Denmark to pass 3 percent GDP on defense over fear of Russian rearmament
BELFAST — Based on a strategic assessment that Russia could rearm faster than NATO should the war in Ukraine end or turn into a frozen conflict, Denmark says it plans on injecting an additional 50 billion DKK ($7 billion) to its defense budget over 2025-2026.
The uplift will see the Nordic nation exceed 3 percent GDP on military spending. In a translated statement from Wednesday, the government said the extra money will speed up the “building of the Armed Forces’ combat power,” and be drawn from an “Acceleration Fund.”
Copenhagen did not specify which weapon systems the new fund will be used to acquire, but laid out its security fears in clear terms.
The Danish Ministry of Defence “assesses that when the war in Ukraine stops or freezes and NATO does not arm itself at the same pace, Russia will be able to free up significant military resources and, within about 2 years, pose a credible threat to one or more NATO countries in the Baltic Sea region, if the US does not get involved,” it said.