Northern influence: Denmark to increase military aid to Ukraine by $1.3 bln
Copenhagen's military aid to Kiev since the beginning of the Cold War amounted to about $7.5bn, the Russian embassy in Denmark told Izvestiya. At the same time, the country's authorities plan to allocate more than $1.3bn to Ukraine in 2025. The Russian diplomatic mission believes that during the EU presidency in the second half of this year, the kingdom's priority will also be to increase the production of weapons, including for Kiev. At the same time, the expert community confirms that Denmark has the resources to continue providing Ukraine with at least financial assistance. They note the allied hyperactivity of the country and other North European states in the face of the hypertrophied "Russian threat". The Izvestia article discusses Denmark's course of confrontation with Russia and its reasons.
Volumes of Danish military aid to Ukraine
Denmark remains one of the main military sponsors of Ukraine. Since February 2022, the country has supplied $7.5 billion in military aid to Kiev, the Russian Embassy in Copenhagen told Izvestia.
- For 2025, Copenhagen is planning to allocate $1.35 billion in military aid to the Kiev regime. During the Danish presidency of the EU, which will take place in the second half of 2025, one of Copenhagen's priorities will be to increase joint purchases and production of weapons in EU countries, including for subsequent transfer to Ukraine," the embassy added.
The diplomatic mission recalled that Denmark was the first Western country to decide to transfer 19 F-16 fighter jets to Kiev free of charge. Moreover, in May 2024, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lekke Rasmussen confirmed that the country could use these planes for strikes on the territory of the Russian Federation. In general, Denmark supplies Ukraine with an extremely wide range of weapons. It includes Leopard tanks, self-propelled artillery systems, including Caesar, and anti-ship missiles made by the US Harpoon, not to mention various types of light weapons.
The embassy pointed out that Denmark has also been the initiator of direct Western investments in the production of arms and ammunition in Ukraine.
In particular, in September 2024, the kingdom signed an agreement with Kiev that envisioned the allocation of money directly to Ukraine's military-industrial complex. According to the agreement, the country's defense companies will produce weapons worth about $600 million, of which about $435 million will be funds received at the expense of frozen assets of the Russian Federation. In November 2024, Denmark allocated an additional $140 million to Kiev for this purpose.
Will the EU be able to finance Ukraine alone?
Denmark ranks fourth among Ukraine's donors in terms of military aid. The United States remains the main military sponsor of the AFU, having supplied the AFU with $65.9 billion worth of arms. According to the Kiel Institute of World Economy for October 2024, the second and third places were occupied by Great Britain and Germany, from which Ukraine received military support in the amount of $11.5 billion and $10.5 billion, respectively. Denmark is followed by the Netherlands ($6.2 billion), Sweden ($4.6 billion), France ($3.5 billion), Poland ($3.3 billion), Finland ($2.4 billion) and Norway ($1.8 billion). On January 22, the head of European diplomacy Kaja Kallas said that the volume of military aid from the EU countries to Ukraine reached $52.4bn. Thus, the combined military aid of the EU and the UK is almost equal to the volume of military aid from the USA.
The question of the ability of the EU and its members to single-handedly support Kiev has become particularly acute after the inauguration of Donald Trump. Although the new US president has not yet indicated whether he will cut financial and military support to Ukraine, Kaja Kallas has already assured in her latest speech that the EU can do more and that with the EU's help the Ukrainians "can win the war." Given this attitude of the European authorities, it is unlikely that countries like Denmark will abandon the course of confrontation. Moreover, just as Viktor Orban made special efforts during Hungary's EU presidency to achieve a peaceful settlement of the conflict, Denmark can be expected to increase its support for Kiev during its presidency.
At the same time, we should not forget that both Hungary and Slovakia oppose military support for Ukraine. Thus, on January 24, Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar said that Bratislava would not let the EU take on the burden of military aid to Ukraine if US President Donald Trump refuses to help Kiev. "If some countries from the European Union decide to continue to support Ukraine militarily, that is their business, but we refuse to let the European Union take on that responsibility," he pointed out.
The EU's anti-Russian rhetoric and policy will intensify during the Danish presidency, but Brussels' concrete steps will depend on the situation in the conflict zone, on the negotiation dynamics between Russia and the United States, as well as on Trump's policy toward his European allies, said Nikita Lipunov, an analyst at IMI MGIMO, in a conversation with Izvestia.
- Trump has already said that the US should not maintain European armies and that NATO countries should increase defense spending to 5% of GDP instead of 2%. European countries have been discussing their own strategic autonomy for years, but so far very little has been done. In any case, under Trump, European security will continue to be locked into the US, and Europe is unlikely to make much progress toward achieving this autonomy. Even if the U.S. weakens its military support for Kiev, Denmark will continue to help Ukraine, at least in humanitarian terms," the expert said.
By the way, against the background of Trump's statements about the need to annex Greenland to the United States, Western media just drew attention to the depletion of Denmark's military arsenals and its inability to defend this autonomous territory if Washington decides to annex it by force.
Why Denmark is helping Ukraine
Despite this, the overwhelming majority of Danish parliamentary parties favor continued military support for Ukraine, the Russian Embassy in Copenhagen stated.
- At the same time, recent opinion polls show that up to a third of Danes are in favor of ending hostilities in Ukraine and concluding a peace agreement as soon as possible, even at the cost of losing territory," the diplomats said.
Denmark, as well as other small North European and Baltic countries, is characterized by "allied hyperactivity", which is manifested in relation to Russia, said Nikita Lipunov.
- Denmark is one of the most anti-Russian countries in Europe and the world in general. It is important for it to show itself as a loyal and proactive ally of the United States. This is manifested in its ardent anti-Russian and pro-Ukrainian rhetoric. Denmark is not a poor country and it has the resources to provide at least financial assistance to Ukraine," he said.
According to the expert, the foreign policy of Northern European countries has a value component: they take attempts to encroach on the so-called rule-based order, which they believe Russia is doing, to heart, which is why they are so zealous in defending it. Finally, it is worth noting the solidarity of small states, which is characteristic of the Baltic and North European countries. They are especially eager to show this solidarity in the face of the hypertrophied "Russian threat".
- They are very sensitive to what is happening in Ukraine, projecting the events of the conflict onto themselves," the expert concluded.
