President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen, President of the European Council António Costa, and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to mark the beginning of Denmark’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
"I wish Denmark a strong and very successful Presidency of the EU Council. Our first goal is to put maximum pressure on Russia to stop this war. This pressure means building up our defense and keeping tough sanctions on Russia. We are working hard on both. I want to thank Denmark, the vast majority of EU countries, and the European institutions," the Head of State said.
The meeting focused on expectations from Denmark’s Presidency – primarily, the opening of Ukraine's EU accession negotiating clusters, strengthening sanctions against Russia, and continued military assistance to Ukraine, including defense funding and joint weapons production.
"Over the next six months of Denmark’s Presidency, we will do everything in our power for a more powerful and a more decisive Europe – a Europe that doesn’t shy away from the many dangers threatening us, a Europe rearmed and ready to defend itself, a Europe prepared for whatever may come," said Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine aims to be a full-fledged partner in European programs, including the SAFE initiative, and called for the maximum use of frozen Russian assets to invest in Ukraine’s defense industry. He also emphasized the importance of strengthening coordination between the EU and the United States to find joint solutions.
"From our side, we will continue to give Ukraine full support. Since the beginning of this year, member states have committed an additional 24 billion in military support. And now, the European Commission has offered all member states more fiscal space to increase their support. This support counts toward the new NATO targets," said António Costa.
The President of the European Council also highlighted the European Commission’s conclusions on the reforms Ukraine has implemented during wartime.
"We have reached the conditions to move forward in the ongoing negotiation process regarding the EU accession," he added.
Ursula von der Leyen stressed that the EU would continue increasing sanctions pressure on Russia. Last week, all sanctions were extended for another six months. In addition, according to the President of the European Commission, the 18th package of sanctions will strike at the heart of Russia’s war economy.
"We all know that Putin doesn’t want peace, so we need to put pressure to bring him to the negotiating table," said the President of the European Commission.
She also noted that the EU has already invested over €2 billion to strengthen Ukraine’s defense, using proceeds from frozen Russian assets.
Ursula von der Leyen also announced that Ukraine and the European Union have reached an agreement on trade in agricultural products.
