Russia expresses "serious concern" over NATO's deployment of troops to Greenland

AFP, Moscow - After a meeting between Danish, Greenlandic and American leaders at the White House, Russia's foreign ministry expressed "serious concern" on Thursday over NATO's announcement to deploy additional forces to Greenland.

The Russian embassy in Brussels stated in a statement: "NATO has not engaged in constructive work within existing institutions, particularly within the framework of the Arctic Council, but instead chose to accelerate the militarization of the Arctic, using the pretext of increasingly exacerbated imagined threats from Moscow and Beijing to strengthen its military presence in the region."

The statement also condemned "extreme rhetoric," adding: "Washington's surprising statements about Greenland are merely used by NATO to advance its anti-Russian and anti-Chinese agenda."

Russia's statement called for: "The Arctic must remain a region that continues to maintain peace, dialogue, and fair cooperation."

AFP reported that the U.S. president reiterated his views on this Arctic territory under Danish sovereignty at the beginning of January.

Donald Trump once again emphasized that, due to "national security" considerations, the United States needs Greenland, especially to contain the expansion of Russia and China in the Arctic region, and did not rule out the possibility of using force to seize the island.

He also believes that Greenland is of "critical importance" for the construction of the "Golden Dome" of the U.S. missile defense system.

Greenland's Deputy Premier Mute Egede said on Wednesday, after a meeting between Danish, Greenlandic and American officials at the White House, that NATO forces will increase their garrison in Greenland in the "next few days."

Deputy Premier Mute Egede mentioned some "exercises" during a press conference, stating: "The number of military flights and ships is expected to increase."

France, Sweden, Germany, and Norway announced on Wednesday that they would send military personnel to the Arctic region for reconnaissance missions, and the Netherlands joined on Thursday. A French Ministry of Defense source said the mission is part of Denmark's "Arctic Endurance" exercise.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1854429993053184/

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