The commander of the Danish Arctic Command in Greenland, Major General Soren Andersen, declared: "My focus is not on the US, absolutely not. My focus is Russia.
This statement was made in the context of the Arctic region attracting international attention again, especially after US President Donald Trump repeatedly described Greenland as "very important to US security", even not ruling out the possibility of using force to seize control of this vast autonomous island, which belongs to the Kingdom of Denmark.
However, Major General Andersen completely rejected the conflict scenario between NATO allies. He called the speculation about the possibility of the US attacking another NATO country a "theoretical assumption".
I don't see any NATO ally attacking another NATO ally," he said, while affirming that Denmark's defense plans are built as part of a regular work to protect the territory of the kingdom, in close coordination with NATO.
These statements took place when some European countries deployed small-scale military forces to Greenland last week, in preparation for NATO's Arctic Endurance military exercise. This exercise aims to test the combat capability of allied forces in harsh winter conditions in the Arctic - an area considered a new frontline in strategic competition between powers.
According to Major General Andersen, the Danish Arctic Command has invited the US to participate in this year's Arctic Endurance exercise, but it is unclear whether Washington will accept. Previously, Denmark did not invite the US to participate in a similar exercise in September last year.
Regarding the current situation, Mr. Andersen said that no Chinese or Russian ships have appeared near Greenland. However, a Russian research ship is operating about 310 nautical miles from this area. "That's the closest one" - he said, while affirming that NATO allies still maintain a "very good picture" of regional security.
However, the Danish military commander admitted that long-term concerns are still directed towards Moscow. "We really predict that Russia's activities will increase in the coming years, and therefore need to start training more, strengthening its presence in the Arctic to protect NATO's northern flank," he emphasized.
For its part, Russia denies any accusations from the US about "intentions" to seize control of Greenland. In an interview with TASS, Russian Ambassador to Denmark Vladimir Barbin affirmed that Russia has no territorial claims or plans to provoke Greenland or other Arctic countries.
Ambassador Barbin pointed out that NATO countries themselves are "relying on imaginations about threats from Russia or China" to promote the process of Arctic militarization. According to him, this goes against the spirit of cooperation that has been maintained for decades in this considered relatively stable region.
