Russia calls Trump’s threats to take over Greenland ‘extraordinary’

“The situation is unusual, I would even say extraordinary from the standpoint of international law,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to comments reported by Russian state news outlet Ria Novosti.

U.S. President Donald Trump has talked up acquiring Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory, since a daring military operation to depose Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Jan. 3. He said the U.S. needs Greenland for national security and that only Washington can counter an alleged threat from Russia and China to the island.

Peskov added that Trump “has said that international law is not a priority for him. The situation is developing along a different trajectory, and we, along with the rest of the world, will be watching to see which one.”

Earlier in the week, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that it was unacceptable to say that Beijing and Moscow were a threat to Greenland, accusing the West of double standards.

A spokesperson for the Kremlin was not immediately available to comment when contacted by CNBC.