普京稱美國對格陵蘭島的爭奪源於歷史，並誓言維護俄羅斯在北極的利益

 Recently Yahoo News on-line picked up the following:

Putin says US push for Greenland rooted in history, vows to uphold Russian interest in the Arctic

The Associated Press - Vladimir Isachenkov

Thu, March 27, 2025 at 4:04 p.m. PDT·3 min read

 MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that President Donald Trump's push for control over Greenland wasn't surprising given longtime U.S. interest in the mineral-rich territory.

Speaking at a policy forum in the Artic port of Murmansk, Putin noted that the United States first considered plans to win control over Greenland in the 19th century, and then offered to buy it from Denmark after World War II.

“It can look surprising only at first glance and it would be wrong to believe that this is some sort of extravagant talk by the current U.S. administration,” Putin said. “It’s obvious that the United States will continue to systematically advance its geostrategic, military-political and economic interests in the Arctic.”

Trump irked much of Europe by suggesting that the United States should in some form control the self-governing, mineral-rich territory of Denmark, a U.S. ally and NATO member. As the nautical gateway to the Arctic and North Atlantic approaches to North America, Greenland has broader strategic value as both China and Russia seek access to its waterways and natural resources.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his wife are due to visit an American military base in Greenland on Friday on a trip that was scaled back after an uproar by Greenlanders and Danes.

Speaking on Thursday, Putin noted that Russia is worried about NATO’s activities in the Arctic and will respond by strengthening its military capability in the polar region.

“We are certainly concerned about NATO members describing the Far North as the region of possible conflicts,” he said, noting that Russia's neighbors Finland and Sweden have joined the alliance. “Russia has never threatened anyone in the Arctic, but we will closely follow the developments and mount an appropriate response by increasing our military capability and modernizing military infrastructure.”

Russia has sought to assert its influence over wide areas of the Arctic in competition with the United States, Canada, Denmark and Norway as shrinking polar ice from the warming planet offers new opportunities for resources and shipping routes. China also has shown an increasing interest in the region, believed to hold up to one-fourth of the Earth’s undiscovered oil and gas.

“We won’t allow any infringement on our country’s sovereignty, reliably safeguard our national interests while supporting peace and stability in the polar region,” Putin said.

While pledging to strengthen Russia's military foothold in the Arctic, Putin said that Moscow was holding the door open to broader international cooperation in the region.

“The stronger our positions will be, the more significant the results will be and the broader opportunities we will have to launch international projects in the Arctic involving the countries that are friendly to us, and, possibly, Western countries if they show interest in joint work. I’m sure the time will come to launch such projects.”

Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and Putin's envoy for international investment who took part in talks with U.S. officials, told reporters last month that Russia and the U.S. should develop joint energy ventures.

“We need joint projects, including in the Arctic and other regions,” he said.

(Vladimir Isachenkov, The Associated Press)

Translation

普京稱美國對格陵蘭島的爭奪源於歷史，並誓言維護俄羅斯在北極的利益

莫斯科（美聯社）— 俄羅斯總統普京週四表示，鑑於美國長期以來對這片礦產資源豐富的地區的興趣，特朗普總統爭取對格陵蘭島的控制權並不令人意外。

普京在北極港口 Murmansk 舉行的政策論壇上指出，美國在19世紀首次考慮奪取格陵蘭島的控制權，並在二戰後提出從丹麥手中購買格陵蘭島。

普京表示： “乍一看這似乎令人驚訝，但不要認為這是現任美國政府的某種誇張言論”; “顯然，美國將繼續系統地推進其在北極的地緣戰略、軍事政治和經濟利益。”

特朗普建議美國應該以某種形式控制在自治中且礦產資源豐富的的丹麥領土, 此舉激怒了大部分歐洲國家, 丹麥是美國的盟友和北約成員國。作為通往北極和北大西洋以及北美的航海門戶，格陵蘭島具有更廣泛的戰略價值，因為中國和俄羅斯都尋求獲得其水道和自然資源。

美國副總統 JD Vance 和他的妻子原定於週五訪問格陵蘭島的一個美國軍事基地，但由於格陵蘭人和丹麥人的強烈抗議，他們的行程被縮減。

普京週四發表演說指出，俄羅斯對北約在北極的活動感到擔憂，並將透過加強其在極地地區的軍事能力來回應。

他說：「我們確實擔心北約成員國將極北地區描述為可能發生衝突的地區」, 並指出俄羅斯的鄰國芬蘭和瑞典已加入北約; 「俄羅斯從未威脅過北極的任何人，但我們將密切關注事態發展，並通過增強軍事能力和現代化軍事基礎設施做出適當的回應」。

由於全球暖化導致極地冰層萎縮，為資源和航運路線提供了新的機會，俄羅斯試圖與美國、加拿大、丹麥和挪威競爭，在北極廣大地區施加影響力。中國對該地區的興趣也日益濃厚，相信該地區蘊藏著地球上四分之一的未探明石油和天然氣資源。

普京表示： “我們不會允許任何人侵犯我們國家的主權，會可靠地維護我們的國家利益，同時支持極地地區的和平與穩定。”

普京承諾加強俄羅斯在北極的軍事立足點，並表示莫斯科為該地區更廣泛的國際合作敞開大門。

「我們的地位越強，成果就越顯著，我們在北極啟動國際計劃的機會就越大，這些計劃涉及與我們友好的國家，甚至西方國家，如果他們對聯合工作感興趣的話。我相信啟動這類計劃的時機將會到來」。

俄羅斯直接投資基金總裁、普京國際投資特使 Kirill Dmitriev 參加了與美國官員的會談，他上個月對記者表示，俄羅斯和美國應該發展聯合能源項目。

他說： “我們需要共同參與的項目，包括在北極和其他地區。”

              So, Putin believes that the United States will continue to systematically advance its interests in the Arctic. Meanwhile Russia has sought to assert its influence over wide areas of the Arctic in competition with the United States, Canada, Denmark and Norway. While pledging to strengthen Russia's military foothold in the Arctic, Putin has said that Moscow is holding the door open to broader international cooperation in the region. As China also has shown an increasing interest in the region, apparently, it is logical that China will partner up Russia to operate in this region eventually in the name of international cooperation.