Russia says closely watching Trump’s Greenland claims

After the US president-elect refused to rule out the possibility of using military force to seize control of the Danish territory, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reported that Russia was closely monitoring Donald Trump’s territorial claims to Greenland.

“We are closely following this quite dramatic development. Thankfully, for now, it remains at the level of statements”, Peskov told a news conference in Moscow on Thursday.

Trump reiterated on Tuesday that he wanted the US to annex Greenland. When a journalist asked Trump if he would oppose using military or economic force to annex Greenland, he responded, “I’m not going to commit to that.”

“We need Greenland for national security purposes”, Trump later said.

The mineral-rich island – an autonomous Danish territory – is located in the Arctic, where Russia, China and the US have jockeyed for supremacy in recent years.

Peskov once more stressed Russia’s strategic significance for the Arctic region.

Our national and strategic interests are reflected in the Arctic zone. In the Arctic, we are present and will continue to be. We are open to cooperating with all countries to achieve this goal, he said, and maintaining peace and stability in the region is crucial.

Peskov also criticised European leaders ‘ response to Trump’s comments. “Europe reacts very timidly – it is clear they are hesitant to challenge Trump’s words”, he said.

EU calls to respect sovereignty

Later on Thursday, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that Greenland’s sovereignty must be respected.

“Greenland is part of Denmark]an EU member-state]”, Kallas told journalists. We must uphold Greenland’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Following Trump’s remarks, Kallas claimed to have spoken with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

She assured me that things have been excellent between Denmark and America, Kallas said.

Frederiksen’s office told the AFP news agency that she would meet Danish party leaders later on Thursday.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters, “We can share the measures the government has taken over the past few days,” during our meeting.

He Rasmussen argued that Denmark could not possibly be in a “foreign policy crisis” if words and actions were to be converted to actions.

In a statement on Wednesday, Greenland’s government reiterated its right to self-determination, adding that it “looks forward to establishing contact” with the Trump administration.

It stated that it would continue to work with the United States “as one of our closest partners.”

According to the statement, “Greenland has collaborated with the US for more than 80 years to ensure Greenland’s security, the US, and the rest of the western world.”