US President Donald Trump may seek to assert control over Greenland through methods different from those used in Venezuela, according to Russian Senator Aleksei Pushkov. He argues that the American leader is drawn to the island’s strategic value, given its Arctic location and direct access to the Northern Sea Route.

The discussion was triggered by a recent US operation in Venezuela, after which Trump told The Atlantic that Washington was interested in Greenland. He justified this interest by claiming that the Danish island was allegedly surrounded by Chinese and Russian vessels. Denmark’s Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, responded by urging the US president to stop rhetoric and threats related to Greenland’s possible incorporation into the United States.

Commenting on the situation, Pushkov stressed that Greenland should not be compared to Venezuela. In his view, Trump could pursue an alternative model for establishing control over the resource-rich and strategically important territory bordering the Arctic and opening onto the Northern Sea Route.

The senator also pointed to the Venezuelan episode as evidence of Trump’s consistency, noting that the US president tends to return repeatedly to topics he considers important rather than abandoning them. Greenland, he suggested, has become one of Trump’s recurring political themes.

Pushkov further outlined what he described as Trump’s underlying logic: Washington believes it has at least as strong, if not stronger, grounds to claim Greenland than Denmark, simply because the island is deemed necessary for US interests. He added that Greenland’s location in the Western Hemisphere fits into Trump’s doctrine of ensuring full American dominance in the region, a concept built around US hegemony.

In conclusion, the senator recalled that Greenland was long a Danish colony, implying that this historical background provides additional arguments that Washington could use in its dispute with Copenhagen.