During a working trip to Lviv region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen, who is on a visit to our country.
Welcoming the Danish delegation to Ukraine, the Head of State noted that our country takes pride in the cordial relations with Denmark that were achieved, inter alia, due to the leadership of Mette Frederiksen. According to him, Ukrainians are grateful for every manifestation of Danish support.
"Ukraine and Denmark really managed to give our countries and our entire Europe new security prospects. I would like to thank your society for such constant daily powerful support, for such an attitude towards Ukraine and Ukrainians," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a meeting with media representatives following talks with Mette Frederiksen in Lviv.
The Head of State noted that the Agreement on security cooperation signed today with Mette Frederiksen would give Ukraine the strength prior to gaining full membership in NATO.
"The agreement with Denmark provides for comprehensive defense, political assistance, and diplomatic cooperation. This year, Danish military support for Ukraine will amount to 1 billion 800 million euros. For the period until 2028, Denmark's Ukraine Fund will amount to 8.5 billion, and this is tangible. We are very grateful for such a powerful support," the President emphasized.
In his opinion, the document also provides for principled support for Ukraine in all fundamental areas of cooperation, including on the path of European and Euro-Atlantic integration.
"I would like to emphasize the support for our country's accession to NATO. Denmark is the first country outside the Group of Seven with whom we have signed such a security agreement. As always, Danish leadership is evident," he added.
Denmark became the first Nordic country to sign a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine.
The President emphasized that it was Denmark that played a key role in unblocking the decision to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets. He thanked the Prime Minister personally for her work in this direction.
"We are now working for Ukrainian F-16s to really start defending the Ukrainian skies. Today, we have a new defense package from Denmark, and this is the 15th one: ammunition, drones and other weapons awaited by our warriors," the Head of State noted.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said that the Ukrainian and Danish delegations had agreed to hold a joint bilateral defense industries forum. Modernization and bolstering of arsenals based on the experience of modern warfare is one of the common priorities.
Separately, the Head of State emphasized the importance of continuing the sanctions pressure on Putin's system and all its elements in order to reduce Russia's ability to continue war and terror.
"We must continue to fundamentally step up sanctions against Russia and eliminate all Russian schemes to circumvent sanctions, as this is literally an investment in terror. Therefore, anyone who helps Russia circumvent sanctions must be held accountable. Another fundamental task for this year is the confiscation of Russian assets that have already been found and frozen, particularly in European jurisdictions. Putin values money much more than human life, and therefore it is through the loss of assets that he will feel the true cost of his aggression," Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.
According to him, Ukraine is grateful to Denmark, which is an example for many other countries, for its cooperation in the reconstruction, particularly in Mykolaiv and Mykolaiv region.
The Head of State also noted the launch of the export financing program through Denmark's Export and Investment Fund to support the supply of equipment to Ukraine.
"The more joint results we achieve, the more obvious will be the inability of Russia to achieve its aggressive goals," the President emphasized.
In addition, Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to Denmark for the joint work on the Ukrainian Peace Formula and praised the meeting at the level of national security advisors held in Copenhagen, calling it crucial.
"This year we are organizing the first Global Peace Summit at the level of leaders. We believe that it will be a success. Denmark is working with us to make the summit a success. Ukraine appreciates it very much," Volodymyr Zelenskyy summarized and once again thanked Mette Frederiksen for her leadership and special attitude towards Ukraine.
The Danish Prime Minister, for her part, assured of continued support for Ukraine. She noted that the 15th aid package has already been announced and the next one is being prepared.
"We understand how much you need our support to save lives. This package includes weapons, drones, and demining systems," she emphasized.
In addition, Mette Frederiksen emphasized the importance of providing Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets. Answering journalists' questions, she noted that the transfer of these aircraft requires significant preparation of the maintenance infrastructure and completion of pilot training.
"We are working very hard in this regard, and I hope that we will be able to see F-16s in Ukrainian airspace in the near future, even before the summer," the Danish Prime Minister said.
Mette Frederiksen also noted that the bilateral security agreement envisages long-term cooperation between the countries and expressed hope that many more bilateral documents will be signed and a solid partnership will be formed.
"This will show Russia and Putin very clearly that you have many partners and friends who remain with you and on whom you can count. Allies and partners must act. We have to deliver on our commitments to a greater extent. Because you can't win a war on the basis of words alone, there must be actions," the Danish Prime Minister summarized.
