Donald Trump has refused to rule out using military force to seize the world's largest island, and the Kremlin's concern is no surprise, given the Arctic's growing economic and geopolitical significance to Moscow.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Russia is closely monitoring the situation, after US President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out military action to take Greenland from Denmark. Peskov said the Arctic was in Russia's "sphere of national and strategic interests and it is interested in peace and stability there".

The Kremlin on Thursday said that Russia had strategic national interests in the Arctic when asked to comment on U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's remarks about acquiring Greenland, absorbing Canada and taking control of the Panama Canal.