Ludmila Zhernovskaya00:30, 30.12.24

The Ministry of Defense called the threats part of a propaganda campaign against Western countries.

Russia has stated that Denmark’s transfer of  a second batch of F-16 fighters “provokes further escalation” of the war in Ukraine.

In a comment to RIA Novosti, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Copenhagen’s decision forces the Russian Federation “to take adequate measures,” including military-technical ones.

Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen responded to  TV2 that such statements are aimed at intimidating countries that support Ukraine’s fight for its freedom:

“It is important to tell the Danish population that there is no direct military threat to Denmark from Russia. We are a member of NATO – a large security umbrella – which is based on being able to help us in the event of a conflict.”

He suggests that the Russians could threaten to sabotage arms supplies and training of Ukrainian pilots in the country. According to him, this only proves that Denmark and Europe should support Ukraine.

The country’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen wrote on the X microblog that this is not the first time Lavrov has “rattled his sabre”:

“I take this with great calm. It is perfectly legitimate to support Ukraine’s ability to defend itself, and we will continue to do so. Russia is the aggressor here.”

Aid to Ukraine from Denmark

The country has been supporting Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war. This year, President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen signed  a security cooperation agreement .

Denmark is providing  military aid to the Ukrainian army and has also decided to transfer 19 American F-16 fighters. The first six are already in the country.

(C)UNIAN 2024