“Our enemies – and there are a bit too many of them right now – are sitting and watching.” Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister
Europe has spent decades relying on the American security umbrella. That era is now ending, whether we are ready for it or not. The London summit made it clear: European leaders are scrambling to figure out what’s next in a world where U.S. support is no longer a given. The message from Washington is mixed: sometimes dismissive, sometimes aggressive, but always unpredictable. The lesson? We need to stand on our own two feet.
Denmark is at a crossroads. The government is pushing for deeper European defense cooperation while also clinging to the old transatlantic alliance, hoping that things will eventually return to normal. But hope is not a strategy. The reality is that European security is no longer a shared priority in Washington. NATO remains, but its foundations are shaking. The question is not whether Europe should step up; it’s whether we can do it in time.
Talk of sending European troops to Ukraine, strengthening sanctions against Russia, and massively increasing defense spending is no longer hypothetical. These are live discussions happening right now. Denmark is open to joining a peacekeeping force in Ukraine if a settlement is reached. But how will this work without clear U.S. backing? Will Europe be able to enforce peace without the American military might, which it has depended on for generations?
Meanwhile, the EU is preparing to spend 6,000 billion DKK on rearming the continent. For the first time, European countries are looking at what it actually means to build a military force independent of the U.S. Fighter jets, transport aircraft, tanks, missile systems: everything once taken for granted as part of the American arsenal is now something Europe needs to secure for itself. And it won’t be cheap.
The past few weeks have felt like the beginning of a new reality. The old world order is gone. The question is: can Denmark and the rest of Europe adapt before it’s too late?
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