Danish PM Frederiksen Issues Stark Warning at Munich: Russia ‘Will Not Change’ as NATO Urges Stronger Deterrence
MUNICH — In a sobering address at the Munich Security Conference, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen delivered a blunt assessment of the geopolitical landscape, warning the international community that Russia “will not change” and appears “not interested in peace.” The remarks come as Western leaders grapple with the reality of a prolonged conflict in Ukraine and the necessity of fortifying NATO’s defense posture.
Frederiksen’s speech highlighted a critical shift in European security strategy, moving beyond crisis management to long-term containment. By explicitly listing NATO’s vulnerabilities, she noted, “We have an eastern flank… a southern flank… a northern flank,” underscoring the expansion of the threat horizon. While the focus has largely remained on the Eastern flank bordering Russia and Ukraine, Frederiksen’s inclusion of the Northern flank draws attention to the Arctic and the Baltic Sea—areas of increasing strategic importance for Denmark and its Nordic allies, particularly following the accession of Finland and Sweden to the alliance.
This call for stronger deterrence aligns with a broader push among European leaders to transition economies onto a “war footing.” Denmark has already been a pivotal player in this effort, having committed significant military aid to Ukraine, including pledge regarding F-16 fighter jets. The Prime Minister’s rhetoric suggests that European capitals must stop viewing the current aggression as a temporary anomaly of the Putin regime and instead treat it as a structural feature of Russian foreign policy that requires a generational commitment to defense spending and military readiness.
However, the strategy of “peace through strength” advocated by Frederiksen faces objections from various quarters. The Kremlin has consistently countered such rhetoric by claiming that NATO’s strengthening of its flanks constitutes an aggressive “encirclement” of Russia, using Western military buildup to justify its own mobilization and operational decisions in Ukraine. Furthermore, while minority voices within the European political sphere argue that dismissing the possibility of diplomatic engagement could lead to an endless war of attrition, Frederiksen’s stance reflects the dominant view at the conference: that diplomatic channels are currently futile against an adversary intent on revisionist conquest.
As the conference continues, the debate is expected to center on the practicalities of Frederiksen’s warning—specifically, how European nations will sustain the financial burden of defending three separate geographic flanks while maintaining domestic political support for a war with no end in sight.
