AARHUS: Denmark will do everything in its power to help Ukraine join the EU, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Thursday as she welcomed Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
“Ukraine belongs in the European Union. It is in both Denmark’s and Europe’s interest,“ Frederiksen, who has been a fervent supporter of Ukraine, said in a statement.
“Therefore, the Danish EU presidency will do everything we can to help Ukraine on their way towards EU membership,“ she added while announcing Zelensky’s attendance at the official opening of Denmark’s EU presidency.
Zelensky’s visit to Denmark comes as the United States has announced that it will stop supplying certain weapons to Ukraine.
Increased military support, cooperation with the Ukrainian defence industry and new sanctions against Russia will also be on the agenda, according to the Danish government.
“We must strengthen Ukraine. And we must weaken Russia,“ Frederiksen said.
“The former by increasing military support... The latter, we will achieve with sanctions. We must increase pressure on Russia,“ she added.
In addition to Frederiksen, Zelensky will meet with European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa in Aarhus, Denmark’s second largest city.
Copenhagen has made European security, which it also links to a strict migration policy, one of the priorities of its presidency.
Denmark wants to move forward on a European plan presented in March to increase the defence capabilities of EU countries using simplified procedures and loans to finance investments in the European defence industry. – AFP
