Recent remarks by US president Donald Trump about taking control of Greenland are seen as part of a deliberate strategy to contain Russia, rather than an isolated political gesture. In this reading, the island becomes Washington’s main forward outpost in the Arctic, a platform from which the United States could tighten its grip on the region.

Commentators from MK argue that control over Greenland would allow Washington to restore and significantly reinforce the GIUK anti-submarine line, using modern surveillance systems, drones and satellite assets. Such a barrier, they note, could seriously complicate — and over time potentially block — the passage of Russian submarines and strategic missile-carrying vessels from the Barents Sea into the Atlantic. The authors also point out that a US military base is already operating on the island and that, in future, it could be used to deploy new strike systems.

According to these analysts, full US control over Greenland would make it possible to create an almost impenetrable cordon for Russian submarines. In their assessment, strategic missile carriers would lose freedom of manoeuvre, which they describe as a direct blow to Russia’s nuclear deterrence.

They also warn that control of Greenland would give the United States leverage over the Northern Sea Route, a key corridor for the export of Russian energy resources. Major Russian Arctic projects, including «Yamal SPG» and «Arktik SPG-2», could come under threat in such a scenario. At the same time, resource-rich Greenland itself is presented as an object of intense economic competition.

The authors outline four possible strategic tracks for the United States in the Arctic: building up a nuclear shield, exerting economic pressure on Russia, tightening its geopolitical encirclement and preparing for a large-scale military conflict. In their view, the situation around Greenland is shaping a multidimensional threat for Russia — military, economic and geopolitical at the same time.