Jan 13 (Reuters) - Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said Greenlanders could vote to join Russia if U.S. President Donald Trump did not move quickly to secure the Arctic island, Interfax reported on Monday.
“Trump needs to hurry. According to unverified information, in a few days there could be a sudden referendum, at which the entire 55,000-strong Greenland could vote to join Russia," Interfax reported, quoting Medvedev, a former Russian president.
"And then that’s it. No new little stars on the (U.S.) flag."
Trump has revived his push for the United States to take control of Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory, arguing Washington needs to own it to deter Russia. The U.S. president has said its location and resources make Greenland vital for national security, prompting firm objections from Denmark and Greenland.
While Russia makes no claim to Greenland, it has long monitored the island’s strategic role in Arctic security, given its position on North Atlantic routes and the presence there of a major U.S. military and space surveillance facility.
The Kremlin has not commented on Trump's renewed push but calling the Arctic a zone of Russia’s national and strategic interests, it said last year that was watching the “rather dramatic” debate around Greenland closely.
Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine fractured much Arctic cooperation. As climate change opens new routes and resource prospects, the region has become more contested.
(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
