The Ministry of Defence rejects Putin’s claims about intermediate-range missiles in Denmark. The Ministry of Defence has clearly and decisively rejected claims made by Russian President Vladimir Putin that the USA has sent intermediate-range missiles to Denmark. In a statement to Ritzau, the ministry emphasized that there are no intermediate-range missiles deployed in Denmark.
Putin made the claim during a meeting of Russia’s Security Council on Friday, where he alleged that these missiles would be used for military exercises. However, the Ministry of Defence has denied this and pointed out that NATO, of which Denmark is a member, is a defensive alliance with deterrence and defense as core tasks. “Exercises are an important part of ongoing deterrence. There are no intermediate-range missiles deployed in Denmark,” said the Ministry of Defence.
The Russian president did not specify where he got his information from, or how and when the missiles would have arrived in Denmark. He also claimed that the USA has resumed production of intermediate-range missiles, which according to him requires a corresponding Russian response.
Anders Puck Nielsen, a military analyst at the Danish Defence Academy, explained that the Americans recently developed systems that can launch intermediate-range missiles from land-based containers. Such a system was used during an exercise on Bornholm in May, which according to Nielsen may be the basis for Putin’s claims.
The Defense Forces themselves had previously described the exercise with the container-based missile platform in May, but emphasized that it was a different type of missile with a shorter range than what Putin claims.
Nielsen noted that Putin likely wants to create fear of arms race and escalation in Europe by making such statements. He added that Putin is also trying to shift the blame for a potential escalation onto the West and deter Western countries from supporting Ukraine in the ongoing conflict.
Intermediate-range missiles were previously prohibited under the INF disarmament agreement between the USA and the Soviet Union in 1987, but both the USA and Russia withdrew from the agreement in 2019.