MOSCOW: Russia will take countermeasures, including military steps, if Western countries increase their military presence in Greenland in a way that threatens Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.
Speaking to Russian lawmakers, Lavrov said Moscow was closely monitoring developments around the Arctic island.
“Of course, in the event of the militarisation of Greenland and the creation of military capabilities aimed at Russia, we will take adequate countermeasures, including military-technical ones,” Lavrov said.
His comments come amid geopolitical focus on Greenland after US President Donald Trump reiterated interest in expanding American influence over the territory.
Tensions over Arctic island
Several European countries have recently sent small contingents of troops to Greenland.
The moves followed repeated statements by Trump that he wanted to annex the strategically located island.
Greenland, home to around 57,000 people, is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.
Last month, Trump said he had reached a “framework” agreement with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte to ensure greater US influence over Greenland.
He later stepped back from earlier threats to seize the territory by force.
Trump has argued that Greenland is vital for US national security and to counter potential Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic.
He has previously claimed, without providing evidence, that the island was “covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place”.
“The US, Denmark and Greenland must sort this out themselves,” Lavrov said. He also accused Denmark of treating Greenlanders as “second-class citizens”.
Sovereignty and strategic value
Greenland’s government has said that sovereignty and territorial integrity are a “red line” in any discussions with Washington.
Denmark has also stated that the island is not for sale. European allies have publicly backed Copenhagen’s position.
More than 100 US military personnel are permanently stationed at a base in Greenland’s north-western region, a facility operated by the United States since the Second World War.
Under existing agreements with Denmark, Washington can deploy additional forces if required.
Greenland’s location between North America and the Arctic gives it strategic importance for missile early-warning systems.
The island is also believed to hold significant natural resources, including rare earth minerals, uranium, iron ore and potentially oil and gas reserves.
Trump has said the recently announced “framework deal” would involve access to Greenland’s mineral resources.
US Vice-President defends deal
US Vice-President JD Vance said in an interview on the Megyn Kelly Show that Washington had secured more concessions over Greenland.
“We definitely have gotten much more than we initially had,” Vance said.
He suggested that the “framework of a future deal” would benefit the United States, particularly in relation to missile defence.
“It’s one of the unwritten rules that everybody knows that if the Chinese or the Russians affected one of our critical missile defence systems, we would necessarily defend that. But we’re not getting anything for it,” Vance said.
“Let’s rewrite the rules a little bit here,” he added, arguing that if the United States protects missile defence systems that benefit others, it should receive something in return.
Vance also accused European allies of being more accommodating in private than in public.
“It’s so funny because the Europeans, they’re so friendly in private, and they’re willing to make a lot of accommodations, and then publicly they attack us,” he said.
“The idea that they haven’t made any accommodations or concessions to the United States, it’s not true.”
Neither the White House nor NATO has provided detailed public information about the contents of the framework agreement.
