With rising conflicts in the Arctic, Putin recently made it clear that he will not back off from doing whatever is required to keep his nation safe. Attending the International Arctic Forum on March 27, 2025, Putin said that as he is dedicated to protecting Russia, he has to ensure that he is keeping a vigilant eye on the Arctic as well.
While talking at the forum, Putin clearly said that various NATO member states were apparently looking at the far north as a “foothold for possible conflicts.” While he did not take any names, he did mention that despite regular military drills being carried out in the Arctic Russia has remained silent. He added that though they have “never threatened anyone in the Arctic,” currently they “are watching recent developments very closely.”
He then went on to warn the nations involved in these actions, saying, “[The] numbers of military servicemen in the Arctic will be rising. We are developing our response capabilities by upgrading our military infrastructure. We will not allow an encroachment of the sovereignty of our country… we will protect our national interests.”
His words clearly conveyed his intentions. Putin has always been known to be a man who fiercely protects the interests of Russia and would go to any length for the same. Regarding the ongoing war with Ukraine, his attitude has remained the same, which has now made the ending of the war a distant possibility. Not only has Putin a bunch of demands to be fulfilled before the war, he seems to be holding onto his ground in a non-negotiable way, which shows how he only cares about his nation and whatever he thinks would benefit Russia.
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Besides talking about Russia and the Arctic, Putin also interestingly referred to Donald Trump and his claims of making Greenland a part of America. While Trump’s comments on this regard have mostly been met with scorn and criticism, Putin seems to have the idea that the American President should be taken seriously in this regard.
Putin mentioned that Trump’s idea was not some new dream as plans to annex Greenland were first raised back in the 1860s by America. The plan however did not go through because the Congress rejected it. Therefore, Putin mentioned, when Trump is presently talking about making Greenland a part of America, he is doing so while keeping history in mind.
Putin said, “It would be a grave mistake to think that this is just some eccentric talk of the new American administration, nothing of the kind. Those plans have deep historic roots and it is obvious that the US will continue to promote their geopolitical, military and economic interests in the Arctic.”
He further added, “As for Greenland, I think that this is an issue that concerns two states and has nothing to do with us. However, we are concerned by the fact that the NATO countries increasingly identify the far north as a foothold for possible conflicts.”
While both Danish government and the Greenlandic government have made it clear that Trump can’t just want to have ownership of Greenland, with Putin’s words of affirmation for Trump and the American President’s repeated mentioning of how America should have the ownership of Greenland, it now remains to be seen how this matter is eventually handled.
