The Kremlin is reveling in a plausible rift of Western unity today as one of Vladimir Putin’s top negotiator’s claims the war in Ukraine has been effectively pushed off the agenda by President Donald Trump’s relentless pursuit of Greenland.
As global leaders gathered for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Kirill Dmitriev—the billionaire head of Russia’s wealth fund and Putin’s top negotiator—took to social media to note the crumbling of the transatlantic alliance.
Dmitriev posted a screenshot of a Semafor report titled ‘Greenland is pushing Ukraine off the agenda,’ adding to a series of stinging taunts.
In one recent post that stunned diplomats, Dmitriev ridiculed European leaders currently pleading with the administration to drop new trade threats, writing: ‘Transatlantic unity is over. Europe should not provoke their Daddy.’
On Wednesday’s speech at Davos, Trump said all he is asking for is ‘a piece of ice that would help with national security’ and that he isn’t sure NATO would ‘be there for them, like the U.S. is.’
‘They have a choice, you can say yes, and we be very appreciative, or you can say no, and we will remember,’ Trump explained.
At the same time, the US president took observers by surprise by ruling out military force to take Greenland even as he’s threatened a raft of tariffs on all goods from the UK, France, Germany, Denmark and other nations beginning on February 1.
He warned the levy would skyrocket to 25 percent by June 1 unless a deal is reached for the ‘complete and total purchase’ of Greenland.
On Wednesday’s speech at Davos, Trump said all he is asking for is ‘a piece of ice that would help with national security’ and that he isn’t sure NATO would ‘be there for them, like the U.S. is’
In one recent post that stunned diplomats, Dmitriev ridiculed European leaders currently pleading with the administration to drop new trade threats, writing: ‘Transatlantic unity is over. Europe should not provoke their Daddy’
Trump maintains the move is a national security necessity to block Russian and Chinese expansion in the Arctic. However, the move has roiled NATO, with Denmark flatly stating ‘Greenland is not for sale’ and the EU preparing strong retaliatory tariffs.
Len Khodorkovsky, a former senior State Department advisor, told the Daily Mail that Moscow’s celebrations are premature.
‘Wishful thinking. The U.S. can walk and chew gum at the same time,’ he said.
But while the Kremlin gloats, the mood in Davos is one of mounting fury.
One senior European diplomat, speaking to the Daily Mail on the condition of anonymity, made a chilling assessment of the White House’s true intentions.
He suggested the Greenland spat is not a distraction but a deliberate smoke screen.
‘It’s all part of Trump’s game, as they try to sell out Ukraine,’ he explained.
Russia’s cocky new tone isn’t just about the Greenland distraction.
Special Envoy of the US President Steven Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet during a series of negotiations in Moscow back in April 2025
Trump plans to meet with Ukraine’s president later Thursday
Trump speaks with World Economic Forum president with CEO Borge Brende during the WEF annual meeting in Davos
In a move that has left Kyiv reeling, President Trump has formally invited Vladimir Putin to join a newly proposed ‘Gaza Board of Peace.’
The board is designed to oversee the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, but critics say it provides Putin with a ‘golden bridge’ back into the international fold without requiring him to withdraw a single soldier from Ukrainian soil.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the invite, saying Moscow is ‘clarifying the nuances’ of the offer.
The timing could not be worse for President Volodymyr Zelensky.
While Ukrainian energy officials in Davos warned they are running out of funds to repair infrastructure after fresh Russian strikes, the political oxygen in Switzerland is being entirely consumed by the Greenland spat.
Zelensky admitted Tuesday he feared a ‘loss of focus’ from the West.
The Kremlin appears to have already secured its seat at the table of a new world order, one where Greenland, not Kyiv, is the price of admission.
‘Let’s just hope our friends don’t become our enemies and our enemies don’t become our friends,’ the European diplomat warned.
Trump plans to meet with Ukraine’s president later Thursday.
‘If they don’t get this done they are stupid,’ Trump said when asked how close they are to getting a deal done between Russia and Ukraine – a deal that has been elusive throughout the entire first year of his second term.
