Russia is closely watching U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's statements about a possible military takeover of Greenland, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed on Jan. 9.
Peskov's comments come after Trump on Jan. 7 refused to rule out the possibility of using military force to seize control of Greenland, which he said the U.S. needs for "economic security."
Russia is monitoring the situation due to its "strategic interests" in the Arctic region, Peskov said.
"The Arctic is a zone of our national interests, our strategic interests," Peskov said.
"We are interested in preserving the atmosphere of peace and stability in the Arctic zone. We are watching the rather dramatic development of the situation very closely, but so far, thank God, at the level of statements."
Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark. It houses both Danish and U.S. military bases and has vast reserves of mineral wealth. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen responded to Trump's comments by saying Greenland is "not for sale" and that its future belongs to the people of Greenland.
Other European officials, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and E.U. chief diplomat Kaja Kallas, also made statements defending the territorial integrity of Greenland. Peskov criticized the response of E.U. leaders as overly timid.
"Europe reacts very timidly and it is of course scary to react to Trump's words, therefore Europe reacts very cautiously, modestly, quietly, almost in a whisper," Peskov said.
Russia's growing ambitions and military presence in the Arctic have prompted other nations, notably Canada and the U.S., to revise their security strategies in the region.
Trump, who returns to the White House on Jan. 20, has touted an expansionist agenda that includes taking over Greenland, seizing the Panama Canal, and annexing Canada. In the same Jan. 7 press conference, he blamed U.S. President Joe Biden and Kyiv's NATO aspirations for Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Kateryna Hodunova
(Updated: )
