Danish People’s Party leader Morten Messerschmidt says he will be more careful about whom he agrees to show around Christiansborg. The admission follows criticism of a private tour he gave to a pro-Russian Montenegrin party leader.
Messerschmidt has backed down after criticism from several colleagues in parliament, DR News reported on Thursday. The party chairman told DR that he must be more cautious about who he says yes to guiding around Christiansborg.
The visitor was Vladislav Dajković, founder and leader of the Montenegrin party Slobodna Crna Gora, or Free Montenegro. According to DR, Dajković has made a name for himself at home as pro-Russian and opposed to the NATO defense alliance. TV 2, which broke the story on August 5, reported that the tour took place on Monday, August 4.
Dajković posted a video on Instagram showing Messerschmidt guiding him through the parliament building. At the end of the clip, the Danish People’s Party leader shakes his hand and tells him to go win.
Defense Minister Jeppe Bruus of the Social Democrats criticized both the tour and the remark in comments to TV 2. Per Bruus, Denmark is working to strengthen NATO, while Messerschmidt is wishing victory to a man who praises Russia and seeks regime change in Montenegro, a NATO member. The minister called it poor judgment.
Two other politicians voiced criticism to TV 2. SF foreign affairs spokesperson Karsten Hønge and Liberal Alliance parliamentary group chair Ole Birk Olesen both objected to the tour and the parting comment, citing Dajković’s pro-Russian and anti-NATO profile.
Messerschmidt told DR News that the visit was purely private. As reported by DR, it came about because a mutual Danish acquaintance asked whether he could show the Montenegrin politician around while Dajković was on holiday in Denmark. He said the two discussed developments in the EU, migration and NATO, and that he explained why he and most of Denmark strongly back the alliance.
The party leader said he had never met Dajković before and had never heard of him or his party. He also stated that he had not looked into Dajković’s positions at all. According to Messerschmidt, the phrase about winning was friendliness taken out of context, comparable to wishing any candidate a good campaign in Denmark.
Messerschmidt described the visit to DR as an almost tourist-style walk through his office and the parliamentary chamber, not a foreign policy summit. Asked whether he should have run a background check on a visiting political leader, he said that could well be the case. He added that he will consider more carefully in future who he acts as a guide for.
DR notes that this is not the first time Messerschmidt has faced criticism over his judgment. He was also criticized after speaking at a conference at Mar-a-Lago in Florida in January 2025.
