Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced fresh European support for Kyiv following visits to Denmark and Ireland, including a 645 million euro defence package and 20 million euros in energy assistance from Copenhagen.
Zelenskyy also confirmed new sanctions steps by the United Kingdom targeting Russia's oil sector.
"A new defense package of 645 million euros and an energy package of 20 million euros from Denmark. New sanctions steps by the United Kingdom against Russia's oil sector. We returned home with concrete results following productive visits to Denmark and Ireland," Zelenskyy said on Saturday after returning to Kyiv.
His visits to Denmark on November 10-11 and Ireland on November 11-12 focused on immediate measures to help Ukraine endure the winter heating season, specifically securing air defence reinforcements, energy grid hardware and support for Ukraine's railway infrastructure.
In a video message, Zelenskyy said the Danish package would include additional ammunition for F-16 fighter jets, which shoot down Russian jet-powered Shahed drones, as well as energy support. "We spoke with all European partners about how to help Ukraine get through this winter. We discussed what each can do to strengthen air defense, support energy, and railways. It is important that partners hear us," he said.
Zelenskyy confirmed that Kyiv is working with the European Union to close the remaining two negotiation clusters by the end of 2026 and accelerate the next stages of its accession process in the following year. He said the matter was discussed with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
During the tour, Zelenskyy also held bilateral consultations with the prime ministers of Ireland, Poland, Italy and the Czech Republic, as well as the president of Lithuania, coordinating joint European security initiatives and financial backing ahead of winter.
Alongside the European engagements, Zelenskyy confirmed that the Ukrainian delegation held direct diplomatic meetings in Dublin with US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner aimed at advancing efforts to end the war. The Dublin discussions followed the second round of US-mediated trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11 and consultations between the American envoys and Kremlin leadership in Moscow.
On November 12, Witkoff and Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for roughly two and a half hours. Witkoff subsequently confirmed that a new round of multilateral peace talks, this time including European representatives, has been scheduled and could take place within the coming week.
Zelenskyy also said Ukraine is expecting what could become the largest-ever prisoner exchange with Russia since the beginning of the war, with more than 1,000 people from each side likely to be released. Ukrainian teams, intelligence agencies and special services were working to make the exchange happen, he said, taking seriously assurances from the United States that the proposed exchange would be the biggest since the war began.
