PROUD RANT: My little Denmark is - relative to GDP - Ukraine's biggest supporter. And my prime minister just told her colleagues to stop moaning about 'red lines' and fear of escalation.

In a week that has been described as make or break for Ukraine, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen did not beat around the bush. How refreshing.

BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN

Once in a while, I am proud of my little Denmark. But I will not try to convince you of our ‘greatness’; no, I will simply leave you with some solid arguments and irrefutable facts about why ‘the Danish way’ is the way forward in and for Ukraine.

In a Sept. 23 interview with Bloomberg, the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen did not beat around the bush. (A Social Democrat, Frederiksen has been Denmark’s prime minister since 2019. And no, Danish Social Democrats are not like the ‘Democrats’ in the U.S. Mette Frederiksen is somewhat to the left of Joe Biden, not least on social issues).

I want to draw attention to Frederiksen’s interview, not because I am a fan of hers, not at all (normally), but because her words and arguments about Ukraine and Russia put the hesitancy and lack of charity of other NATO countries in perspective:

Let’s get some background for this interview - on the Danish policy vis-a-vis Ukraine: According to the Kiel Institute for The World Economy - the leading research organisation on these issues - Denmark is - relative to GDP [Gross Domestic Product) a clear number one regarding donations and support to Ukraine, with no less than 1.823% of its GDP donated to Ukraine since Vladimir Putin invaded in February 2022.

(Source: The Kiel Institute for The World Economy)

The only other countries that give Ukraine more than 1 percent of their GDP are the three Baltic states, next on the list are Ukraine’s neighbours in East-Central Europe, while Germany gives Ukraine 0,4%, the U.K. contributes with 0.5% and the U.S. with 0.3% of its GDP. Compared to the 1.8% of Denmark.

‘Yeah, yeah, that’s all very well’, I hear you Americans protest, ‘but we are still the country that gives the most dollars to Ukraine!’ Well, yes, if you want to count dollars, true. But that is as silly as to state that it would be fair if Bill Gates paid 0,000001% in tax - because that would still amount to more actual dollars than the average American taxpayer contributes. In actual dollars, the 6 million Danes have supported Ukraine with $6.4 billion - which equals 1/12th of the $75 billion the U.S. - with 55 times as many inhabitants as Denmark - has donated. You do the math, mate.

I mention numbers here mainly to show that in the week where Vladimir Zelensky goes to Washington to persuade President Joe Biden to continue U.S. support and let Ukraine use U.S.-donated long-range weapons to strike military target inside Russia, the United States of America, Germany and Britain are not the only ones with something at stake here. And not the only ones who have engaged themselves in Ukraine.

The Danish support started the day Russia invaded Ukraine. We Danes have given Ukraine all of our mobile artillery, and in 2023, Denmark took the lead in providing Ukraine with F-16s.

With the danger of this turning into a fan letter, Frederiksen was admirably clear and logical when she, in February 2024, at the Munich Security Conference, suggested, even chided, her fellow Western leaders to wake up and increase their military support to Ukraine:

"(The Ukrainians) are asking us for ammunition now. Artillery now. From the Danish side, we decided to donate our entire artillery.

“And I am sorry to say, friends, but there is still ammunition in stock in Europe; we have weapons, we have ammunition, we have air defense that we are not using ourselves at the moment - that we should deliver to Ukraine.”

This is why I think that Frederiksen’s Bloomberg interview (first 6 minutes/the rest is about other issues) warrants attention. Here the Danish PM explains that:

• "We cannot let Russia define the borders of Europe by its extremely aggressive war.” “There is only one part who has started this war; there is only one aggressive part, and that is Russia.”

• “We need a shift in this war now …. to ensure that Ukraine will win this war."

• “Let us end the discussion about ‘red lines’ and not delay what the Ukrainians need, not only to protect themselves but also to push Russia back.”

• “From a Danish perspective, we are not working with restrictions, and I think it has been a mistake to have a public discussion about ‘red lines’.”

• “The most important red line was crossed when the Russians entered Ukraine, so I will not accept this premise, and I will never allow anyone from Russia to decide what is the right thing to do in NATO, in Europe, or in Ukraine.”

Unsurprisingly, Russia immediately threatened Denmark with grave repercussions. Vladimir Dzhabarov, the deputy chairman of the Federation Council’s Committee on International Affairs - a mouthpiece for the Kremlin - thundered:

• “The leaders of many NATO countries have entered such an anti-Russian frenzy that they no longer think about what they are saying.”

• "If they allow their weapons to be used for strikes on Russian territory, they automatically become participants in the conflict. And each NATO country will be held accountable separately. There will be no consolidated responsibility of the entire NATO bloc. The Danes, so to speak, supplied aircraft - let them be held accountable for these supplies; the British supplied Storm Shadow missiles - let them be held accountable for these missiles.”

“Therefore, I hope that there are some brakes in the heads of these politicians, otherwise everything will end very sadly. European gasoline will burn like never before.”

Asked about whether she is not worried about such threats, the Danish PM answered:

• “No, of course not [laughs] …. When I look at Russia today, and let’s not just talk about Putin but about Russia, when you look at Russia’s behavior in the West Balkans, in the Middle East, in Africa, in the Sahel region, I see a Russia that is trying to destabilize this world with a lot of different measures; cyber attacks and disinformation, well Russia is working to destabilize the world order. And therefore, this line of thinking that if we allow him to take Ukraine or part of Ukraine, he will be satisfied, I disagree with.”

Over to you, Joe and Kamala. (Or, God forbid, you, Donald and JD.)