Military vessel HDMS Knud Rasmussen of the Royal Danish Navy patrols near Nuuk, Greenland on January 15, 2026. AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
| Photo Credit: AP
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.
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 was vital to U.S. national security interests.
Ukraine peace talks
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.
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

