Denmark will offer €130 million in state-backed guarantees to support Danish companies investing in Ukraine’s defence industry, the Danish government announced. The initiative, run through Danmarks Eksport- og Investeringsfond (EIFO), will cover up to 70 per cent of investments made by Danish firms in Ukrainian defence enterprises.
The move is designed to reduce the financial risk for Danish manufacturers entering Ukraine’s defence sector, while also allowing those companies to work with Ukrainian firms experienced in active combat conditions.
“EIFO is well known to Danish businesses, as it already actively supports both domestic enterprises and Ukrainian ones through this instrument,” said Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko.
EIFO will support these investments through export loan guarantees, direct lending to Ukrainian buyers of Danish goods, and investment capital to expand Danish business operations in Ukraine. The latest measure marks an extension of these efforts specifically to the defence sector.
The announcement follows a broader trend of Danish support for Ukraine. On February 24, during the YES conference in Kyiv, Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen confirmed that Denmark has delivered 12 of the 19 F-16 fighter jets pledged to Ukraine. The remaining aircraft are expected by the end of 2025.
“I am honoured that Denmark was able to commit to hand over 19 F-16 aircraft. 12 of them were delivered. And the rest will also be in the sky of Ukraine this year,” Poulsen said. He also emphasised the need for Europe to play a larger role in Ukraine’s defence.
On March 3, Denmark’s foreign and defence ministers confirmed the country’s readiness to send peacekeeping units to Ukraine as part of a joint European mission. While there are no concrete plans, both ministers said the move would depend on how the conflict develops.
Surveys show 53 per cent of Danish citizens support the deployment of peacekeepers once active fighting ends.
“It is important that we in Europe send the right signals to both Putin and Washington. If it comes to the point that a European presence is needed to reach a ceasefire or peace agreement, then Denmark is in principle ready for it,” said Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen.
