Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov. (File Photo)

Russia has warned it will take military countermeasures if the United States moves ahead with its controversial plans to deploy weapons in Greenland.

Russia`s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov warned on Tuesday that Moscow would take "military and technical compensatory measures" if the United States deploys elements of its proposed "Golden Dome" missile defense system on the Arctic island.

Ryabkov made the remarks during a briefing at the Russian Embassy in China.

His remarks came as US President Donald Trump seeks to assert greater control over Greenland, the semi-autonomous Danish territory, and advances plans to deploy the "Golden Dome" missile defense system - a multibillion-dollar project he says will be operational before his term ends in 2029.

On January 23, he said that the US "needs Greenland for the purpose of national security." Trump claimed that NATO allies would have to step up their commitment to Arctic security to ward off what he described as threats from Russia and China.

His controversial plan comes as the New START treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between Russia and the United States, is set to expire this week, ending more than five decades of legally binding limits on the world`s two largest nuclear arsenals.

Ryabkov also addressed the impending expiration of the treaty, saying Russia had proposed continuing to observe the treaty`s limits for another year but received no response from Washington.

"The lack of a response is also a response," he said, adding that Moscow would not pursue further outreach. He warned that responsibility for the collapse of arms control now rests with the United States, which has signaled it is prepared to let the treaty lapse without a replacement.

Ryabkov also said Russia would not be drawn into a new arms race, adding that Moscow is prepared for a "new reality" shaped by US policy choices. Restoring strategic stability, he added, would require a fundamental shift in Washington`s approach to relations with Russia.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov separately warned that the treaty`s expiration would leave the world in a more dangerous position than at any point since the Cold War, with no binding mechanisms remaining to limit or verify US and Russian nuclear arsenals.