CPH:DOX, the world-class documentary pageant in Copenhagen, is underway – kicking off with the world premiere of a movie that might not be extra well timed.
Dealing with Conflict, directed by Tommy Gulliksen, examines the ultimate years of Jens Stoltenberg’s 10-year stretch as secretary basic of NATO as he confronted Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the prospect of Donald Trump – a tepid supporter of NATO at finest – returning to the White Home. Stoltenberg attended the premiere together with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, a sign of the significance of the event.
NATO Secretary Common Jens Stoltenberg (proper) speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in ‘Dealing with Conflict’
CPH:DOX
Stoltenberg, who left his put up as secretary basic final October, is seeing all he labored for — to strengthen the North Atlantic Treaty Group within the face of an expansionist Russia — unravel below the Trump administration. The premiere occurred amid stories the administration is contemplating surrendering a distinction the U.S. has held for your entire 75-year historical past of NATO – that of appointing a four-star American basic as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander in Europe (the primary to occupy that put up was Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower). At a Q&A with Stoltenberg and PM Frederiksen, the previous secretary basic was requested about these stories.
“I don’t know whether or not these rumors or these stories are appropriate or not, however I believe we have to ready for the chance that the USA could scale back [its] presence in Europe,” Stoltenberg responded. “That was one thing truly President Trump introduced the final time he was president and it’s a part of the message on burden sharing — the Individuals really feel that the Europeans are doing too little and that they’re doing an excessive amount of in the price of defending Europe.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg throughout a press convention on the 2024 NATO Summit on July 11, 2024 in Washington, DC
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Photographs
The movie exhibits Stoltenberg’s constant and robust advocacy for Ukraine because it has handled a conflict of annihilation by which Russia has made concentrating on of civilians a key function of its conflict plan. As secretary basic he marshalled assist for the embattled nation and indicated backing for Ukraine’s bid to turn into a member of NATO. However simply final month, U.S. Secretary of Protection Pete Hegseth dominated out providing NATO membership to Ukraine.
Journalist Adam Holm, who moderated the Q&A, requested Stoltenberg about that important concern.
L-R former NATO Secretary Common Jens Stoltenberg, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, moderator Adam Holm
Courtesy of Francesco Martello
“We had been nearer to membership [for Ukraine] a 12 months or two in the past than we at the moment are and that’s as a result of it’s so clearly acknowledged, particularly from the USA, that that’s not one thing that they are going to assist,” Stoltenberg mentioned. “However I can’t speculate about how, as I say, lengthy into the longer term it’ll be earlier than we are able to get Ukraine in. However I’ll say that at some stage now we have to do what truly was alluded to within the movie — that we have to present Ukraine with some sort of safety, and the final word and the strongest safety we are able to present Ukraine is NATO membership. So I believe that the best way truly to finish the conflict in a secure and simply approach is to really enable Ukraine into NATO. Within the meantime, we have to discover one thing else and that’s to arm Ukrainians to allow them to defend themselves as a lot as attainable.”
President Donald Trump lectures Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky within the Oval Workplace on February 28, 2025
Andrew Harnik/Getty Photographs
To basic astonishment, Pres. Trump in February blamed Ukraine for its personal invasion. And on February 28, the president attacked Ukrainian President Zelenskyy whereas sitting down with him for an Oval Workplace photograph op and later threw him out of the White Home. Trump, his Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Protection Secretary Hegseth have all pressed Ukraine to surrender territory in alternate for peace – a place that has been extensively criticized as adopting Kremlin speaking factors.
Prime Minister Frederiksen might hardly have articulated a place on Ukraine and Russia extra diametrically against Trump’s.
“We’ve got to be very clear that this conflict has by no means been about Ukraine. It’s the largest mistake that some have placed on the desk, that that is about Ukraine. This can be a conflict about Russia,” the prime minister advised the viewers on the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen. “Sadly, it’s a conflict a couple of Russia with imperial desires and a willingness of killing individuals on their solution to obtain the Russian targets on constructing a giant empire once more.”
Frederiksen added, “We’ve got to confess that those that are preventing for all of us right this moment — all of the Europeans and really all individuals across the globe believing in democracy and freedom, our values — they’re struggling, they’re preventing and so they’re dying for us. The least factor we are able to do is to make sure that they can defend themselves… We’ve got to take away all purple strains to make sure that Ukraine can truly push the Russians again. However I’ve to say that I imagine that if we enable Russia to take Ukraine, they’re going to proceed, they are going to proceed in Ukraine and they’re going to proceed some other place in Europe. And that’s why it is a very, very basic query of will we enable an autocrat within the Kremlin to take selections in democratic nations? Sure or no? And there can solely be one reply to that query: After all, completely, no.”
On Tuesday, Pres. Trump spoke by cellphone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, securing a promise from Putin to quickly cease assaults on Ukrainian vitality services.
“Virtually instantly after hanging up, the Russians have been sending missiles and drones and so they have been attacking Ukraine all night time lengthy,” Frederiksen mentioned. “That’s the results of the cellphone name [Tuesday]. So, we have to see some modifications in Russia, and we’d like to have the ability to imagine that Russia truly desires peace.”
The PM continued, “I perceive why everyone is considering that peace sounds higher than conflict — and there’s nothing that we would like greater than peace in Ukraine. However a peace made on the premise of Russia and never Ukraine will be extra harmful not solely to Ukraine however to all of us. So, subsequently, it needs to be a peace that we are able to imagine in, simply peace, dependable peace, and peace that, in fact, respects a few of the very, very, very existential values within the trendy world of sovereignty, territorial integrity and respect for the worldwide identified borders. And that’s not the place we’re for the time being.”
A Q&A following the world premiere of ‘Dealing with Conflict’ at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen, March 19, 2025
Matthew Carey
The moderator concluded by asking Stoltenberg concerning the “diplomatic key to unlock Putin’s iron stand.”
“It’s energy,” Stoltenberg answered. “And this concept that both you might be in favor of diplomacy otherwise you’re in favor of navy capabilities — you want navy capabilities with the intention to conduct significant diplomacy. It’s not both or.”
Stoltenberg, who served as Norway’s prime minister from 2005-2013, mentioned it could be a mistake to strike an settlement that might see Russia hold its territorial features in Japanese Ukraine.
“That won’t deliver peace. That’s occupation,” Stoltenberg reasoned. “The problem will not be truly to finish the conflict, the problem is to finish the conflict in a approach the place Ukraine stays as a sovereign, impartial nation. And the one solution to get there may be to persuade President Putin that he is not going to win on the battlefield, he is not going to get what he desires on the battlefield in Ukraine. And the one solution to get there may be to arm the Ukrainians. So, the trail to peace is weapons to Ukraine. That’s the message. That’s the rationale why this movie is vital.”
Dealing with Conflict is nominated for CPH:DOX’s predominant prize, the DOX:AWARD, “recognizing the very best and most vital new documentaries.” It screens once more tonight on the Dagmar Teatret and quite a few different occasions all the best way to the pageant’s closing day on March 30.
