Pedersen, Soren Jeppesen and Stine Jacobsen COPENHAGEN, Jan 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump has renewed his ambition to take control of Greenland for national security reasons and questioned whether Denmark has any legal right to the Arctic island.

President Donald Trump’s renewed insistence that the United States should "get Greenland" has reopened a diplomatic wound between Washington and Copenhagen, reviving memories of the only time the US successfully purchased Danish territory: the 1917 acquisition of the Danish West Indies.

The leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the U.K. joined Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Tuesday in defending Greenland’s sovereignty in the wake of Trump’s comments about Greenland, which is part of the NATO military alliance.

Denmark maintains 20,000 active-duty troops, 117 aircraft (with 35 combat-capable), 44 tanks, 50 warships (including 9 frigates) and a roughly $5 billion defense budget to protect its 6 million citizens.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters he would speak with the officials after days of mounting threats from the Trump administration to take Greenland, a semiautonomous Danish territory.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says an American takeover of Greenland would amount to the end of the NATO military alliance.

Jarlov, who is chairman of Denmark's Defence Committee, condemned the Trump administration's claims over Greenland and said the US can't claim sovereignty over the strategic Arctic island.

Veteran diplomat tells CBS News Denmark "ready to cooperate" on Greenland, and he expects U.S. to abandon "anachronistic approach of colonialism" post-Trump.