Denmark to hold referendum on joining EU’s common defense

By JARI TANNER
Associated Press

HELSINKI (AP) — Denmark will hold a referendum in June because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on whether to join the European Union’s defense pact and scrap the Nordic country’s 30-year-old opt-out from the bloc’s common security and defense policies.  Danish Prime Prime Minister Mette Frederikssen said late Sunday that “historical times call for historical decisions.” Frederiksen told a news conference in Copenhagen that Russian President Vladimir Putin “has heralded a new time, a new reality. Ukraine’s struggle is not just Ukraine’s. We stand together in Europe.” The referendum on joining the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy will take place on June 1.