As tensions simmered this week over President Donald Trump鈥檚 push to acquire , Russian officials, state-backed media and pro-Kremlin bloggers responded with a mixture of glee, gloating and wariness.
Some touted Trump鈥檚 move as historic. Others said it weakens the European Union and NATO 鈥� something that Moscow would seem to welcome 鈥� and that it takes some of the West’s attention away from Russia鈥檚 war in Ukraine.
Commentators also noted that the possible U.S. acquisition of the self-governed, mineral-rich island from Denmark held security and economic concerns for Russia, which has sought to assert its influence over wide areas of the Arctic. Moscow has moved to boost its military presence in the region, home to its Northern Fleet and a site where the Soviet Union tested nuclear weapons.
In a speech at the in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, Trump insisted he wants to 鈥済et Greenland” but , while deriding European allies and vowing that NATO should not try to block U.S. expansionism.
Making 鈥榳orld history鈥�
The Kremlin has neither criticized nor supported Trump on the issue. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that it 鈥渄oesn’t concern us at all,” adding: 鈥淚 think they鈥檒l figure it out among themselves.鈥�
His spokesman earlier this week pointed out the far-reaching impact if the U.S. took Greenland from Denmark.
鈥淩egardless of whether it鈥檚 good or bad and whether it complies with international law or not, there are international experts who believe that if Trump takes control of Greenland he will go down in history, and not only the U.S. history but world history,鈥� Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday.
鈥淲ithout discussing whether it鈥檚 good or bad, it鈥檚 hard not to agree with these experts,鈥� he added.
Such a cautious approach appears in line with Moscow’s public rhetoric toward the current U.S. administration, as Russia tries to win concessions in the Trump-led effort to end its nearly four-year war in Ukraine and revive relations with Washington that had plunged to Cold War lows.
Putin said last year that Trump’s push for control over Greenland wasn鈥檛 surprising, given in the territory. Putin noted that the United States first considered plans to win control over Greenland in the 19th century, and then offered to buy it from Denmark after World War II.
鈥淚t鈥檚 obvious that the United States will continue to systematically advance its geostrategic, military-political and economic interests in the Arctic,鈥� Putin said.
The government newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta on Sunday compared it to 鈥渟uch 鈥榩lanetary鈥� events as Abraham Lincoln鈥檚 abolition of slavery … or the territorial conquests of the Napoleonic Wars.鈥�
鈥淚f Trump secures the annexation of Greenland by July 4, 2026, when America celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, he will undoubtedly join the ranks of historical figures who affirmed the greatness of the United States,鈥� the newspaper wrote.
A statement that appeared favorable to Trump came from Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who told a news conference Tuesday that was a vestige of the colonial past.
鈥淚n principle, Greenland isn鈥檛 a natural part of Denmark,鈥� he said.
Lavrov also drew parallels between Trump鈥檚 bid for Greenland and Putin’s annexation of Ukraine鈥檚 Crimean Peninsula. The 2014 illegal seizure of the peninsula is not recognized by most of the world.
鈥淐rimea isn鈥檛 less important for the security of the Russian Federation than Greenland is for the United States,鈥� he said.
A blow for longtime allies
Others focused on the potential rift between the U.S. and its European allies in NATO, a bloc that has held firm since the dawn of the Cold War and that Russia has long viewed as an adversary.
鈥淭ransatlantic unity is over. Leftist, globalist EU/UK elites failed,鈥� wrote Kirill Dmitriev, a presidential envoy involved in talks with the U.S. on ending the war in Ukraine, in a post Saturday on X.
Lavrov echoed his sentiment, saying Trump鈥檚 bid for Greenland heralds a 鈥渄eep crisis鈥� for NATO and raises questions about the alliance鈥檚 preservation as a .
In columns this week, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti touted Trump鈥檚 push for Greenland as 鈥渙pening the door to world history before our very eyes鈥� and mocked European countries for sending small military contingents to Greenland in a show of support for Denmark.
鈥淓uropeans can only watch this in impotent rage 鈥� they have neither economic nor military leverage against Washington,鈥� one column said.
Another column said it was 鈥渁musing and didactical鈥� that the World Economic Forum once 鈥渨as at the pinnacle of power and might, a place everyone aspired to, and today they鈥檙e burying 鈥楢tlantic solidarity鈥� here.鈥�
Pushing aside the war in Ukraine
Russian state and pro-Kremlin media also argued Greenland was diverting attention from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy鈥檚 effort to negotiate a favorable peace settlement to end Russia’s invasion of his country, painting it as a positive for Moscow.
鈥淭he world seemed to have forgotten about Ukraine and Zelenskyy. And in this silence, U.S. negotiators (Steve) Witkoff and (Jared) Kushner were preparing to travel to Moscow,鈥� the pro-Kremlin tabloid Moskovsky Komsomolets said Sunday.
RIA Novosti echoed that Wednesday in a column titled 鈥淕reenland knocked out Zelenskyy,鈥� saying 鈥渢his uproar stirred up by Donald Trump has knocked Zelenskyy out cold,鈥� and that 鈥淯kraine鈥檚 importance will never return to its previous levels.鈥�
But Trump said in Davos he would meet with Zelenskyy on Thursday. “I want to stop it,鈥� Trump said of the fighting. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a horrible war.鈥�
Seeking Arctic supremacy
Dmitry Medvedev, Russia鈥檚 former president who is deputy chairman of the Security Council, argued that Greenland 鈥渨as never directly connected to the States,鈥� and questioned what price Trump 鈥渋s willing to pay to achieve this goal鈥� and whether he is up to the task of 鈥渆liminating NATO.鈥�
Popular pro-Kremlin military blogger and correspondent Aleksander Kots said in a recent Telegram post that by taking Greenland, Trump 鈥渨ants to seize the Russian Arctic鈥� and get to the natural resources that Moscow covets there.
The Moskovsky Komsomolets tabloid on Sunday called Trump鈥檚 bid for Greenland a 鈥渢urning point,鈥� arguing that the Arctic 鈥渢urns from a zone of cooperation into a zone of confrontation.鈥�
鈥淭he Northern Fleet will be under threat. The economic projects will face hurdles. The nuclear deterrence will lose effectiveness. Russia will end up in strategic isolation,鈥� its article said. 鈥淕reenland is not just Trump鈥檚 coveted 2 million square kilometer island. It is an icy noose around Russia鈥檚 throat. And Trump has already begun to tighten it.鈥�
These concerns stand somewhat in contrast with the Kremlin publicly touting the prospects of cooperating with Washington in the Arctic. Putin has said, however, that Russia is worried about NATO鈥檚 activities in the polar region and will respond by strengthening its military capability there.
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