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Just this morning, a so-called Alliance of the Committed, predominantly composed of EU officials, met in Paris with delegates of US President Donald Trump, aiming to secure further headway on a durable peace deal for Ukraine.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that a plan to halt the war with Russia is "nearly finalized", not a single person in that room wished to endanger maintaining the US engaged.

Yet, there was an immense unspoken issue in that impressive and luxurious gathering, and the fundamental tension was extremely strained.

Bear in mind the events of the past week: the Trump administration's contentious incursion in Venezuela and the US president's assertion shortly thereafter, that "we need Greenland from the standpoint of national security".

This massive island is the world's greatest island – it's sixfold the size of Germany. It is situated in the Arctic region but is an self-governing possession of Denmark's.

At the conference, Mette Frederiksen, Copenhagen's leader, was sitting facing two influential personalities representing Trump: diplomat Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

She was subject to urging from her EU allies not to provoking the US over Greenland, in case that affects US backing for the Ukrainian cause.

Europe's leaders would have much rather to keep Greenland and the debate on Ukraine apart. But with the diplomatic heat mounting from the White House and Denmark, representatives of major states at the Paris meeting issued a statement asserting: "This territory is part of the alliance. Defense in the North must therefore be achieved jointly, in conjunction with NATO allies including the America".

"The decision is for Denmark and the Greenlandic authorities, and no one else, to decide on affairs regarding the kingdom and its autonomous territory," the statement continued.

The announcement was welcomed by the island's leader, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but analysts say it was delayed to be put together and, owing to the limited group of endorsers to the statement, it did not manage to demonstrate a European Union aligned in intent.

"Were there a joint statement from all 27 EU partners, in addition to NATO ally the UK, in defense of Danish authority, that would have conveyed a resounding warning to the US," stated a European defense analyst.

Reflect on the paradox at play at the France meeting. Numerous EU national and other leaders, such as NATO and the European Union, are trying to involve the Trump administration in safeguarding the future sovereignty of a continental state (Ukraine) against the hostile territorial ambitions of an foreign power (Russia), just after the US has intervened in sovereign Venezuela by armed intervention, arresting its head of state, while also still actively threatening the territorial integrity of a different continental ally (Denmark).

To compound the situation – Copenhagen and the US are both members of the transatlantic alliance the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, as stated by Danish officials, profoundly strong partners. At least, they were.

The question is, were Trump to act upon his desire to assert control over the island, would it mark not just an severe risk to the alliance but also a major crisis for the European Union?

Europe Risks Being Overlooked

This is not an isolated incident President Trump has expressed his determination to acquire the Arctic island. He's floated the idea of acquiring it in the past. He's also not excluded taking it by force.

He insisted that the landmass is "so strategic right now, it is patrolled by foreign vessels all over the place. We need Greenland from the vantage point of defense and Copenhagen is not going to be able to handle it".

Copenhagen contests that assertion. It has lately pledged to invest $4bn in Arctic security encompassing boats, drones and aircraft.

Under a bilateral agreement, the US maintains a defense installation currently on the island – established at the start of the East-West standoff. It has scaled down the figure of troops there from approximately 10,000 during the height of Cold War operations to approximately 200 and the US has long been accused of neglecting the northern theater, up to this point.

Copenhagen has indicated it is amenable to dialogue about a larger US presence on the territory and additional measures but in light of the US President's threat of going it alone, Frederiksen said on Monday that the US leader's goal to acquire Greenland should be taken seriously.

After the US administration's actions in Venezuela this past few days, her fellow leaders throughout Europe are heeding that warning.

"These developments has just emphasized – once again – Europe's basic weakness {