Vladimir Putin has vowed to boost Russia’s military presence in the Arctic, as he warned that Donald Trump was “serious” about taking Greenland.

The Russian president said he would defend his country’s interests in the region amid tough talk from Mr Trump that he wanted the semi-independent island to be part of the United States.

“The number of military servicemen in the Arctic will be rising,” Putin told members of the International Arctic Forum in Murmansk, northwestern Russia.

The US president has made acquiring Greenland one of the primary goals of his administration, reviving plans from his first term.

Mr Trump said the US would “go as far as we have to go” in order to take control of Greenland, which he said was necessary to protect “international security”.