Denmark to send unarmed soldiers to Ukraine for drone warfare training
The Danish Armed Forces plan to send unarmed troops to Ukraine for short-term training courses to study the country's drone warfare tactics, Major General Peter Boysen, Denmark's commander-in-chief, told state broadcaster TV 2 on April 16.
While several NATO countries have trained Ukrainian forces abroad, no official reports have confirmed the presence of foreign troops inside Ukraine for training purposes.
The courses, expected to begin as early as this summer, will take place at training centers in western Ukraine and will not involve direct combat.
"We're sending some teams down to see what experiences the Ukrainians have had — first-hand," Boysen said. "They are not going there to actively participate in the war."
Boysen, who has visited Ukraine twice in recent months, said the initiative is being launched at the invitation of Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
"In the 42 years I have been in the Armed Forces, I have not experienced things moving as fast as they are right now," Boysen said, referring to advances in unmanned systems and combat tactics driven by Ukraine's experience with drone warfare.
Both Ukraine and Russia have come to rely heavily on drones for reconnaissance, artillery spotting, and targeted attacks. Denmark sees the conflict as a live testbed for modern warfare.
Join our community Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight. Support Us
The training program will involve teams from different Danish military regiments. Courses will last one to two weeks and be conducted far from the front line, possibly near Lviv.
Boysen emphasized that Ukraine has robust air raid warning systems and shelters, saying, "I've spent time in one of them in Kyiv myself."
The move drew sharp criticism from the Russian Embassy in Copenhagen. Russian Ambassador Vladimir Barbin called the decision a provocation, warning it would "drag Denmark deeper and deeper into the conflict in Ukraine."
"(F)acilities, including headquarters, training and education centers, as well as locations of military personnel and military equipment, both deep inside Ukrainian territory and on the front line, are a legitimate target for the Russian Armed Forces," Barbin said.
Separately, European allies are discussing plans to deploy a "reassurance force" in Ukraine after a potential ceasefire to secure Ukrainian strategic facilities in the rear. Copenhagen signaled interest in taking part in the effort.
Denmark has been a key backer of Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. In February 2024, Copenhagen signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement with Kyiv, pledging long-term defense cooperation until Ukraine secures NATO membership.
Read also: Trump officials 'fed up' with Europe's efforts to strengthen Ukraine, Economist reports
We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Asian shares slide as Russia-Ukraine conflict, OPEC+ output plan push oil prices higher
HONG KONG (AP) — Asian shares sank on Monday and oil prices jumped as trade tensions and the Russian-Ukraine conflict ratcheted up geopolitical uncertainty. Hong Kong's Hang Seng plunged more than 2% as Beijing and Washington traded harsh words over trade. U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that he will double tariffs on steel and aluminum to 50% layered on still more worries for investors. A report over the weekend that China's factory activity contracted in May, although the decline slowed from April as the country reached a deal with the U.S. to slash President Donald Trump's sky-high tariffs, further undermined market sentiment. Markets in mainland China were closed for a holiday. Oil prices rallied after OPEC+ decided on a modest increase in output beginning in July. It was the third monthly increase in a row. U.S. benchmark crude oil gained $1.60 to $62.39 per barrel, while Brent crude, the international standard, was up $1.41 at $64.19 per barrel. Moscow pounded Ukraine with missiles and drones just hours before a new round of direct peace talks in Istanbul and a Ukrainian drone attack destroyed more than 40 Russian planes deep in Russia's territory, Ukraine's Security Service said on Sunday. Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 2.2% to 22,778.45 as China and the U.S. accused each other of breaching their tariff agreement reached in Geneva last month. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 lost 1.6% to 37,356.97, while the Kospi in Seoul fell 0.4% to 2,686.17. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 retreated 0.2% to 8,416.00. On Friday, Wall Street closed its best month since 2023. The S&P 500 retreated less than 0.1% to end at 5,911.69 and the Dow industrials Jones Industrial Average edged 0.1% higher to 42,270.07. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.3% to 19,113.77. Gap weighed on the market even though the retailer reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The company behind Banana Republic and Old Navy fell 20.2% after saying tariffs on imports from China and other countries could add up to $300 million to its costs this fiscal year. It has strategies set to mitigate up to half of that before it hits its profits. Hopes had largely been rising that the worst of such worries had passed, which in turn sent stocks rallying, after Trump paused his tariffs on both China and the European Union. A U.S. court then on Wednesday blocked many of Trump's sweeping tariffs. That all sent the S&P 500 in May to its first winning month in four and its best since November. But the tariffs remain in place while the White House appeals the ruling by the U.S. Court of International Trade, and the ultimate outcome is still uncertain. Friday's most influential losses came from several Big Tech stocks. Nvidia fell 2.9% to give back some of its gain from earlier in the week after it topped analysts' expectations for profit in the latest quarter. It was the single heaviest weight by far on the S&P 500. On the winning side of Wall Street was Ulta Beauty, which rose 11.8% after the retailer reported stronger sales and profit than analysts forecast. It also raised the top end of its forecasted range for revenue this fiscal year even though CEO Kecia Steelman called the operating environment 'fluid.' In the bond market, Treasury yields eased after a report showed that the measure of inflation that the Federal Reserve likes to use was slightly lower in April than economists expected. A separate report from the University of Michigan said that sentiment among U.S. consumers was better in May than economists expected. Sentiment improved in the back half of the month after Trump paused many of his tariffs on China. In currency trading early Monday, the U.S. dollar fell to 143.55 Japanese yen from 143.87 yen. The euro inched up to $1.1364 from $1.1351.
Time Magazine
an hour ago
- Time Magazine
Pete Hegseth Talked a Big Game to Indo-Pacific Allies—but Trump Mistrust Runs Deep
Against the backdrop of U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance's jaw-dropping polemic against European democracies at February's Munich Security Conference, this was a welcome return to sense, if not sanity. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a powerful though measured speech at Singapore's IISS Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday, pointedly calling out 'Communist China' for its 'massive military build-up, … grey zone tactics, and hybrid warfare,' while also hailing the strength and importance of America's regional alliances and using the word 'peace' 27 times. 'President Trump is a leader of peace, a man of peace, a force for peace,' Hegseth told the scores of Asia-Pacific defense and military chiefs crammed into the ballroom at Singapore's Shangri-La Hotel. 'And together, we will achieve that peace through strength.' Hegseth repeatedly called the Indo-Pacific 'our priority theater' and, in a marked departure from Vance, actually praised European nations for hiking defense spending as an example that their Asian counterparts should emulate. 'It was quite surprising that he used Europe as a reference in terms of GDP [defense] spending,' Micael Johansson, president and CEO of the Swedish arms manufacturer Saab, told TIME. 'But it was a good speech and more collaborative than I had expected.' As Hegseth described it, American defense policy was now that Europe's security would be left to Europeans, while the U.S. was focusing its rebuilt military might—augmented by a $1 trillion defense spend next year, a 13% year-on-year rise—on the Indo-Pacific. This would focus on boosting America's forward force deployment, helping allies and partners strengthen their security capabilities, and rebuilding defense industrial bases including within friendly nations. 'A strong, resolute, and capable network of allies and partners is our key strategic advantage,' said Hegseth. Hegseth also unleashed several broadsides against China, accusing strongman President Xi Jinping of having 'ordered his military to be capable of invading Taiwan by 2027,' with the former Fox News anchor warning that an assault on the self-ruling island—which politically split from the mainland following China's 1945–49 civil war—'could be imminent.' These remarks drew the inevitable rebuke from Beijing, which issued a statement saying Hegseth 'vilified China with defamatory allegations' that were 'filled with provocations and intended to sow discord.' Beijing also warned that Washington 'must never play with fire on [the Taiwan] question,' which is 'entirely China's internal affair.' Notably, China's defense minister stayed away from the annual security summit for the first time since 2019. Admiral Dong Jun was rumored to have been under a corruption investigation amid a sweeping purge of high-ranking PLA officers, though latest reports suggest that he's been cleared. The Chinese delegation that did attend treated Hegseth's accusations with scorn. 'He used a very strong, harsh tone, which surprised me a little, and it's unconstructive and hypocritical,' says Prof. Da Wei, director of the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS) at Beijing's Tsinghua University. 'Because the U.S. is imposing high tariffs on regional countries, so how can you expect them to partner with you against another economic power?' Indeed, Trump's internecine global trade war was the glaring elephant in the room. Asked about the 'reciprocal tariffs' imposed in April, Hegseth joked: 'I am happily in the business of tanks, not trade, and I will leave that discussion to the man who knows how to do it best.' Which was the ultimate takeaway for the brass hats present. Hegseth's statement of commitment to the region and working with allies was broadly welcomed but hedged by the chaotic approach of the guy he reports to. Indeed, Hegseth showed his hand when he admitted: 'My job is to create and maintain decision space for President Trump, not to purport to make decisions on his behalf.' Delegates in Singapore were only too aware that today, more than during any other U.S. administration, power rests with just one man, whose constant policy flip-flops— embarrassing Zelensky before lambasting Putin; ripping up one Iranian nuclear deal before seeking another; hiking and pausing tariffs—have conjured a bevy of TACO, 'or Trump always chickens out,' memes as well as the impression that American words have never been cheaper. 'I'm quite sure it's just talk,' one European delegate said of Hegseth's speech. A Bangladeshi military officer agreed: 'It still feels like Trump is a more inward-looking than global President.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Could Trump pardon Diddy and end his trial?
Sean "Diddy" Combs is being tried in a New York courtroom for racketeering and sexual trafficking. Could that daily drama vanish instantly if President Donald Trump pardoned the embattled rapper? "Yes, it could," says Brian Kalt, law professor at Michigan State University College of Law, who focuses on legal issues and the presidency. According to Kalt, Trump — who appears to be in the middle of a pardoning spree — would be within his presidential rights to extend a preemptive pardon to fellow New Yorker Combs, who has been described by witnesses so far as violent and abusive. "These are federal charges (against Combs), so that's the main limit. The matter has be federal, it has to be criminal vs. civil, and related to something that's already been done," says Kalt. "But the person doesn't have to even be charged yet, or convicted. The Supreme Court has said preemptive pardons are OK." Trump weighed in on the possibility Friday, May 30, in the Oval Office. "Nobody's asked" about a pardon, the president said. "But I know people are thinking about it. I know they're thinking about it. I think some people have been very close to asking." Trump added, "I haven't spoken to him in years. He really liked me a lot." 'Nobody's asked': President Trump doesn't rule out pardoning Sean 'Diddy' Combs Typically, one of the last gestures from an outgoing president is a pardon. In President Joe Biden's final days in office, he famously pardoned his son, Hunter, convicted of federal gun felonies and federal tax charges. At the end of Trump's first term, he granted clemency to political allies such as Roger Stone, found guilty of obstructing a congressional investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and related offenses. But pardons can take place during a president's term, says Kalt. The right was established in Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the Constitution, which among other things gives the president "power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment." Kalt says the power to pardon is derived from the British monarch's historic right and stems from a recognition that criminal law was often too harsh, and it was important to have a safety valve. "The president was the best person to be that safety valve because of his political accountability," he says. But that's where things get murky, he adds, noting that Republican lawmakers "don't appear willing to hold the president accountable" for granting pardons, meaning they aren't costing him in terms of political capital. In contrast, President Gerald Ford's controversial pardoning of disgraced President Richard Nixon was perceived so negatively "that it probably cost Ford re-election in 1976," Kalt says. In just over 100 days since taking office, Trump has issued pardons to a broad range of personalities. They include Todd and Julie Chrisley, stars of the reality show "Chrisley Knows Best," who were convicted in 2022 of swindling $36 million from Atlanta banks and being tax evaders, and rapper NBA YoungBoy, who in 2024 was sentenced to two years in prison for weapons possession. He also pardoned former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, convicted of wire fraud and extortion, and Jan. 6 participant and "Bob's Burgers" actor Jay Johnston. The reason many presidents issue pardons at the end of their terms is precisely to avoid political fallout, says Kalt. In that sense, Trump's brash approach suggests he has no concerns about such ramifications. "I don't agree with these pardons on their merits, but the fact that he did them when he is politically accountable as opposed to slinking out the door does add some legitimacy to them in that sense," he says. "With pardons, you don't need Congress, you wave your magic wand and it happens. You can see the appeal for a president, particularly one like Trump." One can also see the appeal for those such as Combs, whose ordeal could end instantly should Trump's pardon "wand" wave his way. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Trump pardon Diddy? Trial could end, experts say
