Russian President Vladimir Putin has made it clear that Moscow has no intention of involving itself in the growing diplomatic tension surrounding Greenland, following US President Donald Trump’s renewed interest in acquiring the territory.

The issue has unsettled Denmark and raised concerns within NATO, but speaking during a late-night meeting of Russia’s National Security Council on Wednesday, Putin dismissed the matter as irrelevant to Russian interests.

“What happens to Greenland is none of our business,” the Russian leader said during his address.

He noted that the dispute was strictly between the countries involved and insisted it had no bearing on Russia’s foreign policy priorities. According to Putin, the matter would likely be resolved internally without external interference.

“It certainly doesn’t concern us. I think they’ll sort it out among themselves,” he added.

While distancing Russia from the situation, Putin briefly reflected on Greenland’s historical relationship with Denmark, stating that the territory had long been treated as a colony. He remarked that Copenhagen’s approach towards Greenland had often been strict, and at times harsh, though he stressed that this was not the focus of current international discussions.

“Incidentally, Denmark has always treated Greenland as a colony and has been quite harsh, if not cruel, towards it. But that's a different matter entirely, and I doubt anyone's interested in it right now,” he said.

Drawing parallels from history, Putin reminded that Denmark had previously sold the Virgin Islands to the United States in 1917.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump backed down Wednesday on threats to seize Greenland by force from ally Denmark, announcing a vague deal aimed at ensuring security of the Arctic territory.

Trump cast his retreat—also lifting the promise of sanctions against European nations that spoke out against the threats to Denmark—as a win, saying the deal gives Washington "everything we wanted".

The agreement, he told reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos, was negotiated with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and would last "forever".

(with inputs from AFP)