Putin says US push for Greenland ‘rooted in history’

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the plenary session of the International Arctic Forum in Murmansk, Russia (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has said that US President Donald Trump’s push for control over Greenland was not surprising given long-time US interest in the mineral-rich territory.

Speaking at a policy forum in the Artic port of Murmansk, Mr Putin noted that the US first considered plans to win control over Greenland in the 19th century, and then offered to buy it from Denmark after the Second World War.