Russia’s ambassador to Denmark on Thursday warned that armed conflict over Greenland could have a “negative impact” in the Arctic but that his government is prepared to take action in the resource-rich territory that President Trump wants to annex.

“The conflict around Greenland will certainly have a detrimental effect on regional security,” the ambassador, Vladimir Barbin, said in an interview with the state-owned RIA Novosti news agency. “This will require Russia to take military-technical measures adequate to the emerging threat.”

The heated rhetoric is such that a “substantive dialogue” on security issues with Danish officials in Copenhagen is impossible Thursday, he told the Russian outlet.

Mr. Trump has often suggested that Greenland should be part of the U.S. as a bulwark in the Arctic region against potential adversaries such as Russia and China. Former Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede responded, saying the island isn’t for sale and never will be.

A former Danish colony, Greenland was granted a measure of political autonomy over its internal affairs in 2009, although it remains part of the kingdom.

While officials in Denmark and Greenland have ruled out ceding the island to America, administrators in Copenhagen are considering the creation of a major NATO base there, Mr. Barbin told RIA Novosti.

“Such actions by Denmark are capable of provoking an even greater degradation of the military-political situation in the Arctic,” he said.

America has a presence in Greenland at Pituffik Space Base. It’s the northernmost U.S. military installation and considered crucial for missile defense and space surveillance operations.

• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.