COPENHAGEN: Europe is in the middle of a hybrid war waged by Russia and the continent must arm itself, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned on Wednesday as she hosted a summit of European Union leaders in Copenhagen.
“I hope that everybody recognizes now that there is a hybrid war and one day it’s Poland, the other day it’s Denmark, and next week it will probably be somewhere else that we see sabotage or we see drones flying,” Frederiksen told reporters.
The summit comes after a spate of troubling drone incidents at Danish airports and military bases over the last week. Ahead of the meeting, a special radar system was set up at Copenhagen airport to help keep watch. Unidentified drones forced the closure of the airfield a week ago, causing major disruptions.
France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK also sent aircraft, ships and air defense systems to Denmark ahead of the talks. Ukraine’s armed forces have dispatched a mission to the Nordic country for joint exercises, sharing its expertise on combating Russian drones.
While the Danish authorities have not identified those believed to be responsible, Frederiksen said, “There is only one country that is willing to threaten us and it is Russia and therefore we need a very strong answer back.”
“I want us to rearm. I want us to buy more capabilities. I want us to innovate more, for example on drones,” she said. “When I look at Europe today, I think we are in the most difficult and dangerous situation since the end of the Second World War.”
Russia was the focus of Wednesday’s summit, where discussions centered on how to prepare Europe to fend off Russian aggression by 2030, especially as the United States turns its focus on security concerns in Asia and elsewhere.
Ukraine was also high on the agenda, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the EU leaders by videolink.
Leaders and intelligence services believe that Russia could mount an assault elsewhere in Europe in 3 to 5 years, and that President Vladimir Putin is intent on testing NATO as doubts swirl about US President Donald Trump’s commitment to the organization.
On Sept. 10, when several Russian drones breached Poland’s airspace, NATO aircraft were scrambled to intercept and shoot down some of the devices. It was the first direct encounter between NATO and Moscow since Russia launched its war on Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
The incident jolted leaders across Europe, raising questions about how prepared the alliance is against Russia. Days later, NATO jets escorted three Russian warplanes out of Estonia’s airspace.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that an oil tanker off the French coast had committed “very serious wrongdoings” and linked it to Russia’s shadow fleet, which is avoiding Western sanctions over Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
The tanker was sailing off the coast of Denmark last week and was cited by European naval experts as possibly being involved in drone flights over the Nordic country.
After Wednesday’s meeting began, officials in Germany said that authorities there are also investigating claims that unidentified drones may have spied on a power plant, a hospital and a shipyard in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein last week.
Turning to Ukraine, the EU leaders discussed ways to maintain military and financial support as the conflict-ravaged country’s funds, weapons and ammunition slowly dry up.
A new proposal to use frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine was considered, as well as its prospects of joining the EU. Trump has ruled out NATO membership for the country, the best security guarantee available.
Asked whether he would respect Trump’s demand that NATO stop buying Russian oil, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said: “We don’t have any options.”
“We need a primary pipeline, and the only primary pipeline is Russia. Because Hungary is a land-locked country. We don’t have any sea,” Orbán said, adding that in any case “the American president respects the sovereignty of other countries.”
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other leaders from across Europe will join their EU partners for talks on Thursday in the European Political Community (EPC) forum. Around 40 heads of state or government are due to take part.
Those talks will focus on security, trafficking and migration. Critics say the EPC forum — which draws together EU members, aspiring partners in the Balkans and Eastern Europe, as well as Britain and Turkiye — is a political “talking shop” that produces few tangible results.
Denmark warns that Russia is waging a hybrid war on Europe, as EU leaders hold security talks
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Denmark warns that Russia is waging a hybrid war on Europe, as EU leaders hold security talks
- “I hope that everybody recognizes now that there is a hybrid war and one day it’s Poland, the other day it’s Denmark, and next week it will probably be somewhere else,” Frederiksen told reporters
- “There is only one country that is willing to threaten us and it is Russia and therefore we need a very strong answer back“
Britain needs to step up defense spending faster, says Starmer
- Britain’s budget watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, said last year that raising defense spending to 3 percent of the GDP would cost an additional £17.3 billion a year ($24 billion) in 2029-30
LONDON: Britain should step up and accelerate its defense spending, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday, following a report that the government was considering bringing forward its target to spend 3 percent of economic output on defense.
Britain, which has warned of the risks posed by Russia, said in February 2025 that it would lift annual defense spending to 2.5 percent of the GDP by 2027 and aim for 3 percent in the next Parliament, which is expected to begin after an election due in 2029.
The BBC reported that the government was now exploring ways to reach the 3 percent target by 2029. It said no decision had been taken but the government recognized current plans would not cover rising defense costs.
HIGHLIGHT
The BBC reported that the government is now exploring ways to reach the 3 percent target by 2029.
Asked whether he would bring the target forward to 2029, Starmer echoed comments he made at the Munich Security Conference, where he said Europe had united to support Ukraine with the supply of weapons and munitions and to strengthen military readiness.
“We need to step up. That means on defense spending, we need to go faster,” Starmer told reporters on Monday. “We’ve obviously made commitments already in relation to that, but it goes beyond just how much you spend.”
Latest NATO estimates show that Britain spent 2.3 percent of the GDP on defense in 2024, above the alliance’s 2 percent guideline. But like other European countries, it has faced US pressure to spend more to protect the continent. Struggling with high debt and spending commitments, the government last year cut its international aid budget to fund the hike in defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP but is yet to publish an investment plan with spending priorities, something that has frustrated the defense industry.
Britain’s budget watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, said last year that raising defense spending to 3 percent of the GDP would cost an additional £17.3 billion a year ($24 billion) in 2029-30.
Finance Minister Rachel Reeves has struggled to stay on track with her plans to repair the public finances. The BBC said the Finance Ministry was believed to be cautious about the new defense spending proposals.
A government spokesperson said Britain was “delivering the largest sustained increase in defense spending since the Cold War.”
