Denmark will bring forward and increase a military aid package for Ukraine to DKK 1.8 billion, days after a Russian frigate fired two flares toward a Danish military helicopter.
Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen of the Moderates and Defense Minister Jeppe Bruus of the Social Democrats announced the decision Friday after a meeting of the Danish Parliament’s Foreign Policy Committee.
Most of the money will go toward air defense systems produced in Ukraine. The support had been requested by Ukraine.
Løkke described the incident involving the Danish helicopter as a “severe Russian provocation.”
“If they think they can provoke us into being restrained with our support for Ukraine, then they are mistaken,” he said.
Ukraine has faced difficulties defending itself against Russian ballistic missile attacks because of shortages of suitable air defense missiles, including Patriot missiles produced by the United States.
The decision follows an incident Monday involving a Danish Air Force Fennec helicopter and a Russian frigate in international waters off Gedser in southern Denmark.
The Danish Defence said the helicopter was carrying out routine photographic surveillance of the Russian vessel when the frigate fired two flares toward it. One passed close to the helicopter.
According to Bruus, the Russian ship did not establish radio contact with the helicopter before firing the flares.
NATO has described the incident as an “irresponsible Russian act.”
“This fits into a pattern we are seeing around Europe, where Russia is escalating and constantly testing boundaries. It serves the purpose of shaking our unity and our support for Ukraine, and that must not work,” Løkke said.
Denmark summoned the Russian ambassador following the incident. Russia has said the Danish helicopter acted “provocatively.”
“If the Russians think that they can rattle us by doing this kind of thing, then our counter-response is that we will step up our support for Ukraine faster than we had intended,” Bruus said.
The captain of the Russian frigate has since received an award from Russia for his actions, according to the Danish report.
Denmark has been a major supporter of Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. However, since December, Denmark has announced only one other major aid package in addition to Friday’s package.
The Danish Ukraine Fund, which has financed much of the country’s support, has almost run out of available money. Further support would therefore require politicians to find funding elsewhere.
So far, much of Denmark’s support has been financed through the government’s projected future fiscal surplus.
