Ukraine will establish defense plants in Denmark. Ukraine’s Minister for Strategic Industries, Herman Smetanin, and Denmark’s Minister for Industry, Morten Bødskov, have signed an agreement on cooperation.

Herman Smetanin recalls that a year ago, Denmark was the first to begin financing weapons production by Ukrainian companies.

Today, it has become the first country where Ukraine exports its own defense technologies for production, scaling, and delivery to the Ukrainian military.

“This is a unique case of international cooperation for the Ukrainian defense industry. I am extremely grateful to Denmark for such significant support of Ukraine’s defense sector,” the minister states.

He adds that Ukraine will make every effort to strengthen Denmark’s and its partners’ defense capabilities.

In 2024, Ukraine and Denmark introduced a new mechanism for funding arms procurement for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This mechanism was named the “Danish model.”

It is a system of military assistance to Ukraine that involves direct financing and procurement of weapons from Ukrainian defense companies. This approach supports Ukraine’s defense industrial base, helping to equip Kyiv troops with NATO-standard technology.

The first project under the Danish model was the procurement of 155mm 2S22 Bohdana self-propelled howitzers with full-cycle financing, from production to crew training and technical support. In 2025, defense support under this model will scale up to over €1.3 billion, part of which comes from frozen Russian assets. The funds will go toward the production of artillery, attack drones, missiles, and anti-tank systems.