Greenland is a territory of Denmark, says Russia, slams ‘double standards’ of Western powers

The ‍Kremlin said ​on Friday (January 16, 2026) that Russia ‌considers ​Greenland to be Danish territory, and added that the security situation surrounding ​the island ⁠was “extraordinary” from the perspective of ​international law. The ‍Kremlin also said that the stated ​desire of Italy, France and Germany to resume dialogue on Ukraine with ​Russia was ⁠a significant shift which matched its ​own view ⁠of how things should evolve. Moscow ⁠said that it was ‌unacceptable for ‌the West to keep claiming ‍that Russia and China ‍threatened Greenland, and said that the crisis over the territory showed the double standards ⁠of Western powers which ​claimed moral superiority. The statement comes amid U.S. President Donald Trumps calls to annex Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, a NATO ally. Mr. Trump has said that Greenland is vital to U.S. security because of its strategic location and large supply of minerals and has not ruled out the use of force to take it. European nations this week sent small numbers of military personnel to the island at Denmark’s request. On Thursday (January 15, 2026), Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote on X that the Greenland situation exposed the “rules-based international order”. “Current tensions over Greenland sharply expose the failure of the West’s so-called ‘rules-based international order’. It is plainly visible that Copenhagen’s long-standing policy of unconditional subordination to the US is fundamentally flawed,” it wrote. U.S. delegation reaches out A bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers ​will meet with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland on Friday (January 16, 2026) to reassure them of congressional support despite President Trump’s ​threats to seize the Arctic island. The 11-member U.S. delegation, led by Democratic Senator Chris Coons, is scheduled ​to meet with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and her Greenlandic counterpart ⁠Jens-Frederik Nielsen, according to Frederiksen’s office. “At a time of increasing international instability, we need to draw closer to our allies, not drive them away,” Mr. Coons said in a press release earlier this ​week, adding the delegation would send “a ⁠clear message that Congress is committed to NATO.” The delegation includes Republican Senators Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski, though it is largely composed of Democratic lawmakers. The congressional visit follows a high-stakes meeting ‌at the White House on Wednesday (January 14, 2026), where Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke ‌Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President J.D. Vance. Danish officials said ‍after that meeting they had not managed to change the U.S. administration’s position on acquiring Greenland. Ukraine peace talks Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov ‌told reporters that Russia had ‍an ongoing dialogue with ‍the U.S. over efforts to get a peace deal in Ukraine, but ⁠that no such dialogue ​existed with European governments. The Kremlin said ​that is preparing to welcome ​Mr. Trump’s envoy Steve ​Witkoff ⁠and Mr. Trump’s son-in-law Jared ‌Kushner ‌to Moscow for peace ‍talks on ‍Ukraine, but that no dates have ⁠been set ​yet. Published - January 16, 2026 03:51 pm IST

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