At a tense gathering of European leaders in Copenhagen, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen urged the continent to arm itself and prepare for what she described as Russia’s ongoing hybrid war against Europe.
Her warning came after a spate of drone incidents near Danish airports and military bases rattled public confidence and heightened concerns over Moscow’s attempts to test NATO’s defences.
Frederiksen, who has been one of the most vocal European leaders on security in recent months, declared that Europe was facing the most dangerous moment since the end of the Second World War.
She insisted that only a stronger, more united military and technological response could prevent further provocations. “I hope that everybody recognises now that there is a hybrid war and one day it’s Poland, the other day it’s Denmark, and next week it will probably be somewhere else that we see sabotage or drones flying,” she told reporters, making clear that she sees a pattern in Russia’s activities designed to destabilise the continent.
Her call for immediate rearmament, including more investment in drone technology and innovation, was echoed by some leaders but met with caution by others who feared that a hardened posture could spiral into direct confrontation with Moscow.
French President Emmanuel Macron urged caution, stating that while Europe must remain strong and capable of deterrence, it must also avoid falling into a tit-for-tat cycle that might give Russia precisely the escalation it appears to seek.
“We all have to be very cautious because we are in a time of confrontation with a lot of hybridity,” Macron said. “This is why we have to be strong to deter any aggressions, but we have to remain very cautious and avoid any escalation.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni struck a similar note, emphasising that Europe should equip itself for defence but avoid overreacting to provocations that might entrap it in a cycle of escalation. “Despite everything, I think we have to think calmly. I think we shouldn’t respond to provocations. We have to equip ourselves; that certainly is true,” she said.
The Copenhagen summit unfolded against the backdrop of an increasingly unpredictable pattern of Russian behaviour. Over the past week, Danish authorities reported a wave of unidentified drones over key infrastructure, including airports and military installations, forcing the temporary closure of Copenhagen’s main airport.
In response, a special radar system was installed to track potential incursions, and European partners, including France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, deployed aircraft, ships, and air defence systems to bolster Denmark’s security.
Frederiksen left little doubt about who she believed was responsible, stating bluntly: “There is only one country that is willing to threaten us, and it is Russia, and therefore we need a very strong answer back.”
Her framing of the challenge as part of a broader hybrid war aligns with long-standing assessments by European intelligence agencies, which have accused Russia of deploying a mix of conventional aggression, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and covert sabotage to weaken Western resolve.
Hybrid warfare, a term increasingly used in European policy circles, captures the complexity of Moscow’s playbook. Unlike traditional military campaigns, hybrid strategies blend military force with covert and non-military tools, from manipulating elections through cyberattacks to orchestrating disinformation campaigns designed to polarise European societies.
Macron highlighted Russia’s use of cyberattacks in elections, its nuclear threats, and recent airspace violations as evidence of this multifaceted approach.
European leaders have also been alarmed by allegations that Russia is using a shadow fleet of oil tankers to evade Western sanctions, with some vessels suspected of being linked to drone activities over northern Europe.
Macron this week accused one such tanker off the French coast of “very serious wrongdoings” and suggested its operations were connected to Russian covert efforts in the Baltic and North Seas.
The question dividing EU leaders is not whether Russia poses a threat but how to calibrate the response. Poland and Romania have already acted decisively, shooting down Russian drones that breached their airspace last month.
Macron has suggested that NATO may eventually have to escalate its deterrence by considering measures such as downing Russian fighter jets if they continue to violate European skies. “In accordance with the doctrine of strategic ambiguity, I can tell you that nothing is ruled out,” he said in a recent interview.
For Frederiksen, this is precisely the time to move beyond rhetoric. Her argument is that hesitation emboldens Moscow, and that Europe must both scale up its defences and innovate technologically to match Russia’s evolving tactics.
Still, others believe Europe risks overestimating Russia’s capacity to sustain prolonged or expanded conflict. While Russia has shown resilience despite sanctions, some defence analysts argue that its military, stretched by the ongoing war in Ukraine, is in no position to open a second front against NATO.
These analysts caution that attributing every drone incident or covert activity to Russia risks inflating its power and feeding its narrative of dominance. Yet the uncertainty over Moscow’s intentions is precisely what fuels the divisions within Europe.
While some leaders advocate preparing for the worst, others urge restraint, pointing to the possibility that Russia is engaging in psychological warfare designed to provoke exactly this kind of overreaction.
The summit also reflected Europe’s growing anxiety about its security independence in light of shifting U.S. policy under President Donald Trump. Since returning to office, Trump has repeatedly questioned America’s long-term commitment to NATO, raising doubts about the reliability of Washington’s security guarantees.
Many European leaders now believe that Moscow is deliberately testing the alliance, sensing an opportunity to exploit transatlantic uncertainty. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Western intelligence services estimated that Moscow could mount an attack elsewhere in Europe within three to five years.
Frederiksen’s statement that Europe is now in the “most dangerous situation since the end of the Second World War” resonates with this earlier warning and reflects fears that the window of relative security may be closing.
The Copenhagen summit was not limited to security concerns alone. European business leaders also presented a joint declaration calling for reforms to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness, emphasising that economic resilience is integral to strategic resilience.
But the dominant theme remained security. The imagery of European warplanes and ships stationed in Denmark underscored the sense that the continent is bracing for a new phase of confrontation.
Some participants pointed to the precedent of Russian interference in Moldova’s elections last month as another example of hybrid tactics. Others recalled Russia’s past sabotage campaigns, including mysterious explosions at undersea pipelines, as evidence that Moscow’s toolkit extends well beyond drones.
For ordinary Europeans, the sudden disruption of airports and fear of aerial incursions brought the reality of geopolitical tension into daily life.
The sight of airfields being closed and military radars installed on civilian infrastructure has left many Danes unsettled, reinforcing Frederiksen’s message that Europe must wake up to the scale of the threat.
Yet the contrasting tones of Macron and Meloni highlight the difficulty of forging a united response. If Europe arms too aggressively, it risks escalation. If it hesitates, it risks emboldening Moscow.
The balance between deterrence and restraint remains delicate, and the outcome of this debate will shape the continent’s security posture for years to come.
The events in Copenhagen illustrate a Europe caught between urgency and caution, between the need to protect itself and the fear of sparking a wider confrontation.
The drone incidents may be small compared to the full-scale war raging in Ukraine, but they symbolise a broader strategic contest in which Russia is probing the vulnerabilities of Europe’s security architecture.
Whether Europe follows Frederiksen’s call to rearm, or Macron’s advice to combine strength with caution, will depend on whether the bloc can find a consensus amid mounting pressure.
As the summit closed, what was clear is that Europe faces not just a test of military readiness, but of political unity and strategic clarity in an era of hybrid threats.
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