Denmark increases military aid to Ukraine by $633 million

Darryl Coote
·2 min read
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UPI
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at Skrydstrup Airbase, in Vojens, Denmark, in August 2023. On Thursday, the Danish parliament agreed to increase its military support for Ukraine by $633 million for this year. File Photo via Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/UPI

April 26 (UPI) -- Danish lawmakers have agreed to an additional $633 million in military support for Ukraine this year, the Scandinavia nation's defense ministry said.

The Danish parliament agreed to the increase Thursday, as the country's political parties were in agreement that "further significant military support for Ukraine this year" was needed, according to the ministry.

The additional funds into the country's Ukraine Fund are on top of the nearly $2 billion it has already set aside for its besieged ally this year. However, most of that funding had already been allocated.

According to figures from the military, the Danish government seeks to spend about $9.3 billion on Ukraine's defense against Russia's invasion between 2023 and 2028.

"From the start of the war, Denmark has been one of the most active donor countries. We must continue to be so, and that is why I am delighted that a broad majority of the parties in the Folketing support us adding another [$633 million] to the Ukraine Fund," Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said in a statement.

The Folketing is the name of Denmark's parliament.

"It is absolutely crucial that we show the Ukrainians that we stand behind them in the current serious situation," he said.

The Ukraine Fund provides Kyiv with direct military support in the form of weapons, military equipment and training efforts, the defense ministry said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky was quick to thank the Danish parliament online.

"We appreciate Denmark's willingness to respond to the urgent needs of Ukrainian defenders and share the strategic vision that the stronger Ukraine is, the stronger all of Europe will be," he said on X.

According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, which is tracking military support for Ukraine, Denmark is Kyiv's fourth largest backer behind the United States, Germany and Britain.

The announcement came a day after the United States announced a $1 billion military support package for Ukraine. The package's unveiling followed the U.S. Congress agreeing to a supplemental bill that included an additional $60 billion for Kyiv's defense.