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This very day, a informal Group of the Determined, largely composed of European officials, met in Paris with envoys of US President Donald Trump, aiming to achieve further progress on a durable peace agreement for the embattled nation.

With President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that a plan to conclude the war with Russia is "90% of the way there", not a single person in that room desired to endanger maintaining the Americans involved.

Yet, there was an immense unspoken issue in that impressive and luxurious gathering, and the underlying tension was exceptionally uneasy.

Recall the developments of the past week: the Trump administration's contentious intervention in the South American nation and the US president's insistence shortly thereafter, that "it is essential to have Greenland from the standpoint of defense".

Greenland is the world's biggest island – it's 600% the size of Germany. It is located in the Arctic region but is an autonomous region of Denmark's.

At the Paris meeting, Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's Prime Minister, was positioned facing two influential personalities acting for Trump: emissary Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

She was facing pressure from her EU colleagues not to antagonising the US over the Greenland issue, lest that undermines US backing for Ukraine.

Europe's leaders would have much rather to keep the Arctic dispute and the discussions on the war apart. But with the political temperature rising from Washington and Denmark, leaders of major EU countries at the Paris meeting issued a communiqué asserting: "The island is part of NATO. Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in conjunction with treaty partners like the US".

"Sovereignty is for Denmark and Greenland, and them alone, to rule on matters concerning the kingdom and Greenland," the communiqué added.

The announcement was received positively by Greenland's prime minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but observers contend it was slow to be drafted and, due to the limited set of supporters to the statement, it was unable to show a European Union united in intent.

"Were there a joint statement from all 27 EU partners, plus alliance partner the UK, in support of Danish control, that would have conveyed a strong warning to America," stated a European defense specialist.

Ponder the paradox at hand at the European gathering. Multiple European government and other leaders, from the alliance and the EU, are seeking to involve the Trump administration in protecting the future sovereignty of a European country (Ukraine) against the expansionist land claims of an outside force (Moscow), immediately after the US has intervened in independent Venezuela by armed intervention, arresting its head of state, while also still openly challenging the sovereignty of a different continental ally (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To make matters even more stark – Copenhagen and the US are both signatories of the transatlantic alliance NATO. They are, as stated by Copenhagen, exceptionally strong partners. Or were.

The issue is, should Trump act upon his goal to acquire Greenland, would it mark not just an existential threat to the alliance but also a major problem for the European Union?

Europe Risks Being Trampled Underfoot

This is far from the first instance President Trump has voiced his determination to control the Arctic island. He's suggested purchasing it in the past. He's also not excluded taking it by force.

He insisted that the island is "crucially located right now, it is frequented by foreign ships all over the place. Our security demands Greenland from the perspective of defense and Copenhagen is incapable to do it".

Copenhagen refutes that assertion. It not long ago pledged to allocate $4bn in Greenland defence for boats, drones and aircraft.

Pursuant to a mutual pact, the US maintains a strategic outpost already on the island – established at the beginning of the East-West standoff. It has scaled down the number of personnel there from about 10,000 during peak the confrontation to approximately 200 and the US has frequently been criticized of neglecting Arctic Security, up to this point.

Denmark has suggested it is open to discussion about a bigger US presence on the island and more but confronted by the US President's warning of unilateral action, Frederiksen said on Monday that Washington's desire to acquire Greenland should be taken seriously.

Following the Washington's moves in Venezuela this weekend, her fellow leaders across Europe are doing just that.

"The current crisis has just highlighted – for the umpteenth time – Europe's basic vulnerability {