The Ukrainian president thanked the Danes on Monday for helping Ukraine resist the Russian invasion, a day after Denmark and the Netherlands announced they would supply Kiev with F-16 fighter jets.
In an address to the Parliament of Copenhagen Volodymyr Zelensky reaffirmed that other parts of Europe are in danger if Russia manages to invade Ukraine.
“All of Russia’s neighbors are under threat if Ukraine does not prevail,” he told Danish delegates, quoted by the US agency AP.
Since the start of the war 18 months ago, Zelensky has described Ukraine as a country that upholds Western values of freedom and democracy and must be well armed to withstand an invasion from Russia.
Ukraine has been pressuring Western allies for several months to supply it with American F-16s.
Ukrainian forces continue to use Soviet-era fighter jets and the counter-offensive launched in June is advancing without close air support, which analysts say is a major drawback.
Zelensky announced on social media that Ukraine will receive 42 F-16 fighters.
Denmark has promised 19 aircraft, which can be delivered by the end of the year, when pilot training is completed, which will take four to six months..
However, preparation of Ukrainian squadrons for combat could take “four or five years”, as admitted last week by the commander of the US Air Forces in Europe and Africa, General James Hecker.
In the Danish parliament, Zelensky acknowledged that it had been difficult to convince Western allies to agree to supply fighter jets to Kiev.
He also mentioned the weapons donated by Denmark and thanked the Danes for their treatment of Ukrainian refugees and their involvement in the reconstruction of Ukraine.
He also pointed out that Denmark is helping pay pensions and other social benefits to Ukrainians who have remained in Ukraine and who are suffering from the economic fallout of the Russian military invasion.
“Thank you, thank you very much, Denmark, on behalf of all Ukrainians, for all the help to Ukraine,” he said, quoted by the Spanish agency EFE.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen highlighted the country’s near-unanimous support for Ukraine, which she described as “unprecedented” in Danish politics.
“When you look in this room, you see people who have worked hard to find ways to help Ukraine and the people of Ukraine,” the Danish leader said, addressing Zelensky’s entourage.
“And there are many more all over Denmark who have the same belief that Ukraine must win this war,” he added.
Zelensky thanked Frederiksen for being one of the first European leaders to visit Kyiv after the February 24, 2022 invasion, a fact that “will go down in Ukrainian history”.
Zelensky embarked on a European tour on Saturday that took him to Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark.
Zelensky told Danish media today that he would travel from Copenhagen to another European country to hold another “very important meeting” for Ukraine’s interests.
Source: DN
