FILE PHOTO: Danish Deputy Prime Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen attends the Joint Expeditionary Force meeting in Riga, Latvia December 19, 2022. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins
Copenhagen, Denmark — Denmark said Thursday it would donate 19 French-made Caesar howitzers to Ukraine, including some still on order, following a slew of pledges of heavy weapons from Kyiv’s Western allies.
“We have been in constant contact with the Ukrainians about the Caesar artillery, and I am pleased that we have now received broad support from parliament to donate it to Ukraine’s freedom struggle,” Danish Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen said.
Only a handful of Caesar howitzers have so far been delivered to Denmark, and the statement published by the Ministry of Defense noted that the system was still being implemented in the Danish military.
“There are still a number of technical challenges with the system, which will have to be addressed in cooperation with the manufacturer and Ukraine,” the ministry said.
“Ukraine has requested the artillery despite these challenges,” it added.
Earlier on Thursday, Scandinavian neighbor Sweden also announced it was planning to send its Archer artillery system, as part of a new package of military support for Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday urged Western allies to provide Kyiv with more heavy weapons.
The United States, Kyiv’s main backer, is convening a meeting on Friday of around 50 countries — including all 30 members of the NATO alliance — at the US Ramstein military base in Germany to discuss military aid to Ukraine.
Britain this weekend pledged 14 Challenger 2 tanks, making it the first Western country to supply heavy tanks.
The United States has also promised to send its Bradley armoured fighting vehicles, while France has offered its highly mobile AMX-10 RCs — offensive systems long seen as off-limits by hesitant Western nations.
Pressure has also been mounting on Germany from European allies to authorise exports of its Leopard tank, which are used by several armed forces around the world.