Mette Frederiksen: Five percent for defense might not be enough.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (Social Democrats) says that a yearly defense spending of five percent of gross domestic product (GDP) may not be enough.

She made the statement during a debate at the Munich Security Conference.

“Even if there is peace in Ukraine, Putin will continue attacking somewhere else,” Mette Frederiksen said.

This means that Europe and NATO will still need to maintain significant forces—and thus spend considerable amounts of money—protecting the eastern flank even after a peace agreement in Ukraine.

At the same time, Europe faces threats from the south in the form of terrorism and migration, while Russia and China pose challenges from the north. Additionally, there is an increasing arms race in space, Mette Frederiksen noted.

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Denmark is among the EU countries that have most rapidly increased defense spending since last year’s NATO meeting in The Hague.

NATO members agreed to allocate 3.5 percent of GDP directly to defense, with the remaining 1.5 percent of the five percent earmarked for defense-related investments.

Denmark already spends 3.5 percent of GDP directly on defense, but this may not be sufficient in the future, Mette Frederiksen said.

“I believe that the 3.5 percent target should be met now or by 2030 at the latest, but it is not certain that this will be enough in the long term,” she stated.

GDP, or gross domestic product, is a measure of a country’s economic output and the most widely used indicator of economic growth or decline.

In addition to increasing defense spending, Mette Frederiksen also advocates at the Munich Security Conference for allowing Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory to end the war.

“If Putin wanted peace, he wouldn’t do what he’s doing now. It’s -25 degrees Celsius, yet Russia is still attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. That’s insane,” she said.

“Russia only understands power. That’s why we must ensure that Ukraine can hit military targets inside Russia. We’ve been discussing this for years,” Mette Frederiksen added.

Read also: New Ukraine negotiations after violent Russian attacks (link)

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She does not hide her criticism of Ukraine’s allies for allowing Ukraine to fight for years with one hand tied behind its back—and for failing to adequately protect Ukraine.

“I have said for three years at this conference that Ukraine lacks air defense. They still do,” Mette Frederiksen said.

Ukraine has targeted Russian military sites using drones it has produced itself.

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pushing for access to the far more devastating American Tomahawk missiles.

The 1,200-kilogram Tomahawk missiles have a range of 1,600 kilometers—roughly twice the distance between Kyiv and Moscow.

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