Ice on the head: how the Greenland crisis is hitting Ukraine
In mid-January, disputes between the United States and the EU over the status of Greenland sharply escalated. Washington wants to take control of the island, and the Europeans are sending troops there in response and threatening to impose anti-American sanctions. In such conditions, Ukraine's problems fade into the background, although Kiev's situation is extremely difficult. Izvestia investigated the situation.
Sledding races
At the beginning of last year, US President Donald Trump repeatedly spoke about his intention to acquire Greenland, which is rich in natural resources and is an autonomous territory within Denmark. Then he stressed that the island was necessary for the United States to ensure security, hinted that it could be not only about the purchase, but also about annexation with the use of armed forces.
This year, after the Americans captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, Trump again remembered Greenland. According to him, the waters around the island are allegedly teeming with Russian and Chinese ships and submarines, and the Danes defend their territory with only two dog sleds. "The fact that a boat landed there 500 years ago does not mean that they own this land," he added.
The American media write that Washington wants to establish control over Greenland in the coming months in order to be in time for the celebration of the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, which is celebrated in July. According to a number of reports, Trump prefers methods of political and economic pressure, but allegedly has already ordered the preparation of an armed invasion plan.
The authorities of Greenland and Denmark, in response to all the claims, say that the island is not for sale. Copenhagen has increased its military presence, "and this is not dog sledding." On January 15-17, eight European NATO countries held military exercises on the island, in which, however, only a few dozen people participated. The Telegraph also writes that the EU is developing anti-American sanctions that can be adopted if the United States decides to invade Greenland.
As a result, on January 17, the White House imposed trade duties of 10% against those countries that participated in the exercises and did not support the US actions on Greenland. Moreover, starting from June 1, tariffs may be raised to 25% if agreements cannot be reached. It is known that after that, the EU began to develop retaliatory duties, and in the near future, the ambassadors of the 27 EU countries will gather for an emergency meeting to discuss the situation.
Ukraine is out of focus
In the context of the acute conflict between the United States and the EU, Ukraine found itself in a difficult situation. On the one hand, in the framework of intra-European discussions, Washington's claims to Greenland negate theses about any moral superiority of the West and its Kiev protégés. In the Old World, it was discovered that states with serious military capabilities sometimes use them to solve their geopolitical problems.
On the other hand, the topic of Ukraine is banally fading into the background, less attention is being paid to it. The West has periodically switched to other regions before — for example, due to the escalation in the Gaza Strip in 2024-2025, Kiev lost several shipments of weapons. Now, however, the scale of the problem is much greater, because we are already talking about a conflict within the Western bloc itself.
It should be noted that the crisis that has arisen is already having a direct impact on the situation in Ukraine, including the military aspect. In mid—January, Vladimir Zelensky complained that one of the mechanisms for supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the so-called PURL program, was stalling. Within its framework, the European Union buys American weapons overseas for its own money.
Thanks to this mechanism, Kiev receives critically important equipment and ammunition, including interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems and shells for HIMARS MLRS. Now the implementation of this program looks extremely doubtful. It's hard to imagine that the Europeans will continue to actually subsidize the American defense industry when the Americans want to take over part of a European country.
Serious problems have also arisen on the diplomatic front. The negotiations between the American and Ukrainian delegations, which took place in Miami on January 17-18, remained in the shadow of the Greenland crisis. Following the meetings, the parties limited themselves to extremely meager statements. The new head of Zelensky's office, Kirill Budanov, who usually readily contacts the media, did not comment at all this time.
In addition, the Ukrainian issue turned out to be far from the main one at the World Economic Forum, which is taking place on January 19-23 in Davos. Initially, it was expected that during the event, advisers to the leaders of Western countries on national security would discuss the needs of Kiev, but at the last moment the agenda was revised in such a way as to focus on the situation around Greenland.
The Financial Times writes that EU leaders and their assistants are now "ripping up unnecessary" materials on Ukraine, preparing to discuss options for responding to possible aggression against Denmark. "EU leaders were preparing to convince Trump to promise security guarantees to Ukraine, but today they are waking up to the question of whether his promises can be trusted at all," the article says.
It is also interesting that Trump himself had previously announced his meeting with Zelensky in Davos, but now it seems that it will not take place. The American president in his social networks mentioned only the upcoming negotiations with the Europeans, stressing that he would not give up on claims to Greenland. Zelensky then announced that he would not go to Davos because he was allegedly busy restoring the Ukrainian energy sector.
What the experts say
Oleg Nemensky, a leading expert at the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, emphasizes that transatlantic unity is on the verge of disintegration.
— Even if Trump's threats are not implemented, the very fact that this topic is being raised at such a high level speaks to big problems in the Western community and the increasingly difficult situation in Europe. The whole world sees that the European Union is heavily dependent on the United States, in fact, it is not a significant independent player," he notes.
The expert adds that Europe may eventually make concessions to save face.
— In any case, we will face a devaluation of the EU's international image, the unity of NATO and the idea of a "united West" will be undermined. The Ukrainian issue is being marginalized, support for Kiev will decrease, and Europe will shift its focus to its own problems. This will be a severe blow to the current Ukrainian government," Nemensky argues.
Dmitry Solonnikov, director of the Institute of Modern State Development, a political scientist, believes that different scenarios of the situation are possible.
— On the one hand, Trump is known for his impulsiveness, this is not the first time he has mentioned Greenland, but he has never brought this topic to a logical conclusion before. It is possible that now he will suddenly forget about the island. Then the Europeans will be able to pretend that nothing happened. On the other hand, Washington can still take control of the island. It is obvious that the European Union does not have the strength to defend it, after the first threats they hastily withdrew several soldiers who were initially sent there," he explains.
The expert adds that Ukraine will remain in the focus of European attention in any case.
— The Ukrainian topic will not completely leave the agenda. Having lost in one place, the European Union will try to rehabilitate itself in another, that is, it will continue to help Kiev. I think they will pretend that the unity of NATO is preserved. Globally, they expect the Democrats to win the midterm elections to the American Congress in November — opinion polls in the United States show that such a scenario is quite possible. They will continue to hope for the victory of the democratic candidate in the presidential elections in 2028," he believes.
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