ANALYSIS: From a skewed Tuesday in Helsinki to a strong Tuesday in Copenhagen

**ANALYSIS:** From a skewed Tuesday in Helsinki to a strong Tuesday in Copenhagen

President Zelensky has repeatedly mentioned his close relationship with "Mette" and thanked Denmark. Now he is back. This time in a completely decisive situation for Ukraine – and with Denmark's Prime Minister playing an important role once again.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is hosting a meeting on military support for Ukraine and security in Europe. Here she receives Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky at Christiansborg. (Photo: © Mads Claus Rasmussen, Ritzau Scanpix)

Jens Ringberg ( [email protected] )

Political analyst

7 minutes ago

Denmark's Prime Minister is among the European leaders who have engaged most strongly in Ukraine's defense against Russia's war of aggression and continued attacks on Ukraine. She has played a very visible role. Just as Denmark has played a major role in the form of donations to Ukraine.

Mette Frederiksen's role can be illustrated with three scenes, for example. One from Jutland. One from a prestigious palace in Paris. And finally one from Finland, which provoked harsh criticism of Mette Frederiksen.

All three lead up to today's meeting in Copenhagen, where Mette Frederiksen receives both her now close friend Volodymyr Zelensky and her Nordic colleagues.

Mette Frederiksen and Volodymyr Zelensky sit together in one of the 19 F-16 aircraft that Denmark is donating to Ukraine at a time when fighter jets are one of the things Ukraine needs most.

Zelensky expresses great gratitude to the Danish people. And Mette Frederiksen is a hero, it is said.

France's President Emmanuel Macron has called an extraordinary meeting. The main purpose is to discuss how the international community could strengthen the flow of donations to Ukraine.

Mette Frederiksen is present. Not only on behalf of Denmark, but as a representative of both the Nordic and Baltic countries. So in an important leading role at the center of events, as a representative of a group of countries. Mette Frederiksen has played a similar role on similar occasions – but so have other European leaders, among them Finland's President Stubb.

Mette Frederiksen is at a meeting in the Nordic Council, but things have happened in the period leading up to her trip to Helsinki and her interview with the Danish journalists present. None of these things make Mette Frederiksen happy.

First, there was a controversial meeting in Oslo. Here, representatives of Norway and Finland held a meeting with representatives of US President Donald Trump, including the special envoy, the money man, Steve Witkoff. The next day, Witkoff travels on to Moscow, where he praises Vladimir Putin as a great humanitarian figure.

And worse still, from Mette Frederiksen's point of view: The Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and the Finnish President Alexander Stubb, as a kind of extension of the Oslo meeting, held an hour-long conversation with Russia's President. And that drew harsh words from Denmark's Prime Minister – who had not been consulted.

"I think one should keep Europe together instead of going solo," the Prime Minister said.

That prompted a Norwegian newspaper to tell Mette Frederiksen to shut up, and Danish critics to note that Mette Frederiksen had now cut herself off from getting an international top post. The critics also noted that Zelensky did not agree with Mette Frederiksen's criticism.

Others have pointed out that Mette Frederiksen was far from the only one irritated by the Norwegian-Finnish initiative. That reaction could be found in several capitals. Mette Frederiksen was just the only one who let herself get carried away – and in front of a bunch of microphones.

So... a skewed Tuesday in Helsinki two weeks ago. But in politics, life always goes on. Mette Frederiksen has since been in contact with her two colleagues – and invited them to Copenhagen.

Thus, Mette Frederiksen can once again take on the host role for the Ukrainian president, with whom she has built a very close personal relationship – especially after the F-16 handover in Skrydstrup. So close that it also includes Zelensky's and Frederiksen's spouses.

And she can at the same time host yet another international meeting on Ukraine – this time at an unusually decisive point in the war. Where Russia, the USA, and Ukraine meet at the negotiating table in Abu Dhabi. And where the EU countries later in the week meet for an informal summit in Dublin – also with Ukraine on the agenda.

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