- UK and Denmark to hold defence
talks today as Defence Secretary travels to Copenhagen.
- Ukraine support,
industrial cooperation and the Joint Expeditionary
Force (JEF) will be discussed, as well as how European nations
can step up on security in the High North.
- Comes as planning continues
for major JEF exercise activity taking place in 2026.
Defence talks in Copenhagen today will bring the UK and
Denmark together to discuss High North security, industrial
cooperation, and vital support to Ukraine, with Defence
Secretary MP meeting Danish Defence
Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.
As NATO allies and Joint Expeditionary Force partners, Denmark
and the UK are building on decades of defence cooperation
to work closely together to address increasing threats,
including to critical national infrastructure in the Baltic and
High North.
The Ministers are also expected to discuss
counter-drone cooperation, following the deployment of a
specialist RAF counter-drone unit to Denmark late last year after
a series of suspicious drone sightings.
On Ukraine, they will also discuss how
to bolster support and accelerate deliveries of air
defence systems, as President Putin escalates his attacks on
Ukraine's energy infrastructure. The UK and Denmark are
amongst Ukraine's largest military supporters, both contributing
to the UK led International Fund for Ukraine (IFU) and
the Drone Capability Coalition (DCC).
It comes as hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, including
children and schools have been left without heat and power as
temperatures across Ukraine plummet to -20 degrees. The UK
last week announced a further £20 million of energy
infrastructure support to bolster Ukrainian energy
security.
The UK leads the International Fund for Ukraine
to procure military equipment for Ukraine at pace,
and more than £2.1 billion has been pledged to the
fund to date, including significant contributions from the
UK and Denmark.
Defence Secretary MP said:
“In this new era of threat, now is the era of hard
power, sure diplomacy, and strong alliances. As JEF partners
and NATO allies, Denmark and the UK are stepping up on European
security.
“The UK has always played a leading role in securing NATO's
northern flank in the Baltic and High North, and we
will continue to do so alongside our allies.
“We're cooperating more to defend and deter our adversaries, at
the same time as we step up support for Ukraine – because a
secure Europe requires a strong Ukraine.”
The meeting comes after JEF Chiefs of Defence met last week, and
ahead of JEF Exercise Lion Protector this year which
will see air, land, and naval forces from JEF nations train to
protect critical national infrastructure from attacks and
sabotage, rehearse the military interception of illegal vessels,
and enhance their joint command and control
capabilities.
The exercise will see hundreds of personnel from the Royal
Navy, Royal Air Force and British Army deploy across the
Nordic and Baltic regions as JEF partners step up to enhance
Euro-Atlantic defence and security.
