Denmark to Allow Stationing of U.S. Troops Under Planned Deal

(Bloomberg) -- Denmark plans to allow placement of U.S. soldiers and military equipment on its territory under an agreement the two NATO members are now negotiating, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said.

The agreement would signify a change to the Nordic nation’s long-standing policy against foreign troops, Frederiksen told journalists in Copenhagen on Thursday. Still, the negotiations aren’t prompted by the current escalation of tensions between Russia and Ukraine, she said, without providing a timeline for the talks.

The deal is “a new chapter in our strong transatlantic relationship,” Frederiksen said. “Denmark will contribute to strengthening U.S. engagement in Europe. This is about defending our shared values.”

Denmark’s neighbor Norway, which shares a border with Russia, allowed stationing of U.S. troops on its territory from 2017. It signed a revised defense cooperation deal with the U.S. last April, allowing the Americans to build facilities at its airfields and a naval base.

While the U.S. has its northernmost base, Thule, on Greenland -- an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark -- no other U.S. military bases are planned on Danish mainland, Frederiksen said.

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