Denmark to sign defense agreement with US

By Leila Nezirevic

LONDON (AA) - Denmark will sign a defense agreement with the US which will allow American troops and military equipment to be based on Danish soil, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Tuesday.

The 10-year defense agreement will be signed later this week and will enter into force roughly about a year from now, Frederiksen said.

This came after Washington signed a similar agreement with Sweden and Finland earlier this month.

The deal will end a 70-year ban on the deployment of foreign troops in the Scandinavian country.

“This means that American soldiers and equipment can be permanently stationed on Danish soil," Frederiksen told reporters at a news conference.

He also added that the agreement sends a clear message that Denmark and its ally, the US, are jointly “taking even greater responsibility for Danish security — and that is absolutely necessary.”

“The goal is: we must ensure peace not only now, but for the generations that come after us,” Frederiksen added.

According to Danish authorities, nuclear weapons will not be based in the country under the agreement, but the US troops will be allowed on three Danish air bases.

The agreement, however, is facing staunch opposition from Enhedslisten, a political party in the Danish parliament, and some other political parties that claim that the deal with the US compromises Denmark’s sovereignty and also potentially jeopardizes national security.

The agreement reflects part of a broader US initiative to ensure its military presence in the Nordic and Baltic regions, according to local media.

The decision by Denmark, Sweden, and Finland to deepen security ties comes in the wake of the war in Ukraine and heightened tensions with Russia.