The war in Ukraine needs to prompt a more ‘realistic’ posture towards China, she told NR.
The war in Ukraine needs to prompt a more ‘realistic’ posture towards China, she told NR.
D anish prime minister Mette Frederiksen is campaigning for the removal of Western restrictions on Kyiv’s use of weapons provided by other countries. She told National Review that Russian aggression will not remain confined to Ukraine nor even be a feature only of Vladimir Putin’s leadership.
“This is primarily a question about Russia and their imperial dreams,” she said, during a brief interview today at the Concordia Summit, a conference on the sidelines of the U.N.’s annual General Assembly for world leaders. Frederiksen added: “I think it is important in itself to talk about Russia, and not about Putin, because the way I see it is that he actually has a lot of support from Russian society for whatever he is doing.” She cited ongoing activities by Russia to destabilize Africa and the Middle East.
“When you have this as a starting point — that there are unfortunately old-fashioned imperial dreams in Russia — then it’s more difficult to find a way out of this war, because it’s not primarily a question about Ukraine,” Frederiksen said. “Therefore we have to ensure that Ukraine wins this war.”
Frederiksen, a social democrat, runs a government that has been among Europe’s most forward-leaning since Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Denmark’s spending on defense recently reached approximately 2.4 percent of its GDP, and the Nordic country’s stance is often aligned with that of the continent’s more hawkish front-line states in the east. With America’s blessing, Denmark has transferred F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
Specifically, Frederiksen said, she wants Ukraine to be able to use long-range missiles to hit targets in Russia. “I don’t think it’s enough to deliver what is needed to protect themselves. They need to be able to push Russia back.” As Russian forces continue to advance despite the Ukrainian offensive in Kursk, there’s a renewed urgency for that push, which is roiling the Biden administration and NATO.
Asked for her thoughts on why these restrictions on Ukraine’s use of weapons have remained in place, Frederiksen said: “I guess a part of it is a very modern way of thinking that there will be some kind of a solution to this war. But I don’t think it’s possible to win a war if you are not willing actually to win it.”
During her appearances in New York this week, she conveyed that the war in Ukraine and other geopolitical threats need to prompt a broad rethink of Europe’s approach to security. Unlike some other officials, she’s not averse to conceding that Europe has long been wrong on defense policy. Nor is she averse to engaging conservatives: At Concordia, she participated in a panel discussion with Trump-era State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus.
“First of all, I think that American presidents, and there has been quite a number now, they have been right when they have said to us Europeans that you’re not doing enough,” Frederiksen said, calling herself “transatlantic in my heart.”
When National Review asked if 2 percent of GDP is a large enough benchmark for NATO countries’ spending on defense, she said: “With all the geopolitical tensions and a full-scale war going on in Europe, no, I’m not sure that 2 percent will be enough.”
The war in Ukraine needs to prompt a more “realistic” European posture towards China, Frederiksen also said. She does not believe that it’s possible for Russia to be waging a war of this scale “without help from China.”
“Because of that, we cannot look at China with the same eyes as before the war started,” she said, referring to Europe’s relationship with the country.
“I think the discussion in the U.S. on China has been much more realistic in some years than it used to be in Europe. We are changing our way of thinking now, but we have to listen very carefully to the U.S. when it comes to China.”