Denmark accuses Russia of Greenland disinformation campaign
US President Donald Trump has expressed his ambitions to control Greenland, insisting Washington needs control of it for security reasons. PHOTO: AFP
COPENHAGEN - Danish intelligence on April 25 accused Russia of being behind a disinformation campaign which falsely claimed that a Danish lawmaker was seeking Russian aid to prevent the US from annexing Greenland.
Social media posts circulated in January claimed that the Danish member of parliament Karsten Honge wanted to prevent Denmark's autonomous territory of Greenland from breaking free from Denmark and said his country should ask Russia for help.
The posts included a doctored image showing a Facebook post by Mr Honge, which the politician quickly denounced as 'fake news' in a post to X.
The Danish Defence Intelligence Service (FE) said on April 25 that in their assessment Russia was behind the campaign.
'The fake post originally came from an influencer who has previously promoted Russia's agenda in Ukraine,' FE said.
Fake social media posts claimed that lawmaker Karsten Honge had called for Russian help to stop the US annexing Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.
PHOTO: X
It added that it had received information from the French anti-disinformation authority, Viginum, that the influencer 'is part of an influence network acting on behalf of the Russian state.'
FE said the campaign 'should be viewed as part of the ongoing influence operation in which Russia is trying to create a rift in the transatlantic relationship and undermine Western support for Ukraine.'
It added that it was less likely that the campaign was intended to affect the outcome of the Greenlandic election held in March.
US President Donald Trump has expressed his ambitions to control Greenland, insisting Washington needs control of it for security reasons.
He has refused to rule out the use of force to secure the Arctic island, straining relations between Washington and Copenhagen. AFP
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
34 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Putin cautions Germany over any Taurus missile supplies to Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with President of the New Development Bank Dilma Rousseff on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) at the Constantine Palace in Strelna in the suburb of Saint Petersburg, Russia June 18, 2025. Sputnik/Alexei Danichev/Pool via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. ST PETERSBURG, Russia - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday cautioned Germany that Moscow would consider it to be directly involved in the war in Ukraine if Berlin supplied Kyiv with Taurus cruise missiles, but said he was ready to speak to Chancellor Friedrich Merz. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said earlier this month that Germany is not considering delivering Taurus cruise missiles, which have a range in excess of 300 miles (480 km), to Ukraine despite Kyiv's repeated requests. Putin said that to fire the Taurus missiles, Ukraine would need Western satellite intelligence and German officers to take care of targeting which, if they were fired at Russia, would mean German officers striking Russian territory. "What is this, if not the involvement of the Federal Republic in a direct armed conflict with the Russian Federation? It can't be called anything else," Putin told senior news agency editors in the northern Russian city of St Petersburg. Putin added that even if Germany did supply the missiles, it would have no impact on the ultimate course of the war, adding that Russian troops were advancing in all directions. Asked if he was willing to speak to Merz, Putin, a fluent German speaker who served as a KGB spy in former East Germany, said he was ready to. "If the Federal Chancellor wants to call and talk, I have already said this many times - we do not refuse any contacts. And we are always open to this," Putin said. Putin added, though, that he did not consider that Germany was a neutral mediator when it came to the war in Ukraine given the presence of German tanks on the battlefield. "We consider the Federal Republic, just like many other European countries, not a neutral state, but as a party supporting Ukraine, and in some cases, perhaps, as accomplices in these hostilities," Putin said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
US moves some military assets in Middle East vulnerable to Iranian attack, officials say
US moves some military assets in Middle East vulnerable to Iranian attack, officials say WASHINGTON - The U.S. military has moved some aircraft and ships from bases in the Middle East that may be vulnerable to any potential Iranian attack, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Wednesday. The officials, who were speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the move was a part of planning to protect U.S. forces. They declined to say how many aircraft or ships had been moved and where they would be going. One of the officials said U.S. naval vessels had been moved from a port in Bahrain, where the military's 5th fleet is located, while aircraft that were not in hardened shelters had been moved from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. "It is not an uncommon practice. Force protection is the priority," the official said. Reuters was first to report this week the movement of a large number of tanker aircraft to Europe and other military assets to the Middle East, including the deployment of more fighter jets. An aircraft carrier in the Indo-Pacific is also heading to the Middle East. It comes as President Donald Trump kept the world guessing whether the U.S. will join Israel's bombardment of Iranian nuclear and missile sites, as residents of Iran's capital streamed out of the city on the sixth day of the air assault. Israel launched an air war on Friday after saying it had concluded Iran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons. Iran has conveyed to Washington that it will respond firmly to the United States if it becomes directly involved in Israel's military campaign, the Iranian ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva said on Wednesday. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Nippon Steel closes acquisition of US Steel to end 18-month saga
TOKYO – Nippon Steel closed its US$14.1 billion (S$18.1 billion) acquisition of United States Steel bringing an end to a bruising takeover battle that was embroiled in American politics for months until finally gaining support from US President Donald Trump. The transaction closes exactly 18 months after the two steelmakers first announced their surprising tie-up, a timeline veteran traders called one of the most unique they've ever witnessed. The controversial deal weathered two presidential administrations, union opposition, an expensive lobbying campaign and two US security panel reviews. 'This has been an unprecedented situation that got completely politicised – the fact that the union was so vocal, but presidential candidates too? That's never happened before,' said Wolfe Research analyst Timna Tanners, who has covered the industry for two decades. 'Steel was the discussion at people's kitchen tables, which probably hasn't happened for a while, but in the end, it happened exactly how it should have.' Nippon Steel's US$55-a-share acquisition creates the world's second-largest steelmaker and turns the combined entity into a formidable competitor within the American steel industry. The companies struck a conditional deal with the Trump administration on June 13 that saw the Japanese steelmaker agree to invest an additional US$11 billion in the Pittsburgh-based producer, giving them the green light to close a transaction first announced in mid-December 2023. The biggest winners may have been US Steel investors who held onto their stock through the roller-coaster ride that saw shares sink as low as US$26.92 at one point – less than half Nippon Steel's offer. One top investor was Florida-based hedge fund Pentwater Capital Management, which held more than US$1 billion in stock. 'I'm wearing my US Steel shirt today,' Pentwater Capital's founder, Mr Matthew Halbower, said in a June 18 interview. 'In the end, sanity prevailed.' Nippon Steel in the end offered enough concessions to Mr Trump that made it nearly impossible for his administration not to approve the combination. Most eye-opening were promises by the steelmakers to give the US president direct say in a number of decision-making scenarios for the American steelmaker in perpetuity. Nippon Steel and US Steel struck a National Security Agreement with the US, in which US Steel will issue a so-called golden share to the government. The golden share gives consent rights to the US president concerning reductions in capital investments, changing US Steel's name and headquarters, redomiciling outside the US, transferring jobs or production outside the US, acquisitions and decisions to close or idle existing facilities. Nippon Steel's concessions and added investments helped clinch Mr Trump's support of a takeover he opposed even before he became president. Throughout 2024's election campaign, Mr Trump had repeatedly said he was against foreign ownership of US Steel – a position he shared with then-President Joe Biden. Mr Biden blocked Nippon Steel's takeover in early January, arguing that the deal would 'place one of America's largest steel producers under foreign control and create risk for our national security and our critical supply chains'. His decision came after the case was referred to him by a US security panel review. As the two steelmakers sought last-ditch efforts to rescue their transaction, the newly elected Mr Trump started showing a willingness for the White House to revisit the transaction. On April 7, Mr Trump ordered another security review of the potential sale, directing the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to file a report within 45 days. Weeks later, Mr Trump touted a 'planned partnership' between the two companies, citing an investment and partial ownership, but under US control. Nippon Steel, with its biggest foreign purchase to date, is making a bet on a new market for its high-end specialty steel – one that is intended to help the industrial heavyweight diversify away from shrinking demand at home and to help it cope with competition from low-cost Chinese exports. Leadership of the influential United Steelworkers union, which represents workers at US Steel plants, opposed the deal from the start. USW President David McCall held significant influence over Mr Biden's decision on whether to block the deal as the then-president saw union and blue-collar votes as central to his ability to win the pivotal swing state of Pennsylvania in his re-election campaign. That power began to wane, however, after Mr Trump won the election, and rank-and-file union members voiced a highly vocal split with leadership in support of the deal. Mr Trump's administration listened to those members, including United Steelworkers Local 2227 Vice President Jason Zugai who acted as the defacto head of the faction wanting Nippon Steel's bid approved. Union leadership remains steadfast in its opposition to the transaction even after its closure, with Mr McCall highlighting the unprecedented presidential control over the company. 'It finally found acceptance by President Donald Trump, who now, through his 'golden share', has assumed a startling degree of personal power over a corporation,' Mr McCall said in a statement. 'We will continue watching, holding Nippon to its commitments.' BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
