Denmark decided earlier this year to donate all of its 100 Leopard 1 main battle tanks and CAESAR self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine. Now the Ukrainians have also been trained to use and maintain the system and are ready to receive the systems. With broad support from the Danish Parliament, the government decided in January to donate the CAESAR self-propelled howitzer to Ukraine. The donation was accompanied by education and training of the future Ukrainian users. That education and training has now been completed and the Ukrainians are ready to put the system into use. The joint project is the latest example of Denmark’s cooperation with other countries to support Ukraine’s military needs.
“This is a large and very significant donation, which is in great demand by Ukraine. There is no doubt that it is needed and with the end of the training and education course, the Ukrainians can put it to use on the battlefield, where it will make a clear difference. Denmark has been an active supporter of Ukraine throughout the war, and our donations have, in the Ukrainians’ own words, made a big difference. Denmark has up to now supported Ukraine militarily for approximately DKK 6.2 billion. kroner. With the newly established Ukraine Fund, we aim to maintain a high level of support for Ukraine,” says Acting Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.
The government chose earlier this year to donate 19 French-produced CAESAR artillery pieces to Ukraine. This is a newly developed artillery system which was still being implemented in the Danish defence. This has meant that there were a number of technical challenges with the system, which had to be handled in cooperation with the manufacturer and the Ukrainians. Together with the defense conciliation circle and members of the defense committee and Foreign Policy Council, the minister had the opportunity to meet instructors and Ukrainians, and it made a big impression. The artillery system is expected to be delivered to Ukraine in the coming weeks.
Denmark also launched the project to refurbish a large number of Leopard 1A5 tanks together with the Netherlands and Germany in early February. The first sub-goal of the project is to continue to be able to deliver tanks to two battalions – corresponding to approximately 80 tanks – over the coming months. The first tanks are expected to be ready for Ukrainian training within the coming weeks. The German defense company Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG) FFG that is responsible for the refurbishment of former Danish Leopard 1 tanks, which will soon be going to Ukraine. In February, the government entered into a partnership with Germany and the Netherlands to donate at least 100 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine.
