How does Moscow view Washington’s attempts to “conquer” Greenland?

Correspondents of Al Jazeera

Moscow – In a cloud of ambiguous positions and cautious statements, Russian officials describe the position regarding the developments regarding the Greenland island and the American intention to annex the autonomous territory of Denmark.

In his first comments on the escalating crisis, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the move “serious” while noting that it was “just excessive talk” and that the issue “does not directly concern Moscow.”

As for Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, he said that Denmark’s control of Greenland is a “relic of the colonial past” and that “the island is not a natural part of it”.

Avoid criticism

While Moscow dismissed hints of a military threat to Denmark, it avoided criticizing US President Donald Trump, who, if his plans for the island go ahead, would make the US the world’s second-largest country after Russia.

Notably, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on some political observers saying Trump would “make history” by annexing Greenland, saying, “Whether it’s good or bad, it’s hard to disagree with them.” But he refrained from commenting on Russia’s plans for Denmark and Greenland, explaining: “We have received a lot of disturbing information in recent days. We are carefully monitoring and analyzing what is happening. As for our plans, I will not comment.”

The reservation comes at a time when there is near consensus among Russian political observers that tensions over Greenland could lead to a split in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and deepen divisions among Ukraine’s most important allies.

International studies specialist Dimitri Zlatopolsky believes that the discussions regarding Greenland are developing in ways that were previously difficult to imagine, including the ability of NATO to maintain a unified Western military-political bloc.

Zlatopolsky told Al Jazeera Net: “The Al Jazeera issue has already served the Kremlin’s interests because it left Ukraine off the agenda of the Davos Forum. Therefore, the crisis should be used to undermine the unity of the West, distract Trump and divert him to another issue.”

He added that deepening disagreements between the United States and European countries on the issue could force the European Union to change its political orientation with Moscow, including reducing or suspending support for Ukraine and ending the sanctions war against Russia. He believes that Moscow can “stand idly by and watch its enemies stumble and destroy each other.”

threats and isolation

Regarding the annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014, Zlatopolsky noted that the island of Greenland is as important to American security as Crimea is to Russia, which led to a conflict with Kiev and could be repeated, but this time in an American-European version.

However, with official reluctance regarding developments in Greenland, specialized Russian circles and media outlets express concern that the transfer of the island to American control could threaten Russia’s Northern Fleet and lead to Moscow’s strategic isolation in the Arctic.

Among them is political writer Alexander Saveliev, who believes that signs of a deep conflict between the Western allies are emerging, which will lead to a radical change in global politics and threaten the “already fragile” world order.

As he explained to Al Jazeera Net, this could lead to the collapse of the European Union and “some chaos” in NATO. He went on to say that from a Russian geopolitical point of view, these alliances are the most hostile in history, and it seems to be in Moscow’s interests.

pressure paper

But Saveliev warns that while Europe has taken a heavy hit from Washington, there are other potential recipients, notably Russia and China.

According to him, Greenland represents a kind of advance for the United States, which allows it to closely monitor the Russian fleet. He described it as an “invincible aircraft carrier” deployed in the Arctic Ocean close to Russia’s Northern Fleet.

In his opinion, the issue here is not limited to strategic issues, because there is also a legal pressure card that Trump is trying to use. This is because Denmark claims the continental shelf, including the Lomonosov Ridge and the Arctic, which is in direct conflict with the interests of Moscow and Canada.

But if the United States were to take full control of the island, Washington would automatically inherit those claims, meaning it would — naturally — claim the rock.

Saveliev claims that Trump has developed a framework plan that meets his demands for Greenland, and he wanted to emphasize that the threat posed by Beijing and Moscow to the island is one of the reasons why he is actively seeking to take control of it.