Russia will take appropriate military and technical measures if Greenland is militarized, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a government session in the State Duma.

Axar.az informs, citing TASS, “If Greenland is militarized and military capabilities aimed at Russia are deployed there, we will respond with adequate countermeasures, including military and technical steps,” Lavrov said.

He recalled President Vladimir Putin’s position that the Greenland issue does not directly concern Russia at this stage. Lavrov stressed that the matter should be resolved by the United States, Denmark, and Greenland themselves, with due consideration for the views of the island’s residents.

According to Lavrov, for many years Copenhagen treated Greenlanders unfairly, at times regarding them as second-class citizens, adding that there is sufficient evidence to support this claim.

“Nevertheless, our principled position remains that the Arctic should remain a zone of peace and cooperation,” the minister said.