"What Will They Do?! Nuke the US?": Russia Mocks Emasculated Europe As Trump Eyes Greenland
Russian officials have been quick to seize on President Trump's renewed efforts in seeking a way ahead to take control of Greenland, accusing the West of "militarizing" the Arctic while also mocking Europe's ability to defend the strategically important, mineral-rich island.
Trump had on Wednesday even suggested the large island is "vital" to his proposed Golden Dome air and missile defense system. The same day, European countries made clear they would bolster their forces on the territory which is a possession of Denmark.
France, Sweden, Germany and Norway have confirmed they would deploy military personnel to Greenland, as Copenhagen tries to convince the White House to join a permanent NATO mission on the island as an alternative to taking it over.
Germany's Defense Ministry has agreed that a European NATO mission is needed to bolster security "in light of Russian and Chinese threats in the Arctic."
This has angered Moscow, which expressed "serious concern" and charged the West with "militarizing" Greenland, and that Europe is ready to seize the moment "solely to advance an anti-Russian and anti-Chinese agenda."
"NATO has embarked on a course of accelerated militarization of the Arctic, increasing its military presence there under the fabricated pretext of a growing threat from Moscow and Beijing," the Russian embassy in Belgium said late Wednesday.
It added that European officials were already discussing plans to encircle the island and deploy a large-scale collective landing force, accusing them of invoking "mythical threats that they themselves have created." Meanwhile, 'big talk' from Von der Leyen...
VON DER LEYEN: GREENLAND CAN COUNT ON EU
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has further made clear the Kremlin believes the Arctic should remain "a region of peace, dialogue and equal cooperation."
It's interesting that Kremlin officials are focusing their harsh rhetoric and condemnations on Europe and not the Trump White House, and the reasons are clear. Moscow is trying to improve its bilateral relations with Washington, and to have Trump's ear related to the Ukraine war and crisis.
The Gallic cock has crowed that, if the sovereignty of Denmark is affected, the consequences would be unprecedented. Ooh, what they will do?! Kidnap POTUS? Nuke the US? Course not. They’ll just shit their pants and give up Greenland. And that’d would be a great European precedent
— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) January 14, 2026
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova further mocked the Europeans by saying "Let them look at what they said about Crimea... It would be very useful for them to fire themselves up over Greenland."
"Why not focus all efforts on Greenland now?" she said. And then she invoked the Iran crisis: "Don’t you think the situation in Iran has become a ‘convenient excuse’ for EU officials to divert public attention from the fact that an island is being taken away from them - without a referendum?"
Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev took the jokes further, writing on social media "According to unverified information, a sudden referendum may take place" - and followed by saying Greenland, with a population of about 55,000, could become Russia’s "90th federal subject."
The foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland nervously lit up a cigarette after the meeting with Vance and Rubio.
— Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) January 15, 2026
Earlier, they planned to convince the US to abandon its claims to Greenland.
They failed. pic.twitter.com/L1TOBDr1bj
He then mocked Europe's total inability to defend the island, asking: "What [will they] do?! ... Nuke the U.S.?"
"They’ll just shit their pants and give up Greenland. And that would be a great European precedent," he wrote on X on Wednesday.