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Just this morning, a informal Alliance of the Determined, predominantly made up of EU leaders, gathered in Paris with representatives of US President Donald Trump, hoping to achieve additional headway on a durable peace deal for Ukraine.

With President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that a plan to conclude the hostilities with Russia is "90% of the way there", nobody in that gathering wanted to endanger retaining the Americans engaged.

Yet, there was an colossal unspoken issue in that opulent and sparkling summit, and the fundamental mood was exceptionally strained.

Bear in mind the events of the last few days: the White House's contentious incursion in the South American nation and the American leader's declaration soon after, that "our national security requires Greenland from the perspective of national security".

The vast Arctic territory is the world's largest island – it's 600% the dimensions of Germany. It is situated in the far north but is an autonomous region of Copenhagen.

At the conference, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was positioned facing two powerful personalities acting for Trump: special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

She was subject to urging from European counterparts to avoid alienating the US over the Greenland issue, lest that affects US assistance for the Ukrainian cause.

The continent's officials would have greatly desired to keep Greenland and the negotiations on Ukraine separate. But with the political temperature mounting from Washington and Copenhagen, leaders of major EU countries at the talks released a declaration asserting: "This territory is part of the alliance. Stability in the North must therefore be attained jointly, in partnership with alliance members such as the US".

"Sovereignty is for Denmark and Greenland, and no one else, to decide on matters related to Denmark and its autonomous territory," the communiqué continued.

The announcement was welcomed by Greenland's prime minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but analysts say it was delayed to be drafted and, owing to the limited number of endorsers to the statement, it failed to project a European Union in agreement in intent.

"Were there a common position from all 27 EU partners, plus alliance partner the UK, in backing of Copenhagen's sovereignty, that would have sent a powerful signal to the US," noted a European foreign policy expert.

Ponder the paradox at play at the France meeting. Multiple European government and other officials, such as the alliance and the EU, are attempting to involve the US administration in protecting the future independence of a European country (the Eastern European nation) against the expansionist geopolitical designs of an external actor (Russia), just after the US has swooped into independent Venezuela with force, taking its president into custody, while also persistently actively threatening the autonomy of a different EU member (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To add to the complexity – Denmark and the US are both participants of the transatlantic alliance NATO. They are, in the view of Copenhagen, exceptionally close allies. Or were.

The issue is, should Trump act upon his ambition to acquire Greenland, would it mark not just an fundamental challenge to NATO but also a significant problem for the EU?

Europe Risks Being Overlooked

This is not the first time President Trump has expressed his resolve to dominate Greenland. He's suggested buying it in the past. He's also refused to rule out taking it by force.

Recently that the island is "vitally important right now, Greenland is patrolled by Russian and Chinese naval assets all over the place. It is imperative to have Greenland from the vantage point of national security and Copenhagen is incapable to provide security".

Denmark strongly denies that assertion. It not long ago vowed to invest $4bn in Arctic security including boats, drones and aircraft.

Under a treaty, the US operates a defense installation already on Greenland – founded at the onset of the Cold War. It has reduced the number of troops there from about 10,000 during peak Cold War operations to about 200 and the US has often been faulted of taking its eye off polar defense, recently.

Denmark has indicated it is open to discussion about a expanded US presence on the territory and more but confronted by the US President's threat of independent moves, Frederiksen said on Monday that the US leader's goal to control Greenland should be treated with gravity.

Following the Washington's moves in Venezuela this past few days, her fellow leaders across Europe are heeding that warning.

"This whole situation has just emphasized – yet again – the EU's core vulnerability {