Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, on Wednesday (local time) threatened that Moscow will take “military” countermeasures if Western countries continue to boost their military footprint in Greenland, TRT World reported.
Speaking to Russian lawmakers, Lavrov said, “Of course, in the event of the militarization of Greenland and the creation of military capabilities aimed at Russia, we will take adequate countermeasures, including military-technical ones.”
The development comes as several European countries started sending small contingents of troops to Greenland following US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims of annexing the Arctic Island.
Lavrov also accused Denmark of treating Greenlanders as “second-class citizens” and said that the US, Greenland, and Denmark should sort this out among themselves. Greenland, which is home to nearly 57,000 people, has been an autonomous Danish territory for decades.
Trump’s plan to annex Greenland
In January 2026, Trump announced plans to annex Greenland and added that Washington struck a “framework” deal with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) chief Mark Rutte to ensure greater US influence. He later backed off from these threats.
Trump has often claimed that if the US did not annex Greenland, Russia or China could. A CNBC report citing Trump’s interaction with the reporters aboard AirForce One in January, who said, “Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security.”
He has also claimed that Greenland’s position between the US, Russia, and China would make the island a crucial base for the proposed missile defense shield known as “Golden Dome”. He said that the US had to take “ownership” of a fellow Nato member’s territory to provide for its defence, The Guardian reported.
Earlier in January, while Trump ramped up his demand to annex Greenland, he ruled out using force to seize the Arctic Island at Davos. During his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump said, “I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force. All the US is asking for is a place called Greenland. You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative. Or you can say no, and we will remember.”
European military personnel in Greenland
According to a BBC report, soon after Trump expressed plans to annex Greenland, it sounded an alarm among the European countries. A small French military contingent arrived in the Arctic Island’s capital, Nuuk. The French military contingent was joined by military personnel from Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, and the UK.
The European Nato deployment consisted of only a few dozen military personnel, including 15 from France, and was part of the Danish-led joint exercises known as “Operation Arctic Endurance”.
Europe’s pushback on Trump’s Greenland annexation plan
In January, a joint statement on Greenland was issued by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
The statement read, “Arctic security remains a key priority for Europe, and it is critical for international and transatlantic security. NATO has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority, and European Allies are stepping up. We and many other Allies have increased our presence, activities, and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries. The Kingdom of Denmark – including Greenland – is part of NATO.”
The group added that security in the Arctic region must be achieved collectively, in conjunction with NATO allies, including the US.
