Denmark will reduce its military presence in Iraq starting in early-2024 and instead focus on the Baltic countries, offering NATO a battalion to defend the region, the Nordic country's Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on Tuesday. "We must be prepared for the Danish presence in the Baltics to be long-term, and there is a need for balancing between having soldiers on the ground and being ready to deploy them from Denmark," Poulsen said. Denmark will withdraw one of its security and escort units of about 105 soldiers in Iraq as of February next year, but will continue to provide staff and advice to NATO's mission in Iraq, the defence ministry said. Denmark will donate military equipment and financial support to Ukraine worth 1.7 billion Danish crowns ($250 million), Poulsen added.