Europena Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says that Greenland’s sovereignty must be respected.
Russia is closely monitoring Donald Trump’s territorial claims to Greenland, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said, after the US president-elect refused to rule out the possibility of using military force to acquire the Danish territory.
“We are following this rather dramatic development closely. Thankfully, for now, it remains at the level of statements,” Peskov told a news conference in Moscow on Thursday.
Trump on Tuesday repeated his desire for the US to take control of Greenland. Asked by a journalist if he would rule out using economic or military force in order to acquire Greenland, Trump replied, “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.
Regarding the Arctic region, Peskov reiterated its strategic importance to Russia.
“The Arctic zone is an area of our national and strategic interests. We are present in the Arctic and will continue to be. Maintaining peace and stability in the region is paramount, and we are open to cooperation with all nations to achieve this goal,” he noted.
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 have to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Greenland.”
Kallas said she had spoken to Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen after Trump’s comments.
“She assured that the Danish and American relations have been very good,” Kallas said.
Frederiksen’s office told the AFP news agency that she would meet Danish party leaders later on Thursday.
“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.
He 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”.
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 said it would continue to cooperate with the United States “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.
