Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday (January 9), that a swift resolution to the Ukraine crisis seems unlikely, even with mediation efforts by US President-elect Donald Trump during his second term.
"I really don’t know what Trump will be able to do during his second term in office, but he surely will not let anyone get bored from the very start. The goal is clear: rapid success in resolving the Ukraine conflict looks unlikely, while the US economy continues at its own slow pace and even the fight against immigrants is not promising major victories," Medvedev wrote on Telegram.
During his campaign, Trump had said that he could end the war "within 24 hours" of taking office. However, he did not offer any details on how he planned to achieve this.
Trump's plan to buy Greenland 'nothing but wild and unrealistic speculations'
Medvedev also commented on Trump’s plans to "buy" Greenland and turn Canada into the 51st US state. He dismissed these ideas as 'nothing but wild and unrealistic speculations', saying, "Trump has simply decided to reshape the world. The plan is to create a new, Trump-style political geography and turn the present-day dull and grey globe into a bright and colourful one."
Also read: Denmark says Greenland can be 'independent' but not part of United States
Describing Trump’s imaginary thought process, Medvedev added, "First, America is supposed to grow much larger by seizing vast Canada (and why not—it will make a good big state, and the entire continent will belong to the Yankees), as well as by taking Greenland from Denmark (it’s not clear what it really is, but there is a lot of land there)."
Kremlin 'closely watching' Trump’s comments about Canada and Greenland
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Russia was monitoring Trump’s comments about Canada and Greenland. "We are very closely watching this rather dramatic development of the situation, which is, thank God, at the level of statements so far," Peskov stated.
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Peskov suggested that the people of Greenland should be consulted about their preferences, referencing Russia's 2022 annexation of four Ukrainian regions through referendums. "We should show the same respect for the opinion of these people," he said.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Trump refused to rule out using military action to claim Greenland, after threatening high tariffs on Denmark if it declined to cede the autonomous territory. On the same day, Trump also proposed using military force to take control of the Panama Canal, which the US handed over to Panama during President Jimmy Carter’s administration. Additionally, he said that he would use economic force against Canada.
(With inputs from agencies)