Zelensky meets with Danish Defense Minister
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine met with the Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Denmark, Troels Lund Poulsen.
The president reported this on X, Ukrinform saw.
“I received Danish Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen. Ukraine highly values Danish support, which has been strong since the first days of the full-scale war, including 12 military aid packages. We discussed further steps to strengthen our air capabilities and air defense,” Zelensky wrote.
According to the press service of the Head of State, Zelensky also noted separately the role-model patronage on the part of Denmark of the efforts to to restore war-torn Mykolaiv and important support from Copenhagen on Ukraine’s path to the European Union.
“We are working to complete all seven recommendations of the European Commission. And we will be really pleased if we can start negotiating the accession to the EU by the end of this year,” the president said.
It is reported that during the meeting, the parties focused on strengthening the Ukrainian air defenses with modern fighter jets and new air defense systems, and also discussed cooperation within the aviation coalition and training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 aircraft, which Denmark and other partners are set to transfer to Ukraine.
It is noted that the parties separately noted the adoption by the Group of Seven at the Vilnius Summit of the Joint Declaration of support for Ukraine and expressed readiness to launch negotiations between Ukraine and the Nordic countries on security guarantees.
Wrapping up the meeting, the president conferred on the Danish defense minister the Order of Merit 1st degree, and on the State Secretary of Security and Operations, Jesper Hoy Jensen, the Order of Merit 3rd degree.
It is reported that Danish officials were awarded for a significant personal contribution to strengthening interstate cooperation and support for state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
As Ukrinform wrote earlier, Denmark and the Czech Republic will donate infantry combat vehicles, tanks, and other weapons systems to Ukraine in the coming months.