"Buy, buy, ..."

First NATO country reacts to new threat situation

Mette Frederiksen in a Danish Air Force helicopter

(Bild: Mikkel Berg Pedersen/AFP)

NATO member Denmark is increasing its defense budget with an armament fund worth billions out of concern about Russia. The disarmament of recent years was a mistake. A new motto now applies: "Buy, buy, buy."

This year and next year, the government will use the so-called acceleration fund to invest a total of around 50 billion kroner (6.7 billion euros) in the rapid procurement of defense equipment, as Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced at a press conference in Copenhagen on Wednesday.

The message to the head of the Danish armed forces, Michael Hyldgaard, is: "Buy, buy, buy!", said Frederiksen. The only thing that mattered now was speed. As a result, more than three percent of Denmark's gross domestic product will be spent on defense in 2025 and 2026 - the highest level in over half a century, said the head of government.

Frederiksen said that the additional budget should be invested in new equipment as quickly as possible: "There is only one thing that matters now, and that is speed." She referred to the "harsh reality" that Russia produces more ammunition in three months than NATO does in a whole year.

Denmark has recently come under pressure due to US President Donald Trump's expressed desire for control over Greenland. Trump claimed that the country with a population of six million could never defend the world's largest island, which belongs to the Danish kingdom, on its own. At the same time, Trump has been calling for some time for his country's NATO allies to invest significantly more money in its defense.

In Copenhagen, however, the billion-euro fund is justified by the perceived threat from Russia. According to the Danish intelligence service FE, Russia could be ready for a large-scale war in Europe within five years if the war in Ukraine ends. Provided the USA does not participate alongside NATO countries.

The FE does not see any concrete Russian plans for a war against a NATO country. Against this backdrop, however, Frederiksen emphasized the need for a massive rearmament to protect Denmark.

Warnings to Donald Trump
The Danish head of government warned Trump against a "quick" ceasefire agreement in the Ukraine war, which would give Moscow the opportunity to mobilize again and attack Ukraine "or another country in Europe". Frederiksen took part in a meeting of European leaders in Paris on Monday regarding Trump's rapprochement with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.