Denmark defends US in nuclear submarine row with France, says Biden ‘very loyal’ to Europe

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen backed the US president even though Washington and Canberra stripped Paris of a submarine contract

Her stance contrasted with the tone in Brussels, where most European diplomats expressed solidarity with France

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Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:29pm, 22 Sep 2021Updated: 8:29pm, 22 Sep 2021

Denmark, one of Washington’s closest allies in Europe, disagrees with French and EU criticism of the United States over a nuclear submarine deal with Australia, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Wednesday.

Frederiksen defended President Joe Biden as “very loyal” to Europe even though the United States and Australia stripped European Union member France of a submarine contract.

Copenhagen’s stance contrasted with the tone in Tuesday’s meeting in Brussels, where most European diplomats expressed solidarity with Paris even if several warned against a rift with Washington.

“I think it’s important to say – given the talks going on in Europe right now – that I see Biden as very loyal to the transatlantic alliance,” Frederiksen said in an interview with Danish daily Politiken from New York.

“And in general, we should not turn concrete challenges, which will always exist between allies, into something they should not be. I would very much warn against this,” she added.

Asked whether she understood the criticism coming out of Paris and Brussels, the Danish leader replied: “No, I don’t understand it, I don’t understand it at all.”

“That doesn’t mean that we in the Danish government necessarily agree with the US on everything, and we also said that we would have liked to see a different exit from Afghanistan, but I feel absolutely no frustration with the new US administration.”