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Earlier today, a self-styled Alliance of the Committed, largely made up of EU leaders, met in Paris with delegates of US President Donald Trump, attempting to make further progress on a durable settlement for Ukraine.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky asserting that a plan to halt the conflict with Russia is "largely complete", no-one in that gathering wished to jeopardise keeping the Washington involved.

Yet, there was an enormous elephant in the room in that impressive and glittering gathering, and the prevailing mood was profoundly tense.

Consider the developments of the last few days: the US administration's contentious intervention in Venezuela and the American leader's declaration shortly thereafter, that "we need Greenland from the viewpoint of defense".

Greenland is the world's biggest island – it's six times the dimensions of Germany. It is located in the far north but is an autonomous region of Copenhagen.

At the summit, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was positioned facing two key personalities speaking on behalf of Trump: diplomat Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser Jared Kushner.

She was under pressure from her EU allies to avoid alienating the US over the Arctic question, for fear that that affects US support for the Ukrainian cause.

EU heads of state would have much rather to separate the Arctic dispute and the debate on Ukraine apart. But with the tensions escalating from the White House and Copenhagen, leaders of major EU countries at the talks issued a declaration stating: "This territory is part of NATO. Defense in the Arctic must therefore be secured together, in conjunction with treaty partners such as the US".

"Sovereignty is for Copenhagen and Greenland, and them alone, to rule on issues related to the kingdom and its autonomous territory," the statement added.

The statement was received positively by Greenland's prime minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but analysts argue it was slow to be put together and, owing to the small number of supporters to the declaration, it was unable to show a Europe united in objective.

"If there had been a joint statement from all 27 European Union countries, in addition to alliance partner the UK, in defense of Copenhagen's control, that would have delivered a strong warning to the US," commented a European foreign policy specialist.

Reflect on the irony at hand at the European gathering. Several EU government and other leaders, from NATO and the EU, are seeking to secure the cooperation of the US administration in guaranteeing the future autonomy of a European country (Ukraine) against the expansionist geopolitical designs of an outside force (Russia), immediately after the US has swooped into independent Venezuela by armed intervention, taking its president into custody, while also persistently actively undermining the territorial integrity of another continental ally (Denmark).

To make matters even more stark – Copenhagen and the US are both members of the defensive pact the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, as stated by Copenhagen, exceptionally key friends. Or were.

The dilemma is, were Trump to fulfill his goal to bring Greenland under US control, would it represent not just an severe risk to NATO but also a major crisis for the European Union?

Europe Risks Being Marginalized

This is not an isolated incident President Trump has expressed his determination to dominate the Arctic island. He's suggested buying it in the past. He's also not excluded forcible annexation.

He insisted that the island is "vitally important right now, Greenland is frequented by foreign naval assets all over the place. We need Greenland from the perspective of national security and Copenhagen is unable to handle it".

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

Pursuant to a treaty, the US maintains a strategic outpost presently on the island – set up at the start of the East-West standoff. It has scaled down the number of personnel there from around 10,000 during peak Cold War operations to approximately 200 and the US has long been accused of taking its eye off the northern theater, up to this point.

Copenhagen has indicated it is amenable to dialogue about a larger US footprint on the island and further cooperation but faced with the US President's warning of independent moves, the Danish PM said on Monday that the US leader's goal to take Greenland should be taken seriously.

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

"The current crisis has just highlighted – once again – the EU's basic vulnerability {