How Denmark's government has changed and what to expect from the pro-Ukraine PM Frederiksen

After unusually lengthy coalition negotiations, Denmark has formed a new government.

It will once again be led by Mette Frederiksen, who remains one of Ukraine's most consistent allies in Europe.

Although Frederiksen retains the premiership, the political direction of her new government will change. Most notably, the coalition has shifted further to the left. While her previous government included centre-right parties, the new coalition occupies a narrower section of the political spectrum.

Read more about Denmark's new government and what Ukraine can expect from it in the article by European Pravda journalist Khrystyna Bondarieva: Ukraine as a priority: how Frederiksen returned to lead Denmark's government and how her policies will change.

After prolonged political negotiations, Frederiksen failed to form a majority government.

In the end, the cabinet was formed by her Social Democratic Party, the Socialist People's Party, the Social Liberal Party and the centrist Moderates.

The result is a minority government. The new coalition controls 82 of the 179 seats in the Folketing, Denmark's parliament, whereas a conventional majority requires at least 90 seats.

To ensure stability, the coalition parties entered into a tactical arrangement with the Red-Green Alliance (Enhedslisten), the most left-wing party in parliament. Although it did not join the government, it agreed to provide parliamentary support in exchange for a package of social and environmental measures that have been incorporated into the coalition programme.

The decision to keep Lars Løkke Rasmussen as foreign minister signals continuity in Copenhagen's current foreign policy course.

Jeppe Bruus, previously minister for green transition, has been appointed defence minister. He does not have a strong defence background.

The new cabinet has been nicknamed the "four-leaf clover government" – both because it consists of four parties and because of the programme's strong environmental focus.

Overall, the new government programme is considerably more left-leaning and greener than that of its predecessor.

One compromise with the coalition's more left-wing partners was a clear commitment to uphold international law and international conventions.

Despite the coalition's centre-left orientation, Denmark is not abandoning its tough stance on migration.

Frederiksen has stated that on defence and security issues she expects to cooperate with right-wing parties in parliament.

The coalition agreement confirms Denmark's intention to continue providing strong support to Kyiv. Moreover, the new government explicitly acknowledges Ukraine's achievements in defence innovation and expresses a willingness to learn from Ukrainian experience.

There are also encouraging signals regarding support for Ukraine's EU accession.

The section of the programme dealing with EU enlargement states that Denmark should help candidate countries implement reforms and strengthen democratic institutions so they can meet accession criteria. Notably, Ukraine is the only candidate country mentioned by name in the programme.

At the same time, security concerns for the new government extend beyond Russia and support for Ukraine.

The document includes a clear message to US President Donald Trump, who has once again brought the issue of Greenland onto the international agenda: "The government will firmly uphold the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and the Kingdom's right to self-determination."

The new cabinet promises to fully involve Greenland's government in foreign-policy decisions affecting the island and places particular emphasis on building a stronger Europe capable of taking greater responsibility for its own security.