Greenland is a territory of Denmark, says Russia, slams ‘double standards’ of Western powers

The ‍Kremlin said ​on Friday (January 16, 2026) that Russia ‌considers ​Greenland to be Danish territory, and added that the security situation surrounding ​the island ⁠was “extraordinary” from the perspective of ​international law.

Moscow ⁠said that it was ‌unacceptable for ‌the West to keep claiming ‍that Russia and China ‍threatened Greenland, and said that the crisis over the territory showed the double standards ⁠of Western powers which ​claimed moral superiority.

The statement comes amid U.S. President Donald Trumps calls to annex Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, a NATO ally. Mr. Trump has said that Greenland was vital to U.S. national security interests.

Ukraine peace talks

The ‍Kremlin also said that the stated ​desire of Italy, France and Germany to resume dialogue on Ukraine with ​Russia was ⁠a significant shift which matched its ​own view ⁠of how things should evolve.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov ‌told reporters that Russia had ‍an ongoing dialogue with ‍the U.S. over efforts to get a peace deal in Ukraine, but ⁠that no such dialogue ​existed with European governments.

The Kremlin said ​that is preparing to welcome ​Mr. Trump’s envoy Steve ​Witkoff ⁠and Mr. Trump’s son-in-law Jared ‌Kushner ‌to Moscow for peace ‍talks on ‍Ukraine, but that no dates have ⁠been set ​yet.