COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Western countries agreed Thursday to continue long-term funding to help Ukraine’s military keep fighting nearly 5½ months after Russia invaded its neighbor, saying 1.5 billion euros ($1.5 billion) has been pledged so far and more is coming.
The money is for enhancing armaments production, including artillery and ammunition; developing and strengthening the training of Ukrainian soldiers and assisting Ukraine’s efforts to demine areas.
“All the countries that came to Copenhagen came with the intention of supporting Ukraine,” Danish Defense Minister Morten Bødskov said at the end of the one-day meeting of 26 nations and the European Union.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said the meeting proved that Russian President Vladimir “Putin’s ambition (of the West losing its willingness to support Ukraine) has failed.”
“We are still determined,” Wallace said.
The 1.5 billion euros included donations by the U.K., Denmark and Norway but “it will grow,” Bødskov said, adding “some of the countries need to go back home and get the support of their parliaments.”
Bødskov said that “money alone will not do the trick, as you say, we need increased productions.”
He thanksed Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic for signaling a “willingness to expand production of artillery systems, ammunitions and other equipment.”
At the conference, Norway said it would help train Ukrainian troops in Britain. Sweden and Finland earlier said they would do the same. Iceland will assist demining efforts in Ukraine “by training trainers,” its foreign minister said.
In a live feed, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Western nations to provide more money, saying “the sooner we stop Russia, the sooner we can feel safe.”
“We need armaments, munitions for our defense,” he said.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, who attended the conference, declined to give details on what weapons his country will get.
The conference, co-hosted by Denmark, Britain and Ukraine, followed an April meeting at a U.S. air base in Germany that established the U.S.-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which coordinates international military support for Ukraine.
Britain on Thursday announced that it will send more multiple launch rocket systems and guided missiles to Ukraine to help it resist Russia’s invasion. The new weapons, whose number wasn’t specified, come on top of several rocket-launch systems it gave Ukraine earlier…
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