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Vladimir Putin warned of the intensification of geopolitical competition in the Arctic in the middle of the increase in American threats to take Denmark Greenland, but said that Russia was open to cooperation with Western countries in the region.
While the American vice-president JD Vance was to visit the territory, Putin said Thursday that Donald Trump’s intention to acquire Greenland had nothing to do with Russia and had deep historical roots dating from the 19th century.
But he warned that the intensification of the competition included risks.
Speaking at a conference on the Arctic in the polar city of Murmansk, Putin said that it was “obvious that the United States will continue to systemically advance its geopolitical, military and economic interests in the region”, adding that its dispute over Greenland with Denmark was a question for the two states.
Putin said Russia feared that “NATO countries in general and are increasingly designating Last North as a springboard for potential conflicts” and would react accordingly.
“It is obvious that the role and meaning of the Arctic increase for Russia and the whole world, but the geopolitical struggles for the position in the region intensifies at the same time,” said Putin.
Russia would “allow no foray to the sovereignty of our country and forcibly defend our national interests,” he said, adding that this would increase the number of troops in the Arctic.
Trump’s repeated threats to take Greenland, potentially by force, Denmark, have unstable Icelanders and Copenhagen.
Displanndan rose when several senior US officials were to visit Greenland this weekend for what they presented as a “private visit” to watch the national dog toboggan competition.
But this trip was canceled after the Greenlanders announced several demonstrations against it, raising the spectrum of television images which would prove embarrassing to the United States.
Instead, Vance and his wife will visit the Pitoffik space base, the only American military installation in Greenland on Friday in what Nordic diplomats consider a “facial economy mechanism”.
Denmark and Greenland were particularly upset by the time of the visit in the middle of the coalition discussions after the national elections on the island were won by a party promoting a slow and progressive independence of Copenhagen.
The Greenlandis media said that a coalition agreement between four of the five parties in Parliament – less that in favor of rapid independence – is expected to be released on Friday. Experts say that the Greenlanders are wary that Denmark’s independence could be operated by the United States.
Many parties remain wishing to strengthen the presence of American security in Greenland, as well as to invite American companies to help exploit the mineral wealth spread over its vast land mass.
Russia has presented potential Arctic cooperation in the United States as one of the many possible paths to bring Moscow since the cold three years after Putin ordered the large-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Kremlin wishes to develop the Northern Sea Route via shipping routes in the Arctic while reorienting its economy focused on European market exports to Asian markets, a process that accelerated after China launched Russia an economic rescue buoy during the Ukraine War.
Russia’s capacity to sell liquefied natural gas on the world has also been hampered by Western sanctions against its Arctic Energy Installations and its soil fleet.
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, alluded to these talks in an interview broadcast after meeting Putin in Moscow last week.
“Who does not want to have a world where Russia and the United States do good things in collaboration together? By thinking about how to integrate their energy policies into the Arctic, to share sea tracks, perhaps to send LNG … in Europe together,” said Witkoff.
Putin complained on Thursday, Putin complained that Western countries had “chosen a way of confrontation” Russia at the Arctic Council, the Cooperation Organization for the Region, as well as to interrupt scientific, ecological and cultural talks.
But he admitted that the ambitious plans of Russia to develop the region by widening its northern ports, by building a merchant fleet supported by nuclear propulsion ice cream breakers, and the widening of the North Sea road would require working with foreign powers.
Putin said Western countries were invited to join Russia in “global international projects in the Arctic with the participation of friendly states”. Moscow would seek to develop its partnerships with foreign naval construction companies and to buy foreign manufacturing ships, he added.
The five European members of the Arctic Council – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden – have shown little interest in reducing Russia while its troops are still in Ukraine.
But several higher Nordic diplomats conceded that the exclusion of Russia has ended the era of “arctic exceptionalism” in which Last North has been isolated from geopolitical tensions elsewhere.
Additional report by Richard Milne
