Greenland — The New Crimea? What Does the U.S. Acquisition of the Island Mean for Russia

Greenland Will Be Annexed by the United States: Russia Faces a New Geopolitical Reality

After the United States held relevant meetings on the issue of Greenland, European countries fell into a "daze." What does it mean for Russia if the United States is about to annex Greenland?

The flag of Greenland. Image.

Trump's Hardline Stance on Greenland Shocked Europe

Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said in the European Parliament corridor that the U.S. territorial claims on Greenland have triggered a global issue, the severity of which made her deeply panicked, even saying "It's time to start drinking." If the United States were to launch an invasion against Denmark, a member state of the EU (which is obviously inevitable), the EU should impose sanctions accordingly.

Recently, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivan Motzfeldt, and U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met in Washington to discuss the U.S. request for the acquisition of Greenland. President Donald Trump stated before the meeting that any outcome other than Greenland being directly under U.S. jurisdiction would be "unacceptable."

Trump claimed that Greenland was crucial for his "Golden Dome" anti-missile defense system project, which aims to prevent China and Russia from implementing "aggressive plans" in the Arctic region. Washington has offered Denmark a huge economic compensation (a negotiated amount of up to $10 billion) and lifetime rent, calling it a "once-in-a-century real estate deal." If negotiations fail, Trump is ready to annex Greenland.

Rasmussen admitted that Denmark failed to stop the U.S. attempt to seize the island.

He said after the meeting: "We failed to change the U.S. position. Obviously, the president (Trump) wants to occupy Greenland."

Working Group on the Greenland Issue Established, Referendum to Be Held

Danish and Greenland ministers in the negotiations stated that Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, and the issue of sovereignty change is not open for discussion, but they said Vance's attitude was extremely firm, and had no consideration for the stance of allies — the Trump administration refused to rule out the possibility of seizing the island by force if Denmark did not accept the deal.

However, to maintain the appearance of formality, the negotiating parties agreed to establish a "high-level working group" to "explore ways to meet U.S. security interests without violating Denmark's territorial integrity." After the meeting, Trump immediately told reporters: "You don't know what I'm going to do," keeping a vague attitude towards possible use of force.

Germany, France, Sweden and other European countries have announced decisions to urgently send troops to Greenland, and it is said that this move deliberately avoided the NATO framework. However, such rhetoric cannot save the increasingly divided NATO. Obviously, this small-scale European force is not capable of preventing the U.S.

It is reported that the people of Greenland oppose being incorporated into U.S. jurisdiction, but the U.S. may first hold an independence referendum, then hold a second vote on whether to join the U.S. — if large sums of money are promised to the local population, it is likely to get a result favorable to itself. The U.S. military base on Greenland will provide "security" for this referendum.

Russia Faces a Long-Term New Security Threat

Greenland occupies a key strategic position in the Arctic region. If the island becomes a "unsinkable aircraft carrier" for the U.S., deploying the "Golden Dome" anti-missile system and hypersonic weapons, it will completely change the balance of power in the region. After the U.S. fully controls Greenland, it will be able to more effectively block Russian fleets from entering the Atlantic (through the Faroe-Icelandic trench) and control the western part of the Northern Sea Route.

Russia's long-standing advantage built through the reconstruction of Arctic military bases will be lost. This is also why Trump is determined to take over Greenland.

On the other hand, the U.S. annexation of Greenland will cause an unprecedented blow to the Western alliance, providing an opportunity for Russia to reduce sanctions and military pressure.

If the U.S. formally annexes the territory of a Western country, all previous accusations that the West made against Russia on issues such as Crimea or newly annexed regions will lose any moral and legal basis. Moscow will be able to use "you're doing the same thing" as an absolute argument, becoming active on the international stage.

Despite this, in the long run, the presence of strong U.S. military infrastructure near Russia's northern border will pose a serious threat to the security of the Northern Sea Route.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7595764639661589033/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.