Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has issued a chilly warning on the US push for control over Greenland, on the eve of an American visit to the mineral-rich territory.

Putin said on Friday (Australian time) the US interest in the island was unsurprising.

At a policy forum in Russian Artic port of Murmansk, Putin said the US first considered plans to take control over Greenland in the 19th century. After World War II, it offered to buy the territory from Denmark.

“It can look surprising only at first glance and it would be wrong to believe that this is some sort of extravagant talk by the current US administration,” Putin said.

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

US President Donald Trump has irked much of Europe by repeatedly suggesting that the US should in some form control the self-governing, mineral-rich territory of Denmark, an American ally and NATO member.

As the nautical gateway to the Arctic and North Atlantic approaches to North America, Greenland has broader strategic value as both China and Russia seek access to its waterways and natural resources.

Putin’s comments came just hours before US Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha are due to visit an American military base in Greenland, on a trip that was scaled back after an uproar by Greenlanders and Danes.

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

“We are certainly concerned about NATO members describing the Far North as the region of possible conflicts,” he said, noting that Russia’s neighbours Finland and Sweden had joined the alliance.

“Russia has never threatened anyone in the Arctic, but we will closely follow the developments and mount an appropriate response by increasing our military capability and modernising military infrastructure.”

Russia has sought to assert its influence over wide areas of the Arctic in competition with the US, Canada, Denmark and Norway as shrinking polar ice from the warming planet offers opportunities for resources and shipping routes. China also has shown an increasing interest in the region, believed to hold up to a fourth of the Earth’s undiscovered oil and gas.

“We won’t allow any infringement on our country’s sovereignty, reliably safeguard our national interests while supporting peace and stability in the polar region,” Putin said.

While pledging to strengthen Russia’s military foothold in the Arctic, Putin said Moscow was holding the door open to broader international co-operation in the region.

“The stronger our positions will be, the more significant the results will be and the broader opportunities we will have to launch international projects in the Arctic involving the countries that are friendly to us, and, possibly, Western countries if they show interest in joint work. I’m sure the time will come to launch such projects.”

-AAP