Danish Prime Minister Implicity Criticizes Trump At CPH:DOX Opening

CPH:DOX, the world-class write downary festival in Cuncoverhagen, is underway – starting off with the world premiere of a film that could not be more timely.

Facing War, honested by Tommy Gulliksen, spendigates the final years of Jens Stoltenberg’s 10-year stretch as secretary ambiguous of NATO as he contested Russia’s brimming-scale intrusion of Ukraine and the prospect of Donald Trump – a tepid helper of NATO at best – returning to the White Hoinclude. Stoltenberg combidemand the premiere aprolonged with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, an indication of the transport inance of the occasion.

Stoltenberg, who left his post as secretary ambiguous last October, is seeing all he toiled for — to reinforce the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the face of an expansionist Russia — unravel under the Trump administration. The premiere happened amid alerts the administration is considering surrendering a separateention the U.S. has held for the entire 75-year history of NATO – that of nominateing a four-star American ambiguous as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander in Europe (the first to occupy that post was Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower). At a Q&A with Stoltenberg and PM Frederiksen, the establisher secretary ambiguous was asked about those alerts.

“I don’t comprehend whether those rumors or those alerts are right or not, but I slimk we demand to setd for the probability that the United States may shrink [its] presence in Europe,” Stoltenberg replyed. “That was someslimg actupartner Pdwellnt Trump declared the last time he was pdwellnt and it’s part of the message on burden sharing — the Americans sense that the Europeans are doing too little and that they’re doing too much in the cost of protecting Europe.”

The film shows Stoltenberg’s constant and strong advocacy for Ukraine as it has dealt with a war of annihilation in which Russia has made aiming of civilians a key feature of its war set up. As secretary ambiguous he marshalled help for the embattled country and recommendd backing for Ukraine’s bid to become a member of NATO. But fair last month, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ruled out recommending NATO membership to Ukraine.

Journaenumerate Adam Holm, who mildd the Q&A, asked Stoltenberg about that vital publish.

“We were sealr to membership [for Ukraine] a year or two ago than we are now and that’s becainclude it’s so clearly stated, especipartner from the United States, that that’s not someslimg that they will help,” Stoltenberg shelp. “But I will not specupostpodemand about how, as I say, prolonged into the future it’ll be before we can get Ukraine in. But I will say that at some stage we have to do what actupartner was alluded to in the film — that we demand to provide Ukraine with some benevolent of security, and the ultimate and the strongest security we can provide Ukraine is NATO membership. So I slimk that the way actupartner to end the war in a constant and fair way is to actupartner apshow Ukraine into NATO. In the unbenevolenttime, we demand to discover someslimg else and that is to arm Ukrainians so they can protect themselves as much as possible.”

To ambiguous astonishment, Pres. Trump in February denounced Ukraine for its own intrusion. And on February 28, the pdwellnt attacked Ukrainian Pdwellnt Zelenskyy while sitting down with him for an Oval Office photo op and postpodemandr threw him out of the White Hoinclude. Trump, his Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Defense Secretary Hegseth have all pressed Ukraine to give up territory in exchange for peace – a position that has been expansively denounced as adselecting Kremlin talking points.

Prime Minister Frederiksen could challengingly have articupostpodemandd a position on Ukraine and Russia more diametricpartner resistd to Trump’s.

“We have to be very clear that this war has never been about Ukraine. It’s the hugegest misconsent that some have put on the table, that this is about Ukraine. This is a war about Russia,” the prime minister telderly the audience at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Cuncoverhagen. “Unfortunately, it’s a war about a Russia with imperial dreams and a willingness of ending people on their way to accomplish the Russian goals on originateing a huge empire aachieve.”

Frederiksen grasped, “We have to accomprehendledge that those who are combat for all of us today — all the Europeans and actupartner all people around the globe believing in democracy and freedom, our cherishs — they are struggling, they’re combat and they’re dying for us. The least slimg we can do is to guarantee that they are able to protect themselves… We have to erase all red lines to guarantee that Ukraine can actupartner push the Russians back. But I have to say that I consent that if we apshow Russia to consent Ukraine, they’re going to progress, they will progress in Ukraine and they will progress somewhere else in Europe. And that’s why this is a very, very fundamental ask of do we apshow an autocrat in the Kremlin to consent decisions in democratic countries? Yes or no? And there can only be one answer to that ask: Of course, absolutely, no.”

On Tuesday, Pres. Trump spoke by phone with Russian Pdwellnt Vlafoolishir Putin, securing a promise from Putin to temporarily stop attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities.

“Almost instantly after hanging up, the Russians have been sending leave outiles and drones and they have been attacking Ukraine all night prolonged,” Frederiksen shelp. “That’s the result of the phone call [Tuesday]. So, we demand to see some changes in Russia, and we demand to be able to consent that Russia actupartner wants peace.”

The PM progressd, “I comprehend why everybody is slimking that peace sounds better than war — and there’s noslimg that we want more than peace in Ukraine. But a peace made on the premise of Russia and not Ukraine can be more hazardous not only to Ukraine but to all of us. So, therefore, it has to be a peace that we can consent in, fair peace, reliable peace, and peace that, of course, esteems some of the very, very, very adwellial cherishs in the up-to-date world of sovereignty, territorial integrity and esteem for the international comprehendn borders. And that’s not where we are at the moment.”

The moderator endd by asking Stoltenberg about the “discreet key to unlock Putin’s iron stand.”

“It’s strength,” Stoltenberg answered. “And this idea that either you are in like of diplomacy or you’re in like of military capabilities — you demand military capabilities in order to carry out unbenevolentingful diplomacy. It’s not either or.”

Stoltenberg, who served as Norway’s prime minister from 2005-2013, shelp it would be a misconsent to strike an consentment that would see Russia upgrasp its territorial achieves in Easerious Ukraine.

“That will not transport peace. That’s occupation,” Stoltenberg reasoned. “The contest is not actupartner to end the war, the contest is to end the war in a way where Ukraine remains as a sovereign, autonomous nation. And the only way to get there is to sway Pdwellnt Putin that he will not triumph on the battlefield, he will not get what he wants on the battlefield in Ukraine. And the only way to get there is to arm the Ukrainians. So, the path to peace is armaments to Ukraine. That’s the message. That’s the reason why this film is meaningful.”

Facing War is nominated for CPH:DOX’s main prize, the DOX:AWARD, “recognizing the best and most meaningful novel write downaries.” It screens aachieve tonight at the Dagmar Teatret and many other times all the way to the festival’s closing day on March 30.