Russia expresses serious concern over NATO’s military deployment to Greenland, accusing the alliance of using a false pretext to build up its Arctic presence.
MOSCOW: Russia has said it is seriously concerned by the arrival of NATO forces in Greenland.
The statement from Russia’s embassy to Belgium, where NATO is headquartered, came after France, Sweden, Germany and Norway announced they would deploy military personnel to the island’s capital, Nuuk.
NATO is “building up its military presence there under the false pretext of a growing threat from Moscow and Beijing,” the embassy said in a statement.
It added that internal NATO disagreements over Greenland were making the alliance’s ability to reach agreements “increasingly unpredictable.”
The deployment is part of a reconnaissance mission to the mineral-rich Arctic island.
The announcement followed a meeting between US, Danish and Greenlandic officials in Washington that failed to deter US President Donald Trump’s ambition of taking the island.
Trump argues Greenland is vital for US security and that if Washington does not take it “China or Russia will.”
His statements have put unprecedented strain on the NATO alliance.
Neither the Russian foreign ministry nor the Kremlin have commented on the recent deployment.
Both NATO and Russia have increased their military presence in the Arctic in recent years as melting sea ice opens the region to more activity.