Denmark: 14.6 Billion Kroner to Bolster Northern Defenses Against Trump
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz suggests Denmark “jointly confront the Russian threat in the Baltic Sea”
The inauguration of the 47th President of the USA, Donald Trump, has drawn attention to deep divisions within the NATO military bloc. Denmark announced that it would spend 14.6 billion kroner (or $2.05 billion) “to strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic.” Simply put, the Danish government wants to arm itself against the USA, NATO’s founder and main ally, after Trump continued to insist that he “wants to acquire Greenland to ensure the security of the United States.”
“The threat level in the Arctic and North Atlantic has increased. We must therefore significantly strengthen our defense presence in these regions,” said Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen (pictured), adding that the program, jointly implemented with the main Danish political parties, was developed in “close cooperation” with Greenland and the Faroe Islands, two autonomous Danish territories. “The acquisition of new Arctic vessels is a key priority. They are very important for the safety of Greenlanders,” explained Vivian Motzfeldt, head of the Greenland government’s foreign affairs department, at a press conference with the Danish minister.
For the United States, the decision by Denmark, a country of less than 6 million people, “is pathetic and ridiculous.” Washington, which expects Copenhagen to be “reasonable and constructive,” need only look at a geographical map to realize the locations of Denmark and Greenland, which the Danes want to “protect.” Greenland, which despite its vast size has a population of only 56,000, is now openly in the crosshairs of the Trump administration. The new president’s strategy aims to achieve goals ranging from natural resource-related potential to controlling the Arctic trade route, which it is feared could fall under the control of Russia and China.
Poor little Denmark is caught between the wedge of the United States and the hammer of Mother Russia, which has no intention of tolerating NATO control of the Baltic Sea. Outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz added fuel to the fire when he met with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Tuesday, January 28, and suggested that the Copenhagen government “jointly confront the threat posed by Russia in the Baltic Sea.” According to Scholz, “we need to strengthen NATO’s European pillar and further increase defense spending,” which could reach an unthinkable 5% of European countries’ GDP in the next few years.
