Latest news with #LundPoulsen
Boston Globe
02-07-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Ukraine looks to jointly produce weapons with allies as the US halts some shipments
Ukraine's Defense Ministry said it had not received any official US notification of a suspension or revision of agreed arms delivery schedules. Officials have requested a phone call with their US counterparts to verify the status of specific items in the pipeline, it said in a statement. As Washington — Ukraine's biggest military backer — has distanced itself from Ukraine's war efforts under President Trump, a bigger onus has fallen on European countries. Advertisement French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday held their first direct telephone call in almost three years. Macron's office said that during their two-hour conversation, the French leader underlined France's 'unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity' and called for a cease-fire. Washington's decision could remove some of the most formidable weapons in Ukraine's battlefield arsenal, including some air defense missiles, precision-guided artillery, and other weapons, according to AP sources. Advertisement The US decision should prompt European Union countries to spend more on developing Ukraine's defense industry, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said. 'It just underlines the need for Europe to do more, and also to invest more in Ukraine,' Lund Poulsen told reporters. 'We could do even more, to give them a stronger way of fighting back.' Denmark on Tuesday took over the EU's rotating presidency for six months. It is already investing directly in Ukraine's defense industry, which can produce arms and ammunition more quickly and cheaply than elsewhere in Europe. Denmark is also allowing companies from Ukraine to set up shop in Denmark and manufacture military equipment on safer ground. Lund Poulsen said the first companies could start work as soon as September, and he urged European partners to follow suit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his daily address on Tuesday evening said officials are preparing with a sense of urgency for upcoming meetings with EU countries and other partners to talk about cooperation in weapons manufacturing. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced that draft legislation on joint weapons production with allies is expected to be put to a vote in the Ukrainian parliament later this month. The proposed laws were shown to national defense companies on Tuesday, Umerov said. The program includes plans to create a special legal and tax framework to help Ukrainian defense manufacturers scale up and modernize production, including building new facilities at home and abroad, according to Umerov. Earlier this week, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said during a visit to Kyiv that Germany aims to help Ukraine manufacture more weapons more quickly. He was accompanied on the trip by German defense industry representatives. Advertisement The US is halting some weapons deliveries to Ukraine out of concern that its own stockpiles have declined too far, officials said Tuesday. Certain munitions were longer-term commitments promised to Ukraine under the Biden administration, though the Defense Department did not provide details on what specific weapons were being held back. The details on the weapons in some of the paused deliveries were confirmed by a US official and former national security official familiar with the matter. Both requested anonymity to discuss what is being held up as the Pentagon has yet to provide details. The halt includes some shipments of Patriot missiles, precision-guided GMLRS, Hellfire missiles, and Howitzer rounds. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry summoned the US chargé d'affaires, John Hinkel, on Wednesday to discuss ongoing defense cooperation. Deputy Foreign Minister Maryana Betsa thanked the US for its continued support, but emphasized the 'critical importance' of maintaining previously allocated defense packages, especially for bolstering Ukraine's air defense. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Pentagon's decision will help bring a settlement closer, because 'the fewer weapons supplied to Ukraine, the closer the end of the (war) is.' Under Trump, there have been no new announcements of US military or weapons aid to Ukraine. Between March and April, the United States allocated no new aid to Ukraine, according to Germany's Kiel Institute, which tracks such support. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbor on Feb. 24, 2022. For the first time since June 2022, European countries surpassed the US in total military aid, totaling 72 billion euros ($85 billion) compared with 65 billion euros ($77 billion) from the US, the institute said last month. Analysts say Ukraine's European allies can fill some of the gaps and provide artillery systems. But they don't possess alternatives to the US-made HIMARS missiles and air defense systems, especially Patriots, which are crucial to help defend Ukrainian cities. Advertisement It's not clear how much weaponry Ukraine possesses or what its most urgent needs are.
Los Angeles Times
02-07-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Ukraine looks to jointly produce weapons with allies, while U.S. halts some shipments
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine is forging ahead with embryonic plans for joint weapons production with some of its international allies, top officials said, while the U.S. announced it was halting some arms shipments promised to help Ukraine fight off Russia. Those plans come at what appears to be a key point in the all-out war launched by Moscow nearly 3½ years ago. A renewed Russian push to capture more Ukrainian land has put Ukraine's short-handed defenses under severe strain, and Russian missiles and drones are battering Ukrainian cities. U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to find a peace settlement, meanwhile, have stalled. 'Any delay or hesitation in supporting Ukraine's defense capabilities will only encourage the aggressor to continue war and terror, not seek peace,' Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. The Defense Ministry said that it hadn't received any official U.S. notification about a suspension or revision of agreed delivery schedules. Officials have requested a phone call with their U.S. counterparts to verify the status of specific items in the pipeline, it said in a statement. As Washington has distanced itself from Ukraine's war efforts under President Trump, a bigger onus has fallen on European countries to pressure Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday held their first direct telephone call in almost three years. Macron's office said that during their two-hour conversation, the French leader underlined France's 'unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity' and called for a ceasefire. The U.S. decision on pausing some arms deliveries to Ukraine should prompt European Union countries to spend more on developing Ukraine's defense industry, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said Wednesday. 'It just underlines the need for Europe to do more, and also to invest more in Ukraine,' Lund Poulsen told reporters in Copenhagen. 'We could do even more, to give them a stronger way of fighting back.' Denmark, which on Tuesday took over the EU's rotating presidency for six months, is already investing directly in Ukraine's defense industry, which can produce arms and ammunition more quickly and cheaply than elsewhere in Europe. It's also allowing companies from Ukraine to set up shop in Denmark and manufacture military equipment on safer ground. Lund Poulsen said that the first companies could start work as soon as September, and he urged European partners to follow suit. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said that officials are preparing with a sense of urgency for upcoming meetings with EU countries and other partners to talk about cooperation in weapons manufacturing. 'One of the key topics will be weapons production – our joint investments, joint projects,' Zelensky said in his daily address on Tuesday evening. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced that draft legislation on joint weapons production with international allies is expected to be put to a vote in the Ukrainian parliament later this month. The proposed laws were shown to national defense companies on Tuesday, Umerov said. The program includes plans to create a special legal and tax framework to help Ukrainian defense manufacturers scale up and modernize production, including building new facilities at home and abroad, according to Umerov. Earlier this week, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said during a visit to Kyiv that Germany aims to help Ukraine manufacture more weapons more quickly. He was accompanied on the trip by German defense industry representatives. The U.S. is halting some weapons deliveries to Ukraine out of concern that its own stockpiles have declined too far, officials said Tuesday. Certain munitions were longer-term commitments promised to Ukraine under the Biden administration, though the Defense Department didn't provide details on what specific weapons were being held back. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry summoned the U.S. chargé d'affaires, John Hinkel, on Wednesday to discuss ongoing defense cooperation. Deputy Foreign Minister Maryana Betsa thanked the U.S. for its continued support, but emphasized the 'critical importance' of maintaining previously allocated defense packages, especially for bolstering Ukraine's air defense. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Pentagon's decision will help bring a settlement closer, because 'the fewer weapons supplied to Ukraine, the closer the end of the (war) is.' The United States has been Ukraine's biggest military backer since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbor on Feb. 24, 2022. Under Trump, there have been no new announcements of U.S. military or weapons aid to Ukraine. Between March and April, the United States allocated no new aid to Ukraine, according to Germany's Kiel Institute, which tracks such support. For the first time since June 2022, European countries surpassed the U.S. in total military aid, totaling $85 billion) compared with $77 billion from the U.S., the institute said last month. Washington's latest decision could remove some of the most formidable weapons in Ukraine's battlefield arsenal. Analysts say Ukraine's European allies can fill some of the gaps and provide artillery systems. But they don't possess alternatives to the U.S.-made HIMARS missiles and air defense systems, especially Patriots, which are crucial to help defend Ukrainian cities from Russian air attacks. It's not clear how much weaponry Ukraine possesses or what its most urgent needs are. Novikov writes for the Associated Press. Lorne Cook contributed to this report from Copenhagen, Denmark.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Denmark to spend €830 million on Ukrainian defense on behalf of EU
AMSTERDAM — Denmark will allocate €830 million ($935 million) to the Ukrainian defense industry in 2025 on behalf of the European Union, using windfall profits from frozen Russian assets to buy Ukraine-made weapons. The Danish Ministry of Defence and the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, signed an agreement giving Denmark the role as implementing actor for the disbursement of a large portion of the windfall profits this year, the ministry said in a statement on Friday. The Danes have been frontrunners in investing Western military aid in Ukraine's defense manufacturing, using funds to buy locally produced weapons rather than foreign equipment through what is known as the Danish model. 'Denmark has taken the lead in the international efforts to strengthen defense production in Ukraine,' Minister of Defence Troels Lund Poulsen said. 'It is a recognition of Denmark's efforts on this matter that the EU has decided to channel even more funds through us this year.' The windfall profits this year will be used for donations of supplies including ammunition, air defense and military equipment produced in the Ukrainian defense industry, the Ministry of Defence said. Last year's equipment purchases using the Danish model included Bohdana howitzers, long-range drones, anti-tank and anti-ship missile systems. Buying Ukrainian strengthens the embattled country's production capacity, ensures competitive prices, and enables faster adaptation to the Ukrainian needs, the ministry said. 'This provides obvious logistical advantages while also contributing to building Ukraine's defense industry for the future,' Lund Poulsen said. 'We are now able to do this on an even larger scale.' Denmark last year allocated around €400 million of windfall profits from Russian assets on behalf of the EU, using the Danish model. Total funding channeled via the model amounted to around 4.4 billion Danish kroner ($664 million) in 2024, with contributions from the Danish Ukraine fund, allies, and the EU, according to the ministry. Denmark expects to implement more than double that amount through the model in 2025, the MoD said. Denmark will allocate aid to Ukraine on behalf of several countries, including Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Canada.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Denmark commits €40 million to boost Ukraine's wartime innovations
The Danish government has allocated DKK 300 million (nearly €40 million) to an innovation fund aimed at supporting Ukraine's urgent need for rapid technological advancements on the battlefield. Source: Denmark's Ministry of Defence in a statement, as reported by European Pravda Details: Earlier, Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen had held consultations with the Foreign Affairs Committee, which backed the allocation of DKK 300 million to the Ukraine innovation fund. The innovation fund will prioritise technology areas such as electronic warfare and drones, where rapid advancements and new solutions have a significant impact on the battlefield. "There is no doubt that Ukraine has a great need to withstand the enormous pressure it is experiencing on the front line from Russian troops. Developing new technological solutions on the battlefield is one of the ways through which Ukrainians can counterbalance Russian superiority, and the funds from the Innovation Pool will help to do so. It's essential that we continue supporting Ukraine so they can continue their fight for freedom," said Lund Poulsen. Given Russia's significant advantage in materiel and personnel since the war began, Ukraine has had to develop new technologies while also relying on foreign expertise, funding and cooperation. Copenhagen has been a key military donor to Ukraine, with its support model contributing to the strengthening of Ukraine's defence production capacity. "It's been extremely inspiring to see how Ukraine has managed to establish an impressive arms production in a very short time. I've visited arms manufacturers in Ukraine myself and I think we can learn a lot from the efficiency that the Ukrainians have achieved over the three years of war," he stressed. "Now, we are taking our cooperation with the Innovation Pool a step further, and I look forward to exploring how we can strengthen Ukraine's fight for freedom in a new way, with this process unfolding in Denmark to a greater extent and in collaboration with the Armed Forces," Poulsen added. Background: In February, Denmark, which committed to assisting in the recovery of Ukraine's Mykolaiv Oblast, allocated a fresh €26 million package of support for the region. Recently, the coalition of drones for Ukraine, which also includes Denmark, allocated €20 million from a joint fund to purchase tactical-level intelligence surveillance drones (ISR) for the Ukrainian defence forces. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
