Russia is watching President-elect Donald Trump's public pursuit of Greenland "with great interest," said Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov.
"We are watching the rhetoric on these topics coming out of Washington with great interest," Peskov said in an emailed comment to CNBC.
He also told reporters earlier that Trump's "claims are probably more a question of bilateral relations between the United States and Denmark," according to comments reported by Russian state news agency Tass.
"So far, thank God, [the situation remains] at the level of statements," Peskov said.
Trump on Tuesday refused to rule out using military or economic action to pursue acquisition of the Panama Canal and Greenland, part of a broader expansionist agenda he has promoted since winning the Nov. 5 election.
The president-elect has also floated the idea of turning Canada into a U.S. state and promised to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
Peskov said the Arctic area "is a zone of our national interests, our strategic interests."
"We are interested in preserving the atmosphere of peace and stability in the Arctic zone," he added.
Peskov also said that U.S. attempts to gain Greenland, that date back to the 19th century, were a matter for the United States and Denmark, but he noted that Europe was reacting very cautiously to Trump's statements.
"Europe reacts very timidly, and it is, of course, scary to react to Trump's words, therefore Europe reacts very cautiously, modestly, quietly, almost in a whisper," Peskov said.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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