Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev has suggested that Greenlanders could vote to join Russia if US President Donald Trump does not move swiftly to secure control of the Arctic island, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported on Monday (Jan 12).
“Trump needs to hurry. According to unverified information, in a few days there could be a sudden referendum, at which the entire 55,000-strong Greenland could vote to join Russia,” Interfax quoted Medvedev, a former Russian president, as saying. He added sarcastically: “And then that’s it. No new little stars on the (US) flag.”
Medvedev’s remarks appeared aimed at mocking Trump’s renewed push for the United States to take control of Greenland, a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Trump has argued that Washington needs to own the vast, ice-covered island to strengthen US national security and deter Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic.
Greenland’s government and Denmark have firmly rejected the idea, stressing that the island is not for sale and that its future must be decided by Greenlanders themselves. Danish leaders have reiterated that Greenland already enjoys wide autonomy and that any change in its status would require the consent of its people.
While Russia has made no territorial claim to Greenland, Moscow has long paid close attention to the island’s strategic importance. Greenland sits astride key North Atlantic and Arctic sea and air routes and hosts a major US military installation, including space and missile early-warning capabilities, at Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base.
The Kremlin has so far declined to comment directly on Trump’s latest statements. However, last year it described the Arctic as a zone of Russia’s national and strategic interests and said it was closely watching what it called the “rather dramatic” debate surrounding Greenland.
Tensions in the Arctic have intensified since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which effectively froze much of the region’s long-standing international cooperation. As climate change accelerates ice melt, opening new shipping lanes and access to untapped natural resources, competition among Arctic and near-Arctic powers has increased.
Against this backdrop, Medvedev’s comments underline how Greenland has become a symbol in broader geopolitical rivalries, even as its leaders insist that the island’s future should not be shaped by great-power posturing.
