Trump’s Greenland demand has been a gift to U.S. geopolitical foes like Russia : NPR
Tensions between the United States and its Western allies are a source of satisfaction for many in the Kremlin.
TO MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
President Trump’s demand for U.S. control of the Danish territory of Greenland continues to antagonize U.S. allies, effectively serving as a gift to the United States’ geopolitical enemies, perhaps none more so than Russia. NPR’s Charles Maynes in Moscow joins us with the view from there. So given that Trump mentioned national security concerns about Russia as a reason for his interest in Greenland, Charles, how did they react there?
CHARLES MAYNES, BYLINE: Well, A, you know, some of the loudest voices – and by that I mean the nationalists and the propagandists – you know, they went all out with this, really taunting Europe about how they were always so worried about threats from Moscow when in fact the real threat was coming from Washington. That said, the Kremlin was more reserved. Here’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on a phone call with reporters earlier this week.
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DMITRI PESKOV: (speaking Russian).
MAYNES: Peskov says here that it’s not really his place to judge whether Trump’s attempt to seize Greenland is good, bad or even legal. But Peskov added that he couldn’t help but agree with experts who believed that by doing so, Trump would surely make history.
MARTÍNEZ: Well, okay, doesn’t that sound like they’re egging Trump on?
MAYNES: (Laughs) Sure. And you can understand why.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah.
MAYNES: You know, Russia has long viewed NATO as its primary national security threat, so much so that among the Kremlin’s reasons for invading Ukraine is, of course, Ukraine’s desire to join the alliance. And yet, today we are faced with NATO members fighting among themselves, even expressing concern about the end of NATO itself, all for reasons that are not Russia’s fault. Meanwhile, Trump’s request regarding Greenland highlighted this “if you can, why can’t we” dynamic that undermines Western criticism of Russia’s actions in Ukraine. This was certainly evident yesterday at a press conference I attended in Moscow, where Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov drew a parallel between the need for the United States and Russia to annex territories. Here is Lavrov in translation.
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SERGEY LAVROV: (Through interpreter) As President Trump said, this territory is important for the security of the United States. Well, Crimea is no less important for the security of the Russian Federation than Greenland is for the United States.
MAYNES: Lavrov is of course referring to Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, a move that was denounced by most of the international community, including the United States, as illegal. I should add that Lavrov also denied Trump’s claims that Russia – or, for that matter, China – poses a threat to Greenland, which is part of the reason Trump’s justification for wanting the territory. But Lavrov’s most important message was this: If the transatlantic alliance wants to tear itself apart, go for it. You know, we won’t get in your way.
MARTÍNEZ: Wow. You know, Charles, it’s funny. It strikes me that just two weeks ago we were talking about the setbacks in Russian foreign policy with the US attack on Venezuela and threats against Iran, both allies of the Kremlin.
MAYNES: Yeah. You know, the bottom line is that Russia was not a reliable partner. He couldn’t protect his friends. The headlines about Trump and Greenland mitigate this somewhat. But for all the current Russian jubilation, Moscow fears that no matter how the crisis in Greenland ends, a long-term U.S. military presence in the Arctic is coming, including perhaps Trump’s proposal for a Golden Dome nuclear umbrella that worries Russia, said Hanna Notte, director of the Eurasian program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.
HANNA NOTTE: It’s just that the political utility of these threats right now, I think, outweighs these long-term strategic concerns.
MAYNES: A. Notte warns that what this ultimately means for Russian power, Ukraine or the future of NATO is not yet clear. It really depends on President Trump and how he handles the days and weeks ahead.
MARTÍNEZ: This is NPR’s Charles Maynes in Moscow. Thank you so much.
MAYNES: Thank you.
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