Viggo Mortensen declares his support for Ukraine: Lord Of The Rings star, 65, slams 'Russian aggression' during red carpet interview for his new western film 'The Dead Don't Hurt'

Actor Viggo Mortensen declared his support for Ukraine and slammed 'Russian aggression' during red carpet interviews for his new Western film.

The Lord of The Rings star arrived at the Glasgow Film Festival wearing the Ukrainian trident symbol, the country's coat of arms, on his shirt.

The 65-year-old said: 'We support them against Russian aggression, against people who condone it. In Russia , but especially outside of Russia.'

In the US, Republicans have sought to block military aid to Ukraine in a recent partisan clash with Democrats in Congress over immigration.

However, Mortensen would not be drawn further on what leaders in the West should be doing to support the eastern European country. 

The American has a history of being politically outspoken, having regularly criticised former president Donald Trump whilst he was in office. 

Viggo Mortensen arrived at the Glasgow Film Festival wearing the Ukrainian trident symbol, the country's coat of arms, on his shirt

 In the US, Republicans have sought to block military aid to Ukraine in a partisan clash with Democrats in Congress over immigration (Pictured: A factory partially destroyed in the outskirts of Toretsk, Ukraine) 

The Lord of The Rings star would not be drawn further on what leaders in the West should be doing to support Ukraine 

Ahead of the 2020 election, Mortensen told Variety: 'If he [Trump] does win somehow, I don’t know if the United States will ever get itself back on track.

'It will do quantitatively much more damage than he’s done in the last four years, not just to the United States and the environment, but to the rest of the world.'

He also gave his vocal support for US senator Bernie Sanders to be the Democrat candidate during the 2016 election.

However, once Hillary Clinton was selected, Mortensen said he would back US Green Party's Dr Jill Stein instead because he believed Mrs Clinton was 'simply dishonest'.

Mortensen was in the Scottish capital to promote his new picture The Dead Don't Hurt - in which he is a director, producer, on-screen star and composer.

He said much of the film was composed and recorded before they started shooting, saying: 'It helps me find the rhythm and know how long the scene should last in some cases, and what the mood we hope to get across is.'

The film has been 'years of work', Mortensen said, saying he had grown up around Westerns and horse riding.

'Most Westerns are predictable and naive, but every once in a while there's a really good story,' he said.

Those watching closely will notice a prop which appeared in the trilogy which led to international fame for the US actor.

Mortensen was in the Scottish capital to promote his new picture The Dead Don't Hurt with his co-star Solly McLeod

At one point a dream sequence shows a medieval knight holding a sword - it is Anduril, the reforged weapon wielded by Mortensen's character Aragorn in The Lord Of The Rings.

Mortensen said he asked permission for the blade to reappear on the big screen, saying: 'I couldn't think of a better sword than that one.

'So I asked Peter Jackson and the film company that made The Lord Of The Rings if I could have permission

'He said 'What are you doing with it, how important (is it?)'

'I said you'll be lucky if you even notice it, which is true.'

He said his mother's side of his family had links to Scotland and he was happy to be in Glasgow.

At the film festival, Mortensen was presented with the festival's inaugural Cinema City Honorary Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to cinema.