Moscow: Amid soaring geopolitical tensions over Greenland and widening rifts within NATO, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has launched a sharp rhetorical jab at the United Kingdom, questioning the legitimacy of the word “Great” in its official name.
Speaking to reporters in Moscow on Tuesday, Lavrov suggested that Britain should drop “Great” from “Great Britain,” arguing it is the only nation in the world that officially describes itself as such. “In my opinion, Britain should now just be called Britain, because Great Britain is the only example of a country which calls itself ‘Great’,” he stated, linking the comment to discussions on colonialism and former imperial powers.
Lavrov drew a historical parallel to the now-defunct Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, noting, “History had another country using ‘great’ in its name — but it no longer exists.”
The remark comes as Russia portrays Britain as a primary adversary, often dubbing it “Perfidious Albion” in state media and branding it Moscow’s “number one enemy” amid strained ties exacerbated by the Ukraine conflict and espionage rows.
The timing ties into broader Arctic frictions, particularly Donald Trump’s push for US control over Greenland — a Danish autonomous territory — sparking divisions among NATO allies. Lavrov has separately questioned whether Greenland is a “natural part” of Denmark, highlighting colonial legacies while denying Russian interest in seizing the island. Russia’s glee over NATO disarray contrasts with its criticism of Western “arrogance.”
This verbal salvo underscores the deepening chill in Russia-UK relations, where diplomatic spats now extend to symbolic challenges over national identity. No immediate response has come from London, but the episode highlights how Arctic disputes are amplifying longstanding animosities.