The United States is creating an airport infrastructure in Greenland for F-35 fighters capable of carrying nuclear weapons, Russian ambassador to Denmark Vladimir Barbin told RIA Novosti.
„The US military space base Pituffik (formerly Thule), located on the island, is today an element of the US early warning system for missile attacks from the Arctic. It is undergoing a comprehensive modernization, including a radar worth billions of dollars. An airport infrastructure is also being created there for F-35 fighters, which are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, and have already used the base's airport during US Air Force exercises.
The ambassador recalled that US troops have been in Greenland since World War II.
"Russia is for strengthening stability in the Arctic. This is possible only on the basis of building a uniform international security system for all Arctic states," Barbin emphasized.
Earlier, the ambassador said that the approach of US President-elect Donald Trump to Greenland worsens the situation in the region, and his desire to gain control over the island shows an unwillingness to strengthen stability and develop dialogue in the Arctic. Russia will take this into account in military planning, the diplomat warned.
Trump has previously said that Greenland should be part of the United States, emphasizing its strategic importance for national security and the protection of the "free world", including from China and Russia. Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede responded that Greenland is not for sale and never will be.
Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953. It remains part of the kingdom, but in 2009 it was granted autonomy with the possibility of self-government and independent choices in internal politics.