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8 hours ago
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Russia’s ambassador to Denmark has warned of “military and technical measures” if an armed conflict breaks out over Greenland, ratcheting up rhetoric over the icy, resource-rich territory that U.S. President Donald Trump recently threatened to annex.
In an interview with the state-run RIA Novosti published on Thursday, Ambassador Vladimir Barbin said any confrontation over the vast Arctic island would “further undermine regional security,” and that Moscow would “respond appropriately” to threats near its polar flank.
He pointed to rising tensions over U.S. and NATO interests in Greenland, claiming Denmark was mulling the construction of a military base on the island to hedge against both perceived threats from Russia and Trump’s lingering ambitions to buy it outright.
“In response, Russia would be compelled to take appropriate military and technical measures to adequately address the emerging threats,” Barbin said, without offering specifics.
The comments come amid a broader Russian pushback against what President Vladimir Putin has called NATO’s attempt to turn the Arctic into a “springboard for possible conflicts.”
Greenland’s growing strategic value as Arctic ice melts and sea lanes open has drawn increased attention from Washington, Moscow and even Beijing.
Greenland is an autonomous territory of NATO and EU member Denmark, but the U.S. maintains a longstanding military presence at Pituffik Space Base, a key Cold War-era outpost that remains central to U.S. missile defense and early warning systems.
The island’s location places it squarely between Russia and North America.
Barbin said it would be “impossible” to conduct meaningful security discussions about Greenland with Danish authorities as long as tensions over the war in Ukraine persist.
AFP contributed reporting.
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