"We are talking about serious plans from the American side regarding Greenland. As I have just shown, these plans have long-standing historical roots. And it is obvious that the United States will continue to systematically promote its geostrategic, military-political and economic interests in the Arctic," Putin said during a speech at the Arctic — Territory of Dialogue international Arctic Forum.

He said that the United States had such plans back in the 60s of the XIX century - even then, according to Putin, the American administration was considering the possibility of annexing Greenland and Iceland, but this idea did not receive congressional support at that time.

"By the way, let me remind you that by 1868, the purchase of Alaska was ridiculed in American newspapers: it was called "madness", "ice box" and "Andrew Johnson's polar bear garden" — the then president of the United States. Therefore, the Greenland proposal failed. But today, this acquisition, I mean the acquisition of Alaska, is probably evaluated quite differently in the United States itself, just like the activities of President Andrew Johnson," Putin noted.

He also recalled that in 1910, a trilateral territory exchange deal was prepared between the United States, Germany and Denmark. ria.ru.

"As a result, Greenland would have been ceded to the United States, but the deal fell through then. During World War II, the United States deployed military bases in Greenland to protect it from capture by the Nazis, and after the end of the war, the United States offered Denmark to buy the island — quite recently by the standards of world history," said the Russian president.