Post #3372
177
🎙️Answers by Vladimir Barbin, Russian Ambassador to Denmark, to questions from the newspaper "Izvestia", June 18 2026
❓Question: Is the US continuing its attempts to take control of the island? Is the US seeking sovereignty over Greenland in order to increase its military capabilities on the island?
💬 Answer: The conflict over Greenland has not ended. However, negotiations between Denmark, Greenland and the United States on ensuring American interests on the island, which have been underway since January 2026 at the initiative of Copenhagen, have made it possible to remove contradictions from the public space.
At the moment, the United States has one Pituffik military space base in Greenland, but they want to additionally receive three or four more bases. The Danes and Greenlanders don't mind. However, as follows from media leaks about the negotiations, the status of the US bases became a stumbling block. Americans do not want to be guests on the island, but hosts and extend US sovereignty to the territory of the bases. In response, they hear that Greenland will not compromise its sovereignty, even if it is a territory the size of a postage stamp.
The situation is similar with regard to the US economic presence on the island, including expanding access of American companies to the development of its mineral resources. Greenland is interested in developing economic cooperation with the United States, but does not accept the requirement to grant Americans the right to veto investments in the island's economy from other countries.
In Copenhagen they proceed from the fact that the United States will not give up its claims to Greenland, even if the negotiations are successful, but then it will be more difficult for them to realize such intentions.
❓Question: Has Denmark taken any measures recently aimed at strengthening the island’s security?
💬 Answer: The United States explains its claims to Greenland's ownership by Denmark's allegedly insufficient attention to the island's defense. Since January 2025, Copenhagen has allocated about $6.5 billion to strengthen its military potential in the Arctic latitudes. Denmark intends, in particular, to deploy F-35 fighter jets in Greenland. Arctic-class frigates and patrol ships, transport and patrol aircraft, long-range UAVs for monitoring the marine zone near the island and anti-submarine warfare equipment will also be purchased.
The militarization of the island and the Arctic as a whole is being conducted under the guise of allegations of an allegedly growing Russian military threat, although until recently Copenhagen denied the existence of Russian military activity in the Greenland region.
Copenhagen, for its part, seeks to present Greenland's defense as the responsibility of the entire NATO, including the United States. This allows both to disavow the American accusations against themselves and to demonstrate European countries' support for Denmark's territorial integrity.
Until last year, the armed forces of non-Arctic NATO countries, primarily Great Britain, France and Germany, were present in Greenland and in the Arctic as a whole in a national capacity. But since the beginning of 2026, at the initiative of Denmark, such military activity has been institutionalized under the auspices of NATO. The NATO Arctic Sentry Operation has been launched, the purpose of which is to intimidate Russia and take control of shipping routes, including Russia's exit from the Arctic to the North Atlantic Ocean.
The Arctic, which was a region of low tension and cooperation, is turning into a zone of confrontation through the efforts of NATO with the active participation of Denmark.
❓Question: Is the US continuing its attempts to take control of the island? Is the US seeking sovereignty over Greenland in order to increase its military capabilities on the island?
💬 Answer: The conflict over Greenland has not ended. However, negotiations between Denmark, Greenland and the United States on ensuring American interests on the island, which have been underway since January 2026 at the initiative of Copenhagen, have made it possible to remove contradictions from the public space.
At the moment, the United States has one Pituffik military space base in Greenland, but they want to additionally receive three or four more bases. The Danes and Greenlanders don't mind. However, as follows from media leaks about the negotiations, the status of the US bases became a stumbling block. Americans do not want to be guests on the island, but hosts and extend US sovereignty to the territory of the bases. In response, they hear that Greenland will not compromise its sovereignty, even if it is a territory the size of a postage stamp.
The situation is similar with regard to the US economic presence on the island, including expanding access of American companies to the development of its mineral resources. Greenland is interested in developing economic cooperation with the United States, but does not accept the requirement to grant Americans the right to veto investments in the island's economy from other countries.
In Copenhagen they proceed from the fact that the United States will not give up its claims to Greenland, even if the negotiations are successful, but then it will be more difficult for them to realize such intentions.
❓Question: Has Denmark taken any measures recently aimed at strengthening the island’s security?
💬 Answer: The United States explains its claims to Greenland's ownership by Denmark's allegedly insufficient attention to the island's defense. Since January 2025, Copenhagen has allocated about $6.5 billion to strengthen its military potential in the Arctic latitudes. Denmark intends, in particular, to deploy F-35 fighter jets in Greenland. Arctic-class frigates and patrol ships, transport and patrol aircraft, long-range UAVs for monitoring the marine zone near the island and anti-submarine warfare equipment will also be purchased.
The militarization of the island and the Arctic as a whole is being conducted under the guise of allegations of an allegedly growing Russian military threat, although until recently Copenhagen denied the existence of Russian military activity in the Greenland region.
Copenhagen, for its part, seeks to present Greenland's defense as the responsibility of the entire NATO, including the United States. This allows both to disavow the American accusations against themselves and to demonstrate European countries' support for Denmark's territorial integrity.
Until last year, the armed forces of non-Arctic NATO countries, primarily Great Britain, France and Germany, were present in Greenland and in the Arctic as a whole in a national capacity. But since the beginning of 2026, at the initiative of Denmark, such military activity has been institutionalized under the auspices of NATO. The NATO Arctic Sentry Operation has been launched, the purpose of which is to intimidate Russia and take control of shipping routes, including Russia's exit from the Arctic to the North Atlantic Ocean.
The Arctic, which was a region of low tension and cooperation, is turning into a zone of confrontation through the efforts of NATO with the active participation of Denmark.
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