With broad support from the Danish Parliament, the government will donate artillery systems to Ukraine. In parallel with the donation, the government will immediately look at the possibilities of a rapid acquisition of new capabilities.
The armed forces’ upcoming CEASAR artillery is to be donated to Ukraine. The government consulted the Folketing on this at today’s meeting of the Foreign Policy Committee.
“This is a very large and significant donation. We have been in regular contact with the Ukrainians about Caesar artillery and I am pleased that we have now received broad support from the Danish Parliament to donate it to Ukraine’s freedom struggle. There is no doubt that there is a need for it, even though there are still technical outstanding issues with the system,” says Minister of Defence Jakob Ellemann-Jensen.
The government has chosen to donate all of the Armed Forces’ 19 French-made Caesar artillery pamphlets to Ukraine.
“I am pleased that a broad majority of the parties in the Folketing support the donation. From the start of the war in Ukraine, Denmark has been among the most active donor countries. We must continue to be so. At the same time, we must find a balance between helping Ukraine and continuing to strengthen the Danish defense so that we can safeguard Denmark’s security and live up to our obligations in NATO,” says Jakob Ellemann-Jensen.
The donation will cause a delay in the construction of Denmark’s 1st Brigade. Therefore, the government is now looking at the possibilities of initiating a rapid acquisition of new capabilities in parallel with the donation.
This is a newly developed artillery system that is still being implemented in the Danish armed forces. There are still a number of technical challenges with the system, which will have to be handled in cooperation with the manufacturer and Ukraine. Ukraine has requested artillery despite these challenges.
The donation will be accompanied by a training and education package for Ukrainians.