A NATO ally has provided a boost to Ukraine’s defence against Vladimir Putin’s invasion by donating its entire artillery to the war.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced that Denmark would transfer all of its artillery to Ukraine, calling on other European states to provide further support. “They need them more now”, she added.
Speaking at the 7th Ukrainian Lunch in Munich, organized by the Ukrainian Victor Pinchuk Charitable Foundation, Ms Frederiksen said there is not enough urgency in the Munich Security Conference debates about transferring weapons that Ukraine needs immediately. She said European leaders blame productions problems for not providing more supplies.
Europe must take responsibility for its own security, the Danish PM added, saying: “We need to do more.”
Announcing the artillery donation, she said: “Ukraine is asking us for ammunition and artillery now. We, Denmark, have decided to transfer all our artillery to Ukraine. So, sorry, friends, there is military equipment in Europe, it is not only a matter of production.
“We have weapons, ammunition, air defence systems, which we do not use yet. They must be handed over to Ukraine.”
Anton Gerashchenko, former Advisor to Internal Affairs Minister for Ukraine, responded on X: “Thank you, Denmark! You are true friends!”
Kyiv’s presidential office said on Saturday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had met with Ms Frederiksen and thanked her for the more than a dozen packages of defence assistance Copenhagen had committed to helping fend off Putin’s forces.
Artillery has dominated the now nearly two years of war since Russia invaded Ukraine – but Kyiv is understood to have depleted its ammunition stockpiles, now firing an estimated fifth of the shells Russia sends their way each day.
Analysts say this lack of ammunition is constricting Kyiv’s plans for operations along the front lines of the conflict.
“Keeping Ukraine in an artificial deficit of weapons, particularly in deficit of artillery and long-range capabilities, allows [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to adapt to the current intensity of the war,” Mr Zelensky previously said in an address.
Nations within NATO have committed to upping their own ammunition production to provide further support.
In January, the alliance said it had inked a contract worth $1.2 billion to produce artillery rounds, refilling NATO states’ stockpiles while maintaining the flow of aid to Ukraine. The alliance is planning on buying around 220,000 of the high-demand 155mm artillery shells.
Czech President Petr Pavel also told the Munich Security Conference that Czechia had identified around 800,000 artillery rounds abroad that could be sent to Ukraine within weeks, with adequate funding.
Czechia has been pushing with a plan to purchase 450,000 shells from outside the bloc – with Prague reportedly suggesting South Korea, Turkey or South Africa as viable options – to further shore up Ukraine’s supplies.
Such plans face opposition from France, Greece and Cyprus
The US meanwhile has faced challenges in trying to provide assistance packages to Ukraine, as a foreign aid bill including $60billion for Ukraine faces opposition from Republicans.
It comes as Ukraine says its forces were pulling back from the war-torn frontline city of Avdiivka, following four months of brutal combat.
Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said in a statement: “Our soldiers honorably fulfilled their military duty, did everything possible to destroy the best Russian military units, [and] inflicted significant losses on the enemy in manpower and equipment.”
