During a working visit to Denmark, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva met with senior political leadership and government officials.
During the negotiations with Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Denmark Mette Frederiksen, Ihor Zhovkva expressed gratitude from President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a strong support for our state in resisting full-scale armed aggression.
Emphasis was placed on the importance of Copenhagen's support for granting Ukraine candidate status at the forthcoming European Council meeting at the level of EU member states leaders.
"We hope that next week, during the European Council meeting in Brussels, the Kingdom of Denmark will support granting our country the long cherished status of a candidate for EU membership. This is a decision that the citizens of Ukraine deserve, as they are now paying the highest price, defending European values," Ihor Zhovkva stressed.
The issue of implementing our country's European integration strategy was the focus of Ihor Zhovkva's meeting with Chairman of the Danish Foreign Policy Committee Martin Lidegaard, members of the Foreign Policy Committee, as well as parliamentary committees on foreign policy and European policy.
The Deputy Head of the Office of the President expressed hope that after the positive conclusion of the European Commission, the relevant decision on granting our country the status of a candidate country for EU accession will be made in June by the leaders of the member states.
"Giving Ukraine candidate status is only the first step on the path to full EU membership. Accordingly, we hope that the leaders of the European Union will make such an important political decision that will allow us to fix the strategic movement of our country towards the European Union," he said.
During the meeting with Minister of Defence of Denmark Morten Bødskov, cooperation in the military-technical field was discussed. The Deputy Head of the President's Office thanked the Danish side for important military assistance, especially the transfer of Harpoon-type missiles, and expressed hope that Denmark would continue its efforts to strengthen resistance to Russian military aggression.
During the meeting with Permanent Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen, the issues of practical implementation of Ukraine's European integration strategy and the possibility of using Denmark's advisory and other practical assistance were discussed.
Ihor Zhovkva and Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen also exchanged views on the prospects of deepening Ukraine's integration into the EU internal market, which will allow for the gradual recovery of the domestic economy.
During the meeting with the Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs of the Kingdom of Denmark Simon Kollerup, the main focus was on the prospects of involving Denmark in the post-war reconstruction of destroyed facilities in the regions of our country.
Ihor Zhovkva thanked Denmark for sending free construction equipment to Ukraine - excavators, loaders, trucks, which are already working for the needs of our country: “I would like to express words of sincere gratitude to Denmark for the leadership in restoring and rebuilding the territories of Ukraine that suffered destruction as a result of Russia’s aggression. We appreciate that Denmark was one of the first to respond to the initiative of the President of Ukraine on patronage by international partners and will be involved in the restoration of the city of Mykolaiv."
Issues of financial, humanitarian, expert and other practical assistance for the needs of Ukraine were discussed in detail during Ihor Zhovkva's meetings with Danish State Secretary for Development Policy of Danish MFA Lotte Machon and Deputy Director General at The Confederation of Danish Industry Thomas Bustrup.
Together with Copenhagen's Deputy Mayor for Employment and Integration Jens-Kristian Lütken, Ihor Zhovkva visited the Center for Ukrainian Displaced Persons in the Danish capital.
"I sincerely thank the Danish people, the Danish government and the Copenhagen city authorities for their support for the temporarily displaced citizens of Ukraine. This is a testament to your country's solidarity with Ukrainians who have suffered from Russia's war and war crimes," said the Deputy Head of the President's Office.