Putin Believes Trump Is ‘Serious’ About Annexing Greenland

President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he believes U.S. President Donald Trump is serious about plans to annex Greenland and worries the West could use the Arctic as a springboard for future conflicts.

After taking office in January, Trump has repeatedly said that he would like to see Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, under the control of the United States, arguing that Washington could use the island to improve its own security.

“It’s a grave mistake to think that this is some extravagant talk from the new American administration. It’s nothing of the sort,” Putin said during a speech at an Arctic forum in the northern city of Murmansk.

“We are talking about serious plans on the American side with regard to Greenland. These plans have long-standing historical roots,” the Kremlin leader added.

Putin said that while Russia was not directly involved in the question of Greenland’s sovereignty, he was still concerned that “NATO countries, in general, are increasingly designating the far north as a springboard for possible conflicts.”

Greenland, which is seeking independence from Denmark, is already home to a U.S. military base, which U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is set to visit on Friday.

The island is strategically located between North America and Europe at a time of rising U.S., Chinese and Russian interest in the Arctic, where sea lanes have opened up due to human-caused climate change.

Denmark has rebuffed Trump’s calls to take over the island and says the people of Greenland have shown they do not want to be part of the United States.

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