Russia has issued a stark and chilling warning that the world could face a nuclear apocalypse if former US President Donald Trump follows through on his stated ambition to acquire Greenland and position strategic weapons there.
The Arctic Flashpoint: A New Cold War Front
The extraordinary threat was delivered by Dmitry Rogozin, a prominent figure in Russian politics and a close ally of President Vladimir Putin. Rogozin, who serves as a senator for a Russian-occupied region of Ukraine and has a background as a former deputy prime minister and head of Roscosmos, the state space agency, accused Trump of acting on the Pentagon's will. He claimed the goal is to establish nuclear superiority over both Russia and China.
Rogozin argued that Trump's desire to take Greenland "one way or the other" is not an erratic impulse but a calculated move to secure a strategic Arctic foothold. The island's geographical position, with its proximity to Russia and suitability for northern intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) flight paths, makes it a prime location for a US missile defence system dubbed the 'Golden Dome'.
Dismantling Global Strategic Stability
"This is the dismantling of the entire system of strategic stability in the world that has prevented the use of nuclear weapons since 1945," Rogozin declared. He alleged that Washington seeks a scenario where it could launch a disarming first strike against Russian nuclear forces, using drones and cruise missiles, and then use defences based in Greenland to intercept any surviving Russian missiles in a retaliatory strike.
Rogozin, who has been involved in developing Russia's formidable Sarmat (Satan-2) ICBM—a 208-ton missile capable of 15,880 mph speeds—warned that such a US strategy would push the planet to the brink. "In real life, this can only be tested once, but it is not certain that anyone will be left to prepare reports afterwards," he stated ominously.
A History of Arctic Military Ambition
The Russian senator pointed to historical precedent, referencing the US Project Iceworm from the 1960s, a secret plan to store hundreds of missiles in tunnels under Greenland's ice sheet. While that project failed due to shifting glacial ice, Rogozin cautioned that modern technology could overcome such obstacles.
He emphasised that the Arctic remains the fastest route for nuclear exchanges between the superpowers, not just via ICBMs but also cruise missiles launched from stealthy nuclear submarines that can surface through the ice. "In the event of a thermonuclear conflict, the exchange of strikes will occur precisely over the Arctic," he predicted.
Rogozin's final verdict was grim. If the US, led by what he called an "eccentric" president, believes it has achieved nuclear dominance through the annexation of Greenland, "This will be the beginning of the end of the world." The threat underscores the dangerously heightened tensions and the potential for the remote Arctic to become the central theatre in any future global conflict.
