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Egypt Independent
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Denmark has long been Euroskeptic. Donald Trump helped change that
CNN — As Denmark takes over the presidency of the European Union, Danes are more strongly pro-European than at any time in the past two decades – a shift in sentiment that can at least partly be attributed to US President Donald Trump. An eye-opening survey published in March by Berlingske, a Danish daily newspaper, said 41 percent of Danes now see the United States as a threat. It also said 92 percent of respondents either 'agree' or 'mostly agree' that the Nordic nation needs to rely more on the European Union than the US for its security. Given the recent tensions between Washington and Copenhagen, those statistics may not be surprising. Since his return to the White House, Trump has spoken frequently and aggressively about Greenland, an autonomous crown dependency of Denmark, saying he would like the US to own it. Vice President JD Vance and members of the Trump family have made what many see as provocative trips to and statements about the world's largest island. After Vance's visit to the US military's Pituffik Space Base in Greenland in March, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen pushed back on his claim that Denmark isn't doing enough for defense in the Arctic, calling her country 'a good and strong ally.' Back in Trump's first administration, too, Greenland was a hot topic. In 2019, he reportedly accused Frederiksen of making a 'nasty' and 'absurd' statement in discussions about the island. US Vice President JD Vance (second right) and second lady Usha Vance (second left) tour the US military's Pituffik Space Base, on March 28, 2025 in Pituffik, trust in Trump Lykke Friis, a prominent Danish international affairs analyst and a former minister, told CNN that the country has experienced 'a triple shock' that includes the war in Ukraine and the departure of the United Kingdom from the EU, known as Brexit. The biggest shock, however, has come in the form of Trump. 'Now we have a different Denmark,' she said. Speaking to CNN from Copenhagen, Marie Bjerre, the Danish minister for European affairs, conveyed a similar message – that the second Trump administration has changed Danish perspectives toward both the US and the European Union. 'Things have dramatically changed in Denmark and our attitude toward Europe,' she said, without mentioning the president's name directly. US President Donald Trump, left, walks by Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen prior to a group photo of NATO heads of state and government in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 25, 2025. Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP She was also very clear that Denmark feels a sense of disappointment in its longtime ally. Denmark would still like to have a strong relationship with the US, Bjerre said, 'but in a situation where the US is closing itself more around itself… is threatening us with tariffs and also criticizing Europe, our freedom of expression and all sorts of other things. Of course, in that situation, we have to be stronger on our own.' She added, 'The world order, as we have known it since the Second World War, is changing and we have to deliver to that geopolitical new situation that we are standing in.' The minister also referenced the historic ties and shared past experiences of both nations, expressing a degree of frustration, if not anger, about how that relationship has changed. 'You could not put a paper in between the US and Denmark, we have always supported the US. We went into war with our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan… Seeing us, as a country, being criticized for not being a good ally, of course, that does affect our opinion,' Bjerre said. Per capita, Denmark lost the second-highest number of soldiers of all the US-led coalition partners fighting in Afghanistan. In total, 43 Danish soldiers died, equating to 7.82 deaths per million citizens. The US, by comparison, lost 7.96 soldiers per million. 'We used to be a very, very transatlantic country… that has plummeted,' said Friis. 'There is now the feeling… we simply cannot trust him,' she said – the 'him' being Trump. 'Huge' change in tone The shift in Danes' opinions coincides with Denmark taking up the rotating, six-month EU presidency. Historically, the southernmost Scandinavian nation has tended to be Euroskeptic, Friis told CNN, never feeling European at heart. She described it as sustaining a transactional relationship with Brussels, based on 'pragmatic co-operation.' Denmark has long worried about the EU wading into Danes' lives, fearing in particular for its relatively unregulated labor market. It has various opt-outs on EU policy, including not joining the EU's single currency, the euro. 'We do things differently to other European nations,' said Bjerre. Politicians and citizens used to fear that the EU 'would become too dominating and too powerful,' Friis said, but now 'the fear is the complete opposite.' Danes feel the bloc is 'too weak' to deal with Putin to the East and Trump to the West, she said. Friis also described the prime minister's shift in tone as 'huge,' saying Frederiksen used to be 'very skeptical towards the EU.' In June, Frederiksen announced that Denmark was quitting the so-called 'Frugal Four,' an informal group of EU nations that had pushed to limit common spending, saying that 'the most important thing is to rearm Europe.' Laying out Denmark's priorities for the EU presidency later that month, she reiterated that view, saying: 'Now more than ever Europe needs to step up and stand together. We have to build an even stronger Europe, a more secure Europe where we are able to protect our democracies.' EU-commissioned, biannual polls show a clear trend of increased trust in the EU over the past two decades, rising from 46 percent in spring 2005 to 74 percent this past spring. Steeper increases can be seen during Trump's first term, after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and as Trump's second term began. The war in Ukraine has had a significant influence on Danish views on the EU, Friis said. 'The very fact that you had a war in our backyard has sort of created a completely new sort of atmosphere around security in Denmark, people are worried. People are prepping now because they're scared about what could happen also to our own security,' she said. Bjerre said Copenhagen's EU presidency would prioritize a 'stronger Europe and a changing world,' with Europe having a real focus on security. Denmark takes the European helm, then, at a time of increasingly pro-European sentiment among its own population and a wider recognition in Europe that it must do more to stand on its own. The problem is that some of Europe's most pressing issues – Ukraine, trade tariffs and security – mean talking to the US and Trump. And at the moment, there may not be much love lost between the two.
National Post
05-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
Spare parts for Canada's F-35 fleet will be controlled by the U.S.
Spare parts for Canada's new F-35 fighter jets will be stored at bases in Quebec and Alberta but such components will be owned and controlled by the U.S. government. Article content The little-known arrangement illustrates the extent of the control the U.S. retains over F-35s even when they are purchased by other nations. Article content Lawmakers in Denmark faced the spare parts issue in March when the U.S. government took components stored in that country for Danish F-35s and shipped them to Israel, reported Berlingske, a Danish national newspaper. The Danish government acknowledged it had no way to block the U.S. decision, which violated the country's foreign policy for the region. Article content At the same time, U.S. President Donald Trump was talking about seizing Greenland from Denmark, sparking concern about the vulnerability of the F-35. Article content Article content But a U.S. Government Accountability Office report in 2023 revealed the rules governing the F-35 parts. The report noted that the parts are the property of the U.S. government until they are installed on another nation's aircraft. Article content Department of National Defence spokesperson Andrée-Anne Poulin noted in an email that F-35 spare parts are centrally managed by the U.S. 'for the benefit of all customers.' Article content Canada will own the parts but only once they are installed on Canadian F-35s, she confirmed. Article content 'When pooled sustainment spares are incorporated into an F-35 air vehicle or other end item, title to the spare transfers to the participant who has title to the air vehicle or end item,' she added in an email. Article content Spare parts will be stored principally at bases in Cold Lake, Alta., and Bagotville, Que., in dedicated warehouses, Poulin said. Article content DND and the Canadian Forces did not answer whether it has examined if the spare parts issue compromises Canadian national security or operational effectiveness. Article content Prime Minister Mark Carney has ordered a review of Canada's $19-billion F-35 purchase in the wake of threats against Canadian sovereignty by Trump. The U.S. has become increasingly hostile to Canada, with the American president threatening to damage the economy and make this country into the 51st state. Article content Article content At this point, Canada has only financially committed to purchasing the first 16 jets. The entire order was for 88 F-35s, which are manufactured by Lockheed Martin. Article content The Canadian Forces and DND are examining whether the remaining 72 F-35s should be bought but it is expected they will recommend to Carney that the acquisition proceed as planned. Article content Carney's government hopes to bring in a policy which emphasizes defence purchases from Canadian firms as well as European countries. European defence firms say they could offer Canada fighter jets to replace the F-35. At least one has proposed previously to build the planes in Canada. Article content A number of Canadian defence industry executives have complained that Canadian military leaders appear tone deaf to the threat that Trump poses to the country. They have called for the Canadian Forces to acquire more equipment from Canadian sources.
Ottawa Citizen
05-05-2025
- Business
- Ottawa Citizen
Spare parts for Canada's F-35 fleet will be controlled by the U.S.
Spare parts for Canada's new F-35 fighter jets will be stored at bases in Quebec and Alberta but such components will be owned and controlled by the U.S. government. Article content Article content The little-known arrangement illustrates the extent of the control the U.S. retains over F-35s even when they are purchased by other nations. Article content Lawmakers in Denmark faced the spare parts issue in March when the U.S. government took components stored in that country for Danish F-35s and shipped them to Israel, reported Berlingske, a Danish national newspaper. The Danish government acknowledged it had no way to block the U.S. decision, which violated the country's foreign policy for the region. Article content Article content At the same time, U.S. President Donald Trump was talking about seizing Greenland from Denmark, sparking concern about the vulnerability of the F-35. Article content Article content Canadian Forces leadership hasn't made details of the spare parts provision public. Article content But a U.S. Government Accountability Office report in 2023 revealed the rules governing the F-35 parts. The report noted that the parts are the property of the U.S. government until they are installed on another nation's aircraft. Article content Department of National Defence spokesperson Andrée-Anne Poulin noted in an email that F-35 spare parts are centrally managed by the U.S. 'for the benefit of all customers.' Article content Canada will own the parts but only once they are installed on Canadian F-35s, she confirmed. Article content 'When pooled sustainment spares are incorporated into an F-35 air vehicle or other end item, title to the spare transfers to the participant who has title to the air vehicle or end item,' she added in an email. Article content Spare parts will be stored principally at bases in Cold Lake, Alta., and Bagotville, Que., in dedicated warehouses, Poulin said. Article content Article content DND and the Canadian Forces did not answer whether it has examined if the spare parts issue compromises Canadian national security or operational effectiveness. Article content Article content Prime Minister Mark Carney has ordered a review of Canada's $19-billion F-35 purchase in the wake of threats against Canadian sovereignty by Trump. The U.S. has become increasingly hostile to Canada, with the American president threatening to damage the economy and make this country into the 51st state. Article content At this point, Canada has only financially committed to purchasing the first 16 jets. The entire order was for 88 F-35s, which are manufactured by Lockheed Martin. Article content The Canadian Forces and DND are examining whether the remaining 72 F-35s should be bought but it is expected they will recommend to Carney that the acquisition proceed as planned. Article content Carney's government hopes to bring in a policy which emphasizes defence purchases from Canadian firms as well as European countries. European defence firms say they could offer Canada fighter jets to replace the F-35. At least one has proposed previously to build the planes in Canada.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion: Why Fallen Hero Shows What's Rotten About JD Vance's Denmark Smear
Second lady Usha Vance and one of her sons were supposed to attend Greenland's big dogsled race this weekend in what some called a 'charm offensive' to further President Donald Trump's ambition to pry the territory from Denmark. But charm turned to smarm when the White House announced that she would instead be joining her husband in visiting an American military facility there on Friday. 'The Vice President and Second Lady are embarking on a historic expedition with their visit to Greenland, where the Vice President will emphasize the importance of bolstering [Arctic] security in places like Pituffik Space Base,' a senior White House official told the New York Post. The official added, 'Unfortunately, Danish leaders have spent decades mistreating the Greenlandic people, treating them like second class citizens and allowing infrastructure on the island to fall into disrepair. Expect the Vice President to emphasize these points as well.' However true or false that may be, a recent poll commissioned by the Danish newspaper Berlingske and Greenlandic daily Sermitsiaq, according to Reuters, showed that 85 percent of Greenlanders do not wish their semi-autonomous territory to become part of the United States. Only 6 percent did. Just under half said they view Trump as a threat, an opinion that could only have been reinforced by something Vance said two months ago on Fox News Sunday regarding the same facility he is visiting Friday. 'We don't have to use military force,' he said. 'The thing that people always ignore is we already have troops in Greenland. He added, 'Greenland is really important for America strategically.' On top of that, Vance arrives with Usha at the U.S. Space Force Base in Pituffik on Friday having recently called Denmark a 'bad ally.' He has also complained that our European friends are mooching off America. And he further affirmed that view in the Signal chat that famously included Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic. 'I just hate bailing Europe out again,' Vance messaged to the group discussing a pending attack on the Houthis to secure shipping lanes. 'I fully share your loathing of European freeloading. It's PATHETIC,' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth replied. The now-infamous chat was started by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who is expected to also join what started out as just a trip to Greenland for Usha and her child. Whoever goes, there is another woman who should be remembered when it comes to anything involving the U.S. and Denmark, most particularly when it comes to questions of who is a good ally and which country is in the other's debt. Private Sophia 'Bellis' Bruun was one of 18,000 Danish soldiers deployed to Afghanistan between 2002 and 2021, arriving shortly after the Americans went in and leaving shortly before they withdrew. She was 12 on 9/11 and 22 in 2010, when she arrived in Afghanistan. She and her fellow Danes asked nothing of America other than to join 32 other nations in what they viewed as a fight against terrorism and for freedom. Her former commanding officer, Roni Holm Hansen, later posted in Danish that Bruun had 'a big smile, a twinkle in her eye and a will to make a difference.' 'That's what made her go to Afghanistan…what made her train hard and fight bravely,' Hansen wrote. 'She gave of herself to help others. ' Hansen added, 'She had the principle of respect and truth in her heart… Everyone who knew her or met her could feel that she was a strong woman, and for us a dedicated soldier.' ' He recalled that she was quick with 'a cheeky remark… but also with empathy, a soothing hand on the shoulder and an invitation for deeper conversation.' Bruun volunteered to serve with a battle-battered unit at Patrol Base Clifton in Helmand Province. She proved her mettle in May of that year, simultaneously holding off an attack with a machine gun and delivering first aid to the wounded. On June 1, she offered to help out on a patrol that needed an extra hand. At midday, she was serving as a gunner on a Piranha armored patrol vehicle four miles north-east of Girishk, the site of a major battle between the British and local tribesmen in 1841. Her vehicle was hit by a massive roadside IED and she became the first female Danish soldier ever killed in combat. 'That day, a small part of her many soldier comrades died,' Hansen later wrote. She had already written what she wanted inscribed on her tombstone in the event of her death. 'Sophia - wanted to make the world a better place,' it read in Danish. All told, 43 Danish soldiers died in Afghanistan, 37 in actual combat. At 7.82 deaths per million, it was the highest casualty rate compared to population in the coalition other than the 7.96 per million of the United States. Eight Danish soldiers died in Iraq after the US. invaded there on the pretext of securing non-existent weapons of mass destruction. JD Vance served in Iraq as a U.S. Marine, as did Hegseth with the U.S. Army. Hegseth also served in Afghanistan in 2011, but in relative safety as an instructor at the Counter-insurgency Training Center in Kabul rather than in Helmand Province, where Bruun died the year before. Waltz served multiple tours with the U.S. Army Special Forces in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa. He was awarded four Bronze Star, including two for valor. You would think that their roles in what was called the 'War on Terror' would leave Vance, Waltz, and Hegseth some respect for the ally that sacrificed quite nearly as much as America in Afghanistan. The Danes suffered only .14 deaths per million fewer deaths than the U.S. did when they could have just sat it out. But in return, the U.S. vice president has called them a bad ally and part of a group of free-loaders. In flying into Greenland with Usha and Waltz on Friday, JD Vance is treating Denmark as a foe to be pressured into giving up Greenland. He would do better to honor the sacrifice that Denmark made without asking anything in return. The U.S. and Denmark might then be able to join together in the way of good allies and make an agreement that Greenland can welcome. On the remote chance that could happen, Private Sophia Bunn will have continued to make the world a better place. The Vances are expected to have departed Greenland by Saturday, when three dozen entrants and more than 400 pups commence the annual Avannaata Qimussersua ('The Great Race of the North'). Maybe next year Usha and one of the kiddos can attend the start with no smarm, just genuine charm, absent of agenda. But the way things are going, don't count on it.
The Guardian
28-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Greenland braced for JD Vance visit after Trump's claim US will inevitably take over island
In normal times, a visit by a US vice-president would be actively sought by many allied countries as a useful show of close relations with Washington. But these days are gone. When JD Vance touches down at Pituffik space base in Greenland in the afternoon, there will be no Danish representatives to welcome him there, and they were open about the fact that he is, in fact, not welcome there, at least not anywhere outside the US base. People take part in a demonstration in front of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, on 15 March 2025. Photograph: Christian Klindt Soelbeck/EPA But then, these are not normal times, and it is not difficult to see why Danish politicians are not excited about increasingly thinly veiled threats of US plans to take control over Greenland – even against the will of its people. It marks a dramatic shift from the close alliance between Denmark and the US, as Copenhagen now faces what still feels like a surreal scenario of having to defend a part of their country – which repeatedly showed no interest in becoming a part of the US – from the increasingly assertive US administration. Earlier this week, US president Donald Trump said: 'It's an island that from a defensive posture, and even offensive posture, is something we need, especially with the world the way it is, and we're going to have to have it.' 'So, I think we'll go as far as we have to go. We need Greenland and the world needs us to have Greenland, including Denmark.' These words will inevitably frame the way today's visit will be perceived in Europe. A source in the Danish government is quoted in today's Berlingske as worrying that Denmark could face its version of 'the Crimea script,' a reference to the Russian illegal occupation of the Ukrainian territory in 2014. 'For Denmark, this is the biggest foreign policy crisis since the second world war,' Jon Rahbek Clemmensen, Head of Research at the Center for Arctic Security Studies of the Royal Danish Defence College, told TV2. There are still many unknowns about the programme of the visit – there are only so many things you can do in one of the world's most isolated places – but Copenhagen particularly fears that Vance could use the trip to deliver a speech furthering the US claims to Greenland. He has a form with provocative speeches in Europe, after all. Despite earlier reports, the US vice-president could still be joined by senior officials, national security adviser Mike Waltz and energy secretary Chris Wright, highlighting the unusually high profile of the visit. Let's see. But it's perhaps not a coincidence that it's also that today that four of the five parties in the new Greenlandic parliament – all except the most pro-independence, pro-American Naleraq – are planning to announce the formation of a new government, just hours before Vance gets to the island. I will bring you all the key updates on this throughout the day and more stories from France, Germany, and across Europe. It's Friday, 28 March 2025, and this is Europe live. It's Jakub Krupa here. Good morning. Share
