Russia will not stop until it is forced to do so, warned Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at a meeting of the European Political Community in Copenhagen, UNN reports with reference to The Guardian.
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"Over the past few months, much has been said about peace in Ukraine, meetings have taken place, preliminary meetings and briefings on meetings, and meanwhile, Russia continues its brutal attacks. It should now be clear to everyone: Russia will not stop until it is forced to do so," Frederiksen said, surrounded by European Council President António Costa and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
She added that "we face one important task: we must make our common Europe so strong that war against us becomes unthinkable, and we must do it now."
Frederiksen also praised Zelenskyy, noting that Ukraine "defended Ukraine against ruthless, full-scale Russian aggression." "You did what no one thought possible, and you have our unwavering support," she said.
But then Frederiksen turned to other leaders and warned: "I know that for some of you, the threat from Russia is very obvious and very present. For others, it still seems more distant, but none of us can be naive anymore."
"The war was never just about Ukraine. It is about Europe, all our peoples, all our citizens, our values, and our freedom," the Danish Prime Minister emphasized.
She continued: "Please, just look at the history of our continent, from the expansion of the Russian Empire to Soviet tanks crossing several borders during the Cold War, destroying hopes for freedom. Recent history tells us exactly the same story. So why shouldn't it happen again?"
"Russia is now turning into a war economy, using all means, all opportunities to intimidate, threaten and divide us, unfortunately, thanks to China, soldiers from North Korea and drones from Iran, and I see no signs that Putin's and Russia's imperial fever is ending in Ukraine," Frederiksen said.
The Danish Prime Minister emphasized that "what we are doing in Ukraine is not charity, it is a direct defense of our continent."
She noted that Europe has started moving in the right direction, but "we must move much faster - we must learn from Ukraine, your sense of urgency, to build an incredible defense industry in just a couple of years."
Speaking about Denmark's experience over the past two weeks, she warned of growing hybrid threats posed by drones, disinformation, attacks on critical infrastructure, and "uncontrolled" migration.