Denmark says Europeans should continue buying US military equipment

COPENHAGEN – Despite strained relations recently between Denmark and the United States, the country's defence minister said European forces should keep investing in US-made military equipment.

Troels Lund Poulsen said he does not see an "imminent threat" to Denmark's  territorial integrity, despite bellicose demands from US President Donald Trump to take control of Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory. But Poulsen added that "we have had very great support from all the European countries" on Greenland.

Difficult relations with Trump, however, are no reason to break long-standing defence ties with the US. As Poulsen told journalists in Copenhagen on Wednesday, European countries still need "to invest in military capabilities from the US” – pointing to recent decisions by EU countries to purchase additional F-35 jets as a good example.

"But I think we could do more here in Europe to have a focus on developing new capabilities," Poulsen said, adding that military investments would make it "so that we are not that dependent on the US".

Denmark and other NATO allies, including most EU countries, recently agreed to increase defence and related spending to 5% of GDP by 2035.

Denmark has taken over the rotating Council presidency for the next few months and will have added influence in negotiating EU legislation. Poulsen vowed that Denmark's leadership of the Council "will not be business as usual" amid multiple "threats to the global order".

Besides competitiveness, Copenhagen has set out to defence as a top EU policy priority.

Poulsen also said that Denmark is prepared to invest an additional €1.5 billion in Ukraine to build artillery systems, drones and missiles.

(bts)