Zelenskyy to meet European leaders in Denmark with Russian invasion top of agenda
LONDON -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with European leaders in Copenhagen on Thursday, according to a press release from the Danish prime minister's office, with the allied response to Russia's ongoing full-scale invasion set to top the agenda.
"Russia's war in Ukraine sets the tone for the meeting, and the road to a strong and secure Europe is top of the agenda," the press release from Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's office said.
Zelenskyy will be "one of the keynote speakers" addressing the European Political Community summit, a gathering of more than 50 European heads of state or government as well as representatives from the European Union and international organizations.
The Ukrainian president will also hold a press conference with Frederiksen following the closing session, according to the press release.
"We have one task ahead of us. We have to make Europe as strong as possible," Mette said in a statement included in the press release.
"That calls for unity. Rearmament. Political determination to find solutions across our continent. And a joint understanding of support to Ukraine as an investment in the defense of Europe," she added.
"Russia's war in Ukraine was never only about Ukraine," Frederiksen said. "That has become increasingly evident over the last few weeks."
Russian President Vladimir Putin, the prime minister said, "will not stop his brutal attacks unless he is forced to."
Zelenskyy said in a post to Telegram that "Russia is escalating," citing "recent violations of the airspace of Denmark, Poland, Romania, Norway and Estonia."
Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready to work with European partners on a "joint, integrated air defense system," with "Ukrainian specialists and Ukrainian technologies" ready to contribute to the European Union's proposed "drone wall" defensive system along the bloc's eastern flank intended to repel Russian unmanned aircraft.
Ukrainian military personnel are already in Denmark to assist Copenhagen, Zelenskyy said. The president also thanked Denmark for its latest military aid package for Ukraine, which Zelenskyy said was worth more than $423 million.
Speaking to reporters Thursday morning ahead of the Copenhagen summit, Zelenskyy said he had discussed with U.S. President Donald Trump the possibility of Ukraine using "long-range weapons systems" to strike Russia.
"We talked with the U.S. We thank Trump very much for this dialogue," Zelenskyy told reporters. "Last time we had a really productive, very fruitful dialogue. We talked about long-range weapons systems. We'll see. Everything will depend on his decision. This is important."
ABC News' Natalia Kushnir contributed to this report.
