According to the Associated Press reported on February 10 local time, Denmark will begin negotiations with the United States on a new defense cooperation agreement, and the content of this agreement may change the country's policy for decades, including allowing U.S. troops and military equipment to be stationed on Danish territory.
Screenshot of the Associated Press report
However, according to reports, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stressed to reporters on the 10th that the move was not due to the current tension between Russia and Ukraine. She said talks to strengthen military cooperation between Denmark and the United States had been brewing for a long time.
"The U.S. 'commitment' in Denmark will increase, which will deepen U.S. ties with the European continent." Fraser Rixen told Danish media that a potential new defense cooperation agreement between Denmark and the United States is "a breakthrough" to Denmark's decades-long policy of opposing foreign troops entering its territory.
Fraser Rickson also said the Danish side is in specific negotiations with the United States on new defense cooperation. "We are pleased that the United States has extended a helping hand to Denmark in proposing bilateral defense cooperation," she said. She stressed that the United States is Denmark's most important ally. Negotiations will begin in the coming months.
On February 10, local time, Danish Prime Minister Mete Fraserrickson announced that Denmark will deepen its military defense cooperation with the United States, which means that American soldiers may be stationed in Denmark. The picture is from the surging image
Danish Defense Minister Morten Boedskov reportedly told reporters that the United States would not establish a military base in Denmark, while declining to comment on where U.S. troops would be deployed in Denmark.
According to Danish TV2, the Danish government is seeking a defense deal similar to that reached by neighboring Norway with the United States in May 2021. Both Nordic countries are "staunch allies" of the United States in NATO.
Under Norway's treaty with the United States, Norway allows U.S. troops to enter and leave the country "unhindered." However, the U.S. military must comply with local laws and cannot ship weapons such as nuclear weapons, mines or cluster bombs to Norway with soldiers.
It is worth noting that recently, Lithuania, which has "provoked trouble" on Taiwan-related issues, has also sought a permanent US military presence. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on the same day that he would seek a permanent presence of troops from the United States to help strengthen national security, Reuters reported on February 9.
Since 2017, NATO rotation troops have begun to garrison Lithuania and two other Baltic states, and at a time of tension in Eastern Ukraine, Germany is about to send an additional 350 troops to the Baltic state. Since 2019, the United States has also deployed about 500 rotating troops, as well as weapons and equipment, to Lithuania.
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