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This very day, a informal Coalition of the Committed, predominantly composed of EU officials, met in the French capital with delegates of President Trump, attempting to make more advances on a sustainable peace agreement for Ukraine.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that a framework to conclude the war with Russia is "nearly finalized", no-one in that gathering wanted to jeopardise maintaining the Washington onboard.

Yet, there was an colossal unspoken issue in that grand and glittering Paris meeting, and the fundamental atmosphere was extremely uneasy.

Recall the events of the last few days: the US administration's contentious incursion in the South American nation and the US president's insistence soon after, that "we need Greenland from the standpoint of strategic interests".

This massive island is the world's greatest island – it's six times the area of Germany. It is located in the far north but is an self-governing possession of Denmark's.

At the conference, Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's Prime Minister, was positioned across from two key personalities representing Trump: emissary Steve Witkoff and Trump's relative Jared Kushner.

She was facing pressure from her EU counterparts not to alienating the US over Greenland, in case that impacts US backing for Ukraine.

The continent's officials would have far preferred to keep Greenland and the debate on the war separate. But with the tensions escalating from Washington and Copenhagen, leaders of leading European nations at the Paris meeting put out a communiqué saying: "This territory is part of NATO. Security in the North must therefore be attained collectively, in cooperation with treaty partners such as the America".

"The decision is for Copenhagen and the Greenlandic authorities, and them alone, to rule on issues concerning Denmark and its autonomous territory," the declaration added.

The communique was greeted by Nuuk's head of government, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but critics say it was tardy to be drafted and, because of the small set of endorsers to the statement, it was unable to show a Europe in agreement in intent.

"Had there been a unified declaration from all 27 European Union countries, plus NATO ally the UK, in support of Danish control, that would have sent a strong signal to the US," stated a European foreign policy expert.

Ponder the paradox at play at the Paris summit. Numerous EU national and other leaders, including the alliance and the EU, are attempting to secure the cooperation of the US administration in guaranteeing the future sovereignty of a continental state (Ukraine) against the aggressive land claims of an external actor (Russia), on the heels of the US has swooped into independent Venezuela by armed intervention, detaining its leader, while also still actively undermining the territorial integrity of a further continental ally (Denmark).

To compound the situation – Copenhagen and the US are both signatories of the military bloc the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, according to Copenhagen, profoundly close allies. Or were.

The dilemma is, if Trump were to fulfill his desire to acquire Greenland, would it mark not just an fundamental challenge to the alliance but also a significant challenge for the European Union?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Trampled Underfoot

This is far from the first instance President Trump has spoken of his resolve to control the Arctic island. He's floated the idea of purchasing it in the past. He's also left open the possibility of a military seizure.

Recently that the landmass is "vitally important right now, Greenland is patrolled by foreign ships all over the place. It is imperative to have Greenland from the perspective of national security and Denmark is incapable to do it".

Copenhagen contests that assertion. It recently committed to invest $4bn in Greenland defence encompassing boats, drones and aircraft.

As per a treaty, the US has a strategic outpost already on Greenland – established at the beginning of the East-West standoff. It has scaled down the figure of personnel there from around 10,000 during the height of that era to about 200 and the US has frequently been criticized of taking its eye off the northern theater, up to this point.

Copenhagen has indicated it is open to discussion about a expanded US presence on the island and additional measures but confronted by the US President's threat of independent moves, the Danish PM said on Monday that Trump's ambition to control Greenland should be considered a real possibility.

After the Washington's moves in Venezuela this past few days, her counterparts across Europe are doing just that.

"This whole situation has just emphasized – yet again – Europe's basic weakness {