Denmark will do everything in its power to help Ukraine join the EU, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Thursday, July 3rd, as she welcomed Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
“Ukraine belongs in the European Union. It is in both Denmark’s and Europe’s interest,” said Frederiksen, who has been a fervent supporter of Ukraine.
“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.
“We must strengthen Ukraine. And we must weaken Russia. The former by increasing military support. The latter, we will achieve with sanctions. We must increase pressure on Russia,” she added.
Copenhagen has made European security, which it also links to a strict migration policy, one of the priorities of its presidencyDenmark 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.Mette Frederiksen’s words come on the heels of Hungarian conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s warning that “anyone who brings Ukraine into the European Union is also bringing the war with it, and anyone who admits Ukraine into NATO will immediately find themselves at war with Russia.”
