High North security set to be focus of Defence Secretary visit to Denmark

• UK and Denmark to hold defence talks today as Defence Secretary John Healey 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 John Healey 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 John Healey 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.