Russia’s President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with organizers of the “Russia” forum and exhibition, which celebrates the country’s major achievements, in Moscow, Russia July 8, 2024.
Artyom Geodakyan | Via Reuters
The Kremlin said Thursday that it’s keeping a close eye on President-elect Donald Trump’s ongoing pursuit of Greenland.
Earlier this week, Trump said he would not rule out using military force to seize the strategically important Arctic island that’s an autonomous territory of Denmark, saying it was in the U.S.’ economic and national interest.
Trump’s comments have found some support among pro-Kremlin figures in Russia with a number close to President Vladimir Putin saying any U.S. move to claim Greenland would legitimize Russia’s own expansionist aims and ambitions to restore former Soviet territories, such as the Baltics, to its own sphere of influence and power.
European leaders have warned President-elect Trump against seizing Greenland, saying such a move would violate international borders, while Denmark and Greenland have stated that the island, where the U.S. has a military base, is “not for sale.”
Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told CNBC on Thursday that Russia is observing the situation closely.
“We are watching the rhetoric on these topics 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 told reporters earlier that Trump’s “claims are probably more a question of bilateral relations between the United States and Denmark,” according to comments reported by 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?
Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social in December that he saw “ownership” of Greenland as essential for the U.S.′ economic and national security, restating a bid for the island that 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 mooted the idea of turning Canada into the 51st state and to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
Trump’s comments were condemned in Europe, with France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, stating Wednesday the European Union would not tolerate attacks on its sovereign borders.
It’s highly likely that Russia’s leadership is looking with interest at Trump’s proposals — however feasible or not they might be — with interest, particularly 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 an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark but has links to the U.S., with American military installations constructed on the island following World War II. During the war, Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany, prompting Copenhagen and the U.S. to sign an agreement in 1941 to give the U.S. control of Greenland’s defense.
‘Absurd’ idea
Denmark has been vociferous 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 mooted it in 2019.
That sentiment was reiterated by Greenland following Trump’s comments in December, with 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.”
Trump’s pronouncements appeared to have rattled Denmark, however, and it has sought to stamp its authority on, and ownership of, the island in recent weeks.
Hours after Trump’s comments in December, Copenhagen announced it would increase defense spending on Greenland to give it a “stronger presence in the Arctic.” It was then announced Monday that Denmark’s King Frederik X had updated his historic coat of arms to give Greenland and the Faroe Islands greater symbolic prominence and to assert them as a central part of the Danish realm.
Apparently undeterred by Greenland and Denmark’s cold shoulder, Trump announced Monday that his son Donald Trump Jr. was making an impromptu visit to the island.
Confirming the visit on Truth Social, Trump said: “My son, Don Jr, and various representatives, will be traveling there to visit some of the most magnificent areas and sights. Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation. We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside World. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!,” Trump said.
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