Peskov pointed to Russia's desire to maintain stability in the Arctic zone

Russia is interested in maintaining stability in the Arctic zone. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on January 9.

"The Arctic zone is a zone of our national interests, our strategic interests. We are present in the Arctic zone, we will continue to be present there. We are interested in preserving the atmosphere of peace and stability," he said at a briefing.

He made this comment against the backdrop of aggravation of the issue of the possible purchase of Greenland by US President-elect Donald Trump.

According to Peskov, Trump's claim to the island is a matter of US relations with Denmark and other states. He noted that the Russian Federation is closely watching the "rather dramatic development of the situation."

The Russian presidential spokesman emphasized that for the sake of peace and stability, Russia is ready to interact with all countries. He added that this applies to stability in the world and specifically in the Arctic zone.

Why Trump needs control over Greenland. Parsing

The day before, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called Trump's desire to establish control over Greenland "not the best" idea. He added that it is not worth spending a lot of time talking about this plan of the president-elect, and added that establishing control over the island will not materialize.

On the same day, The New York Post, citing a source, reported that Trump wants to establish control over Greenland in order to send a "strong signal" to Beijing. In addition, the source cited Greenland's legal rights to a large territory in the Arctic as one of the reasons for the American leader-elect's desire to acquire the island.

On December 22, 2024, Trump, announcing the appointment of an ambassador to Denmark, emphasized that for the United States "ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity." The American politician expressed interest in buying Greenland from Denmark back in 2019. At that time, he was turned down.

Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on December 25 that the country had prepared a new defense package to protect Greenland, which allocated at least $1.5 billion. Later, on January 6, King Frederick X of Denmark changed the coat of arms of the state, on which Greenland and the Faroe Islands became more visible.