'Doubts' over US support boost need for EU cooperation, Zelenskyy says
Zelenskyy's comments came after Washington's decision to pause some weapons shipments to Kyiv.
"Now, when there are doubts about continued US support for Europe, it's even more important to strengthen our cooperation and coordination through the EU, NATO and also in our direct relations," Zelenskyy said on the sidelines of meetings with Danish and EU leaders in Aarhus, as Denmark took over the EU's rotating presidency.
Earlier Thursday, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the US decision was "a clear message to step up our own support, ramping up our European defence capacities, not only at the level of the European Union, but at the continental level."
Von der Leyen on Thursday held talks in Aarhus with Zelenskyy, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and the president of the European Council Antonio Costa.
Kyiv said a call was being prepared between Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump, possibly for Friday.
.
"I don't know that they have a lot of common ideas, common topics to talk about because they are different people," Zelenskyy said, stressing that Kyiv had "supported from the very beginning the idea of President Trump's unconditional ceasefire."
The Danish prime minister stressed the importance of boosting European security.
"I see no sign that Putin wants peace, and I do not trust for a second that Putin intends to stop with Ukraine. Therefore we have to put Ukraine in the best possible position," she said.
Russian strikes have intensified in the absence of progress on resolving the conflict, and the US moves have severely hampered Kyiv, which has relied on Western military support since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
"Ukraine is essential to Europe's security. Our contribution to Ukraine is also a protection of our freedom," Frederiksen said.
She has vowed to push for Ukraine's membership in the EU during her country's presidency of the bloc.
"Ukraine belongs in the European Union. It is in both Denmark's and Europe's interest. Therefore, the Danish EU presidency will do everything we can to help Ukraine on their way towards EU membership."
Ukraine launched its bid to become an EU member in the aftermath of Russia's 2022 invasion, but it has stalled because of opposition from Hungary.
Zelenskyy said Thursday on X that he was ready to open three accession chapters with the EU, "but political blockages remain, purely political."
WORKING "BEHIND THE SCENES"
Denmark's Europe minister Marie Bjerre told reporters earlier on Thursday that Ukraine's EU membership bid was "very important for us".
"We are still trying to lift the resistance from Hungary," she said.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said that Ukraine's membership of the EU would "ruin" the 27-nation bloc.
Using its veto power, Hungary has effectively frozen the accession process.
Ukraine has insisted it still hopes Budapest can be brought around, claiming intensive work is being done "behind the scenes".
US President Donald Trump has effectively nixed Ukraine's attempts to join the NATO military alliance.
As Zelenskyy arrived in Denmark, he announced that Ukraine has signed a deal with US company American company Swift Beat to produce drones for Ukraine's military.
In a post to X, Zelenskyy said the company "foresees hundreds of thousands of drones this year alone, with the potential to significantly scale up production in the coming year".
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
16 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Germany plans six-month voluntary military service, sources say
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox BERLIN - Germany plans to introduce a voluntary six-month military service scheme, sources familiar with the plan said on Friday, as Berlin tries to train more reservists and bolster national defences over security concerns about Russia. Volunteers would be sought for training in simple tasks such as guard duties under the scheme but a military draft to recruit more people could be considered if uptake were deemed too low, the sources said. With European states that are in NATO also under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to invest more in their own security since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius wants to increase the number of soldiers in service from 180,000 to 260,000. Germany hopes the voluntary six-month scheme would help double the number of trained reservists from the current level of around 100,000 and that some of the volunteers would go on to have a career in active service, the sources said. The defence ministry declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. Participants in Germany's planned scheme will have the opportunity to extend their homeland security training to obtain a truck driver's licence or train as a tank driver, the sources said. New improvised barracks are also planned so that recruits can train closer to home, they added. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore $3b money laundering case: 9 financial institutions handed $27.45m in MAS penalties over breaches Singapore Seller's stamp duty hike will curb short-term speculation; market effect likely minimal: Analysts Singapore NTUC says some foreigners taking on platform work illegally, calls for work group address issue World Trump says countries to start paying tariffs on Aug 1, floats range of 10% to 70% Singapore Sengkang murder: Man accused of killing elderly mother escorted back to crime scene Singapore Tourism bump from Lady Gaga concerts raked in up to estimated $150m for Singapore economy Singapore Jail for man who recruited 2 Japanese women for prostitution at MBS Life Book review: OB Markers sequel Ink And Influence makes catch-22 proposal for The Straits Times The sources said Pistorius wants to have the legislation passed by the end of next month, with the first recruits to start training from May 2026. Questions remain about the plan, including who would be drafted for compulsory service if the government did not meet its recruitment targets. This element of the plan is also controversial within the minister's own Social Democratic Party. Germany ended its previous compulsory military service programme in 2011. Efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine have faltered, with Trump reporting no progress in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. Russian officials have accused Western leaders of invoking a "fabricated 'Russian threat'" to justify increased defence spending. REUTERS
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Russia's all-night drone attack on Kyiv injures 23, Ukraine says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Thousands of civilians have died in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainian. KYIV - Russia pummelled Kyiv with drones in an all-night attack, injuring at least 23 people, damaging railway infrastructure and setting buildings and cars on fire throughout the city, authorities in the Ukrainian capital said early on July 4. Air raid alerts lasted more than eight hours overnight with several waves of attacks, as Russia launched a total of 539 drones and 11 missiles targeting the Ukrainian territory, Ukraine's Air Force said. 'The main target of the strikes was the capital of Ukraine, the city of Kyiv!' the Air Force said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. Fourteen of the injured were hospitalised, said Mayor Vitali Klitschko on Telegram. Damage was recorded in six of Kyiv's 10 districts on both sides of the Dnipro River bisecting the city and falling drone debris set a medical facility on fire in the leafy Holosiivskyi district, Mr Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging app. The attacks were the latest in a series of Russian air strikes on Kyiv that have intensified in recent weeks and included some of the deadliest assaults of the war on the city of three million people. US President Donald Trump said that a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 3 resulted in no progress at all on efforts to end the war in Ukraine, while the Kremlin reiterated that Moscow would keep pushing to solve the conflict's 'root causes'. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump says countries to start paying tariffs on Aug 1, floats range of 10% to 70% Singapore Sengkang murder: Man accused of killing elderly mother escorted back to crime scene Singapore Multiple charges for man accused of damaging PAP campaign materials on GE2025 Polling Day Singapore Jail for man who recruited 2 Japanese women for prostitution at MBS Singapore Seller's stamp duty rates for private homes raised; holding period increased from 3 years to 4 Asia Japan urges evacuation of small island as 1,000 quakes hit region Asia Indonesian rescuers widen search for missing after ferry sinks World Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending Bill wins congressional approval A decision by Washington earlier this week to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine prompted warnings by Kyiv that the move would weaken its ability to defend against intensifying airstrikes and battlefield advances. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on July 3 that he hopes to speak with Mr Trump on Friday about the supply of US weapons. Ukraine's state-owned railway Ukrzaliznytsia, the country's largest carrier, said on Telegram that the attack on Kyiv damaged railway infrastructure in the city, diverting a number of passenger trains and causing delays. In the hours to the morning of July 4, Reuters witnesses heard strings of explosions and constant barrages of fire in Kyiv as air defence units tried to down the drones. Social media videos showed people running to seek shelter, firefighters fighting blazes in the dark and ruined buildings with windows and facades blown out. Ukraine's Air Force said that it had destroyed 478 of the air weapons Russia launched overnight. Enemy air strikes were recorded in eight locations across the country with nine missiles and 63 drones, it added. Late on July 3, Russian shelling killed five people in and near the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a key target under Russian attack for months, Ukraine said. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia launched with a full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022. But thousands of civilians have died in the conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainian. REUTERS
CNA
5 hours ago
- CNA
Civil society leaves UN development summit feeling unheard
SEVILLE, Spain: When over 1,000 civil society representatives flocked to Seville this week for a UN conference on development financing their expectations were already low, but the four-day event left many frustrated and feeling their voices were stifled. The once-in-a-decade summit promised to marshall resources that could narrow the estimated US$4.3 trillion financing gap needed to help developing countries overcome mounting debt distress, the ravages of climate change or structural inequality, among other hurdles. However, the world's richest governments have been slashing aid and bilateral lending while increasingly prioritising defence spending as geopolitical tensions escalate, raising doubts that the cautious optimism expressed by most officials in attendance was realistic. Several civil society organisations (CSOs) were critical of the measures outlined in a final document, the "Seville Commitment", which they said was watered down by wealthier nations unwilling to walk the talk. Others lambasted what they described as a private sector-first approach to development. Arthur Larok, secretary general of ActionAid, said Global South countries were "returning home empty-handed" while Global North governments did so "free from responsibility". Still, certain initiatives - such as an alliance to tax the super-rich or plans to slap new levies on premium and private-jet flying - were widely celebrated among CSOs. Their main complaint was a lack of access, with accusations ranging from difficulties obtaining accreditations to exclusion from key negotiations, prompting CSO delegates to hold a protest at the conference's venue on its final day. "We've witnessed an unprecedented wave of restrictions and lack of attention to the voice of civil society," Oyebisi Babatunde Oluseyi, executive director of the Nigeria Network of NGOs, told Reuters, adding a new mechanism was needed to insert their perspective into global decision-making. UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed acknowledged CSOs' grievances in Thursday's closing press briefing and said the UN would endeavour to "expand the space" for them. "The UN was built to defend human rights - if it cedes to the global trend of shrinking civic space, it'll undermine its legitimacy," said Hernan Saenz of Oxfam International. In a joint declaration on Sunday, the CSOs denounced the international financial system as unjust and called for its "complete overhaul". Despite the pervasive discontent, all CSO representatives interviewed by Reuters said they ultimately believed in the UN system. Hirotaka Koike, a board member at the Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation, said he did so because it was the only place where all countries were treated equally.
