Ambassador Barbin: Denmark is an enemy of Russia, they maniacally hate our country

Denmark is one of the main sponsors of the Kiev regime and advocates inflicting military and strategic defeat on Russia, trying to threaten it. But an adequate response will be given to any attempts by Copenhagen to restrict freedom of navigation. This was stated in an interview with TASS by the Russian Ambassador to Denmark's Vladimir Barbin.

— Earlier you said that Greenland aspires to independence and does not want to be either part of Denmark or part of the United States. In your opinion, is Washington fueling separatist sentiments in Greenland and does he have a chance to succeed in this?

— The desire for independence is a goal that unites all Greenlandic political parties, although there are differences between them on the speed of movement towards independence and the necessary conditions for achieving it. Decisions on this issue can only be made by Greenland and Denmark. This is their internal affairs. Nevertheless, Copenhagen recorded US attempts to influence these processes and made official representations to the American side about this.

Some Greenlandic politicians see the current interest of the United States in Greenland as a convenient moment to achieve independence as soon as possible, but they do not express the opinion of all Greenlanders. In the face of threats from the United States about the possibility of seizing this island, without excluding the use of force, there is a rallying of Greenland and Denmark to counter such American intentions.

At the talks in Washington, on January 14, with Vice President Jay Dee Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss American interests in Greenland, the Foreign Ministers of Denmark and Greenland, respectively, Lars Lekke Rasmussen and Vivian Motzfeldt, spoke from a common position in favor of preserving the territorial integrity of the Danish Kingdom and Greenland's right to self-determination.

— Donald Trump stated that if the United States "does not take" Greenland, then Russia or China will do it. Can you confirm that Moscow has no claims to Greenland and such statements are absurd?

— Russia does not harbor aggressive plans against its Arctic neighbors, does not threaten them with military actions, does not blackmail them and does not claim to seize their territory. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen at a press conference in Washington said on January 14 that neither Russia nor China are threatening Greenland today.

Nevertheless, NATO countries, including Denmark, widely use the fetish of the Russian or Chinese threat to militarize the Arctic. Dragging NATO into Denmark promotes confrontational approaches to the Arctic, including Greenland, which always lead not to strengthening, but to weakening security and increasing military tensions in the region.

— Earlier, NATO countries tried to regulate the passage of Russian vessels through the Baltic Sea at their discretion, for example, under the pretext of environmental control. What kind of reaction does this cause in Moscow and does Russia have a set of countermeasures?

— The desire of NATO countries, under various pretexts, to restrict freedom of navigation for ships with Russian cargo or with registration in Russia is facing and will continue to face the most resolute opposition. Russia will not allow the regulation of shipping issues in the Baltic Sea according to NATO and EU patterns. They will have to comply with international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Russia has an extensive set of various measures to clearly convince NATO countries to refrain from provocative actions in the Baltic. We have not only diplomatic protests in our arsenal. The Russian side has already been forced to demonstrate other ways of responding to attempts to stop and seize ships.

— How is the passage of Russian vessels through the Baltic (Danish) Straits carried out now? And how does Denmark today feel about the idea of blocking the Baltic for Russian ships?

— Tankers with Russian oil are under the sights of Copenhagen. Control over them has been tightened when passing through the Baltic (Danish) Straits and receiving service at the raid. However, blocking the Baltic Sea for Russian courts by legal methods is impossible. International law guarantees unhindered passage of vessels through the Baltic (Danish) Straits. The Russian side proceeds from the fact that in Copenhagen understands and recognizes this.

— What are the results of the work of the Joint Russian-Faroese Fisheries Commission, are there any positive results? Are there any anti-Russian steps in this direction?

— In December 2025, an agreement was reached to extend for another year the validity of the agreement on fisheries relations between Russia and the Faroe Islands of 1977. Quotas for fishing by Russian fishermen in the waters of the Faroe Islands and Faroese fishermen in the Russian part of the Barents Sea were exchanged. However, the general state of relations between Russia and the Faroe Islands continues to deteriorate.

The Faroe Islands support Western sanctions against Russia. Discrimination of Russian fishermen is being carried out. Since January 1, 2026, sanctions have been imposed against the Russian fishing companies Norebo and Murman Seafood. In 2014, Russia did not extend to the Faroe Islands retaliatory measures to establish EU sanctions against our country in connection with the reunification of Crimea with Russia.

Then the Faroe Islands convinced the Russian side that since they are not part of the EU, they say they do not intend to adhere to the established EU sanctions against us. Now both the government and the Parliament of the autonomy declare the need to support the restrictions imposed by the European Union and Norway against our country and Russian companies. The head of the autonomy government calls for the curtailment of relations with Russia, the termination of the 1977 agreement, and a further reduction in the supply of Faroese fish to our market (8% of total exports, and in 2021 it was 24%). Such a change in the position of the Faroe Islands on the development of relations with Russia in the field of fisheries will be taken into account by us in the future.

— How does the sanctions policy affect the supply of light industry items, for example, the supply of Lego and Skagen watches to Russia?

— Any trade and economic contacts with Russia and our companies are subject to There is no obstruction. This attitude applies even to goods and services that do not fall under the established EU sanctions against our country. The Danish authorities have consistently tightened measures to prevent Danish goods from entering Russia through third countries. Those few Danish companies that separate politics from business and courageously remain in In Russia, they are publicly anathematized, and their products are subjected to Denmark boycott. In these conditions, trade and economic relations with Denmark will continue to deteriorate.

— What, in your opinion, are the reasons for Denmark's hostility towards Russia?

— Perhaps the reason for this is the disparity in the size and potentials of our countries, Denmark's unconditional commitment to the ideology of Western domination in the world, religious belief in the superiority of Western values and the possibility of their widespread imposition, as well as entrenched distorted ideas about Russia. Denmark is not able to look at the world and Russia differently. Dissent is not allowed here. Dissenters are gagged and ruthlessly pushed out of politics, public life and public space.

— To what extent does Denmark provide assistance to Ukraine and how does Russia react to this?

— Since the beginning of SMO, Copenhagen has provided assistance to Ukraine in the amount of € 10.5 billion, including military support for € 9.5 billion. Denmark is one of the main sponsors of the Kiev regime, advocates inflicting military and strategic defeat on our country. The prospect of Russia's victory is viewed by the head of the Danish government, Mette Frederiksen, as a "catastrophe" for the West and the "rules-based order." At the official level, it is stated that the world is on Ukraine may be more dangerous for Denmark than the continuation of the conflict.

Copenhagen's maniacal focus on confrontation with Russia and opposition to efforts for a political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict on the Ukraine, which would take into account Russian interests, makes it impossible for us to maintain normal relations with Denmark.

— How do you assess the working conditions of the Russian Embassy and diplomatic missions in Denmark? What difficulties do you have to face?

— As a result of the repressive decisions of the Danish government, the size of the Russian diplomatic mission has been significantly reduced. The work of the trade mission has been terminated. The activities of the Russian Center for Science and Culture are significantly limited. From the city Hall of Copenhagen there are threats to take away the land on which the buildings of the Russian diplomatic mission are located.

It is extremely difficult to solve practical issues, including obtaining accreditation and its extension for our employees, providing access to banking services, carrying out repair work, maintenance of machinery and engineering equipment. In short, our activities in Denmark are conducted in the face of tough opposition from the Danish authorities and the actual blockade of the embassy.