Ukraine's European backers mull their options after the US pauses weapons shipments

AARHUS, Denmark (AP) — In the windswept gardens of a Danish chateau, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and some of Ukraine’s main European backers weighed options on Thursday for filling the gap after the Trump administration paused weapons shipments to his country.

The U.S. move affects high-demand munitions, including Patriot missiles, the AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile and shorter-range Stinger missiles. They are needed to counter incoming missiles, bring down Russian aircraft or counter drone attacks.

But they are in short supply, none are cheap, and some simply can’t be sourced elsewhere.

“We count on the continuation of American support because there are some items which Europe … doesn’t have for today,” Zelenskyy told reporters in Aarhus, Denmark, as a military helicopter hovered above, and security personnel watched nearby woods.

Chief among them: Patriot missile systems and interceptors. “This is crucial,” he said.

Russia’s new push to capture more territory has put Ukraine’s defenses under severe strain, with the war now in its fourth year. Russian missiles and drones are battering Ukrainian cities. U.S.-led efforts to find a peace settlement have stalled.

It’s still unclear even to Zelenskyy what the White House intends for the weapons shipments. “I hope that maybe tomorrow, or close days, these days, I will speak about it with President (Donald) Trump,” he said.

Many in the European Union are keen to step up. They see Russia’s invasion as a threat to their own security. Officials have warned that President Vladimir Putin could try to test Europe’s defenses in 3-5 years.

“All of us hope that the U.S. will continue the support for Ukraine,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said, flanking Zelenskyy. “But if there are any gaps, then I personally believe that we should be willing to fill in.”

Denmark – a key Ukraine backer – has just taken over the EU presidency for six months.

“The war in Ukraine has never only been about Ukraine. This is a war about the future of Europe,” she said. Most EU countries are members of NATO, which has just agreed that allies should invest 5% of the gross domestic product in defense.

Russia is the chief threat that warrants such spending, although Trump did cajole the Europeans and Canada into agreeing the figure, which will require them to spend tens of billions of dollars more over the next decade.

Since the Trump administration warned that its security priorities lie elsewhere and that Europe must fend for itself, the European Commission’s priority has been to find extra money.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen launched the EU's big funding gun with 150 billion euros ($176 billion) that countries, including Ukraine, can use to make joint purchases of priority weapons.

The EU’s executive branch has also loosened the rules on countries running up debt if they use the money for defense purposes. It hopes that hundreds of billions of extra euros could be made available, if members use the opportunity to spend more.

Then there are sanctions against Russia. EU nations are working on yet another raft of measures, but they are getting harder to agree on. It now falls to Denmark to try to chaperone the latest sanctions through.

“Russia is on the brink of recession,” noted von der Leyen, standing to Zelenskyy's right. “Russia’s overheated war economy is coming to its limits. So for us, it is important to increase the pressure so that (Putin) comes to the negotiation table.”

Frederiksen’s government has led the way in investing in Ukraine’s defense industry, which can produce arms and ammunition more quickly and cheaply than elsewhere in Europe. She believes it’s the most effective way to help.

She also recently invited Ukrainian companies to set up shop on safer ground in Denmark, and the first companies could start production there in September. Danish officials are urging their European partners to follow suit.

Ukraine estimates that around 40% of its defense industrial capacity could be capitalized on if more European money were spent there.

Frederiksen said that helping Ukraine to join the EU is a security priority, but Hungary stands in the way. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán insists that Ukraine should remain a buffer zone between Russia and NATO countries.

EU membership is meant to be a merit-based process, and Denmark has said that “all political and practical means” will be used to persuade Hungary — a small EU country and the only one standing in Ukraine’s way — to lift its veto.

Zelenskyy said Thursday that Ukraine has made significant progress in aligning with the EU’s rules despite the war, and called for the first phase of membership negotiations to begin as soon as possible.

“Sometimes it’s just difficult to be together in one building, all the government (and) the parliamentarians because of the attacks,” he explained.

Calls are mounting for the Europeans to use Russian assets that they froze after the full-scale invasion in 2022 to help Ukraine. At the end of March, around 195 billion euros ($320 billion) worth – the bulk of the assets – was being held by Belgian clearing house Euroclear.

The interest earned on those assets is being used to fund a $50 billion scheme set up by the Group of Seven powers to keep Ukraine’s economy afloat.

Some European leaders worry that confiscating Russia’s assets would deprive Ukraine of those profits – estimated at over 3 billion euros ($3.5 billion) a year. They fear it would also be fraught with legal obstacles and could harm the reputation of the euro single currency on international markets.

Another possibility might be for the Europeans to buy weapons direct from the United States but asked Thursday about that possibility – as well as the confiscation of Russian assets – neither Frederiksen nor von der Leyen would be drawn.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, centre left, and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen arrive for a round table at Aarhus University in Aarhus, Denmark, Thursday, July 3, 2025, as Denmark officially takes over the EU presidency. (Mikkel Berg Pedersen/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)

Denmark's King Frederik X receives Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, in an audience with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, right, at Marselisborg Palace in Aarhus, Denmark, Thursday July 3, 2025. (Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)

Denmark's King Frederik, right, receives Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he arrives at Marselisborg Castle on the occasion of Denmark taking over the EU presidency, in Aarhus, Denmark, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy looks on as he arrives at Marselisborg Castle on the occasion of Denmark taking over the EU presidency, in Aarhus, Denmark, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)

From left, President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Denmark's King Frederik, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and President of the European Council Antonio Costa pose as they arrive at Marselisborg Castle on the occasion of Denmark taking over the EU presidency, in Aarhus, Denmark, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)

From left, Denmark's King Frederik, museum director Rebecca Matthew, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Denmark's Queen Mary speak, during the official opening of Denmark's EU presidency in Aarhus, Denmark, Thursday July 3, 2025. (Liselotte Sabroe/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)

From left, Denmark's King Frederik, museum director Rebecca Matthew, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Denmark's Queen Mary pose for a phot during the official opening of Denmark's EU presidency in Aarhus, Denmark, Thursday July 3, 2025. (Liselotte Sabroe/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attend the ARoS art museum during the official opening of Denmark's EU presidency in Aarhus, Denmark, Thursday July 3, 2025. (Liselotte Sabroe/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)