Greenland’s prime minister has reiterated his call for independence from Denmark after Donald Trump suggested the US could acquire the Arctic territory.

“It is about time that we ourselves take a step and shape our future, also with regard to who we will cooperate closely with, and who our trading partners will be,” Mute Egede said in his new year’s speech.

Copenhagen announced in December it would boost defence spending in Greenland, the world’s largest island, by €1.3 billion - just hours after Mr Trump said that Washington establishing “ownership and control” of the territory was an “absolute necessity”.

Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953, when it was redefined as a district of Denmark, and established an independent parliament in 1979. However, Copenhagen continues to enact control over its foreign and defence policy.

Calls for independence in Greenland have grown in recent decades, partly due to revelations of misconduct by Danish authorities during the 20th century, including an involuntary birth control campaign launched in the 1960s.