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Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with organizers of the “Russia” forum and exhibition, which celebrates the country’s great achievements, in Moscow, Russia on July 8, 2024.
Artyom Geodakyan | Via Reuters
The Kremlin said Thursday it is keeping a close eye on President-elect Donald Trump’s continued persecution of Greenland.
Earlier this week, Trump he said he would not rule out the use of military force to capture the strategically important Arctic island that is an autonomous territory of Denmark, saying it was in the economic and national interest of the United States.
Trump’s comments found some support among pro-Kremlin figures in Russia with a number close to the president Vladimir Putin saying that any move by the United States to claim Greenland would legitimize Russia’s expansionist goals and the ambition to return former Soviet territories, such as the Baltics, to their own sphere of influence and power.
European leaders have warned President-elect Trump against taking Greenlandsaying such a move would violate international borders, while Denmark and Greenland said the island, where the United States has a military base, “is not for sale.”
Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told CNBC on Thursday that Russia is watching the situation closely.
“We are watching the rhetoric on these issues coming from 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 matter of bilateral relations between the United States and Denmark,” according to the comments. reported by the Russian state news agency Tass and translated by Google.
“Until now, thank God, [the situation remains] at the level of statements,” said Peskov.
What did Trump say?
Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social in December that he saw “ownership” of Greenland as essential to the economic and national security of the United States, taking back an offer for the island that he made in his country. first term as president.
On Tuesday, Trump doubled down on those comments and said he would not rule out the use of force to take Greenland, as well as the Panama Canal. Trump also mooted the idea of turning Canada into the 51st state and changing 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, saying on Wednesday that the European Union would not tolerate attacks on its sovereign borders.
It is very likely that Russia’s leadership will look at Trump’s proposals – however feasible or not – with interest, especially given their interests in the Arctic. a region where it has developed its own political, economic and military influence in recent decades.
Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, but has ties to the United States, with American military installations 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 over the defense of Greenland.
‘absurd’ idea
Denmark has been vocal in its opposition to Trump’s ambition to acquire the island, with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen calling the idea “absurd” when Trump first floated it in 2019.
This sentiment was echoed by Greenland after Trump’s comments in December, along 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 statements appear to have rattled Denmark, however, and he has sought to stamp his authority and ownership of the island in recent weeks.
Hours after Trump’s comments in December, Copenhagen announced would increase defense spending in Greenland to give a “stronger presence in the Arctic”. It was then announced on 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 kingdom.
Apparently not heard from the cold shoulder of Greenland and Denmark, Trump announced on Monday that his son Donald Trump Jr. made an impromptu visit to the island.
Confirming the visit in Truth Social, Trump said: “My son, Don Jr, and several representatives, travel here 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 her, and we will love her from a very vicious outside world! Trump said.
