A close ally of Vladimir Putin urged the Russian leader to “reclaim Alaska” as part of a new campaign against a “weakened” United States.

Alaska was sold to the United States in 1867 after the Russian Empire gave up its campaigns to colonise the area after a century.

The sale was agreed for $7.2 million – or approximately $150 million in today’s money adjusting for inflation.

Russia and Alaska are separated by only 53 miles at their closest point in the Bering Sea.

Lawmaker Sergei Mironov cited current tensions between Russia-aligned Venezuela and US ally Guyana as an example of Washington DC struggling to assert its power.

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The US on Thursday flew warplanes over the Latin American country for the first time after Nicolas Maduro threatened to annex the Guyanese area of Essequibo, which is incredibly rich in minerals and oil.

Mironov outlined his bizarre proposal in a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), and translated by Ukrainian government adviser Anton Gerashchenko.

He wrote: “Did you want a new world order? Here you go. Venezuela is annexing its 24th state, Guyana-Essequibo.

“This is happening right under the nose of the once great hegemon USA. All that’s left is for Mexico to take back Texas and the rest [of the territories].

“It’s time for Americans to think about their future, and also about Alaska.”

Mironov’s suggestion came despite Putin himself expressing doubts about the use of launching an attack on Alaska.

During a 2014 Q&A panel, the Russian leader said: “Why do you need Alaska?

“By the way, Alaska was sold sometime in the 19th century. Louisiana was sold to the United States by the French at about the same time.

“Thousands of square kilometers were sold for $7.2 million, although in gold.”

In spite of Putin’s public position, Mironov is not the first Russian official to suggest Russia could set its sights on Alaska.

The chairman of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, last year suggested Moscow could strike Alaska as retaliation for the support Washington has given Kyiv since the start of the invasion.