The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk met with the delegation of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Denmark (Folketing)
22 March 2023, 15:49
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk met with a delegation of the Foreign Policy Council of the Folketing (Parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark headed by the Chairman of the Council, Michael Aastrup Jensen.
Ruslan Stefanchuk thanked his Danish colleagues for their visit to Ukraine as a manifestation of support from the people of Denmark in difficult times, stressing that the Kingdom has stood by Ukraine throughout the entire period of full-scale war and provided assistance in various fields.
In particular, the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament stressed, Denmark has made a great contribution to strengthening military support for Ukraine, and we especially appreciate it.
“I am grateful to Denmark for its assistance in strengthening our defence capabilities and forming the ninth package of weapons and military equipment that will soon be transferred to Ukraine. Separately, on behalf of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, I would like to thank for the initiative to transfer all CAESAR howitzers available in Denmark. Ukraine is also currently forming an ‘air coalition’ to receive aircraft and the latest equipment. We urge you to join this initiative and become an important part of it,” Ruslan Stefanchuk addressed his Danish colleagues.
The parties also discussed the issue of sanctions policy against russia as an aggressor country. The Chairman of the Parliament of Ukraine called for further strengthening of sanctions against russia.
“Today’s sanctions policy against russia is very important for Ukraine and our struggle in this war. The 11th package of sanctions should put an end to russia’s economic capacity. This applies to both sectoral, primarily nuclear energy, and personal restrictions,” stressed Ruslan Stefanchuk.
During the meeting, the parties discussed the development of the interparliamentary dialogue between the two parliaments. The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine invited his Danish colleagues to create a parliamentary friendship group with Ukraine in Folketing, similar to the one already established in our Parliament, and to cooperate more actively with committees and structural departments.
Ruslan Stefanchuk also called on his Danish colleagues to make important political decisions for Ukraine, such as recognising the Holodomor of 1932-33 as genocide of the Ukrainian people, to help implement the peace formula of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and to support Denmark’s efforts to join the EU and NATO.
In particular, the Chairman of the Parliament of Ukraine invited Denmark to become a party to the joint declaration on Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration, as well as to support the Alliance’s common vision of Ukraine's accession to NATO at the upcoming Vilnius Summit.
In conclusion, Ruslan Stefanchuk thanked his Danish colleagues for establishing a separate fund to support Ukraine and extended an invitation to the Speaker of the Folketing to participate in the Second Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimean Platform in Prague.
The Chairman of the Foreign Policy Council of the Folketing of the Kingdom of Denmark, Mr. Michael Aastrup Jensen, thanked the Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament for the warm meeting and assured that the Danish Parliament is fully unanimous in its support for Ukraine.
“We have come to show our support for Ukraine to our entire Parliament, and to start a closer dialogue on how we can further help Ukraine,” said Mr Jensen.
On behalf of the entire delegation, he expressed his admiration for the struggle of the Ukrainian people and the unity of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in the face of the enormous challenges of the war, assuring that the people of Denmark and the government have stood and will stand in strong support of Ukraine until our complete victory.
“Although the military power of our country is small, we can help even more. For example, in creating an ‘air coalition’. This issue should be supported and we will provide even more assistance to Ukraine. There is no talk of reducing it in Denmark,” the Chairman of the Folketing Foreign Policy Council concluded.