Russia expresses serious concern over NATO forces in Greenland, which Trump threatened to seize
The Danish military Offshore Patrol Vessel P572 HDMS Lauge Koch sails near Nuuk’s old harbour, Greenland, January 15, 2026. PHOTO: REUTERS
The Kremlin said on Friday that Russia considers Greenland to be Danish territory and added that the security situation surrounding the island was “extraordinary” from the perspective of international law.
Moscow said this week that it was unacceptable for the West to keep claiming that Russia and China threatened Greenland, and said the crisis over the territory showed the double standards of Western powers which claimed moral superiority.
Concerned by NATO deployments
Earlier, Russia said it was seriously concerned by the arrival of NATO forces in Greenland, a mineral-rich island in the Arctic that US President Donald Trump has threatened to seize.
France, Sweden, Germany and Norway announced Wednesday that they would deploy military personnel to the island’s capital Nuuk as part of a reconnaissance mission.
Read More: Europe boosts military presence in Greenland
The announcement came after a meeting between US, Danish and Greenlandic officials in Washington failed to deter Trump’s ambition of taking the island.
Trump argues Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, is vital for US security and that if Washington does not take it “China or Russia will”.
“The situation unfolding in the high latitudes is of serious concern to us,” the Russian embassy in Belgium, where NATO is headquartered, said in a statement published late Wednesday.
