After Donald Trump failed to deny that US could annex Greenland under the veil of national security and economic purposes, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has emphasized Thursday that Russia is interested in peace and stability in the region and will maintain its presence in the Arctic.
“We are present in the Arctic zone, and we will continue to be present there,” Peskov said, adding that Moscow is “interested in maintaining an atmosphere of peace and stability” in the region and is also “ready to cooperate with all countries of the world in the name of this peace and stability.”
Earlier this week, the US President-elect floated the intention of regaining control over the Panama Canal and the Arctic island – which is Danish autonomous territory – by acquisition or by military force if necessary, arguing that it’s an “absolute necessity” for US national security.
“People really don’t even know if Denmark has any legal right to it, but if they do, they should give it up because we need it,” Trump stressed at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday.
It’s worth noting that Greenland is not only rich in gold and uranium but it’s also believed to have vast oil reserves in its territorial waters.
Highlighting that the Arctic is also in the sphere of Russia’s national and strategic interests, Russian ambassador to Denmark, Vladimir Barbin, emphasized that Moscow intends to keep the region stable, warning that “an attempt to strengthen US national security at the expense of other countries… will be taken into account by Russia in its military planning.”
Greenland’s leaders and the Danish government have repeatedly rejected the idea of selling Greenland with Greenland’s PM Múte Egede pointing out that “we are not for sale, and we will not be for sale.”
