Russia warns of countermeasures to US missile plans in Greenland

Tuesday 03 February 2026 - 17:50

By: Dakir Madiha

Russia warns of countermeasures to US missile plans in Greenland

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov cautioned that Moscow would deploy military and technical countermeasures if the United States advances its Golden Dome missile defense system in Greenland. The statement came as the New START treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms control pact between the two powers, nears expiration on Thursday.

"If they opt to station weapons systems in the region or place Golden Dome elements in Greenland, it will demand military and technical countermeasures, and our experts stand fully prepared to implement them," Ryabkov told journalists at Russia's embassy in Beijing, according to state news agency TASS. "There can be no doubt about that."

The remarks follow repeated assertions by U.S. President Donald Trump that acquiring Greenland proves vital for Golden Dome, a multilayered missile defense network he vows to complete before his term ends in 2029. In January, Trump claimed a "framework for a future deal" on Greenland with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, though specifics remain vague. Denmark and Greenland have staunchly opposed any sovereignty transfer over the Arctic territory. The U.S. already operates Pituffik Space Base there under a 1951 defense pact with Denmark, which military experts say grants sufficient access for missile defense without ownership changes.

Ryabkov spoke during "strategic stability consultations" in Beijing, days before New START's February 5 expiry. Signed in 2010 by President Barack Obama and then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, the treaty caps deployed strategic nuclear warheads at 1,550 per side. Russia proposed a one-year extension, but Washington has not replied. "No response is also a response," Ryabkov noted, adding that Russia braces for a "new reality" without nuclear limits for the first time in decades.

Global concerns mount over arms control's collapse. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned of a "dangerous phase" ahead. Medvedev, now deputy head of Russia's Security Council, said the lapse should alarm everyone and hasten the Doomsday Clock. Former President Obama urged Congress on X to act, arguing expiration would "needlessly destroy decades of diplomacy" and spark a new arms race, making the world less safe. Arms control specialists note it would end verification mechanisms underpinning strategic stability since the 1970s.