Danish Government Chastised for 'Selling Out Completely' to US Over Defence Deal

Copenhagen's defence deal with the US has been described as similar to the one previously concluded with Norway. Among others, it would allow the US to use Norwegian military bases at will and bring in own equipment without necessarily informing the authorities. Denmark has so far only emphasised that it would not tolerate nuclear arms on its soil.

The defence deal with the US, announced by the government in Copenhagen, according to which American soldiers and weapons may be deployed on Danish soil, has triggered the ruling Social Democrats' allies.

While the government called the measure “appropriate and necessary”, two of its supporting parties quickly fired off against it.

The Socialist People's Party's defence spokesman argued that the deal will play NATO allies against each other and jeopardise Danish sovereignty.

“Thanks, but no thanks to American wishes for troops and materiel in Denmark. The NATO countries are being played off against each other, and Danish sovereignty is being pressured. The US is our ally, but cooperation should be kept within NATO,” Karsten Hønge tweeted.

Tweet by Socialist People's Party's defence spokesman Karsten Hønge

© Photo : Karsten Hønge

A similar message was voiced by the Red-Green Alliance.

“It's fine enough with collaboration, but you don't have to sell out completely the basic sovereignty over your own land and legal control over it”, its foreign and defence spokeswoman Eva Flyvholm told TV2.

However, despite the enthusiasm voiced by the government, the agreement on the enhanced collaboration with the US is not yet in place and is up for negotiation. According to TV2's political analyst Hans Redder, it should be possible to find a cross-aisle majority behind an agreement with the Social Liberals, as well as the liberal-conservative Venstre and the Conservatives, which traditionally belong to the rivalling “blue” bloc.

Michael Aastrup Jensen, the foreign affairs spokesman of the largest opposition party, Venstre, voiced a readiness to back up the deal.

“We are clearly positive about it. It is important that we work as closely together across the Atlantic as possible. It is necessary in light of the fact that we have unfortunately got this Cold War 2.0, going on where we have a Russia that is doing some violent sabre-rattling,” Michael Aastrup Jensen told TV2.

According to Social Democrat Defence Minister Morten Bødskov, the agreement will be similar to the one the US concluded with Norway in May 2021. Among other things, it would allow the US to move in and build on Norwegian military bases and bring its own equipment without Oslo necessarily being privy to what is being imported. Today, the US has “unhindered access” to Norway, which means that they can travel freely in and out of the country. Denmark has so far only emphasised that it would not accept nuclear arms on its soil.

Earlier this week, Denmark decided to tighten its preparedness in response to what the Defence Ministry dubbed “unacceptable Russian military pressure on Ukraine”. Over 700 soldiers will be placed in the town of Slagelse, while two F-16 aircraft will be stationed on the island of Bornholm in a “signal to Russia”.

The new defence deal and the military build-up have been presented amid incessant tensions over Ukraine, with the West and NATO pledging to support Kiev financially and technically in order to ward off the perceived “Russian aggression”. Moscow has strenuously rejected all allegations about harbouring invasion plans as groundless, instead emphasising that NATO's increased military activity in immediate proximity to Russia's borders presents a threat to its national security.