Vladimir Putin has said the United States is “serious” about taking Greenland and warned Russia is ready and willing to militarily “protect its interests in the arctic.”

The trip was criticized Monday by Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede, who said Washington was interfering in Greenland's internal affairs.

Russia considers US plans to annex Greenland "serious" and worries the West could use the Arctic as a springboard for future conflicts, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

It threatened an icy reception amid President Donald Trump's vow to control Greenland. "It's very positive the Americans canceled," Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Wednesday.

Lisa Sólrun Christiansen gets up at 4 a.m. most days and gets to work knitting thick wool sweaters coveted by buyers around the world for their warmth and colorful patterns celebrating Greenland’s traditional Inuit culture.

US Vice President JD Vance said Denmark had “not done a good job by the people of Greenland” as he visited a US military base in the north of the Danish territory coveted by President Donald Trump.  Vance’s one-day visit was scaled back after Greenlanders and Danes were angered that a longer itinerary was planned without their consultation.

An international relations expert said there are a few ways Trump could acquire Greenland, however, those options would have serious consequences to the world order.

After initial plans for a visit from American officials were met with a backlash, Friday’s trip has been limited to a stop at a remote military base.