Wrong time to cut back? Denmark cuts Ukraine aid nearly in half as battlefield situation worsens
Denmark will reduce its military support for Ukraine next year, shifting from the record-high levels seen earlier in the war, the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) reported. The government says others should now contribute more after Denmark’s outsized role since 2022.
International support remains vital to keeping Ukraine’s military supplied and its institutions functioning under wartime strain. Western governments have covered major gaps in weapons, ammunition and budget funding since 2022, making their continued backing central to Ukraine’s ability to hold the line against Russia.
Danish aid drops from $2 billion to $1 billion
According to DR, Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told parliament that Copenhagen plans to donate 9.4 billion kroner (about $1.0 billion) to Ukraine in 2026. That is down from 16.5 billion kroner (about $1.75 billion) this year and nearly 19 billion kroner (about $2.0 billion) the year before.
The drop comes as the Ukraine Fund - a special pool created in 2023 with broad political backing - is running low. Denmark has provided around 70 billion kroner (about $7.4 billion) in military aid since Russia’s full-scale invasion began.
Lawmakers divided on timing
Some lawmakers argue the timing is wrong. Stinus Lindgreen, a defence spokesperson for the the centrist Liberal party Radikale Venstre, told DR news program P1 Morgen that support should stay at previous levels, citing Ukraine’s deteriorating battlefield situation. He said parliament should replenish the Ukraine Fund using money already set aside for Denmark’s defence budget.
Others say a slowdown is expected. Simon Kollerup, the defence spokesperson for the governing Social Democrats, said Denmark has contributed more than many larger countries when measured against the size of its economy. He said further aid is still possible, but other European states should now take on a larger share.
Nordic neighbors heading in opposite direction
DR reports that while Denmark is scaling back, Norway plans to increase its Ukraine allocation to 54.3 billion kroner (about $5.8 billion) next year, and Sweden has set aside just over 27 billion kronor (about $2.9 billion).
Kollerup said Denmark remains committed but noted that most of its early donations were sent in the first three years of the war. As he put it, Denmark is a small country with a strong economy, but “there is room for others to take a bigger role now.”
