Ukraine is a full-fledged member of the European family, and Europe — especially as the U.S. reduces its involvement — must step up its support in the fight against the aggressor.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said this at a joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Aarhus, marking the beginning of Denmark’s presidency of the Council of the European Union, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.
According to Frederiksen, she sees no indication that Putin wants peace.
She said that she did not believe for a second that Putin intended to stop with Ukraine. That was why, in her opinion, Ukraine needed to be placed in the strongest possible position. She emphasized that the European Union had to further weaken the Russian economy, strengthen sanctions, end the import of Russian gas, and target Russia’s shadow fleet.
She acknowledged that if the United States were to stop providing Ukraine with the support it needs, it would be a serious setback not only for Ukraine but also for Europe and NATO.
“This is a war about the future of Europe. […] We hope that the transatlantic partnership, also when it comes to Ukraine, will stay on. It’s important for all of us. If there are any gaps, I think we have to fill them up. […] Instead of thinking about delivering weapons to Ukraine as donations, we have to think of it as part of rearming ourselves. […] Bringing weapons or any other systems to Ukraine is part of defending Europe and Denmark,” Frederiksen said.
She recalled that just over a year ago, a model was established to support the direct production of weapons in Ukraine, which she says is working very well. According to her, Ukrainians manufacture faster, better, and cheaper than many of their European partners — and Ukraine still has significant production capacity.
“So we also need other European countries to finance more production inside Ukraine. At the same time, we are looking into pulling production out of Ukraine to ensure that we can support Ukraine in production in other European countries like here in Denmark,” she noted.
Frederiksen also stressed the importance of EU enlargement. She acknowledged that there would be obstacles on Ukraine’s path to membership, including from the positions of individual member states. During its presidency, Denmark will seek ways to overcome these challenges so that Ukrainians “will be, as they should be, a member of the European Union.”
Frederiksen stressed that she was impressed by how a country at war can still implement necessary reforms and added that it is now the EU’s turn to do its homework.
She said that Ukraine is part of the European family and expressed her delight that President Volodymyr Zelensky was able to take part in the events in Aarhus.
Frederiksen also reiterated her support for Ukraine’s membership in NATO.
Outlining Denmark’s priorities for its EU presidency, she emphasized the need to guide Europe safely through one of the most difficult periods in its history — amid Russia’s war on the continent, escalating tensions in the Middle East, the impacts of migration, climate change, and global competition.
Among the top priorities, in addition to support for Ukraine, are significantly strengthening European defense, including through joint defense production and procurement.
Frederiksen stressed the need to rearm Europe by 2030 at the latest and added that decisions must be made today to secure Europeans in the future.
A third key task she identified is bringing order to and reducing migration — particularly through strengthened border control and deportation of those who violate the law.
Source: Supplying weapons to Ukraine part of defending Europe and Denmark – Frederiksen
