Denmark has announced its intention to send its entire artillery stocks to Ukraine, a move that will surely leave Copenhagen defenseless the moment a major conflict breaks out.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen made this announcement during the Munich Security Conference 2024 held in the German city from Feb. 16 to 18. She also appealed to other European countries to do more to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
"They are asking us for ammunition now, artillery now. From the Danish side, we decided to donate our entire artillery," said Frederiksen.
"I'm sorry to say, friends, [but] there are still ammunition in stock in Europe. This is not only a question about production – because we have weapons, we have ammunition, we have air defense [systems] that we don't have to use … at the moment, that we should deliver to Ukraine." (Related: Netherlands, Denmark confirm U.S. approval of F-16s for Ukraine – but will it matter?)
The Danish announcement is a breath of fresh air for Kyiv, following the retreat of Ukrainian forces from the eastern town of Avdiivka amid severe munitions shortages. Last December, Brig. Gen. Oleksandr Tarnavskyi said the shortage of artillery shells prompted the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) to scale back some operations.
"There's a problem with ammunition, especially post-Soviet [artillery shells] – that's 122 millimeter (mm), 152 mm," he told Reuters in December 2023. "And today, these problems exist across the entire front line."
Aside from Denmark, the Czech Republic has committed to supplying 800,000 artillery shells to the AFU. Czech President Petr Pavel said in a speech during the conference's second day on Feb. 17 that Prague has 500,000 155 mm shell and 300,000 122 mm shells. These can be sent to Ukraine in a few weeks "if funding is found quickly," he added.
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"We need to support Ukraine by supplying ammunition from all possible sources," said Pavel. "We need to be as innovative and flexible as the Ukrainian soldiers, and look for military equipment everywhere."
Denmark a "key supporter" of Ukraine
Copenhagen has been a key supporter of Kyiv since the Russia-Ukraine war broke out in February 2022. It has pledged €8.4 billion ($9.07 billion) in military aid, Business Insider reported.
Meanwhile, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy pointed out that the Nordic country's military aid commitments increased by €3.5 billion ($3.78 billion) since November. This made Denmark one of Ukraine's biggest military donors by percentage of gross domestic product, the institute added.
However, Washington's support for Kyiv could stop abruptly as a $60 billion U.S. aid package has stalled in the U.S. Congress. Thus, Ukraine is looking toward Brussels for much-needed funding. True to form, the European Union responded by agreeing to a new €50 billion ($54 billion) aid package for the beleaguered nation in early February.
"This locks in steadfast, long-term [and] predictable funding for Ukraine," European Council President Charles Michel said at the time. "The EU is taking leadership and responsibility in support for Ukraine. We know what is at stake."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Michel and other European leaders for the funding. He added: "Continued EU financial support for Ukraine will strengthen long-term economic and financial stability, which is no less important than military assistance and sanctions pressure on Russia."
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukrainian foreign minister, downplayed talk of alleged "fatigue" or "waning support" toward Kyiv as "simply false." He continued: "Europe has once again demonstrated its strength and ability to make major decisions independent of others. The EU is leading the way and setting an example for the rest of the world to follow."
Visit UkraineWitness.com for more stories about Ukraine aid.
Watch this video explaining why the fall of Avdiivka to Russia signals the fall of hopes for Ukraine's sponsors.
This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com.
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NATO members are running out of weapons that they can send to Ukraine.
Kyiv is running out of ammunition as Western aid packages hit roadblocks.
US arms sales to Europe have SKYROCKETED since Ukraine invasion.
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