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DENMARK AND UKRAINE

Danish PM Frederiksen addresses Ukraine’s parliament after F-16 pledge

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen addressed the Ukrainian parliament on Wednesday on a visit to Kyiv after pledging to supply Ukraine with 19 F-16 fighter jets.

Danish PM Frederiksen addresses Ukraine’s parliament after F-16 pledge
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen addresses the Ukrainian parliament during her visit, in Kyiv on September 6th. Photo: Andrii Nesterenko/AFP/Ritzau Scanpix

Frederiksen was greeted by applause in Ukraine’s parliament during a visit to Kyiv on Wednesday. The Danish PM was also involved in long conversations with Ukrainian MPs at the parliament.

The visit comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last month visited Copenhagen for the announcement of Denmark’s donation of F-16 fighter aircraft to Ukraine’s defence against the Russian invasion.

READ ALSO: What did Ukrainian president Zelensky say in Copenhagen speeches?

“Thank you for the F-16s,” Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak wrote on social media after the prime minister announced the donation in August.

“The devastation of the war is heartbreaking,” Frederiksen said in her speech in Kyiv according to news wire Ritzau’s report.

“Families have lost their homes. Mothers have had to be parted from their sons. Words cannot describe what you have had to go through,” she said.

“You and Ukraine are still standing. The world has seen the incredible strength of the Ukrainian people,” she said.

Frederiksen was invited to speak at the parliament by Zelensky during his visit to Denmark in August. Wednesday’s visit is her third to Ukraine.

Denmark has pledged an additional 300 million kroner to be spent on reconstruction and humanitarian aid among other projects aimed at helping the Ukrainian population through the coming winter.

Shortages of water, heat and electricity are likely in cities worst-hit by the fighting.

The additional 300 million are part of a 1.5 billion-kroner fund set aside for Ukraine in the draft budget for 2024.

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DENMARK AND UKRAINE

Denmark to stop training Ukrainian F-16 pilots

Denmark’s air force will stop training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets after 2024, Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on Monday.

Denmark to stop training Ukrainian F-16 pilots

Poulsen confirmed the Danish decision at a joint press conference with Norwegian counterpart Bjørn Arild Gram, citing “respect for” the fact that the Danish air force is in the process of switching from using F-16s to F-35 fighter jets, and will be using its Skrydstrup air base, where the Ukrainian pilots are currently trained, for this purpose.

Denmark will still contribute to the training of Ukrainian pilots outside of Denmark, Poulsen also said.

READ ALSO: Denmark boosts Ukraine military aid by 4.4 billion kroner

Ukrainian pilots are currently trained in Romania as well as in Denmark, but no decision has been made as to whether Denmark could contribute in Romania, he said.

Alongside the Netherlands, Denmark has led an international training coalition for Ukrainian F-16 fighter pilots.

Denmark has also committed to donating 19 F-16s to Ukraine, with the first four aircraft due to arrive in Ukraine “this summer”, according to earlier reports.

Norway has also pledged a number of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Two Norwegian F-16s are involved in the training at Skrydstrup.

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