Putin Backs Trump’s Greenland Plan, Exposing Strategic Contradictions

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced his support for Donald Trump’s plan to annex Greenland, a statement that has raised eyebrows across diplomatic and security circles due to the strategic implications it carries for both Washington and Moscow.

For the Kremlin, analysts argue, Trump’s proposal is doubly advantageous. First, it risks weakening NATO, a long-standing strategic objective for Putin, who has sought for more than two decades to fracture the alliance’s unity and credibility. Any dispute between the United States and European allies over Greenland would strain transatlantic relations and complicate NATO’s internal cohesion.

Second, Putin’s endorsement helps reinforce the logic he has repeatedly used to justify Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Many of the arguments put forward by Trump in favor of annexing Greenland — including strategic necessity, historical claims, security concerns, and great-power competition — closely mirror the justifications Moscow has cited for its actions in Ukraine.

A strategic contradiction for Trump

At the same time, Putin’s support exposes a central contradiction in Trump’s narrative. The former U.S. president has argued that controlling Greenland is essential to counter the Russian threat in the Arctic and prevent Moscow from expanding its influence in the region.

However, critics note that if Greenland were truly a move designed to contain Russia, it would be counterintuitive for Putin to openly support it. The Kremlin’s approval raises questions about whether the plan genuinely serves U.S. security interests or instead advances Russian strategic goals by sowing division within the Western alliance.

“This is a rare case where Moscow is applauding a U.S. proposal,” said one European analyst. “That alone should prompt serious reflection in Washington and Brussels.”

Broader geopolitical implications

The Arctic has become an increasingly contested arena, with Russia, the United States, and China all seeking to expand their influence as melting ice opens new shipping routes and access to natural resources. Greenland, an autonomous territory under Danish sovereignty, occupies a critical strategic position in this competition.

European leaders have repeatedly stressed that Greenland’s future must be decided solely by Greenlanders and Denmark, warning that any unilateral move would violate international norms and further destabilize an already tense global environment.

An unexpected alignment

Putin’s endorsement of Trump’s proposal highlights an unexpected convergence of interests between two leaders often portrayed as adversaries. While their motivations differ, the outcome — weakened NATO unity and blurred norms around territorial sovereignty — would align closely with long-standing Russian objectives.

As debates over Greenland intensify, the episode underscores how geopolitical signaling can sometimes reveal more through who supports an idea than through who opposes it.

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Vladimir Putin announced his support for Trump's plan to annex Greenland. For Putin, this plan by the American president is doubly positive because: 1- it weakens NATO, a dream Putin has cherished for 25 years, and 2- it reinforces the arguments he has been using to… pic.twitter.com/vJIAauR0SB — K13 News (@K13News) January 19, 2026