Russia calls Trump’s threats to take over Greenland ‘extraordinary’

Russia called the Trump administration’s threats to take over Greenland “extraordinary” on Friday, adding it would continue monitoring the situation.

“The situation is unusual, I would even say extraordinary from the standpoint of international law,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to comments reported by Russian state news outlet Ria Novosti.

U.S. President Donald Trump has talked up acquiring Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory, since a daring military operation to depose Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3. He said the U.S. needs Greenland for national security and that only Washington can counter an alleged threat from Russia and China to the island.

Peskov added that Trump “has said that international law is not a priority for him. The situation is developing along a different trajectory, and we, along with the rest of the world, will be watching to see which one.”

A spokesperson for the Kremlin was not immediately available to comment when contacted by CNBC.

Peskov’s comments come shortly after the U.S., Denmark and Greenland held crunch talks over the future of the Arctic island.

The White House meeting, which was described as “frank but constructive” by Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, ended on Wednesday without a diplomatic breakthrough, although they agreed to keep talking via a high-level working group.

In a recent interview with the New York Times, Trump said he doesn’t “need international law” and that only his “own morality” and mind can stop him.

Several NATO members have deployed small numbers of troops to Greenland for a joint military exercise, meanwhile, seeking to beef up the military presence in and around the sparsely populated island.

Denmark, which is responsible for Greenland’s defense, Germany, France, Sweden and Norway have all confirmed plans to take part in the joint exercises, known as “Operation Arctic Endurance.”

Earlier in the week, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that it was unacceptable to say that Beijing and Moscow were a threat to Greenland, accusing the West of double standards.