Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of Denmark Troels Lund Poulsen, who is visiting our country.

The Head of State expressed gratitude to the government of Denmark led by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, as well as to the entire Danish society, for their strong support from the very beginning of the full-scale Russian aggression and for the warm reception of Ukrainians.

"We highly appreciate this. Of course, our priority during this war is military support. Therefore, I want to thank you first of all for the 12 packages of assistance that strengthen our army on the battlefield," he said.

Volodymyr Zelensky also separately praised Denmark's exemplary patronage over the restoration of the city of Mykolaiv and the crucial support from official Copenhagen on Ukraine's path to the European Union.

"We are working on completing all seven recommendations of the European Commission. And we will be very glad if we can start accession negotiations with the EU by the end of this year," the President said.

The meeting primarily focused on strengthening Ukrainian airspace with modern fighters and new air defense systems. Cooperation within the aviation coalition and the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 aircraft, which Denmark and other partners are preparing to transfer to Ukraine, were discussed as well.

Separately, the adoption of a Joint Declaration of support for Ukraine by the G7 at the NATO Summit in Vilnius was noted, and readiness to initiate negotiations between our country and the countries of Northern Europe regarding the acquisition of relevant security guarantees was expressed.

At the end of the meeting, the President of Ukraine awarded the Minister of Defense of Denmark the Order of Merit, I Class, and State Secretary for Security Policy and Operations of the Ministry of Defenсe of the Kingdom of Denmark Kasper Høy-Jensen, the Order of Merit, III Class. Danish officials were honored for their significant personal contributions to strengthening interstate cooperation and supporting Ukraine's state sovereignty and territorial integrity.