Arya News - Some Danes say they are worried about security because of what they see as the growing threat from Russia and concerns over the reliability of the Trump White House as an ally.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark – Some Danes told CBS News on the streets of Copenhagen they are increasingly worried about their country"s security because of what they see as the growing threat from nearby Russia and concerns over the reliability of the Trump White House as an ally.
Kenneth Howery, the new U.S ambassador to Denmark, is in Greenland"s capital Nuuk this week for his first trip to the Danish-controlled, but self-governed, country. He said in a social media post on X that he and officials from Greenland and Denmark "renewed our commitment to a strong and mutually beneficial relationship" while meeting on Monday.
Their meeting came after U.S. and Danish diplomatic ties were strained by President Trump reviving his long-standing interest in acquiring Greenland, which the White House has argued is necessary to protect U.S. national security. Mr. Trump hasn"t ruled out taking Greenland by military force even though Denmark is a member of the U.S.-led NATO alliance.
Hanne Mortenson, a Danish resident of the country"s capital, told CBS News late last week that she has always looked to the United States as "the ideal of democracy," but believes the country is becoming "more and more autocratic." She said that is troubling due to Russia"s repeated, recent incursions into European airspace.
"I saw this big map yesterday on TV with how much the Russians are coming closer and that worries me," Mortensen said, although she added that she wouldn"t want the U.S. to take over Greenland despite security concerns related to Russia.
Denmark is consistently ranked as one of the world"s happiest countries, according to the Global Happiness Index. But in recent weeks, European nations have reported unidentified drones flying around key infrastructure, including in Denmark, following Russian drone and fighter jet incursions into Poland, Romania and Estonia. Some of the United States" European NATO allies have alleged airspace incursions are part of a campaign of escalating hybrid warfare tactics by Russia.
In September, Copenhagen Airport was forced to suspend flights due to unidentified drone sightings. Russia, however, denied involvement in drone incursions, with its embassy in Denmark saying in a statement at the time that "incidents involving reported disruptions at Danish airports are a staged provocation. Undoubtedly, they will be used as a pretext for further escalating tension in the interests of forces seeking by all means to prolong the Ukrainian conflict and extend it to other countries."
Still, one 70-year-old Danish woman told CBS News that the Danish sense of security and contentment is waning.
"The Russians have to go through Denmark to come to Europe," she told CBS News. "I think people my age are more worried because we remember – we are after World War II children – so, we remember those days, and we have heard about it our entire childhood, about the war and the difficulties and all the horror that goes with war."
Copenhagen resident Thomas Geuken, said he was recently talking to his 90-year-old father-in-law, "and I asked him this morning, "Is the glass half empty or half full?" And he actually said, "Well, it"s half empty because of the war in Ukraine and Russia. So it plays a big part in our thinking.""
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