France, July 3 -- Europe must beef up aid to Ukraine following Washington's decision to pause some weapons shipments, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday, as Denmark vowed to use its EU presidency to push for Ukraine's EU accession.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky was invited to attend the official start of Denmark's six-month turn at the rotating EU helm, which comes as the United States announced it would stop supplying some weapons to Ukraine.

"It's 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 told a press conference in Aarhus, Denmark alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

Fred...