Denmark becomes first NATO member to invest in weapons production in Ukraine

LONDON

The Danish government has signed a memorandum on the purchase of weapons and equipment from Ukrainian manufacturers, becoming the first NATO member to agree to such an investment, media reported on Friday.

Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen met with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov and Defense Minister of the Netherlands Kaisa Ollongren, as part of the 23rd meeting of the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group in Brussels on April 13.

“This is a big step forward, as Denmark has become the first foreign NATO country to invest its funds in the production of weapons on the territory of Ukraine.

“This proves that the Ukrainian defense industry is ready to cooperate internationally and is capable of meeting the highest standards,” Umerov said.

The agreement is important because the two countries also agreed on the financing procedure, hoping to speed up the process, which, according to Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister for Strategic Industries Serhii Boiev , could be implemented within the framework of similar agreements with other allied countries.

“We are grateful to the Danish government for its constant support and constructive dialogue that led to concrete results,” Boiev said, UKRINFORM reported.

A letter of intent was also signed, initiating cooperation between Ukraine and the Netherlands in support of the Kiev defense industrial complex.

“I thank Denmark and the Netherlands for this important support and mutual measures to protect freedom and democracy,” Umerov said.

In April, the Danish Defense Ministry pledged a new 2.2 billion crowns ($313 million) military aid package to Ukraine, which included 200 million Danish crowns ($28.5 million ) intended for purchases from the Ukrainian defense industry.

Ukraine's defense industry has a capacity of about $20 billion, but the state only has a budget of $6 billion to purchase weapons and equipment, according to an earlier statement by the Minister of Strategic Industries , Oleksandr Kamyshin.

Kamyshin suggested that to produce Ukrainian weapons in 2024, foreign investments of around $10 billion would be required.

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