Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, held a press conference dedicated to his ministry's activities over the past year. At this annual event, which often lasts up to three hours, both Russian and foreign journalists can ask him questions.
Lavrov stated that Greenland is not a "natural part" of Denmark and that the issue of former colonial territories is becoming increasingly urgent.
It should be noted that US President Donald Trump has stated that he wants the US to gain full control over Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, for reasons of national security.
On January 17, he also announced the introduction of tariffs on imports from European countries that oppose the possible takeover of Greenland by the United States and sent small military units to the island as part of an exercise in Arctic conditions.
Russia reacted with visible satisfaction to the deepening rift between the US and Europe over Greenland, but at the same time rejected Trump's suggestions that Moscow was also seeking control of the island.
Lavrov said in Moscow on Tuesday that Russia has no interest in interfering in Greenland's internal affairs and that Washington is aware that Moscow has no plans to take control of the island.
"After all, Greenland is not a natural part of Denmark, is it?" Lavrov said.
"It was not a natural part of Norway, nor was it a natural part of Denmark. It was a colonial conquest. The fact that the inhabitants have become accustomed to it and feel comfortable there is another matter," Lavrov said. It should be noted that Scandinavian settlers colonized the island even before the arrival of the ancestors of the current island Inuit.
European countries have said that Trump's announcement of tariffs would violate the trade agreement they signed with his administration last year. EU leaders are set to discuss possible retaliatory measures at an extraordinary summit in Brussels on Thursday.
Lavrov: Britain should no longer be called "Great Britain"
Lavrov also said on Tuesday that Britain should no longer be called Great Britain, as it is the only country in the world that is officially called "great."
"I think Britain should simply be called Britain, because 'Great Britain' is the only example of a country that calls itself 'great'," Lavrov told reporters when talking about colonialism after comments on the subject of Greenland.
The Russian foreign minister then said that another example of a country that called itself "great" was the "Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya" led by Muammar Gaddafi.
Moldova's plans to merge with Romania would destroy its statehood
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov also said that the Moldovan president's plans to hold a referendum on reunification with Romania would be destructive to Moldovan statehood.
President Maia Sandu said last week that if a referendum were held, she would vote for unification with neighboring Romania to help protect Moldova's fragile democracy from Russian pressure. Romania is a member of the EU and NATO.
Sandu has repeatedly accused Russia of interfering in Moldova, a former Soviet republic with a population of about 2.4 million, most of whom are Romanian-speaking, with a Russian-speaking minority.
On Monday, Moldova announced that it was proceeding with the necessary formalities to complete its withdrawal from the Russian-led Commonwealth of Independent States.
The end of the New START treaty is approaching
Russia and the United States currently have no specific contacts regarding the upcoming expiration of the New START nuclear arms control treaty, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said on Tuesday.
The treaty, the last of its kind between Moscow and Washington, sets limits on the number of deployed nuclear warheads that the world's two largest nuclear powers can have, and it expires on February 5.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered tovoluntarily comply with the terms of the treaty for another year after it expires if the United States does the same. However, Moscow says it has not yet received a formal response to Putin's offer.
US President Donald Trump has said he would like China to be part of any future agreement, which Beijing has always rejected.
Lavrov said that Russia understands China's position, as Beijing's nuclear arsenal is smaller than Russia's.
Russia will not stop trading with Iran despite US tariff threats
Russia sees no reason to stop trading with Iran and will continue to do so whenever it deems appropriate, despite threats of sanctions from the US, Lavrov said on Tuesday.
US President Donald Trump announced on January 12 that any country trading with Iran would face a 25 percent tariff on any trade with the US.
(Reuters)