RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin has said that US President Donald Trump’s push for control of Greenland is not surprising, given longstanding US interest in the mineral-rich territory.

Mr Trump angered much of Europe by suggesting that the US would take control of the self-governing, mineral-rich territory of Denmark by any means necessary.

Speaking at a policy forum in the Arctic port of Murmansk on Thursday, Mr Putin noted that Washington had first considered plans to win control of Greenland in the 19th century, then offered to buy it from Denmark after World War II.

He said: “It’s obvious that the US will continue to systematically advance its geostrategic, military-political and economic interests in the Arctic.”

US Vice-President JD Vance and his wife were set to visit a US military base in Greenland today, a trip that was scaled back after an uproar among Greenlanders and Danes.

Mr Putin said Russia was worried about Nato’s activities in the Arctic and would respond by strengthening its military capability in the polar region.