Denmark will increase its defense budget by 50 billion kroner (6.8 billion euros) this year and next year to address serious shortages, mainly in surface-to-air missile defense systems.
The increase in the defense budget was announced by the country's prime minister. "Does the world seem unstable? Yes. Is there any reason to believe that this will end soon? No," Mette Frederiksen said at a press conference.
"There is a message for the head of the defense forces: buy, buy, buy. Buy what you can, here and now, to contribute to a stronger defense and, consequently, a stronger deterrent," she added.
According to the Foreign Ministry, the additional money will be used to purchase air defense systems. After years of drastic cuts in the defense sector, Denmark last year decided to invest an additional $190 billion in its military.
"Weapon systems can be purchased without having to launch tenders that usually take time. If we can't buy the best equipment, buy the second best. Only one thing matters now and that is speed," Frederiksen said.
Frederiksen said on Monday that Russia has become a threat to all of Europe and called on every country to increase defense spending to protect itself, while increasing its support for Ukraine. (A2 Televizion)
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