Not one US soldier died for stronger U.S. global hegemony. If I was a conspiracy theorist I’d say that Putin was working for the state department.
Denmark follows Sweden and Finland in signing US defence deal
Nordic countries seek closer relations with the US military after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine
The US will be able to base soldiers and equipment permanently in Denmark after the Scandinavian country reversed decades of foreign policy to become the last nation in the region to sign a defence cooperation agreement with Washington.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year has pushed Sweden, Finland and Denmark all to sign such deals with the US in recent days, a way of deepening security ties with the main military force in the West.
“We are sending a clear signal that Denmark, together with the US, is taking even greater responsibility for Danish security — and that is necessary,” Mette Frederiksen, Denmark’s prime minister, said on Tuesday.
“The goal is to ensure peace not only now but for the generations that come after us.”
Denmark has, since the 1950s, had a policy of not allowing foreign troops or nuclear weapons on its soil. Nuclear weapons will not be based in Denmark under the new 10-year agreement, but US troops will be allowed on three Danish air bases, which is customary under such deals — they will be subject to US law.
All seven other Nordic and Baltic countries have defence cooperation agreements in addition to their NATO membership or pending application to join the defence alliance, as in Sweden’s case.
The Nordic and Baltic regions have become a critical Western military and diplomatic focus following Russia’s full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in 2022.
Finland’s addition to NATO in April doubled the length of the defence alliance’s border with Russia because of its 1,340km frontier. That border is currently closed after Russia encouraged undocumented asylum seekers to enter Finland without permission.
Nordic countries are increasingly discussing how they can integrate their militaries, which are closely linked and hold frequent joint training missions. Swedish Gripen and Norwegian F-35 fighter jets have taken off and landed on Finnish roads with their Nordic neighbours.
“The future is to play to each of our strengths. Finland is strong in land forces, Sweden is stronger in navy, and Norway has good expertise in the Arctic,” said one Nordic diplomat.
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