Why Trump’s pursuit of Greenland could support Russia

US President-elect Donald Trump’s long pursuit of Greenland may have angered Denmark, which retains sovereignty over the Arctic island, but his territorial ambitions appear to be gaining traction in an unlikely quarter: Russia.

High-ranking political scientists close to Russian President Vladimir Putin have already spoken out in support of Trump re-stated ambitions to buy Greenland and expand US territory to include the resource-rich island — commenting that such a move would confirm the expansionist territorial ambitions of any other country, and most importantly, Russia.

Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social in December that he considers “owning” Greenland important to US economic and national security, echoing a bet on the island he made in his first term as president.

On Tuesday, Trump doubled down on those comments and said he would not rule out using force to seize Greenland as well as the Panama Canal. Trump also floated the idea of ​​making Canada the 51st state and changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of Mexico.

Trump’s comments were condemned in Europe, and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barot said on Wednesday that the European Union would not tolerate attacks on its sovereign borders.

Nevertheless, the president-elect’s position found favor in Moscow, mostly being covered positively by Russian state media and political figures.

Russian TV host and Kremlin ally Vladimir Solovyov, who debated Trump’s remarks on his prime-time show, said Trump’s position essentially gave Moscow the right to demand the restoration of its own former Soviet empire, including the Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.

Other pro-Kremlin experts on the panel said Trump’s ambitions were backed by Russia’s decision to launch its own “special military operation” against Ukraine. Kremlin propagandist Solovyov, a staunch supporter of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, commented that “what Trump is doing is doing us a lot of good,” adding that the president-elect “totally destroys any illusions anyone else had about the democracy summit, about respect to the opinion of the NATO allies.”

“It’s like he’s saying, ‘Who are you all? You are all nobody. I will talk to Putin and Xi Jinping. As for you, who are you? Deliver to Greenland. He’s a great guy, an amazing guy,” he added.

CNBC has reached out to the Kremlin for comment on Trump’s position and is awaiting a response.

It is very likely that the Russian leadership is looking at Trump’s proposals – however feasible or not – with interest, analysts say. After all, they note, Russia has already shown with its invasion of Ukraine in 2022 that it is ready to violate international law and territorial sovereignty in order to achieve its own geopolitical ambitions.

“Russian propagandists and Russian state media are happy to bask in news of Trump’s extraterritorial threats and desire for unilateral aggression, because of course that’s what they themselves trumpeted when Vladimir Putin was hounding them,” Max Hess, fellow at the Institute for Research foreign policy and author of “Economic Warfare: Ukraine and the Global Conflict Between Russia and the West,” told CNBC Wednesday.

Close supporters of Russian politics say Trump’s stance could galvanize Russia’s leadership as it confirms possible further attempts to expand Russia’s sphere of influence and power.

“The West claimed that Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and seizure of territorial lands are illegal and contrary to international law. The same message was sent to Israel regarding the expansion of settlements. And the message to China was not to see Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a green light for a similar invasion of Taiwan — they should have serious international consequences,” said Timothy Ash, emerging markets strategist at BlueBay Asset Management. by email.comments wednesday.

“Although Trump’s pantomime yesterday sent a clear message that the great powers do have ‘spheres of influence’ or they do according to Trump – which is consistent with Putin’s view of the world,” Ash added, warning that Trump had severely undermined NATO with his actions. comments.

The Kremlin has made no official comment on Trump’s comments about Greenland, which lies between the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans, but is likely to be watching developments closely given its own interests in the Arctic. a region where it has expanded its own political, economic and military influence in recent decades.

Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, but has ties to the United States, with American military facilities built on the island after World War II. During the war, Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany, which led Copenhagen and the US to sign an agreement in 1941 to give the US control of the defense of Greenland.

Denmark strongly opposes Trump’s ambitions to buy the island, with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen calling the idea “absurd” when Trump first discussed it in 2019.

That view was echoed by Greenland after Trump’s December comments with Prime Minister Mute Egede saying: “We are not for sale and we will not be sold” and that “Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland.”

However, Trump’s comments appear to have rattled Denmark, which has sought to consolidate its power and ownership of the island in recent weeks.

Hours after Trump’s comments in December, Copenhagen announced this will increase Greenland’s defense costs to give it a “stronger Arctic presence”. Then on Monday, it was announced that Denmark’s King Frederik X had updated his historic coat of arms to give Greenland and the Faroe Islands greater symbolic prominence and establish them as a central part of the Danish kingdom.

Apparently undeterred by Greenland and Denmark’s cold attitude, Trump announced Monday that his son, Donald Trump Jr., was making an impromptu visit to the island.

Confirming a visit to Truth Social, Trump said: “My son Don Jr. and various representatives will travel there to visit some of the most beautiful areas and sights. Greenland is an incredible place and the people will benefit tremendously if and when it becomes part of our country.. We will protect it and keep it him from a very wicked world GREAT AGAIN!” Trump said.

Danish broadcaster the doctor Donald Trump Jr. reportedly arrived in Greenland on Tuesday but said that no meetings with members of the government are planned.

Denmark’s foreign ministry told NBC News: “We are aware of Donald Trump Jr.’s planned visit to Greenland. As this is not an official American visit, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not comment on the visit.’