“If [the Americans] opt to pump weapons systems into the region or deploy elements of their Golden Dome concept [in Greenland], the situation will require military and technical compensatory measures. Our specialists are ready to take them,” Ryabkov said.
Moscow is ready to respond if Washington places weapons on Greenland, a senior Russian official said on Tuesday.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated that Russia will take military measures should the United States follow through on proposals to deploy its “Golden Dome” missile defense program to the Arctic island, reports Al Jazeera.
Ryabkov spoke to reporters at the Russian embassy in China, according to the state news agency TASS. His warning came just two days before the expiration of the New START treaty, the final nuclear arms control pact between Washington and Moscow.
Moscow Warns of Military Measures Against US ‘Golden Dome’ in the Arctic
“If [the Americans] opt to pump weapons systems into the region or deploy elements of their Golden Dome concept [in Greenland], the situation will require military and technical compensatory measures. Our specialists are ready to take them,” Ryabkov said.
“There can be no doubt about it.”
The comments follow President Donald Trump’s remarks last month regarding the Golden Dome. Washington intends to complete this multilayered missile defense program by the end of Trump’s term in 2029. Trump recently claimed to have struck an agreement on a “framework of a future deal” for the Arctic island, a self-governing territory of Denmark.
Nuclear pact due to expire
Ryabkov also addressed the impending expiration of the New START treaty, which lapses this Thursday unless the parties reach a last-minute understanding.
Moscow says its proposal to observe treaty limits for another year remains on the table, but the US has yet to respond. Ryabkov noted that Moscow will not send further communications to Washington.
“We completed everything necessary in a timely manner; they had ample time to consider it. The lack of a response is also a response,” he said.
However, the official insisted that Russia will not enter a new arms race after the treaty expires.
Kremlin Warns of ‘Dangerous’ Era as Nuclear Pact Lapses
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov separately warned that the world is entering a “dangerous” period.
“In just a few days, the world will be in a more dangerous position than ever before,” Peskov said. He added that the world’s top two nuclear powers will soon be “left without a fundamental document to limit and control these arsenals.”
The New START treaty, signed by former President Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev in 2010, caps the number of strategic nuclear warheads the US and Russia can deploy. The treaty took effect in February 2011 and received a five-year extension in 2021 shortly after President Joe Biden took office.
