Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga received Ole Egberg Mikkelsen, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Denmark to Ukraine, who is ending his diplomatic mission in Ukraine after five years of service.
According to the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Sibiga expressed his gratitude to Ole Egberg Mikkelsen for his personal commitment to the Ukrainian-Danish partnership and noted that the ties between Ukraine and Denmark established during his tenure go far beyond official relations.
“Denmark has become a world leader in terms of aid to Ukraine as a percentage of GDP (2.89%) and has provided our country with more than €9.9 billion in support. In addition, Denmark’s unique partnership with Mykolaiv and the Mykolaiv region has become a model of regional cooperation for other international partners. We greatly appreciate this,” Sibiga said.
The minister also noted the recent launch of the long-term humanitarian support program Ukraine Transition Programme and unprecedented military assistance, namely Denmark’s transfer of its entire artillery arsenal, the provision of F-16 fighter jets, and the launch of the Danish model of direct investment in the Ukrainian defense-industrial complex.
The interlocutors discussed the further development of relations between Ukraine and Denmark on the path to a just peace and the restoration of security in Europe.
The Foreign Minister wished Ole Egberg Mikkelsen success in his new endeavors.
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said that Ukrainian defense companies may soon start production in Denmark.
“The second thing I will mention today is what could be called the ‘Danish model 2.0’. I hope that in a few weeks we will invite the first Ukrainian defense company to start production here in Denmark, in a safe environment,” he said during a briefing with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Friday.
Poulsen noted that he expects other Ukrainian defense companies to join the process later this year. “And I believe that this will also be a way to provide even more support to Ukraine,” he stressed.
The minister also said that he discussed this initiative during his visit to Kyiv on Sunday. “During this visit, I had the opportunity to talk to both President Zelensky and the new Minister of Defense Denys Shmyhal about the prospects of inviting Ukrainian defense companies to start production here in Denmark. And they fully support this idea,” he said.
Denmark will provide EUR 6 million to restore Ukraine’s energy infrastructure damaged by Russian attacks.
According to the government portal, this was discussed during a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Minister of Justice of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna and a Danish delegation led by Minister of European Affairs Maria Bjerre Holst, who arrived in Kyiv on a visit.
“At the beginning of the meeting, Maria Bjørre Holst announced a new aid package to restore Ukraine’s energy infrastructure: EUR6 million will be allocated to the Energy Community’s Energy Support Fund for Ukraine,” the statement said.
Stefanishyna thanked Denmark, which is currently one of the leaders among Ukraine’s partners in terms of aid as a percentage of its own GDP.
As reported with reference to the Minister of Energy of Ukraine Herman Galushchenko, the Energy Support Fund of Ukraine since its inception in the spring of 2022 and as of early October has accumulated approximately EUR 700 million for the restoration of Ukrainian energy facilities. Earlier, the Minister said that Denmark became the first sponsor of the Energy Support Fund of Ukraine, contributing to the restoration of the Ukrainian energy infrastructure in April 2022, its first donation amounted to EUR 0.5 million.
The Energy Support Fund for Ukraine was established on the joint initiative of Galushchenko and European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson in the spring of 2022. Contributions to the Fund were made by, among others, Germany (about EUR300 million), Australia, the United Kingdom, Austria, Sweden, Iceland, and Estonia.
Denmark will allocate 130 million Danish kroner (about $19.4 million – IF-U) to Ukraine to restore energy infrastructure damaged by Russian attacks, the Danish government’s press service reports.
The aid was announced by Minister of Climate, Energy and Supply Lars Oagard during a meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga at the G7 Working Group on Ukraine’s Energy Security.
“Not only is Putin’s army invading Ukraine’s borders, Russia is violating the rules of war by launching massive attacks on Ukraine’s electricity and heat supply. Winter is just around the corner, and many Ukrainian homes will be left without heat and electricity. And that’s not all, ordinary employees of the energy sector who work tirelessly at their jobs are being targeted. We must do everything we can to make the Ukrainian energy system as resilient as possible,” said Oagard.
The Danish donation is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and will, among other things, support emergency measures and the procurement of equipment and spare parts to help restore security of supply. The support is provided in cooperation with UNDP, the Energy Community, the Danish Refugee Council and the Danish Red Cross.
The international corporation NEFCO (Nordic Environment Finance Corporation) is launching a EUR 7.2 million project to reconstruct the water supply system in Mykolaiv’s Korabelnyi district with funding from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the NEFCO press service reports.
NEFCO and the city administration of Mykolaiv have signed a new grant agreement for the reconstruction of the water supply system in the Korabelnyi district, which has been selected as a pilot. A total of EUR 7.2 million has been allocated for the project, as well as technical assistance through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.
As reported, Mykolaiv’s water supply system has been out of service for almost 2.5 years after the destruction of the main water supply system in April 2022. Residents of Mykolaiv depend on emergency water supply, which is provided mainly by trucks and supplemented by desalination of salt water from the Dnipro-Bug estuary, as well as newly drilled wells. Many citizens are forced to take water for their daily needs from centralized emergency water supply points.
The densely populated Korabelnyi district of Mykolaiv, where water leakage reaches 40%, was chosen to implement a demonstration project to restore and reconstruct the entire water supply system. The goal of this project is to reduce water losses and increase the energy efficiency of water distribution processes by identifying water leaks, improving water supply efficiency, and creating a sustainable basis for further development of the freshwater system in Mykolaiv. New wells will be installed and pipes will be replaced.
Earlier, in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine, Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych said that a feasibility study had already been developed with the French company Egis to provide water supply for the entire city, the first of three phases of implementation could cost about EUR130 million, and the city was looking for sources of funding – “both public funds and donor funds.” And as an example, he cited a grant allocated by Denmark in the spring of 2024 – up to DKK 40 million (approximately EUR 5.36 million) through the Danida Sustainable Infrastructure Finance (DSIF) program.
This project is also being implemented in the Korabelnyi district, and involves the replacement of about 11 km of pipes, which is about 8% of the total length of the network in the district; installation of 55 main meters with remote data collection in multi-storey buildings; and replacement of pumps at three water pumping stations. The project is currently in the procurement phase, with the tender expected to be announced in September.
The Netherlands, together with Denmark, will produce CV90 infantry fighting vehicles for Ukraine, and together with Germany – Patriot.
This was announced on Friday by the Dutch government.
“The Netherlands, together with Denmark, is participating in a €400 million Swedish fund to create CV90 infantry fighting vehicles for Ukraine. Most of them will be produced in the Netherlands. In addition, Germany is launching a European assembly line for Patriot missiles, partly due to demand from the Netherlands,” the press release said.
In addition, the Dutch Ministry of Defense is also investing 54 million euros in the Dutch industry to develop drones for its own armed forces. This is included in the action plan to increase the production and supply of military equipment, the Dutch government said.
