Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with the organizers of the “Russia” forum and exhibition, which commemorates the country's most important achievements, Moscow, Russia, July 8, 2024.
Artem Geodakyan | Via Reuters
The Kremlin said on Thursday it was closely monitoring President-elect Donald Trump's pursuit of Greenland.
Earlier this week Trump said he would not rule out the use of military force to occupy a strategically important Arctic island that is an autonomous territory of Denmark, arguing that it was in the economic and national interest of the United States.
Trump's comments were met with some support among pro-Kremlin figures in Russia, a number of whom are close to the president Vladimir Putin claiming that any move by the United States to claim Greenland would legitimize Russia's expansionist goals and ambitions to return former Soviet territories, such as the Baltic states, to their own sphere of influence and power.
European leaders do warned President-elect Trump against taking Greenlandsaying such a move would constitute a violation of international borders, while Denmark and Greenland said the island, where the US has a military base, “is not for sale.”
Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told CNBC on Thursday that Russia was closely monitoring the situation.
“We are watching the rhetoric on these issues coming out of Washington with great interest,” Peskov said in an emailed comment to CNBC, translated by Google.
In the Kremlin's first public comments on the matter, Peskov previously told reporters that Trump's claims “are probably more a matter of bilateral relations between the United States and Denmark,” according to the comments. – reported the Russian state news agency Tass and translated by Google.
“So far, thank God, (the situation remains) at the level of statements,” Peskov said.
What did Trump say?
In December, Trump stated on his Truth Social social media platform that he viewed Greenland's “ownership” as essential to the United States' economic and national security, reiterating an offer for the island made in first term as president.
On Tuesday, Trump stood by those comments and said he would not rule out using force to seize Greenland as well as the Panama Canal. Trump also discussed the idea of turning Canada into the 51st state and changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the American Gulf.
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.
It is highly likely that Russia's leaders are viewing Trump's proposals – no matter how feasible or not – with interest, especially given their own interests in the Arctic, a region where it has expanded its political, economic and military influence in recent decades.
Greenland is an autonomous territory of 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 giving the U.S. control of Greenland's defense.
“Absurd” idea
Denmark is vocally opposed to Trump's ambitions to take over the island, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described the idea as “absurd” when Trump first mooted it in 2019.
This opinion was repeated by Greenland after Trump's December statements with Prime Minister Mute Egede saying: “We are not for sale and we will not be for sale” and that “Greenland belongs to the nation of Greenland.”
However, Trump's statements appear to have shocked Denmark, which has been trying to reassert its authority and ownership of the island in recent weeks.
The announcement was made in Copenhagen a few hours after Trump's December comments would increase defense spending in Greenland provide it with a “stronger presence in the Arctic”. Then on Monday it was announced that King Frederick X of Denmark had updated his historic coat of arms to give Greenland and the Faroe Islands greater symbolic importance and solidify them as a central part of the Danish kingdom.
Apparently undeterred by Greenland and Denmark's cool approach, Trump announced on Monday that his son Donald Trump Jr. pays an impromptu visit to the island.
I confirm my visit to Truth Social, Trump said: “My son Don Jr and various representatives will travel there to visit some of the most wonderful areas and monuments. Greenland is an amazing place and the people will benefit greatly if and when it becomes part of our nation. We will protect and nurture it from the very cruel outside world.