COPENHAGEN, Feb 24, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Denmark on Sunday pledged 405 million kroner ($57 million) for humanitarian and reconstruction efforts in Ukraine, the foreign ministry said.

The announcement came on the eve of the third anniversary of Russia's 2022 invasion.

"Three years after Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine is left with a huge reconstruction need with significant destruction of infrastructure and production capacity," the statement said.

The humanitarian situation was still "very serious", it added, citing a UN estimate that nearly 13 million people in Ukraine would need humanitarian assistance in 2025.

"Denmark has said we will stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes," said Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen.

This donation brought the total humanitarian aid to Ukraine from Denmark since the invasion to over one billion kroner ($140 million), he noted.

Danish military aid to Ukraine has amounted to some $7.5 billion during the same period.

The aid package will be split, with half dedicated to humanitarian aid and going to "basic relief such as food, medicine, water and shelter to Ukrainians in the most affected areas."

The other half will go to reconstruction efforts.

Lokke, along with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, have this week stressed that Europe needs to massively rearm, citing an increasing threat from Russia.

Copenhagen also said this week it was upping defence spending by 50 billion kroner over the next two years.