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This very day, a self-styled Coalition of the Determined, largely composed of EU officials, met in the French capital with delegates of US President Donald Trump, hoping to make further advances on a lasting peace deal for Ukraine.

With President Volodymyr Zelensky asserting that a framework to end the war with Russia is "largely complete", nobody in that gathering wished to jeopardise maintaining the Washington onboard.

Yet, there was an enormous glaring omission in that opulent and glittering Paris meeting, and the underlying atmosphere was profoundly tense.

Recall the events of the recent days: the Trump administration's controversial intervention in the South American nation and the American leader's insistence shortly thereafter, that "it is essential to have Greenland from the standpoint of strategic interests".

The vast Arctic territory is the world's greatest island – it's six times the dimensions of Germany. It is situated in the Arctic region but is an semi-independent possession of Copenhagen.

At the Paris meeting, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was sitting across from two powerful individuals speaking on behalf of Trump: special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser Jared Kushner.

She was under pressure from European allies to avoid provoking the US over the Greenland issue, lest that affects US support for the Ukrainian cause.

The continent's officials would have much rather to separate Greenland and the negotiations on the war separate. But with the political temperature rising from the White House and Copenhagen, leaders of big states at the talks released a statement saying: "This territory is part of NATO. Security in the Arctic must therefore be attained collectively, in cooperation with treaty partners including the United States".

"The decision is for Denmark and Greenland, and them alone, to determine on matters related to Denmark and Greenland," the declaration further stated.

The announcement was greeted by Nuuk's head of government, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but critics contend it was tardy to be drafted and, due to the restricted group of signatories to the statement, it did not manage to demonstrate a Europe aligned in intent.

"Had there been a unified statement from all 27 European Union countries, plus NATO ally the UK, in defense of Copenhagen's sovereignty, that would have delivered a powerful message to America," commented a EU defense specialist.

Ponder the paradox at play at the Paris summit. Multiple EU government and other officials, such as NATO and the EU, are trying to secure the cooperation of the White House in safeguarding the future independence of a continental state (the Eastern European nation) against the hostile land claims of an foreign power (Russia), immediately after the US has swooped into independent Venezuela militarily, taking its president into custody, while also continuing to publicly challenging the sovereignty of another European nation (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To add to the complexity – Denmark and the US are both signatories of the defensive pact the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, according to Copenhagen, extremely key friends. At least, they were.

The question is, if Trump were to fulfill his desire to assert control over the island, would it mark not just an severe risk to the alliance but also a profound problem for the EU?

Europe Risks Being Trampled Underfoot

This is not an isolated incident Trump has expressed his resolve to acquire Greenland. He's proposed purchasing it in the past. He's also left open the possibility of taking it by force.

He insisted that the territory is "so strategic right now, Greenland is patrolled by foreign naval assets all over the place. It is imperative to have Greenland from the vantage point of defense and Copenhagen is unable to do it".

Copenhagen refutes that claim. It has lately vowed to allocate $4bn in Greenland defence for boats, drones and aircraft.

As per a bilateral agreement, the US maintains a strategic outpost already on Greenland – set up at the start of the Cold War. It has scaled down the figure of staff there from approximately 10,000 during peak the confrontation to around 200 and the US has frequently been criticized of neglecting Arctic Security, up to this point.

Denmark has suggested it is open to discussion about a larger US role on the territory and more but confronted by the US President's warning of going it alone, Frederiksen said on Monday that Washington's desire to acquire Greenland should be taken seriously.

After the American intervention in Venezuela this past few days, her fellow leaders throughout Europe are doing just that.

"The current crisis has just emphasized – for the umpteenth time – Europe's basic shortcoming {