Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that Denmark has a historical precedent of selling its territories to the United States.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, citing information on the official Kremlin website, Putin made these remarks during a meeting with permanent members of the Russian Security Council. The Russian leader highlighted the historical context of territorial transactions between the two nations.
The head of state noted that "Denmark and the US already have their own experience in this matter." Putin specifically recalled the 1917 sale of the Danish West Indies (now the US Virgin Islands) to the United States. Touching upon the issue of Greenland, Putin emphasized that Denmark treated the island as a "colony" for many years, describing the relationship as "not necessarily cruel, but quite harsh." He further expressed hope that the US and Denmark would eventually "settle things" regarding current territorial discussions.
The sale of the Danish West Indies in 1917 involved the transfer of the islands of Saint Thomas, Saint John, and Saint Croix to the US for $25 million in gold. This historical reference comes amid modern geopolitical discussions regarding Arctic sovereignty and the strategic importance of Greenland. Such statements are often viewed by analysts as part of broader diplomatic rhetoric concerning international territorial integrity and historical colonial legacies in the North Atlantic and Arctic regions.
