Danish Ambassador reveals whether Denmark feels threatened by Russian attack
Photo: Danish Ambassador to Kyiv Ole Egberg Mikkelsen (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The majority of Danish citizens feel confident in the face of the Russian threat because they are members of NATO. Despite this, the government and the media are constantly focusing on the war in Ukraine, not letting the population forget what is happening in the heart of Europe, according to Ole Egberg Mikkelsen, Danish Ambassador to Ukraine.
“I think that most people are confident that being a NATO member, and we have been a member of NATO for many years since 1948 so it's a long legacy and this has brought a feeling of security to our country,” Mikkelsen explains.
Therefore, he says, it does not cause much concern among the population, but people know that something is happening.
Recalling his visit to Kharkiv, the Danish ambassador noted that this is a European metropolis in the heart of Europe that is being mercilessly bombed.
“And these things are not somewhere in Africa, this is not somewhere outside of Europe. This is Europe, this is our continent, this is where we live. This is in a country that in many ways is very similar to our own society. These are people having the same values, the same mindset, and the same ideas about their lives and their societies,” Mikkelsen says.
In his opinion, this was a revelation for many Danes, because in their country they thought that peace would come after the Cold War.
Not the end of the story
“Now we have realized that this was not the end of history. It was just turning a page and now we are probably back to a situation that was not so different from what we had for many years during the Cold War,” the Ambassador says.
At the same time, Mikkelsen emphasized that the war in Ukraine is widely covered in the Danish media even now, even two years later.
“It's an important part of what we're doing at the embassy – to make sure that this is on the radar, that this is not being forgotten, because so many things are happening in terms of things in the Middle East and elsewhere. But this is our own continent, this is our home,” he explains.
Denmark's assistance to Ukraine
Denmark has been an ally of Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. The country provides our country with both military and financial assistance.
Denmark is one of the countries that has agreed to provide F-16 fighter jets to Ukrainian defenders.
Ambassador Mikkelsen recently promised that the planes would be delivered this summer.
