Russia closely monitors Trump’s claim to Greenland

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Russia is closely monitoring the situation after US President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out military action to seize Greenland from Denmark.

Peskov said the Arctic was in Russia’s “sphere of national and strategic interests and that it is interested in peace and stability there.”

Trump’s comments about Greenland, a largely autonomous Danish territory, have prompted a warning from European leaders.

The head of Foreign Affairs of the EU, Kaja Kallas, has stressed that “we have to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Greenland”, and the German Olaf Scholz has made it clear that “the borders must not be crossed by force.”

Trump said earlier this week that the United States needed both Denmark and the Panama Canal “for its economic security,” and refused to rule out using economic or military force to take them.

He also referred to the border with Canada as an “artificially drawn line.” Denmark and Canada are close allies of the United States in NATO.

Dmitry Peskov said Trump’s claims were a matter for the United States, Denmark and other nations, but Russia was watching the “quite dramatic” situation surrounding his comments. “We are present in the Arctic zone and we will continue to be there,” he stated.

Outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attempted to allay concerns about the president-elect’s remarks during a visit to Paris: “The idea is… obviously not a good one, but perhaps more importantly, it’s obviously one that It’s not going to happen.”

Approximately 56,000 people live in Greenland and it is home to American and Danish military bases. It also has considerable untapped mineral and oil wealth.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede has been pushing for independence, although the territory’s economy is largely dependent on Danish subsidies.

Both he and the Danish leader have stressed that “it is not for sale” and that its future is in the hands of the Greenlanders themselves.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy downplayed Trump’s comments, although he acknowledged that “the intensity of his rhetoric and the sometimes unpredictability of what he says can be destabilizing.”

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said Copenhagen has a clear interest in ensuring that the United States – “certainly its closest ally” – plays a key role at a time of rising tensions in the North Atlantic, particularly involving Russia.

The European Commission said Trump’s threat to Greenland was “extremely theoretical” and “wildly hypothetical”, considering he was not yet in office.

However, it has confirmed that Greenland, as an overseas territory, is subject to a mutual assistance clause requiring all EU states to come to its aid in the event of an attack.

The Kremlin ridiculed the European response, suggesting it was reacting “very timidly…almost in a whisper.”

Last week, Greenland’s leader said the territory should be freed from “the shackles of colonialism,” although he did not mention the United States.

A former Greenland foreign minister, Pele Broberg, who now heads the largest opposition party, told the BBC that most Greenlanders he spoke to believed the United States was vital to their defense and security.

“We are part of the North American continent, that is why the defense of the United States occupies such an important place with respect to Greenland, because we created a buffer zone that does not need to be militarized.”

He has called for a “free association agreement” with the United States that covers trade and defense and would give Greenland independence but hand responsibility for security to the United States.

Trump’s allies have reinforced their views on Greenland.

Keith Kellogg, Trump’s pick to end the war in Ukraine, said many of the president-elect’s comments about Greenland made sense, “placing the United States in a position of global leadership.”

Republican Congressman Mike Walz told Fox News that the problem “isn’t just about Greenland, it’s about the Arctic,” because Russia was trying to take control of the polar region, with its mineral and natural resources.

“Denmark can be a great ally, but you can’t treat Greenland, over which they have operational control, as some kind of backwater: it’s in the Western Hemisphere.”