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US President-elect Donald Trump delivers remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, US, on January 7, 2025.
Carlos Barria | Reuters
US President-elect Donald Trump’s ongoing pursuit of Greenland may have irritated Denmark, which retains sovereignty over the Arctic island, but its territorial ambitions appear to be gaining ground in an unlikely quarter: Russia.
High-profile political insiders close to Russian President Vladimir Putin have already expressed support for Trump’s decision. reaffirmed ambition purchase Greenland and expand US territory to include the resource-rich island, commenting that such a move would validate the expansionist territorial ambitions of all other countries and, most importantly, those of Russia.
Trump said in December on his Truth Social social media platform that he considered “ownership” of Greenland to be essential to the economic and national security of the United States, reaffirming a bet on the island he made in his first term as president.
On Tuesday, Trump doubled down on those comments and said he would not rule out using force to take Greenland, as well as the Panama Canal. Trump has also floated the idea of making Canada the 51st state and changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
Donald Trump confirmed on January 6, 2024 that his eldest son, Don Jr, plans to visit Greenland, two weeks after the US president-elect suggested that Washington annex the autonomous Danish territory.
Ida Marie Odgaard afp | fake images
Trump’s comments were condemned in Europe, with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot saying on Wednesday that the European Union would not tolerate attacks on its sovereign borders.
‘Might is right’
However, the president-elect’s position has found acceptance in Moscow, with largely positive coverage from Russian state media and political figures.
Russian TV host and Kremlin ally Vladimir Solovyov, hosting a debate about Trump’s pronouncements on his primetime show, said Trump’s position essentially gave Moscow the right to demand the restoration of its own former empire. Soviet, including the Baltic nations of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.
Other pro-Kremlin experts on the panel said Trump’s ambitions validated Russia’s decision to launch its own “special military operation” against Ukraine. Kremlin propagandist Solovyov, an ardent supporter of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, commented that “what Trump is doing benefits us enormously,” adding that the president-elect was “totally destroying any illusions anyone might have still had.” about the summit of democracies, about respect for the opinions of NATO allies”.
“It’s like he’s saying, ‘Who are all of you? You are all nobodies. I will talk to Putin and Xi Jinping. As for you, who are you? Surrender Greenland. “He’s a great guy, an incredible guy,” he added.
CNBC has contacted the Kremlin for comment on Trump’s position and is awaiting a response.
Russia’s leadership is very likely looking at Trump’s proposals – however feasible or not – with interest, analysts say. After all, they point out, Russia has already demonstrated with its invasion of Ukraine in 2022 that it is willing to violate international law and territorial sovereignty to achieve its own geopolitical ambitions.
“Russian propagandists and Russian state media are only too happy to bathe in news of Trump’s extraterritorial threats and desires for unilateral aggression, because those are, of course, things they themselves have trumpeted when Vladimir Putin has pursued them.” Max Hess, a colleague at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and author of “Economic Warfare: Ukraine and the Global Conflict Between Russia and the West,” told CNBC on Wednesday.
Close followers of Russian politics say Trump’s position could boost Russia’s leadership by validating possible further attempts to expand Russia’s sphere of influence and power.
“The West has argued that Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and territorial land grab is illegal and defies international law. The same message has been sent to Israel about settlement expansion. And the message to China has been the failure to view the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a green light for a similar invasion of Taiwan: they should face serious international consequences,” said Timothy Ash, emerging markets strategist at BlueBay Asset Management, in emailed comments Wednesday.
“Trump’s pantomime yesterday sent a clear message that the great powers have ‘spheres of influence,’ or do according to Trump, which aligns with Putin’s worldview,” Ash added, warning that Trump had greatly undermined to NATO with his comments.
‘Make Greenland great again’
The Kremlin has not made any official comment on Trump’s comments about Greenland, which lies between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, but is likely to be following developments closely given its own interests in the Arctic. a region where it has expanded its own political, economic and military influence in recent decades.
Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, but has ties to the US, and US military facilities were built on the island after World War II. During the war, Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany, prompting Copenhagen and the United States to sign an agreement in 1941 to give the United States control of the defense of Greenland.
A view of Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base) in Greenland, October 4, 2023. The base changed its name in early 2023.
Ritzau Scanpix | Via Reuters
Denmark has been vocal in its opposition to Trump’s ambition to acquire the island, with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen describing the idea as “absurd” when Trump first raised it in 2019.
Greenland reiterated that sentiment following Trump’s comments in December, and Prime Minister Mute Egede saying: “We are not for sale and we will not be for sale” and that “Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland.”
However, Trump’s pronouncements appeared to have unsettled Denmark, which has sought to impose its authority and ownership over the island in recent weeks.
Hours after Trump’s comments in December, Copenhagen announced Defense spending in Greenland would increase to give it a “stronger presence in the Arctic.” It was then announced on Monday that King Frederick X of Denmark had updated his historic coat of arms to give Greenland and the Faroe Islands greater symbolic prominence and affirm them as a central part of the Danish kingdom.
Seemingly unfazed by the coldness of Greenland and Denmark, Trump announced Monday that his son Donald Trump Jr. was making an impromptu visit to the island.
Donald Trump Jr. visits Nuuk, Greenland, on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. Donald Trump Jr. is on a private visit to Greenland.
Emil Stach | Via Reuters
Confirming the visit in Truth Social, Trump said: “My son, Don Jr, and several representatives will travel there to visit some of the most magnificent areas and landmarks. Greenland is an incredible place and the people will benefit greatly if and when it becomes part of our nation. “We will protect it and cherish it from a very cruel outside world! LET’S MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!” Trump said.
Danish announcer D.R. reported that Donald Trump Jr. arrived in Greenland on Tuesday but said no meetings with members of the government had been scheduled.
The Danish Foreign Ministry told NBC News: “We have taken note of Donald Trump Jr.’s planned visit to Greenland. As it is not an official American visit, the Danish Foreign Ministry has no further comment on the visit.” .
