United to win: Denmark and Norway to invest €178 mln in Ukraine’s national defense with weapons purchase

Denmark has already reserved 135 million euros for further purchases under the "Danish model" for the current year, that is, through direct financing of Ukrainian arms manufacturers. Another 43 million are expected from Norway within the framework of this initiative.

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported this.

The defense department also said that in 2024, thanks to direct support for the Ukrainian defense industry, Ukraine's armed forces received weapons worth almost 538 million euros.

"These funds result from agreements concluded in 2024 with the Ministry of Defense of Denmark on financing projects to purchase weapons from Ukrainian manufacturers.

The sources of financing are the governments of Denmark (125 million euros through the Danish National Ukraine Fund), Sweden (20 million euros), Iceland (2.7 million euros), and interest on frozen Russian assets (390 million euros)," the report says.

At the first stage of implementing the "Danish model," Ukraine received the self-propelled artillery installation "Bohdana." Subsequently, the production of long-range drones and anti-tank and anti-ship missiles was financed.

Procurement from the Ukrainian defense industry has significant advantages:

• fast delivery times;
• competitive prices;
• the ability to organize training and maintenance near the front.

In addition, the Ministry of Defense noted that such procurement supports the Ukrainian economy in times of war, allowing jobs to be preserved and promoting the development of domestic industry.

In September 2024, it was announced that Denmark would invest 4.2 billion Danish kroner (equivalent to almost $630 million) in the Ukrainian defense industry. According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, this marks the beginning of joint weapons production with Ukraine's first partner country.

Thanks to the "Danish model," which provides direct financing for manufacturers, Ukraine has already received 50 million euros. These funds were utilized to finance the production of the "Bohdana" self-propelled artillery systems for Ukraine's armed forces.

Lithuania adopted the "Danish model" for Ukraine. It will invest 10 million euros in the Ukrainian long-range missile-drone "Palianytsia."

Denmark, France, and Lithuania provided Ukraine with more than 150 million euros (6.5 billion UAH) in total to finance the Ukrainian defense-industrial complex.

For reference:

Denmark has provided military support to Ukraine since the first days of the war and is constantly preparing new aid packages.

The Danish government recently announced a new aid package worth about 783 million Danish kroner (116 million dollars) to support Ukraine's military needs. The package aims to meet both Ukraine's short-term and long-term defense needs.

Earlier, Denmark and Germany transferred eight more Leopard 1A5 battle tanks to Ukraine as part of military assistance.

By the end of 2024, Denmark pledged to deliver a new shipment of F-16 fighters to Ukraine. Due to operational security measures, the specific date and quantity of planes in this shipment were undisclosed.