Moscow [Russia], January 10: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Russia is closely monitoring the situation, after US President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out military action to take Greenland from Denmark.
Peskov said the Arctic was in Russia's "sphere of national and strategic interests and it is interested in peace and stability there".
Trump's remarks on Greenland - a largely autonomous Danish territory - have drawn a warning from European leaders.
EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas has stressed that "we have to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Greenland", and Germany's Olaf Scholz has made clear that "borders must not be moved by force".
Trump said earlier this week that the US needed both Greenland and the Panama Canal "for economic security", and refused to rule out using either economic or military force in taking them over.
He also referred to the border with Canada as an "artificially drawn line". Denmark and Canada are both close Nato allies of the US.
Dmitry Peskov said Trump's claims were a matter for the US, Denmark and other nations, but Russia was watching the "rather dramatic" situation surrounding his remarks. "We are present in the Arctic zone, and we will continue to be present there," he said. (Agencies)
Source: Qatar Tribune
