Russia's Kremlin says it's watching Trump's pursuit of Greenland closely

The Kremlin said Thursday that it's keeping a close eye on President-elect Donald Trump's ongoing pursuit of Greenland.

Earlier this week, Trump said he would not rule out using military force to seize the strategically important Arctic island that's an autonomous territory of Denmark, saying it was in the U.S.' economic and national interest.

Trump's comments have found some support among pro-Kremlin figures in Russia with a number close to President Vladimir Putin saying any U.S. move to claim Greenland would legitimize Russia's own expansionist aims and ambitions to restore former Soviet territories, such as the Baltics, to its own sphere of influence and power.

European leaders have warned President-elect Trump against seizing Greenland, saying such a move would violate international borders, while Denmark and Greenland have stated that the island, where the U.S. has a military base, is "not for sale."

Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told CNBC on Thursday that Russia is observing the situation closely.

"We are watching the rhetoric on these topics coming out of Washington with great interest," Peskov said in an emailed comment to CNBC, translated by Google.

In the Kremlin's first public comments on the matter, Peskov told reporters earlier that Trump's "claims are probably more a question of bilateral relations between the United States and Denmark," according to comments reported by Russian state news agency Tass and translated by Google.

"So far, thank God, [the situation remains] at the level of statements," Peskov said.

Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social in December that he saw "ownership" of Greenland as essential for the U.S.′ economic and national security, restating a bid for the island that