France and Germany have called for “complete openness and clarification” from the United States and Denmark following new reports that the Danish secret service aided the National Security Agency in monitoring German politicians between 2012-2014.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has issued a stern rebuke of US intelligence practices after Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel demanded answers about reports that Washington used Danish intelligence to monitor its allied leaders.
The timing of the media revelation of US spying activities in several European countries could not have been worse for Joe Biden. It has come less than two weeks before he is scheduled to embark on his first European tour as US president, and after he has been making painstaking efforts to repair transatlantic relations, which were severely damaged by his predecessor.