Russian President Vladimir Putin cautioned against taking the Trump administration’s newly declared push for taking over Greenland lightly.
In a speech in the Arctic Circle city of Murmansk, which lies in the northwestern corner of Russia, 110 miles from the Finnish border, Putin said he was taking President Donald Trump’s efforts to claim Greenland for the U.S. seriously.
It can surprise someone only at first glance,” Putin said, according to an English translation of the speech by state-owned media. “It is a profound mistake to treat it as some preposterous talk by the new U.S. administration. Nothing of the sort.”
Since taking office two months ago, Trump has made clear he is eyeing U.S. territorial expansion by annexing Greenland. Trump pointed to Greenland’s rich but untapped mineral deposits as a reason why controlling the territory was vital to U.S. national interest.
The government of Greenland, which is an autonomous region of Denmark, has adamantly rejected any notion that it would become part of the U.S. Both political leaders and citizens have said they have no intention of joining the U.S., while Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the island was “not for sale,” and that Trump’s interest in Greenland was “not a joke.”
Greenland has 25 of 34 “critical raw materials,” according to a 2023 report from the European Commission. Among those deposits are rare earths and graphite, which are critical for the production of EVs. Other rare and highly coveted raw materials include titanium, tungsten, and Greenland also has unmined supplies of valuable commodities like gold and diamonds.
On Thursday, ahead of Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Greenland, Trump reiterated his desire to take the island.
“We’ll go as far as we have to go,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “We need Greenland.”
Greenland’s geographic positioning between North America and Europe also makes it a crucial trade route between the western and eastern hemispheres.
The United States has serious plans regarding Greenland,” Putin said in his speech. “These plans have long historical roots … and it is obvious that the United States will continue to consistently advance its geo-strategic, military-political, and economic interests in the Arctic.”
The U.S. first took an interest in acquiring Greenland in 1867. Shortly after completing the purchase of Alaska from the Russian Empire, then–Secretary of State William Seward set his sights on acquiring Greenland from Denmark. The two countries never reached an agreement. Later, after World War II, President Harry Truman offered Denmark $100 million in gold and a portion of Alaskan oil. That offer was rebuffed.
During World War II, the U.S. had several military bases in Greenland that surveilled the Axis powers and were meant to be a first line of defense against any potential westward expansion on their behalf. The U.S. continues to maintain bases in Greenland.
Putin alluded to the possibility that if the U.S. were to take control of Greenland, it would escalate tensions with Russia. He accused NATO countries of using the Arctic as a “springboard for possible conflicts.”
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| President Putin and President Trump |
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