Kremlin says it's watching Trump's pursuit of Greenland 'very closely'

THE KREMLIN IS closely following US President-elect Donald Trump’s claim to Greenland, a spokesman has said, expressing relief that currently it was only rhetoric.

Trump refused to rule out military action to take control of the Arctic island at a press conference on Tuesday. He had earlier vowed to slap high tariffs on Denmark if it refused to cede its autonomous territory.

“I’m not going to commit to that,” he said, when asked if he would rule out the use of the military, adding: “We need Greenland for national security purposes.”

Speaking today, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: “We are very closely watching this rather dramatic development of the situation, which is, thank God, at the level of statements so far.

“We are interested in preserving peace and stability in this zone and are ready to co-operate with any parties for this peace and stability,” he added.

He also suggested the people of Greenland be consulted about what they wanted, pointing to Russia’s annexation of four Ukrainian regions in 2022. The annexation was based on hastily organised referendums that were dismissed by Kyiv and the West as illegal, fraudulent and void.

“We should show the same respect for the opinion of these people,” Peskov said.

Greenland is associated with the EU through its close relationship with Denmark, of which it is a self-governing territory.

The island, with its population of 57,000 spread out across 2.2 million square kilometres, is rich in natural resources, although oil and uranium exploration are banned.

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It is also strategically significant in geopolitical terms due to its location in the Arctic. Geographically, it is closer to North America than to Europe and is also home to a US military base.

The country has been autonomous since 1979 and has its own flag, language and institutions. However, Greenland’s judiciary, monetary policy, defence and foreign affairs all remain under Danish control.

Trump first said he wanted to buy Greenland in 2019 during his first term as US president, an offer quickly rejected by Greenland and Denmark.

Earlier this week, Trump separately suggested using military force to secure control of the Panama Canal, which the United States handed back to Panama under late President Jimmy Carter, and leveraging economic force against neighbouring Canada.

‘War of words’

Denmark’s prime minister has called party leaders to a meeting this evening over Trump’s ambitions to take control of Greenland.

“Meeting the party leaders allows us to share the measures the government has taken over the last few days,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s office confirmed the meeting would be held at 7.30pm (6.30pm Irish time). 

Lokke Rasmussen noted that while he did not believe Denmark was in a “foreign policy crisis”, that did not mean “there couldn’t well be one… if words turn to actions”.

He stressed that Denmark had “no ambition whatsoever to escalate a war of words with a president on his way into the Oval Office”.

“My own attitude is that you should take Trump very seriously but not necessarily literally. We take it so seriously that we are also working on it,” Lokke Rasmussen said.

The Greenlandic government said on Wednesday that “Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland”.

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“Greenland’s development and future are decided solely by its people,” it said.

At the same time, it said it would continue to cooperate with the US “as one of our closest partners”.

“Greenland has had more than 80 years of defence cooperation with the US for the benefit of the security of Greenland, the US and the rest of the western world,” it said.

Territorial sovereignty ‘very serious’

When asked about the matter at the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition at the RDS this afternoon, Taoiseach Simon Harris said territorial sovereignty is “something we take very seriously in the European Union”.

“Whether comments come from the east or the west, the importance of territorial independence and sovereignty is something very serious”, Harris said. 

On Trump’s incoming presidency, Harris wished the Republican leader well and said he had “a good conversation” with him on the phone in recent weeks. 

“Ireland stands ready to engage constructively with the new US administration,” the Fine Gael leader said.

“I would make this point that the US and the EU, I think, had interdependencies before the US presidential election. I think those interdependencies existed after the US presidential election and what we must do now at an EU level and at an Irish level is find ways of engaging.”

With reporting from © AFP 2025 

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