"We are interested in preserving the atmosphere of peace and stability in the Arctic zone. We are watching the rather dramatic development of the situation very closely," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said following U.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Thursday said that Russia had strategic national interests in the Arctic when asked to comment on U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's remarks about acquiring Greenland, absorbing Canada and taking control of the Panama Canal.

Donald Trump has refused to rule out using military force to seize the world's largest island, and the Kremlin's concern is no surprise, given the Arctic's growing economic and geopolitical significance to Moscow.

The Kremlin says it’s watching with “great interest” President-elect Trump’s calls for the U.S. to acquire Greenland. Trump declined to rule out using military force in his pursuit of

Denmark's prime minister said Thursday she had reached out to US President-elect Donald Trump following his remarks about taking control of Greenland, which Denmark said were being taken seriously.Denmark has said it is open to talks on US interests in the Arctic,

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Russia is closely monitoring the situation, after US President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out military action to take Greenland from Denmark. Peskov said the Arctic was in Russia's "sphere of national and strategic interests and it is interested in peace and stability there".

Russia has said it is closely watching the situation with Greenland, following U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's refusal to rule out military or economic measures to take control of the territory from Denmark.