During his official visit to the Kingdom of Denmark, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk met with the Speaker of the Folketing of the Kingdom of Denmark Soren Gade and the Presidium of the Folketing.
The parties discussed increasing defence support, including arms supplies, fair punishment for russia’s crimes, and Ukraine’s path to the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
First of all, the Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine expressed his gratitude to the Kingdom of Denmark for the comprehensive military, financial and humanitarian assistance.
“The main thing that Ukraine needs today is weapons,” said Ruslan Stefanchuk, adding that Danish weapons have already demonstrated great effectiveness on the battlefield in Ukraine. He also noted that Ukraine needs unmanned aerial vehicles and anti-drone guns to help protect Ukrainian skies.
At the same time, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine noted that missile defence and air defence systems, artillery, ammunition, heavy military equipment, tanks and combat aircraft are the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“The most important thing is F-16s. Modern fighters like the F-16 will help to change the rules on the battlefield and the course of the war dramatically,” he said, calling on Denmark to join the formation of an air coalition: “Ukraine would be grateful if Denmark became part of the air coalition. After all, when countries are united, it is easier for them to act as leaders. And war is a time that needs leaders.”
“On 30 September 2022, Ukraine submitted its application for NATO membership on an accelerated basis, and we very much hope that the open door policy will be open to Ukraine,” the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine said.
He called on the Danish Parliament to consider adopting a resolution or statement supporting Ukraine’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation: “I also hope to hear the voice of the Folketing in support of our Euro-Atlantic integration before the Vilnius Summit.” The Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine said that on 10 April 2023, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine appealed to all NATO member parliaments to adopt resolutions or declarations in support of Ukraine’s path to NATO – such statements have already been adopted by Lithuania, Poland and Estonia.
“It is extremely important for Ukraine to hear in July
in Vilnius the modality, logistics and timeframe of Ukraine’s accession to
NATO,” said Ruslan Stefanchuk.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine thanked Denmark for its clear position in granting Ukraine the status of a candidate for accession to the European Union. He noted that by the end of last year, the Parliament of Ukraine had adopted all the necessary laws contained in the seven recommendations provided by the European Commission. “We have received a very high assessment of Ukraine’s progress. If there are any comments, we are ready to correct them in the nearest future. We hope that by the end of this year, Ukraine will be able to receive assurances and open negotiations on full membership in the European Union,” Ruslan Stefanchuk said.
He also invited Denmark to join and patronise one of the points of the peace formula proposed by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi.
For his part, the Speaker of the Danish Folketing, Soren Gade, said that a group should be set up to support Ukraine in its integration into the European Union, assuring that Denmark would help on this path.
“Countries must be united in support to defend themselves against people like putin. There must be a majority to support Ukraine on its way to the EU and NATO,” Soren Gade said. He also emphasised that fair justice must be done to moscow and the kremlin and assured of further support for Ukraine after the war.
“Denmark is a member of the coalition of countries supporting Ukraine’s defence and we are sending everything we can for you,” said the Chairman of the Foreign Policy Council, Mr. Michael Aastrup Jensen. He also stressed that Denmark understands the need to provide air defence systems for Ukraine: “We see tragic and horrific images of destruction in Ukraine. We have to protect Ukraine”.
During the meeting, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine also made an entry in the Book of Honour.