Denmark announces $313M military aid package for Ukraine

LONDON

The Danish government will provide Ukraine with a new 2.2 billion kroner ($313 million) military aid package, local media reported Wednesday.

The funds will ensure the development of the maritime capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, shells, drones, and the production of missile parts in cooperation with the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.

"In March, I visited a number of Ukrainian defense companies in Kyiv, and it became clear that there is great potential for future cooperation that can supply the necessary equipment to Ukraine, which will help change the situation on the battlefield," Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said in a press release published on Tuesday.

He pointed out that direct investment in Kyiv's defense industry is a new initiative that would enable Ukraine to produce more military equipment itself.

The funds could encourage other countries to follow in Denmark's steps, the defense minister added.

The Nordic country provided Kyiv with a military aid package in March worth around $336 million.

In addition, Denmark recently allocated $5.8 million in aid for Ukraine's energy infrastructure, which has become a target of Russian attacks.

Since Russia started its "special military operation" in Ukraine in Feb. 2022, Copenhagen pledged military support for the war-torn country worth around $8.4 billion, making it the fourth largest provider of military aid to Kyiv, according to the Germany-based Kiel Institute for the World Economy, which tracks international aid for Ukraine.