Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Meeting With Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund PoulsenDeputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh Holds a Press[...]

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout:

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III hosted Danish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Troels Lund Poulsen at the Pentagon yesterday.

The Secretary thanked Minister Poulsen for Denmark's significant assistance to develop Ukraine's military capabilities and defense industry. The two leaders exchanged views on the upcoming NATO Defense Ministerial Meeting and ensuring continued military assistance to Ukraine, both bilaterally and through the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.

Minister Poulsen and the Secretary also discussed opportunities to deepen and broaden bilateral defense cooperation, in light of the Defense Cooperation Agreement signed in December 2023. Secretary Austin congratulated Minister Poulsen on Denmark's Defence Agreement that includes an historic increase in defense spending and commended the announcement that Denmark will exceed two percent of Gross Domestic Product spending on defense this year.