Russia mocks Europe's Greenland response amid US tensions

Saturday 17 January 2026 - 10:50

By: Dakir Madiha

Russia mocks Europe's Greenland response amid US tensions

Russian officials have unleashed sharp ridicule against Europe's military moves in Greenland, with former President Dmitri Medvedev delivering particularly blunt jabs. He suggested on social media that European leaders would panic and abandon the territory rather than confront the United States over its ambitions.

The taunts coincide with the arrival of troops from France, Germany, Sweden, and Norway for joint exercises on the island. This follows tense talks in Washington between Danish and US officials, which the Danish foreign minister described as revealing a fundamental disagreement on Greenland's future.

Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, dismissed French President Emmanuel Macron's warnings of unprecedented consequences if Danish sovereignty is breached. In a January 14 post, he mocked the rhetoric, asking what Europe would do kidnap the US president or bomb America? He predicted they would simply back down, setting a striking precedent.

Earlier, Medvedev sarcastically proposed that Greenlanders hold a referendum to join Russia if US President Trump delays too long, turning the island's 55,000 residents into Russia's 90th federal subject.

Russia's embassy in Belgium, home to NATO headquarters, accused the alliance of exploiting the crisis to push an anti-Russian and anti-Chinese agenda. It claimed NATO is rushing to militarize the Arctic under the false pretext of threats from Moscow and Beijing, warning that internal rifts over Greenland make alliance decisions increasingly unpredictable.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova drew parallels to Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, urging Europeans to reflect on their past condemnations. She questioned whether they would respond to US actions on Greenland with the same vigor they demanded from Russia over Ukraine, hinting at hypocrisy in their stance.

Meanwhile, small European deployments have begun in Nuuk, Greenland's capital. France sent about 15 mountain troops, Germany dispatched a 13-person reconnaissance unit, and Denmark plans a more permanent NATO-allied presence with rotating forces.

Pro-Kremlin media figure Konstantin Malofeev claimed only Russia could prevent a US takeover, arguing Europe's allies lack the resolve to offer real support.