On the 411^th day of the war, on 10 April 2023, Minister of Defence of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov, during a meeting with his colleague Acting Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of Denmark Troels Lund Poulsen, noted the special role of friendly Denmark in supporting Ukraine and the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

This is reported by the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.

During a joint press conference, the Minister of Defence of Ukraine thanked the Kingdom of Denmark for important military assistance packages, political and economic support.

“Denmark has been helping us since the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion. In particular, several very important programs were launched. For example, a special fund has been created in which donor countries collect funds and we have the opportunity to use them to purchase the necessary weapons and ammunition. “Harpoon” anti-ship systems, which Ukraine received thanks to the leadership and initiative of the Kingdom of Denmark, play an important role in the defence of Odessa and the Black Sea coast. Danish engineers came up with an ingenious solution of how these ship-based systems can be used on land-based installations. Thanks, among other things, to weapons from Denmark, the liberation of Snake Island took place,” Oleksii Reznikov noted.

The head of the Ministry of Defence stressed that the issue of demining the territory of Ukraine, including in the waters of the sea, is extremely important for Ukraine. According to Oleksii Reznikov, Denmark has specialized drones – underwater vehicles with sensors capable of detecting, recording and transmitting coordinates to sappers who can carry out sapper work under water.

In turn, the Acting Minister of Defence of Denmark noted the continued support for Ukraine and Ukrainian defenders in the fight for freedom. He emphasized the will and extraordinary ability of Ukrainians to heroically repel Russia’s aggression.

“We have been helping Ukraine with weapons, military equipment and training Ukrainian soldiers in Denmark. Today in Odessa, Ukrainian soldiers showed me how the Danish “Harpoon” missiles handed over last year work to protect Ukraine. Also, thanks to these weapons, Ukraine was able to free the corridor by sea and launch the export of food products. I am happy and proud to see the results of our cooperation. We are constantly studying your needs and considering options to improve support for Ukraine. Your struggle is also a struggle for the freedom and democratic values of the whole of Europe. That is why we stand by your side,” Troels Lund Poulsen stressed.

He also commented on the urgent issue of providing Ukraine with “F-16” military multipurpose fighters: “Denmark has agreed with Germany on the supply of “Leopard-1” tanks. By this summer, we will be able to provide about 100 units. We are looking for opportunities to transfer “Leopard-2” to Ukraine. In addition, the “Caesar” crews are already being trained on the territory of Denmark. In the next few days, we will also visit the Ukrainian military to see first-hand how this is happening. In fact, we are already ready for the transfer of Caesar installations. Denmark is also aware of Ukraine’s request for “F-16” fighter jets. I hope that the first step should be the training of your pilots. I hope we will have a similar discussion, but I must emphasize that the decision on the transfer of aircrafts must be approved jointly with other allied countries.”

During a visit to one of the naval bases of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksii Reznikov briefed the Acting Minister of Defence of Denmark with some aspects of the daily activities of the Ukrainian Navy.

Foreign guests visited the diving site where they examined samples of divers′ modern equipment and gearing. Among the presented means, the Danish delegation was particularly interested in the equipment that their country once transferred to Ukraine and the experience of our specialists in its use.

The defence ministers of two countries honoured the memory of defenders of Ukraine who fell in the war with Russia.