DOMINANT ANGLE
Moscow takes away from the US-Danish agreement on Greenland less a clarification of sovereignty than an exclusion clause explicitly targeting Washington's rivals, Russia and China, which are now excluded from any base or sensitive investment on the island.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
According to Interfax citing Fox News, only the United States and its allies will be able to invest in Greenland's telecommunications, undersea cables, ports, and mines, a clause presented as aiming to avoid a situation comparable to Chinese investments in Panama.
- 02
Marco Rubio, quoted by TASS, claims that Denmark and Greenland do not have the financial means to defend the territory in the event of an attack, which would justify transferring security control to Washington.
- 03
The office of Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, quoted by TASS, announces that the agreement is to be signed next week by the three governments on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, before parliamentary ratification.
ANALYSIS
Moscow, September 19, 2026. The Russian press first notes from the agreement announced on Friday, September 18, by Donald Trump a clause excluding Washington's rivals, more than the settlement of a territorial dispute between allies. Interfax, citing a source from Fox News, specifies that "only the United States and its allies" will be able to invest in telecommunications, underwater cables, ports, and mines in Greenland, a clause intended, according to the cited source, to avoid "a situation like that of Panama with Chinese investments". Vedomosti quotes Trump: "no adversary of the United States will ever be able to have a base in Greenland, a military presence in Greenland (...) without our explicit written approval".
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, cited by TASS and RIA Novosti, justifies the agreement due to Denmark and Greenland's financial inability to defend the territory: Copenhagen and Nuuk "do not have the necessary financial means to defend Greenland in case of an attack or threat", he stated to Fox News, adding that the island is now "forever" part of the North American defense zone.
Interfax adds, still via the source cited by Fox News, that Washington will be able to build new military facilities without the agreement of Copenhagen or Nuuk — a simple consultation will suffice — and that these conditions will remain valid even in the event of Greenland's independence. Sputnik recalls that a US military team inspected the Narsarsuaq airfield on September 17, in the south of the island, whose operating period has been extended by one year to evaluate its use by NATO.
Trump, on Truth Social, describes the agreement as a "infinite life" pact, with no cost for Washington, and claims that more than a hundred American presidents knew the strategic importance of Greenland without ever having succeeded in acting. The office of Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, cited by TASS, assures that the text "recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity" of the kingdom and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination; the signing is scheduled to take place next week, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
SOURCES (5)
- SputnikMEDIUM
- InterfaxMEDIUM
- VedomostiMEDIUM
- RIA NovostiMEDIUM
