By Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON, Jan 24 (Reuters) - When officials from the United States, Denmark and Greenland met last month in the Arctic island's capital, the session was reassuringly normal, with no discussion of a U.

In the months since Trump began to call again for the U.S. to acquire Greenland, its history and relationships with Denmark and the U.S. have become the subject of heated discussion.

Denmark deploys additional troops to Greenland after President Donald Trump claims the island is not secure from Russia or China.

A senior Greenland government official says it’s “unfathomable” that the United States is discussing taking over a NATO ally, and urged the Trump administration to listen to voices from the Arctic island nation.

Mette Frederiksen, Denmark’s leader, has taken big risks standing up to Mr. Trump. It might just be working — for now.

President Trump has, on several occasions, threatened to seize Greenland, a barren, icy piece of tundra with fewer full-time residents than Muncie. This is beyond bizarre and alarming. Defending it is akin to sprinkling glitter into a port-a-potty and calling it pudding.

"All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland, where we already had it as a trustee, but respectfully returned it back to Denmark not long ago," Trump said.

With the Greenland crisis seemingly averted, the U.S. and its European allies still face a larger long-term challenge: Can their shaky marriage be saved?