Russian President Vladimir Putin said US rhetoric about Greenland becoming a part of the US is not as wild as everyone thinks, as the US has had its eyes on it for centuries, Russian news agency Tass reported.

“Clearly, the role and importance of the Arctic is growing – not just for Russia, but for the entire world. Unfortunately, geopolitical competition and the struggle for influence in the region has also intensified. Everyone is well aware of US plans to absorb Greenland,” Putin told the plenary session of the Arctic – Territory of Dialogue forum. “It would be wrong to assume that this is just some sort of extravagant rhetoric on the part of the new US administration. Nothing of the sort.”

The US has entertained the idea since the 1760s. “Back then, the US administration considered the possibility of annexing Greenland and Iceland. But the idea failed to win congressional approval,” he said.

Putin also recalled the 1910 deal between the US, Germany, and Denmark on the exchange of territories. It would have given the US sovereignty over Greenland, but “the deal failed.”

“In other words, there were serious US plans with regard to Greenland in the past. As I have just said, these plans are deeply rooted in history,” Putin added.

Threat To Greenland

Donald Trump first proposed buying Greenland from Denmark in 2019, only to be snubbed by the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

However, this time, Trump looks adamant about fulfilling his long-held dream of making Greenland the 51st state of the USA

“I think we’re going to have it,” Trump said over the weekend. “I don’t really know what claim Denmark has to it, but it would be a very unfriendly act if they didn’t allow that to happen because it’s for the protection of the free world.”

Greenland is the largest island in the world, situated between the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. Ironically, its capital, Nuuk, is closer to New York than the Danish capital, Copenhagen.

Despite that, Greenland is a part of Denmark. In 1921, the US confirmed Denmark’s sovereignty over most of Greenland in return for Copenhagen agreeing to sell the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean to the US. Greenland became self-governing in 1979 and was later granted autonomy.

However, Denmark still manages foreign, defense, and security policies. Thus, threatening an annexation represents a direct assault on Danish territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Donald Trump’s interest in Greenland has military and economic dimensions. Due to its location in the Arctic, Greenland is a strategic territory for monitoring polar airspace, which is likely to be traversed by hostile military aircraft or intercontinental ballistic missiles in case of an attack on North America. Donald Trump has repeatedly emphasized that he needs Greenland for national security.

Greenland is seen as essential for the US ballistic missile early warning system against possible military threats, notably those from Russia. However, it is pertinent to note that the US has a permanent military base, Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base), in Greenland.

Beyond military use, the territory would be extremely useful for trade and navigation. The island is located near the Northwest Passage sea lane, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans or North America and Europe.

With Arctic ice sheets melting due to global warming, a new, much shorter northern shipping route through the Arctic would soon connect Europe with North America, giving Greenland a central role. This trade route will also cut US dependence on alternate routes, like the Panama Canal.

However, the people of Greenland do not want Trump to take over. According to the latest poll, 85 percent of the local population opposes becoming part of the United States. Additionally, Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte Egede said, “We don’t want to be Danes. We don’t want to be Americans. We want to be Greenlanders.”

Denmark has launched an effort to protect Greenland from Trump, including a huge hike in defense spending. On January 27, it announced that it would spend 14.6 billion Danish crowns, or $2.05 billion, to boost its military presence in the Arctic. The move aims to enhance the Danish military presence over the territory.

Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen announced in a press conference that the latest funding will be used to acquire three new Arctic navy vessels, double the number of planned long-range surveillance drones to four, and expand satellite surveillance.

Additionally, Copenhagen is also assessing the possibility of deploying newly-revived F-35 stealth fighters in Greenland amid rising geopolitical competition over the Arctic.

Denmark is also steadfastly opposing Trump. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on January 28: “Trump will not have Greenland. Greenland is Greenland. And the Greenlandic people are a people, also in the sense of international law.”

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