Denmark will take on co-lead role in international air force coalition to support Ukraine

A new air force coalition will support Ukraine in creating a complete F-16 fighter aircraft capacity. The United States, Denmark, and the Netherlands will spearhead the coalition, which entails donation of aircrafts, training of pilots, and the provision of necessary infrastructure and maintenance within Ukraine.

“I am extremely proud to announce that Denmark together with our close allies, the United States and the Netherlands, will co-lead the coalition of nations assisting the development of Ukraine’s air force. Denmark has throughout the war, played a key role through substantial military donations to Ukraine, not least in regards to the donation of F-16 fighter jets. The responsibility as co-lead in this new coalition thus falls naturally in Danish hands”, says Danish Minister of Defense, Troels Lund Poulsen.

The air force coalition will be set up within the frame of the US headed Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) with the desire to strengthen the cooperation behind the military support to Ukraine with varying countries leading coalitions.

First order of business will be to address air defence, artillery, air force, the maritime field, and IT. The purpose is to create a greater and more coherent plan for each area of focus, which will further the options for future support and co-funding in the future.  

The overall focus of the air force coalition will initially be to provide a complete Ukrainian F-16 fighter plane capacity. Further down the road, the coalition will also be addressing the necessary elements building a full scale Ukrainian Air Force.

”The fact that the United States is reaching out to Denmark and our colleagues in the Netherlands as their first choice, asking us to play a larger role, is something we can be proud of. It is a recognition of the task, solved by the Danish Defense, swiftly establishing a Ukrainian F-16 fighter plane capacity”, says Danish Minister of Defense, Troels Lund Poulsen.