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This very day, a informal Group of the Committed, largely made up of European officials, met in the French capital with envoys of the Trump administration, hoping to achieve additional progress on a sustainable peace agreement for Ukraine.

With President Volodymyr Zelensky asserting that a framework to end the hostilities with Russia is "90% of the way there", no-one in that meeting wished to endanger keeping the US engaged.

Yet, there was an enormous unspoken issue in that grand and sparkling gathering, and the prevailing mood was extremely uneasy.

Recall the developments of the past week: the Trump administration's controversial involvement in the South American nation and the American leader's assertion following this, that "we need Greenland from the standpoint of defense".

This massive island is the world's largest island – it's six times the size of Germany. It lies in the far north but is an self-governing territory of Denmark's.

At the conference, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was positioned opposite two influential figures speaking on behalf of Trump: special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's relative Jared Kushner.

She was under pressure from European counterparts to refrain from provoking the US over the Greenland issue, in case that undermines US backing for the Ukrainian cause.

Europe's leaders would have much rather to compartmentalize the Arctic dispute and the debate on the war distinct. But with the diplomatic heat escalating from Washington and Copenhagen, representatives of big EU countries at the gathering issued a statement saying: "This territory is part of NATO. Defense in the Arctic must therefore be secured together, in conjunction with alliance members like the US".

"The decision is for Denmark and the Greenlandic authorities, and no one else, to rule on issues concerning the kingdom and Greenland," the statement continued.

The announcement was greeted by Greenland's prime minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but observers contend it was delayed to be drafted and, because of the restricted number of supporters to the statement, it did not manage to demonstrate a Europe united in objective.

"Had there been a joint statement from all 27 EU partners, in addition to NATO ally the UK, in support of Danish control, that would have delivered a resounding warning to the US," commented a European foreign policy analyst.

Ponder the contradiction at play at the European gathering. Several European national and other leaders, from NATO and the European Union, are seeking to involve the White House in safeguarding the future sovereignty of a continental state (Ukraine) against the aggressive geopolitical designs of an external actor (Russia), on the heels of the US has intervened in independent Venezuela militarily, detaining its leader, while also continuing to publicly challenging the sovereignty of a different European nation (Denmark).

To make matters even more stark – Copenhagen and the US are both signatories of the transatlantic alliance the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, according to Copenhagen, extremely key friends. At least, they were.

The issue is, were Trump to make good on his goal to acquire Greenland, would it constitute not just an existential threat to NATO but also a major problem for the EU?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Marginalized

This is far from the first instance Trump has spoken of his intention to acquire Greenland. He's floated the idea of buying it in the past. He's also left open the possibility of taking it by force.

He insisted that the landmass is "vitally important right now, it is frequented by Russian and Chinese naval assets all over the place. It is imperative to have Greenland from the vantage point of defense and Copenhagen is incapable to do it".

Copenhagen contests that claim. It recently committed to invest $4bn in the island's defense including boats, drones and aircraft.

Pursuant to a mutual pact, the US maintains a defense installation currently on Greenland – established at the beginning of the Cold War. It has scaled down the total of troops there from approximately 10,000 during peak that era to approximately 200 and the US has long been accused of taking its eye off the northern theater, up to this point.

Copenhagen has suggested it is willing to talk about a expanded US presence on the island and more but faced with the US President's threat of independent moves, the Danish PM said on Monday that Washington's desire to take Greenland should be treated with gravity.

In the wake of the American intervention in Venezuela this past few days, her fellow leaders in Europe are taking it seriously.

"These developments has just emphasized – for the umpteenth time – Europe's basic vulnerability {