EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockKremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is closely monitoring the situation, after the President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, refused to withdraw the military to take Greenland from Denmark.
Peskov said the Arctic is in Russia’s “national and strategic interests and is interested in peace and stability there”.
Trump’s comments about Greenland – an independent Danish territory – drew a warning from European leaders.
EU chief Kaja Kallas stressed that “we must respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Greenland”, and Germany’s Olaf Scholz made it clear that “borders should not be moved by force”.
Trump said earlier this week that the US needs Denmark and the Panama Canal “for economic security”, and refused to issue economic or military power to take them.
He also called the border with Canada an “arbitrarily drawn line”. Denmark and Canada are both NATO allies of the US.
Dmitry Peskov said that what Trump said is a matter for the US, Denmark and other countries, but Russia is looking at the “negative” situation regarding his words. “We are present in the Arctic zone, and we will continue to be,” he said.
Outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to ease concerns about the words of the president-elect during his visit to Paris: “The idea … is obviously not a good one, but perhaps more importantly, it is obviously something that will not happen.”
About 56,000 people live in Greenland, and it is home to US and Danish military bases. It also has abundant untapped mineral and oil reserves.
Greenland’s Prime Minister, Mute Egede, has been pushing for independence, even though the region’s economy is heavily dependent on Danish subsidies.
Both he and the Danish leader insisted that it was “not for sale” and that its future was in the hands of Greenlanders themselves.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy played down Trump’s comments, although he admitted “the intensity of his rhetoric and the lack of self-confidence he sometimes expresses can be disturbing”.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that Copenhagen has a clear interest in ensuring that the US – “its closest friend” – plays an important role during the tensions in the North Atlantic, especially concerning Russia.
The European Commission said Trump’s threat to Greenland was “highly ideological” and “absolutely ill-conceived”, given that he was not yet in office.
However, he confirmed that Greenland, as an overseas territory, falls under the mutual assistance clause that requires all EU states to help it in the event of an attack.
The Kremlin scoffed at Europe’s response, suggesting it was reacting “very nervously … almost in whispers”.
Last week, Greenland’s leader said the region should free itself from “the shackles of colonialism”, although he did not say anything about the US.
Greenland’s former foreign minister, Pele Broberg, who now leads the main opposition party, told the BBC that many Greenlanders he spoke to believe the US is important to their defense and security.
“We are part of the North American continent, which is why the US defense is in a very good position in relation to Greenland, because we are creating a buffer zone that does not require war.”
He called for a “free association agreement” with the US on trade and defense that would give Greenland independence but give the US a security obligation.
Trump’s supporters reinforced his views on Greenland.
Keith Kellogg, who was chosen by Trump to end the war in Ukraine, said that many of the words of the president-elect about Greenland make sense, “putting the United States in a position of global leadership”.
Republican congressman Mike Walz told Fox News that this issue “is not just about Greenland, this is about the Arctic”, because Russia was trying to control the center of the country, with mineral and natural resources.
“Denmark can be a great friend, but you can’t manage Greenland, they can’t control its operation, like another kind of backwater – the Western hemisphere.”
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