“New Defense Agreement”
Frederiksen open to US troops in Denmark
2/10/2022 5:32 p.m
Against the background of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, Denmark is negotiating the stationing of US soldiers in its own country. This will make it easier for the US military to access mainland Europe, explains Prime Minister Frederiksen.
Denmark is initiating negotiations with the USA on a new defense cooperation and is explicitly open to US soldiers on Danish soil. That said Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. It is still unclear what a corresponding bilateral agreement will ultimately look like. However, Frederiksen and Defense Minister Morten Bødskov signaled that the cooperation could include US soldiers and military equipment on Danish soil.
Greater US involvement in Denmark could improve American access to the European continent, Frederiksen said. Bødskov underlined that it is not about US bases in the Scandinavian country. There will be no nuclear weapons on Danish soil. The cooperation should be similar to an agreement like Norway had entered into with the USA in 2021. According to the Defense Ministry, negotiations are expected to begin in the coming months.
According to Frederiksen, such a cooperation has been discussed for a long time. The Ukraine conflict with Russia is therefore not the reason for this – but he underlines why stronger cooperation with the USA is important. Denmark is a member of the EU and NATO and considers the US to be its most important military partner. Germany’s northernmost neighbor has repeatedly been involved in international missions alongside the United States in recent years, including in Iraq.
1000 US soldiers expected in Romania
The first US Army convoys with military equipment arrived in Romania at noon. This was announced by the Romanian Ministry of Defense via Twitter. Pictures from the ministry showed wheeled infantry fighting vehicles of the type Stryker at the Romanian-Hungarian border crossing at Nadlac. Military engineering has been relocated amid tensions surrounding the Ukraine conflict. Romania is a neighboring country of Ukraine.
The transports are scheduled to reach the US air force base at Mihail Kogalniceanu on the Black Sea early Friday morning. From there, the devices would be distributed to several military units in Romania and used in exercises, Defense Minister Vasile Dincu said.
Overall, Romania is expecting 1,000 US soldiers to be sent from Vilseck in Bavaria. The first 100 of these arrived a few days ago for preparation. In addition, 900 US soldiers have been permanently stationed in Romania for years, including at the US missile defense base in Deveselu, southern Romania. France has also promised to send soldiers to Romania. There are no concrete plans for this, said Defense Minister Dinc.
Poland warns: “Russia wants to divide NATO”
Meanwhile, Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki warned against attempts by Russia to divide NATO partners. “Putin’s political goal is to tear NATO apart, so it is imperative that we show how united we are. There is indeed a great understanding between us about these tensions that are emerging on NATO’s eastern flank,” Morawiecki said in Warsaw his meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Johnson said neither Poland nor Britain could accept a world where a powerful neighbor intimidates or attacks others. Poland plays a key role in European security, stressed the British prime minister. “The lesson from the past 100 years is that when Poland is threatened by instability, war and aggression on its borders, then we are all threatened and all are affected.”