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Denmark Increases Defense Support for Ukraine, Hits $1.99B for 2026

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Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko
Katherina Popilnichenko
News Intern
A Dassault Rafale C and an F-16 Fighting Falcon combat airplane perform maneuvers over Ramstein Air Base during a day of fighter plane exercises. (Source: Getty Images)
A Dassault Rafale C and an F-16 Fighting Falcon combat airplane perform maneuvers over Ramstein Air Base during a day of fighter plane exercises. (Source: Getty Images)

Denmark has announced it will allocate an additional $541 million for military assistance to Ukraine in 2026. This new funding includes proceeds from the sale of F-16 fighter jets, according to FORSVARSMINISTERIET on February 22.

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With these additional resources, the total Danish contribution for 2026 is expected to reach $1.99 billion.

Prior to this decision, the government had already planned $1.36 billion for this period. An additional $85 million will be generated through the sale of the F-16 aircraft. This financial commitment will increase Denmark’s total defense spending to 3.5% of its gross domestic product in 2026.

"Supporting Ukraine's defense struggle also contributes to the defense of Europe and Denmark. Ukraine's struggle also concerns our security. Europe must not forget the struggle of the Ukrainians, and therefore it is important to me that the government plans to allocate more than 3.8 billion kroner in addition to Ukraine this year. I am proud that Denmark is a leader in this matter," says Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen.

Denmark currently leads all EU and NATO member states in the level of military aid provided to Ukraine relative to the size of its economy. The country has dedicated 2.75% of its GDP to Ukrainian defense needs following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier, Denmark had planned to reduce its military assistance to Ukraine for 2026, with the government initially intending to allocate only $1.36 billion. 

This proposed figure represented a significant decrease from previous years, such as the $2.3 billion provided in 2025 and nearly $2.7 billion in 2024. 

At that time, the Danish government attributed the reduction to changes in financial planning within the Ukraine Assistance Fund framework, despite warnings from opposition parties that it was not the right time to scale back support.

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