Denmark's Queen Margrethe II has always been a bit unconventional - for example when it comes to her penchant for art or her cigarette consumption. But she really loses her composure when it comes to Vladimir Putin. She has nothing good to say about meetings with him.
Denmark's Queen Margrethe II revealed in an interview about her encounters with Russian President Vladimir Putin. At the meetings, she got anything but a good picture of the Kremlin boss, she explains in an interview with the Danish weekly Weekendavisen. At that time she thought that he was not a pleasant person, the 82-year-old monarch recalls. "I have never seen such cold eyes in my life," she becomes extremely clear.
Margrethe has been on the throne of the Kingdom of Denmark for over 51 years. During this time she has met dozens of heads of state and government. Putin met her in 2011 during a state visit to Russia - at the time he was Russian Prime Minister under President Dmitry Medvedev. In 2014, she met Putin again in connection with a commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy in World War II. By this time he had resumed the presidency.
She follows the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine daily through newspaper reports, reports Margrethe in the detailed and generally very open interview. She is also impressed by the resilience of the Ukrainians. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy describes her as "the right man at the right time".
The Queen also praised Europe's response, including the delivery of Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine. "Putin thought he could tear the whole of Europe apart, but he made us stand together," says Margrethe.
The Danish monarch is known for her sometimes unconventional style. In the past, she caused a stir with her heavy cigarette consumption as well as with her passion for art and design. She herself designed various postage stamps and illustrated various books, including the Danish edition of "The Lord of the Rings". Most recently, she made headlines with her plan to streamline the royal family and strip the children of her second son of the prince titles.
