Denmark to embark on new defence path in light of perceived Russian danger

The Danish government has announced that it will be acquiring long-range offensive weapons for the first time in its history in response to its perceived threat from Russia.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, together with the Defence and Foreign Affairs ministers, announced this decision on September 17, which marks a significant deviation from the country's traditional defence policy, Caliber.Az reports citing The Copenhagen Post.

According to the officials, the country will be obtaining missiles and drones capable of reaching Russia.

"There is no doubt that Russia will be a threat to Europe and Denmark for years to come," Frederiksen told reporters, adding however there was no immediate risk of an attack on Denmark.

The officials did not reveal technical or financial details at this stage, with Defence Minister Poulsen merely stating that the acquisition could include missiles and drones capable of hitting targets in enemy territory. 

NATO-member Denmark announced last week that it would be allocating 58 billion Danish crowns (approx. $9.2 billion) on European-made air defence systems, which marks its largest arms purchase in history. 

Poulsen emphasized that the conflict in Ukraine underscores the need for both offensive strike capabilities and an integrated, layered air defence system combining ground- and air-based defenses.

It placed an order with the Franco-Italian SAMP-T long-range surface-to-air weapon system and effectively ditched the best-selling US Patriot alternative. This came amid Danish-US relations being at an all-time low in light of US President Donald Trump's repeated statements on his desire to acquire Greenland from Denmark.

By Nazrin Sadigova