in combat use. However, since the summer of 2025, a problem with ammunition has arisen: stocks of Aster 30 missiles in Paris and Rome have fallen to a minimum level. Production of interceptors is now planned to be ramped up, and Italy is to transfer a portion of the missiles to Ukraine by October, in order to supply both existing and newly deployed systems with ammunition.
Funding
The total cost of the package is estimated at approximately €3 billion. Funding, according to the outlet, is planned to be provided from European Union funds under the Ukraine Support Loan program. Italy has previously stated its readiness to strengthen support for Ukraine in the security and defense sphere.
Contradictory data
There is a discrepancy in the sources regarding the wording on the status of the decision. On the one hand, La Repubblica describes the package as already "secretly approved" by the Meloni government; on the other — only the Foreign Minister publicly announced it on August 24, noting that the package is "being prepared," with final enshrinement expected in the thirteenth "Aid Decree." That is, at the time of publication, the decisions do not yet have a final legal status. In addition, the figures on the composition of the package (four batteries, seven radars, around €3 billion) are given in a retelling of a single primary source and have not been confirmed by official documents from Rome.
