Denmark has taken over the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union as questions swirl over Europe's security and trade and a war still raging on its eastern flank.

"Europe is at a defining moment in time," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in her welcome message as the country took the helm of Europe's leadership from July 1.

"The world that secured our freedom and made us prosper can no longer be taken for granted."

While there isnt much Copenhagen can do about some of the issues that will face the 27-nation bloc given the veto power being wielded by some capitals, Denmark is expected to push for the EU to offset diminishing aid coming from Washington.

Russian and Ukrainian officials met in Istanbul on May 16 and June 2, the first direct peace talks since the initial weeks of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow launched on February 24, 2022.

The negotiations yielded agreements on prisoner swaps and the exchange of bodies of soldiers killed in the war, but produced no progress toward a cease-fire, let alone a peace deal.

A month later, it seems a peace deal is no closer at hand.

Then there's the transatlantic trade row that risks erupting again next week around the July 9 deadline set by the Trump administration for a deal on tariffs. If no agreement is reached, EU goods going to the US could face 50 percent tariffs.

The European Commission is in charge of what have been intense negotiations between Washington and Brussels on a new longer-term deal.

Denmarks role will be in the background, trying to get all member states onboard with whatever the Commission compromises on, which can be tough as some countries are more dependent on trade than others.

The same is true for potential trade deals that the Commission can strike later this year with countries such Australia and India. EU countries need to sign off on these deals, but expect a lot of resistance as protectionism grows among some members with major farming sectors.