Russian President Vladimir Putin has ruled out any Russian involvement in discussions surrounding a potential U.S. takeover of Greenland, dismissing suggestions by U.S. President Donald Trump that Moscow poses a national security threat in the Arctic due to its expanding regional activities.
Putin’s remarks signal that Russia does not intend to intervene in the intensifying geopolitical debate over Greenland, despite rising tensions between Washington, Denmark and Arctic stakeholders. His comments appear aimed at dispelling speculation that Moscow’s relative silence reflected strategic calculations amid renewed U.S. interest in the territory.
Speaking publicly on the issue, Putin said developments involving Greenland were of no concern to Russia, framing the matter as one to be addressed solely between the United States and Denmark, both longstanding NATO allies.
“As for Greenland, it does not concern us at all what is happening there. This is an issue that the United States and Denmark will resolve among themselves.” he said
Putin referenced historical precedents to support his position, recalling Russia’s 1867 sale of Alaska to the United States for $7.2 million, a transaction he said demonstrated how territorial matters had previously been resolved peacefully between the two countries. Adjusted for inflation, he estimated the price would amount to about $158 million today.
He compared Alaska’s size, approximately 1.7 million square kilometres, with Greenland’s estimated landmass of 2.1 million square kilometres, suggesting that, based on historical valuations, Greenland’s theoretical price could range between $200 million and $250 million, or close to $1 billion when measured against gold prices of the period.
“But we have experience in resolving such issues with the United States In the 19th century, I think, in 1867, as we know, Russia sold it to the United States, and the United States bought Alaska from us. And if my memory serves me correctly, the area of Alaska is About 1 million 717 thousand square kilometers, a little more.”
“Connected The United States bought Alaska from us for 7.2 million US dollars. It is necessary Of course, we can check these figures, but I think it is. At today’s prices, taking into account inflation for all these many decade, that figure would have been $158 million.” he said
Putin also pointed to the 1917 transfer of the U.S. Virgin Islands from Denmark to the United States as further evidence that Washington and Copenhagen have prior experience handling territorial arrangements without external involvement. “Denmark and the United States already have experience in resolving such matters. This experience exists.” he added
While briefly criticising Denmark’s historical treatment of Greenland during the colonial era, Putin said such issues were irrelevant to Russia’s current position, stressing that Moscow sees no strategic or political stake in the territory and does not view Greenland as part of its Arctic agenda.
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