Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi has publicly asserted that Donald Trump's renewed push to acquire Greenland is less about American national security and more about advancing Russian President Vladimir Putin's strategic interests, a claim that sheds a stark light on intensifying geopolitical fault lines in the Arctic and within NATO.
Pelosi's statement came in a televised interview on 6 January 2026 during MS NOW's 'The Briefing', where she characterised Trump's comments about Greenland as disruptive to the Western alliance and seemingly aligned with Kremlin interests.
Pelosi Charges Trump With 'Flirting With Greenland' To 'Do A Favour' For Putin
In her interview, Pelosi said Trump was 'flirting with Greenland and disrupting NATO' in a manner she described as benefiting his 'friend, Russian President Vladimir Putin.'
Pelosi said of Trump's focus on Cuba, Colombia, Mexico and Greenland: 'What is this? It's insanity ... I think the reason he's flirting with Greenland and disrupting NATO is to do a favour for his friend, Putin.'
She reiterated her criticism, asserting that Trump's foreign policy agenda diverts American resources from domestic needs while advancing threats to transatlantic security cooperation.
Pelosi's comments are among the most explicit linking Trump's Arctic rhetoric to alleged Russian advantage, but they are not supported by direct evidence from official transcripts or public policy documents confirming coordination or strategic alignment between Trump and Putin on Greenland.
Trump's Greenland Ambitions: National Security Or Geostrategic Gamble?
Trump has repeatedly raised the idea of acquiring Greenland, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, citing national security concerns linked to Russia and China in the Arctic.
In early 2026, the White House confirmed that the Trump administration is discussing a range of options, including diplomatic engagement, purchase, or even potential military involvement, to exert influence over Greenland, though diplomacy is preferred over force.
Trump's argument is that Greenland's strategic Arctic location and untapped mineral resources make it essential to the United States' counterforeign-power efforts.
The authorities in Denmark and Greenland have emphatically rejected any notion of ceding sovereignty to the United States. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated categorically that the US has no right to annex any part of the Danish Kingdom.
Arctic Rivalry Intensifies With Russia Closely Watching
Independent of Pelosi's allegation, Russia has publicly responded to Trump's rhetoric about Greenland. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was 'closely watching' Trump's statements on Greenland and underlined that the Arctic remains a strategic area of interest for Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at an Arctic forum in Murmansk in March 2025, described US plans regarding Greenland as 'serious' rather than extravagant, acknowledging heightened geopolitical competition in the far north while also asserting that the issue itself 'has nothing to do with us' beyond broader regional concerns.
Putin's comments reflect Moscow's sensitivity to NATO's increased focus on the Arctic and Western military infrastructure near Russia's borders.
These remarks have been interpreted by analysts as evidence that the Kremlin's response to US ambitions in Greenland may be aimed at weakening NATO cohesion rather than directly endorsing US territorial expansion.
Pelosi's assertion effectively frames Trump's Greenland narrative as a geopolitical miscalculation that, even if not crafted to benefit Russia, could indirectly play into Moscow's broader strategy of straining Western alliances.
Russia's careful public positioning, warning against conflict while signalling alarm over NATO's Arctic intentions, demonstrates how Moscow may benefit from discord among Western powers without directly collaborating with US policy makers. There is, however, a clear distinction between Pelosi's political framing, suggesting Trump is consciously acting to 'do a favour' for Putin, and the available evidence, which shows Russia reacting to US posturing rather than co-designing it.
