Ukraine updates: Zelenskyy in Denmark to discuss cooperation – DW – 07/03/2025
The Ukrainian army reported there were "dead and wounded" in the strikes.
The emergency services posted images of buildings on fire and rescue workers at the scene of the attack.
"Two people were killed and 10 were wounded," the emergency services said.
Russia has increased its drone and missile bombardments on Ukraine as peace talks stutter and concerns grow over US support for Ukraine.
The deputy chief of the Russian Navy, Major General Mikhail Gudkov, has been killed by a Ukrainian missile attack in the Kursk region, a Russian official said Thursday.
Gudkov, 42, had served in the military since 2000 and was made "Hero of the Russian Federation" by President Vladimir Putin in 2023 — the Kremlin's highest honor.
He is one of the most senior Russian military officers to have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
"During combat operations in one of the border areas of the Kursk region on July 2, 2025... Major General Mikhail Evgenievich Gudkov was killed," Russia's state RIA news agency quoted Moscow's defense ministry as saying.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Denmark on Thursday as the Nordic country launched its European Union presidency.
Zelenskyy, who landed in Denmark's second largest city, Aarhus, is due to hold talks with
Prime Minister Mette Fredericksen and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, both staunch backers of Ukraine as it continues its attempts to fend off Russia's invasion.
Zelenskyy's trip comes after the Trump administration decided to halt some arms shipments to Ukraine.
"Ukraine belongs in the EU. It is in the interest of both Denmark and Europe. Therefore, the Danish Presidency will do everything we can to help Ukraine on its path towards EU membership," Frederiksen said in a statement.
On Wednesday, Zelenskyy posted on X: "At the working level, Ukraine and the US are clarifying all the details of defense support, including air defense. One way or another, we must ensure protection for our people. There were also discussions about the next steps in relations with the EU, during Denmark's six-month Presidency. We're also working with Denmark and other partners on new agreements for arms production, including joint manufacturing, and preparing updates on interceptor drones."
Fredericksen's government has invested in Ukraine's defense industry and has invited Ukrainian companies to set up shop on safer ground in Denmark.
During his visit to Denmark, Zelenskyy is also set to discuss cooperation in the defense industry and new sanctions against Russia.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Welcome to DW's coverage of the latest developments concerning Russia's war in Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Denmark harnessing relations with the Nordic nation, while he will also meet with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.
Meanwhile, the deputy chief of the Russian Navy, Major General Mikhail Gudkov, has been killed by a Ukrainian missile attack in the Kursk border region.
Stay tuned for more news and analysis.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
DW
5 hours ago
- DW
Kenya: At least 10 killed in anti-government protests – DW – 07/07/2025
Clashes between police and protesters have turned violent in Kenya, with police firing tear gas at crowds and security forces blocking off access to central Nairobi. At least 10 people have died in anti-government protests in Kenya as of Monday evening, according a statement released by the state-funded Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR). In an attempt to contain the unrest, police closed roads leading into the capital, Nairobi, to block protesters from rallying in the city center, reported Felix Maringa, DW's Nairobi correspondent. A police statement released late Monday said over 560 people were arrested around the country during Monday's protests. The statement estimated that 11 people were killed, and that dozens of police officers were injured. Protesters on Monday were commemorating the July 7 demonstrations, known as "Saba Saba," Swahili for seven seven, the first major protests Kenya that took place 35 years ago. Those protests called for a transition from a one-party state to a multiparty democracy, with the first multiparty elections having taken place in 1992. Today, protesters are demanding President William Ruto's resignation over his alleged corruption. Other issues protesters have cited include high cost of living, police brutality and poor governance. Roads leading to parliament, which was stormed during protests against proposed tax increases last year, and the president's office, were barricaded using razor wire. Police officers also stopped pedestrians, vehicles and bikes from entering the city, except for those deemed to have essential duties. Public Service Minister Geoffrey Ruku had urged all government employees to report to work on Monday, insisting that the demonstrations would not disrupt public services. Most businesses remained closed in the capital as people stayed away. Police spokesperson Michael Muchiri said that during the demonstrations "certain individuals remained determined to engage in acts of lawlessness that involved multiple criminal acts." Reports from Nairobi indicated protesters lit bonfires and threw stones at police, while police fired and hurled tear gas canisters, injuring demonstrators. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights said in its report Monday evening that numerous police officers were not wearing their uniforms and patrolling the streets in unmarked vehicles, in defiance of a court order that asks officers to be clearly identified by their uniform. "They fire live rounds everywhere. They are not even targeting anyone, then it lands to whoever it will land. The police are being used improperly by the government, they should think about who they are killing. We are not animals, we are human beings like them, and we need to be protected by them. Yet, they are the ones killing us," Nairobi resident Evans Nyakwara told DW. According to the KNCHR, protests took place on Monday in 17 out of Kenya's 47 counties. They mark the latest in a series of widespread demonstrations. "Kenyans have continued to castigate police over what they call heavy handedness when it comes to dealing with protesters, and police have continued dealing very brutally with the protesters," said DW correspondent Maringa. "We have police lobbying teargas into homesteads, we have water canons discharging water into homesteads, but Kenyans have remained adamant that they will remain on the streets until they see the changes that they clamor for come to pass," he added. Kenya's latest wave of violent demonstrations was sparked by calls for police accountability following the death of a blogger in police custody last month. During protests on June 17, a police officer shot a civilian at close range, further angering the public. On June 25, at least 19 people were killed and more than 400 injured during protests against police brutality that were timed to coincide with the one-year anniversary of demonstrations against President Ruto's proposed tax hikes. At least 60 people lost their lives in those protests last year, and while Ruto ultimately withdrew the proposed tax bill, mass rallies have taken hold. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
DW
5 hours ago
- DW
Why is Poland introducing controls on its border with Germany? – DW – 07/03/2025
Poland will impose temporary border checks with Germany in response to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's tougher migration stance, which has led Germany to conduct regular border checks. Germany is now countering criticism from neighboring countries. Journalist David McQuaid joins DW's political team to discuss the political tensions, motivations, risks, and implications for European unity.
DW
7 hours ago
- DW
Poland's border checks: Beginning of the end of Schengen? – DW – 07/07/2025
Border controls are creeping back across Europe, known as a free-travel zone. But are they solving anything? When Poland introduced border checks with Germany and Lithuania this week, it wasn't the first time that a Schengen country took such a step. These measures are typically justified as necessary to curb irregular migration, combat human smuggling, or address national security concerns. But for many analysts, it may be one of the clearest signs yet that the European Union's borderless travel area, seen as a symbol of integration and common identity, is under increasing strain. According to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the controls are temporary and aimed at stopping human trafficking and irregular migration. Yet the move comes just weeks after Germany itself ramped up checks along all its land borders, including with Poland, under the new conservative government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz. For many observers here in Brussels, the tit-for-tat measures reflect a deeper shift away from European solidarity and toward national self-interest. Created in the 1990s, the Schengen Area allows passport-free travel across 29 European countries, covering most of the EU plus several non-members like Norway and Switzerland. It facilitates the free movement of over 450 million people and underpins Europe's single market by eliminating internal border checks for goods, services, and labor. For businesses, commuters, and travelers alike, Schengen is one of the EU's most practical achievements. In an interview with DW, Birte Nienaber, Associate Professor at the University of Luxembourg, underlined that Europe is seeing a slow erosion of border-free moment in Europe, one frontier at a time. Davide Colombi, a migration researcher at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) based in Brussels, agrees that the recent Polish-German dispute fits a broader European pattern. France has maintained border checks since the 2015 terrorist attacks. Austria first introduced controls on its borders with Slovenia and Hungary in September 2015, at the height of the refugee crisis, and has renewed them every six months since, citing migration pressures and internal security. Slovenia introduced checks with Croatia less than a year after the latter joined Schengen, citing increased migration and concerns over organized crime. And Germany, which had long resisted tightening its internal borders, began expanding them last autumn, a move the European Commission has so far not formally challenged. Under EU law, such checks are only allowed in exceptional circumstances and must be temporary. "These border controls are purely political symbolism, without a real effect of curbing migration," says Professor Nienaber. She emphasizes that with the rise of far-right forces in Europe, populist narratives are gaining grounds across all parties. Centrist leaders face pressure to show "toughness" on migration — and border controls are a visible measure popular with the public. But how effective are they really? Official statistics cast doubt on the pertinence of border checks inside the Schengen area. German police say that in the first month of enhanced border operations this spring, just 160 asylum seekers were turned away. Polish media reports that Germany returned around 1,000 migrants to Poland between May and mid-June, a figure not significantly different from previous years. "Smugglers or those trying to enter irregularly know exactly how to avoid official checkpoints," said migration expert Nienaber. "The controls don't stop them. They only create the illusion of control." Researcher Colombi agreed that such policies are more about optics than outcomes. He underlined that EU member states have so far failed to prove the necessity for the controls in, for instance, curbing migration, or preventing terrorist attacks. Meanwhile, border communities, especially in regions like Luxembourg, Austria, and Poland, are already feeling the negative effects: longer wait times, disrupted supply chains, and growing economic stress on cross-border local businesses. A detailed European Parliament study estimated that reinstating internal border checks leads to substantial time losses: 10–20 minutes for cars and 30–60 minutes for heavy vehicles, and costs the transport sector around €320 million — and that's only accounting for delays, not the broader economic fallout. The economic cost is therefore not trivial. Schengen affects the free movement of goods, services, capital and people: the four pillars of the EU single market. Prices could rise, supply chains could slow, and cross-border jobs and businesses could be lost. A Bulgarian logistics association recently estimated border delays previously cost the sector €300 million ($352 million) annually. Since Romania and Bulgaria joined Schengen this year, cross-border traffic has significantly increased and become more efficient. In the first three months of 2025 alone, traffic between the two countries rose by 25%, with over 160,000 vehicles crossing compared to 128,000 in the same period the year before, according to Romania's Road Administration Agency. The average wait times at crossings have dropped from over 10 hours to less than two. For regional hauliers and border towns that rely on smooth trade flows, this has meant faster deliveries and a revived economic outlook. A return to hard borders, experts warn, could undo that progress, hitting not just supply chains, but also the livelihoods of thousands who depend on seamless daily crossings. EU law allows internal border checks in exceptional cases: they must be limited to six months with clearly justified renewals. Yet several member states have simply continued extending them. France's controls have been in place almost continuously for nearly a decade. Austria, Denmark, Sweden and now Germany have also operated under long-term exceptions. "We can see that these border checks are becoming permanent in some member states. That was never the intent of the Schengen agreement," says researcher Colombi. He explains that the European Commission has faced criticism for not enforcing limits more robustly, for instance through infringement procedures. This could risks opening the floodgates for others, creating a domino effect. The EU and its leaders are aware of the risks. If internal border checks become permanent, the Schengen system could unravel entirely. This would not only disrupt the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital, key pillars of the EU single market, but also undermine the legal integrity of EU treaties, increase costs for businesses, slow supply chains, potentially erode citizens' trust in the European project itself. The Commission is now working to update the Schengen Borders Code and launch two digital border management tools: the Entry/Exit System (ESS) and the ETIAS, a visa-waiver screening platform. Both are designed to better track non-EU nationals entering the zone and reduce the perceived need for internal checks. The Commission says these reforms represent an evolution of Schengen, not its breakdown. But Colombi argues that if Schengen is to survive, it will need more than legal tweaks or digital tools. Rather, he says, "we need political courage, the rebuilding of mutual trust between member states and enforcement by the European Commission." Above all, the subject of migration should be de-politicized, shifting the public debate away from ineffective measures such as border controls. Both experts are skeptical that this will happen anytime soon. With far-right parties reshaping political narratives in many countries, the pressure to reassert national sovereignty is only growing, Nienaber explains. She warns that if governments continue to use internal border controls as political instruments, rather than last resort security tools, the Schengen Area could soon fall to pieces. Should Schengen fall apart, the economic damage could be severe. Reinstated border checks would slow down the flow of goods, disrupt just-in-time supply chains, and increase transport costs, particularly in logistics-heavy sectors like agriculture, retail, and manufacturing. Cross-border workers would face longer commutes, while small businesses in border regions could lose vital customers. For everyday citizens, it could mean longer queues at borders, higher prices in stores, and diminished access to services and job markets across borders. But the symbolic loss could be just as profound, says Colombi: "Schengen is one of the most visible signs of a common European identity and a flag-ship achievement." Should Schengen fall, it's most tangible way to experience the EU as a transnational project for citizens would fall, too. To prevent that, both experts argue that the EU and its member states must recommit to the core idea behind Schengen: that Europeans should be able to move freely, without fear, delay, or political posturing, across their shared continent.
