Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen speak during a press conference about Denmark entering a ten-year agreement with Ukraine on continued military support and the security situation in Europe at Marienborg, northern Copenhagen, Denmark, February 22, 2024. Ritzau Scanpix/Liselotte Sabroe via REUTERS
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark announced a new 1.7 billion crown ($247.4 million) military aid package for Ukraine on Thursday and made an urgent appeal to allies to step up donations to help the country in its war with Russia.
The package will bring total donations by Denmark to Ukraine to 33.3 billion crowns since Russia's invasion two years ago. The NATO member has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine and is among the biggest contributors of military aid relative to the size of its economy.
"It is necessary to emphasize that if they (Ukraine) are to succeed on the battlefield, more donations must come now," Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters.
"It's in this light that we continue to make further Danish donations in the hope that more countries will do the same, not in six or 12 months, but now when the need is very, very big."
Denmark, which together with the Netherlands and the United States is spearheading a coalition to help Ukraine establish a future air force, expects to make its first delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine this summer, Frederiksen said.
Funds for the new donation will be taken from the 7 billion crowns that the Nordic country allocated to a fund set up for civil, military and business donations to Ukraine in March last year.
Denmark has also joined other allies including the UK and Germany in signing a 10-year security agreement with Ukraine.
(Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, editing by Nick Macfie)
