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Earlier today, a self-styled Coalition of the Willing, predominantly consisting of EU officials, convened in Paris with delegates of President Trump, attempting to make more progress on a durable peace deal for Ukraine.

With President Volodymyr Zelensky asserting that a plan to conclude the war with Russia is "90% of the way there", nobody in that gathering wished to risk retaining the Washington engaged.

Yet, there was an immense unspoken issue in that opulent and luxurious summit, and the fundamental atmosphere was extremely uneasy.

Consider the actions of the past week: the White House's contentious incursion in the South American nation and the US president's insistence following this, that "our national security requires Greenland from the standpoint of strategic interests".

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

At the Paris meeting, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was positioned across from two powerful personalities representing Trump: emissary Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

She was under pressure from European counterparts to avoid provoking the US over the Greenland issue, lest that impacts US backing for Ukraine.

The continent's officials would have much rather to compartmentalize Greenland and the negotiations on the war apart. But with the tensions rising from Washington and Copenhagen, representatives of major EU countries at the gathering issued a statement saying: "The island is part of NATO. Stability in the Arctic must therefore be achieved jointly, in conjunction with alliance members including the United States".

"The decision is for Copenhagen and the Greenlandic authorities, and them only, to determine on issues regarding the kingdom and its autonomous territory," the communiqué continued.

The statement was greeted by the island's leader, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but critics argue it was slow to be formulated and, because of the small set of signatories to the declaration, it was unable to project a European Union united in purpose.

"Were there a common position from all 27 member states, plus alliance partner the UK, in defense of Danish sovereignty, that would have conveyed a powerful signal to Washington," stated a European foreign policy specialist.

Reflect on the contradiction at hand at the France meeting. Several European national and other officials, such as NATO and the European Union, are attempting to engage the US administration in guaranteeing the future autonomy of a European country (Ukraine) against the hostile geopolitical designs of an outside force (Moscow), on the heels of the US has swooped into independent Venezuela with force, detaining its leader, while also continuing to publicly undermining the autonomy of another continental ally (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To compound the situation – Denmark and the US are both members of the defensive pact the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, in the view of Danish officials, profoundly key friends. At least, they were.

The dilemma is, should Trump act upon his ambition to bring Greenland under US control, would it mark not just an existential threat to the alliance but also a significant crisis for the European Union?

Europe Risks Being Overlooked

This is far from the first instance Trump has spoken of his determination to dominate the Arctic island. He's suggested acquiring it in the past. He's also refused to rule out a military seizure.

He insisted that the island is "crucially located right now, Greenland is frequented by Russian and Chinese vessels all over the place. We need Greenland from the perspective of defense and Copenhagen is incapable to handle it".

Copenhagen contests that assertion. It has lately vowed to invest $4bn in Greenland defence including boats, drones and aircraft.

As per a bilateral agreement, the US maintains a strategic outpost presently on Greenland – set up at the start of the East-West standoff. It has scaled down the number of staff there from around 10,000 during the height of that era to approximately 200 and the US has often been faulted of taking its eye off Arctic Security, until now.

Copenhagen has suggested it is willing to talk about a expanded US footprint on the island and more but confronted by the US President's warning of independent moves, Frederiksen said on Monday that Washington's desire to control Greenland should be considered a real possibility.

After the American intervention in Venezuela this past few days, her counterparts in Europe are taking it seriously.

"These developments has just underlined – for the umpteenth time – the EU's fundamental weakness {