Medvedev Calls Russia and China's Threats to Greenland a 'Horror Story'

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said Western claims about Russia or China's threat to Greenland are false "horror stories" fabricated by Western leaders to justify their own behavior.

"The threats that Russia and the People's Republic of China are talking about are just horror stories," Medvedev told Reuters, TASS and Russian war blogger WarGonzo in an interview at his residence outside Moscow, as quoted on Monday (2/2).

It is known that US President Donald Trump has been trying to acquire mineral-rich Greenland, an autonomous territory under Danish control, despite opposition from Europe, claiming that the territory is needed for national security and to prevent rivals such as China and Russia.

This step was opposed by European countries, which later developed into tensions with Washington. This was followed by the deployment of military personnel from Western countries as a symbol of solidarity among fellow members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for Denmark.

President Trump even threatened to impose additional tariffs on products from countries that support Denmark. Later, after talks with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland last month, the tariff threat was canceled.

Last month, Secretary-General Rutte said seven of the eight Arctic states are NATO members, namely the US, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden, while Russia is the only Arctic state outside the alliance, as reported by Al Arabiya from AFP.

"This is indeed a serious challenge for the Atlantic alliance," Medvedev said.

"Maybe everything will go according to a calmer scenario before the military intervention and the battle within the NATO bloc," he said.