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MILITARY

Denmark ‘considering’ new military donations to Ukraine

Danish Minister of Defence Jakob Ellemann-Jensen has not ruled out additional donations of military equipment to Ukraine after the Nordic country recently agreed to send artillery pieces to Kyiv.

Denmark 'considering' new military donations to Ukraine
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to Denmark's Defence Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen in Mykolaiv on January 30th. Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Reuters/Ritzau Scanpix

Ellemann-Jensen stated in an email to news wire Ritzau that further donations could come into play following a visit to Black Sea city Mykolaiv earlier this week.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen also took part in the visit to Mykolaiv, where Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky was present.

“Denmark has just made a large donation to Ukraine in the form of all of the army’s artillery. Something the Ukrainians themselves requested, and that we can be proud of,” Ellemann-Jensen wrote.

“Having said that, there is no doubt there will be a need for more Danish support for Ukraine,” he said.

READ ALSO: Denmark in talks with Israel to replace howitzers donated to Ukraine

“Denmark is continuously considering donations of military material as well as financing and other material that can support Ukraine’s battle against Russia,” he said.

Ellemann-Jensen has previously said that Denmark is not currently planning to send Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine. That remains the minister’s position, Ritzau writes.

In his daily evening speech to Ukraine following the Danish visit to Mykolaiv, Zelensky suggested that Copenhagen could be willing to send tanks.

“I naturally thanked Denmark for its military support, for significantly strengthening our artillery and for its willingness to join the tank coalition,” Zelensky said.

“We talked about tanks today, and I don’t want to go into detail about it, but I really think that in the near future we can get some equipment one way or another,” he added. 

Frederiksen said following the visit that tanks had been discussed but did not make any promises regarding Danish tanks.

Denmark said in January that it would donate 19 French-made Caesar howitzers to Ukraine, including some still on order.

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UKRAINE

Denmark announces seven-billion kroner Ukraine fund

A majority in the Danish parliament has approved a new fund to help Ukraine defend itself against the Russian invasion.

Denmark announces seven-billion kroner Ukraine fund

The fund, which consists of seven billion kroner (€940 million), will be targeted at Danish military, civilian and commercial assistance to Ukraine, according to the Nordic country’s finance ministry.

“Last year, we came together in a historic national compromise on Danish security policies. That was necessary in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Finance Minister Nicolai Wammen said in a statement.

“With today’s agreement we give some seven million additional kroner to the efforts in Ukraine, and this will happen on a fully economically responsible basis,” he added.

All of parliament’s parties with the exception of the left-wing Red Green Alliance and Alternative parties voted for the fund.

Some 5.4 billion of the total 7 billion kroner will be spent on military assistance to Ukraine, with 1.2 billion kroner on civilian needs and 400 million to support businesses.

Part of the spending is funded by Denmark’s international development budget, while over 5 billion comes from spending an increased portion of the national GDP on the 2023 budget, news wire Ritzau states.

The money is designed to “retain a high level for military support” and “make a genuine difference for the Ukrainians,” acting defence minister Troels Lund Poulsen said.

“Their fight is our fight,” he added.

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