February 12, 2026

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that Moscow would take sufficient countermeasures, including military action, if Greenland is militarized or used to build capabilities targeting Russia, as NATO announced a new Arctic security mission amid renewed U.S. pressure over the island.

Speaking in Russia's State Duma, Lavrov said that if Greenland was militarized or became home to military infrastructure directed at Russia, "we will take adequate countermeasures, including military-technical measures."

In an interview aired the same day on the online platform Empatia Manuchi, Lavrov accused NATO of seeking to turn the Arctic into a zone of confrontation, warning that the alliance's growing military activity is challenging Russia's "indisputable" rights over the Northern Sea Route.

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