LONDON

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a meeting with his Danish counterpart, Mette Frederiksen, to discuss European security.

Starmer hosted Frederiksen for a dinner in London, the British prime minister’s office said in a statement on late Tuesday.

The UK premier said he was pleased to have been able to set out his vision during Monday's dinner with EU leaders for a closer UK and EU relationship that would "benefit all sides through greater growth and enhanced defense and security cooperation."

During the talk, both agreed on the need to strengthen European defense capabilities, including through NATO and to step up joint cooperation to address threats in the Arctic and High North, working with allies through NATO and Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) partners.

The JEF is a military collaboration initiative involving 10 northern European nations, designed for rapid response and expeditionary operations.

Turning to security in the High North and Arctic region, Starmer welcomed Denmark's recent announcement of a new military package to defend the Arctic from hostile activity.

On Ukraine, the pair underlined the importance of supporting Ukraine’s forces for the long term, "putting them in the strongest possible position."

Starmer said he looks forward to working closely with Frederiksen during Denmark’s upcoming presidency of the Council of the European Union, including on the shared challenge of migration.