Russia keeping close eye on Trump’s claim to Greenland

The Kremlin ridiculed the European response, suggesting it was reacting “very timidly… almost in a whisper”.

Last week, Greenland’s leader said the territory should free itself from “the shackles of colonialism”, although he made no mention of the US.

A former Greenland foreign minister, Pele Broberg, who now heads the biggest opposition party, told the BBC that most Greenlanders he talked to believed the US was vital for their defence and safety.

“We are part of the North American continent, that’s why the defence of the US is in such a great place with regards to Greenland, because we create a buffer zone that doesn’t need to be militarised.”

He has called for a “free association agreement” with the US covering trade and defence which would give Greenland independence but hand the US responsibility for security.

Trump’s allies have reinforced his views on Greenland.

Keith Kellogg, chosen by Trump to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, said a lot of the president-elect’s remarks on Greenland made sense, “putting the United States in a position of global leadership”.

Republican congressman Mike Walz told Fox News that the issue was “not just about Greenland, this is about the Arctic”, because Russia was trying to take control of the polar region, with its mineral and natural resources.

“Denmark can be a great ally, but you can’t treat Greenland, which they have operational control over, as some kind of backwater – it’s in the Western hemisphere.”