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Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
A frugal no more: Russian threat shifts Denmark's thinking on defence spending
When patrolling the coast of Greenland up near the Arctic Circle on one of Denmark 's naval ships, the commanding officer, Jens Bach, says the only Russians he comes across are in fishing boats. The bigger concern for Denmark is what might be going on closer to home in the waters of the Baltic Sea. There have been reported instances of Russian interference, such as the jamming of navigation systems. 'I think it's something that mostly happens in the Baltic area, not that much up in the high north,' says Bach, who was speaking while on the docked naval ship in Aarhus harbour. Nordic neighbours have recorded a rise in incidents of undersea cables being sabotaged, with Moscow viewed as the most likely culprit. READ MORE Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago was a 'wake up call' for Denmark and Europe, says minister for defence Troels Lund Poulsen. Back then Denmark spent about 1.5 per cent of its economic output, or gross domestic product (GDP), on defence. This year it plans to have raised defence spending to 3.2 per cent, a significant increase in a short space of time. 'We need to be able to defend ourselves by 2030 at the latest,' Lund Poulsen says. Anxiety about the future threat Russia poses to Europe if Vladimir Putin is allowed to succeed in Ukraine has changed public attitudes. [ Denmark greenlights US military bases on Danish soil Opens in new window ] Denmark had always been sceptical about leaning further into the European Union and for three decades had a formal 'opt-out' of the union's common defence policy. The clause was introduced to allay fears that closer integration would eventually lead to Danes being sent off to fight under the flag of a joint EU army. Two thirds of voters backed a proposal to ditch the opt-out in a June 2022 referendum, meaning Copenhagen has a free hand to co-operate on plans to boost Europe's defence industry. There was a recognition that Denmark could not go it alone and instead needed to be 'all-in on the European dimension', according to Derek Beach, a professor of political science at Aarhus University. 'It's really been remarkable how quickly that shifted after the invasion,' Beach says. 'It is quite clear something happened related to Danish attitudes to increased defence spending, due to fear of Russia,' he says. In proportion to its population of about six million people, Denmark is one of the biggest contributors of military and financial aid to Ukraine, sending more than €9 billion to Kyiv to help it keep fighting. It has been doing more on the home front as well. A draft calling up several thousand young men to spend up to 11 months in the military has been extended to young women as well. It is planning to deploy floating drones in the Baltic Sea to keep a closer eye on undersea cables, given they are vulnerable to hybrid attacks and sabotage. The sight of Russian tanks streaming across Ukraine's border also prompted two of its Nordic neighbours, Finland and Sweden, to join Nato. Denmark was one of the original members of the western military alliance and recently pushed for a tight time frame to be set on commitments to massively increase defence spending. Nato members ultimately signed up to spend five per cent of their economic output on defence and related infrastructure projects, by 2035. It was not just a growing fear of Russia that ended Danes' reluctance about deepening EU ties. The population paid close attention to the rough time Britain had after leaving the union. 'Watching Brexit turn into a sh*t show really impacted Danish attitudes,' Beach says. US president Donald Trump's threat to take over Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark in the Arctic, pushed Copenhagen even closer to its European allies. One of the few centre-left heads of government in Europe, Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen has enjoyed a boost in popularity on the back of her strong support for Ukraine. 'She's very much an Iron Lady and takes a crisis very seriously,' Beach says. Politically the government does not fit into any one neat box. It is led by the Social Democrats yet takes a very hard line on migration. It is instinctively fiscally conservative, yet ambitious on climate and the green transition and hawkish on defence spending. Frederiksen, who has led the Social Democrats for a decade, took them into power in 2019. They improved their position in the last election in 2022, but rather than govern with a razor-thin majority, Frederiksen opted for a coalition with two smaller parties, the centre-right Liberals and the Moderates, a centrist party led by former prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen. The Social Democrats' political success is in part due to a major pivot around 2015, when it started taking a tougher approach to those seeking asylum in Denmark. Frederiksen's rightward lurch cut off oxygen to far right nationalist forces, who are threatening to unseat many mainstream governments elsewhere in Europe. The government is in the middle of a second pivot which may prove to be as defining. Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden have been known as the 'frugal four', who are keen to rein in EU spending and limit the bloc's budget. The fiscally conservative group has resisted calls for the 27 member states to raise money by borrowing funds together. Cash-strapped southern and eastern states favour common borrowing because the EU would be able to command better loan repayment terms than they would individually. Those with healthier budgets, like the frugals, Germany and Ireland, are nervous about the proposal leading to unchecked EU spending. In a notable shift, Frederiksen has said Denmark will no longer be among the 'frugal' camp, in the coming negotiations about the size and shape of the next EU budget. This change of heart may stretch to support for some type of common borrowing, on the condition the money raised was put towards defence. Europe had made a 'grave mistake' by taking its security for granted, Frederiksen said in a speech in Aarhus in recent days. 'For too long we spent too little and we must never repeat that again. We need to rearm,' she said. Berlin has changed its thinking too. Conservative chancellor Friedrich Merz's new German government has thrown open the door to a major expansion in the amount it spends on its military, after decades of fiscal restraint. Minister for European affairs Marie Bjerre says Denmark understood the 'status quo' would not cut in when it came to the next EU budget, which is always the product of a contentious fight between Brussels and national governments. 'It is not the Danish government policy that the budget should be bigger or that we should have common debt,' she says. 'However, I think we have said quite clearly we do not consider ourselves part of the Frugal Four, meaning that we are not rejecting anything beforehand. We will go into these discussions with an open mind, because we are in crucial times for Europe.'
New York Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
C.I.A. Says Its Leaders Rushed Report on Russia Interference in 2016 Vote
A C.I.A. review of its assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 election criticized the agency's leadership at the time for rushing the effort but did not dispute the conclusion that Russia favored the election of Donald J. Trump. The review also criticized John O. Brennan, who was the C.I.A. director when the assessment was written, for his oversight of the project and for too tightly controlling access to sensitive intelligence that formed the basis of the work. The original intelligence review, which was undertaken in the aftermath of the November 2016 vote, came amid concerns about Russian ties to Mr. Trump's campaign and efforts by the Kremlin to sow dissent during the election. Before the vote, the Obama administration issued warnings about Russian cyberoperations, and the C.I.A. and F.B.I. intensified their scrutiny of Russian activity after the election. Early on, the intelligence assessment, an unclassified version of which was released in January 2017, came under criticism from Republican supporters of Mr. Trump. The criticism continued through his first term, though a bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee affirmed the judgment of the assessment. John H. Durham, a Justice Department special counsel in the first Trump administration, looked at the C.I.A.'s and other intelligence agencies' work on the assessment, but made no substantive mention of it in his final report. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
CIA review finds flaws but does not dispute finding Putin sought to sway 2016 vote to Trump
In this June 28, 2019, file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump, right, shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) WASHINGTON — A CIA review released on Wednesday found flaws in the production of a U.S. intelligence assessment that Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to sway the 2016 U.S. presidential vote to Donald Trump, but it did not contest that conclusion. The review 'does not dispute the quality and credibility' of a highly classified CIA report that the assessment's authors relied on to reach that conclusion, it said. But the review questioned the 'high confidence' level that the CIA and FBI assigned the conclusion. It should have instead been given the 'moderate confidence' rating reached by the communications-monitoring U.S. National Security Agency, the review said. Trump, who has a history of quarreling with U.S. intelligence analyzes, has previously rejected that intelligence assessment, which was made public in an unclassified version in January 2017. After a November 2017 meeting with Putin, he said that he believed the Russian leader's election meddling denials. CIA Director John Ratcliffe, a former congressman who served as director of national intelligence in Trump's first term, ordered the review and its 'lessons learned' section 'to promote analytic objectivity and transparency,' said a CIA statement. The CIA's Directorate of Analysis, which conducted the review, 'identified multiple procedural anomalies' in how the December 2016 classified assessment of Russian election interference was prepared. They included 'a highly compressed timeline ... and excessive involvement of agency heads' and 'led to departures from standard practices in the drafting, coordination, and reviewing' of the report, it said. 'These departures impeded efforts to apply rigorous tradecraft, particularly to the assessment's most contentious judgment,' it continued. The review, however, did not overturn the judgment that Putin employed a disinformation and cyber campaign to sway the 2016 vote to Trump over his Democratic challenger, Hillary Clinton. A 2018 bipartisan U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee report reached the same conclusion. Jonathan Landay, Reuters
Fox News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Ex-Obama intel boss wanted anti-Trump dossier included in 'atypical' 2016 assessment despite pushback
Former CIA Director John Brennan, who served under former President Barack Obama, pushed for the so-called "Steele dossier," which featured salacious material and unfounded allegations about President Donald Trump's connections to Russia, to be included in an assessment evaluating Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to a review declassified Wednesday. The CIA, FBI and National Security Agency's Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) evaluating Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election diverted from intelligence standards and featured some "procedural anomalies," according to a new lessons-learned review of the assessment that CIA Director John Ratcliffe ordered for declassification Wednesday. The lessons-learned review determined that the "decision by agency heads to include the Steele Dossier in the ICA ran counter to fundamental tradecraft principles and ultimately undermined the credibility of a key judgment." Specifically, the new review found that the CIA's deputy director for analysis said in a December 2016 email to Brennan that including the dossier in any capacity jeopardized "the credibility of the entire paper." "Despite these objections, Brennan showed a preference for narrative consistency over analytical soundness," the new review stated. "When confronted with specific flaws in the Dossier by the two mission center leaders—one with extensive operational experience and the other with a strong analytic background—he appeared more swayed by the Dossier's general conformity with existing theories than by legitimate tradecraft concerns. Brennan ultimately formalized his position in writing, stating that 'my bottomline is that I believe that the information warrants inclusion in the report.'" Brennan served as director of the CIA from March 2013 to January 2017 under the Obama administration. The dossier originated after law firm Perkins Coie hired opposition research firm Fusion GPS to conduct opposition research into then-presidential candidate Trump in April 2016 on behalf of Trump's opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and the Democratic National Committee. Fusion GPS hired former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, who composed the so-called "Steele dossier." The document included scandalous and mostly unverified allegations, including details that Trump engaged in sex acts with Russian prostitutes. Trump has denied the allegations included in the dossier. Brennan could not be reached for comment by Fox News Digital. The lessons-learned review also found fault with other tradecraft employed while drafting the ICA, including a rushed timeline and atypical involvement of agency heads while compiling the assessment. "While agency heads sometimes review controversial analytic assessments before publication, their direct engagement in the ICA's development was highly unusual in both scope and intensity," the review said. "This exceptional level of senior involvement likely influenced participants, altered normal review processes, and ultimately compromised analytic rigor." Additionally, the review said that Brennan sent a note to intelligence community analysts one day before their only session coordinating on the ICA that he had met with then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and then-FBI Director James Comey. The review said that Brennan told the CIA workforce that "there is strong consensus among us on the scope, nature, and intent of Russian interference in our recent Presidential election." "While officers involved in drafting the ICA consistently said they did not feel pressured to reach specific conclusions, Brennan's premature signaling that agency heads had already reached consensus before the ICA was even coordinated risked stifling analytic debate," the review said. Ratcliffe ordered the "lessons-learned" review of the ICA earlier in 2025 specifically focused on the ICA's assessment that Russian President Vladimir Putin "aspired" to assist Trump win the 2016 election, and declassified the results Wednesday in an attempt to promote transparency, according to a CIA news release. "Agency heads at the time created a politically charged environment that triggered an atypical analytic process around an issue essential to our democracy," Ratcliffe said in a Wednesday statement. "Under my watch, I am committed to ensuring that our analysts have the ability to deliver unvarnished assessments that are free from political influence."
Russia Today
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Kremlin comments on Romania's ‘strange' election
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has described Romania's recent presidential election as 'strange,' with the declared winner securing victory in the absence of the frontrunner. On Sunday, pro-EU candidate Nicusor Dan defeated Euroskeptic George Simion in a runoff, securing the Romanian presidency by a single-digit margin. The election rerun was ordered after Romania's Constitutional Court annulled the results of the November vote, in which independent candidate Calin Georgescu, an EU and NATO critic, finished first with 23%. The authorities cited 'irregularities' in his campaign, along with intelligence reports alleging Russian interference – claims which Moscow has denied. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Peskov called the election 'at the very least, strange,' noting that the candidate with the strongest chances had been 'forcibly' removed from the race 'without much effort to provide justification.' 'But in the absence of such a frontrunner, the winner is who the winner is. This is the reality we are dealing with,' he added. Asked about claims by Telegram founder Pavel Durov that the authorities from an EU country asked him to 'silence conservatives in Romania' ahead of the election, Peskov stated that the EU has a long history of meddling in the internal affairs of other states. 'The fact that European countries such as France, the United Kingdom, and Germany interfere in the internal affairs of other states is nothing new,' he said. 'These are merely fragments that occasionally come to light. Believe me, there are certainly far more cases than we are aware of.' Durov said on Sunday that he had refused a request from a Western European government to remove Romanian Telegram channels ahead of the country's presidential runoff, arguing that 'you can't 'fight election interference' by interfering with elections.' The French authorities later acknowledged that they were the target of the accusation, but denied making the request. In a subsequent post, the Russian-born tech entrepreneur named Nicolas Lerner, the head of France's domestic intelligence agency (DGSI), as the official who approached him. Following the runoff, the Romanian Foreign Ministry accused Russia of interfering in the election, although it offered no evidence to support the claim. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed the accusation, saying the Romanian election could hardly be described as such, and urged Bucharest not to soil foreign nations with its 'electoral mess.'
