Denmark to donate its 'entire artillery' to Ukraine: Prime minister

By Leila Nezirevic

LONDON (AA) - Denmark has pledged to transfer all of its artillery to Ukraine and has called on Europe to unite in its support for Kyiv, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said during the Munich Security Conference in Germany, local media reported Sunday.

Frederiksen urged European nations to donate their existing stockpiles of weapons, ammunition and air defense systems, which according to her should be allocated to Ukraine.

"They are asking us for ammunition now, artillery now," and "from the Danish side, we decided to donate our entire artillery," she said.

Frederiksen criticized European leaders who in her opinion tend to cite issues with arms production as an excuse for not supplying weapons to Ukraine while at the same time urging them to increase their production.

“This is not only a question about production because we have weapons, we have ammunition, we have air defenses that we don’t have to use ourselves at the moment that we should deliver to Ukraine,” she said.

Her announcement came as Ukraine continued to struggle with major personnel and ammunition shortages on the front lines and in the face of Russian gains in the east of the country.

Despite Kyiv’s continued efforts to press for more weapons, the European Union has said that it will only be able to supply half of a promised one million artillery pieces by March, with the remainder of the original target to be delivered by the end of the year, the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, told reporters after an EU defense ministers meeting in Brussels on Jan. 31.

Frederiksen also called on European countries not to wait for the US to approve financing of supplies to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

"It doesn't matter what the US comes up with. We Europeans have to defend ourselves. This is a war on the European continent," she said.

Denmark is among the major suppliers of weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, with the country promising to transfer 19 of its F-16 fighter jets by the end of the year and as soon as it finishes training Ukrainian pilots.

Russia has repeatedly criticized the West for supplying arms to Ukraine, arguing that this will only prolong the conflict.