MOSCOW, January 8. /TASS/. US President-elect Donald Trump has not yet officially taken office, so it is premature to offer any evaluation of his remarks about Canada and Greenland, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Radio Sputnik.
"It seems to me that there are some questions to ask him. We must keep in mind that he has not yet taken office <...>. So, for now, it should still be viewed from this perspective. Let’s treat it that way. When he becomes president, when he takes office, and when he speaks on behalf of the nation and the people of the US in an official capacity, then, perhaps, it will be necessary, and it will be possible to assess, analyze, and so on," the diplomat said.
"I think he's largely responding to what has been said about him. Regarding Canada, they've said a lot; they literally hated him. So, he's giving back the 'love' they showed," Zakharova added.
Trump, speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Tuesday, refused to guarantee that he would not use force or economic coercion to address the issues of the Panama Canal and Greenland. He had previously stated that the US needs to regain control of the Panama Canal and had also mentioned the annexation of Greenland, a Danish territory, to American soil.
He also claimed that many Canadians are allegedly in favor of their country becoming the 51st state of the US. He believes that such a union would not only bring economic stability to Canada but also protect it from external threats, which, according to the president-elect, stem from Russian and Chinese ships.