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Just this morning, a self-styled Group of the Determined, predominantly consisting of EU heads of state, gathered in Paris with delegates of US President Donald Trump, attempting to achieve additional headway on a lasting peace deal for Ukraine.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky insisting that a plan to end the war with Russia is "largely complete", not a single person in that gathering wished to risk maintaining the Americans involved.

Yet, there was an immense elephant in the room in that impressive and luxurious gathering, and the prevailing mood was exceptionally uneasy.

Bear in mind the events of the recent days: the US administration's divisive incursion in Venezuela and the American leader's assertion soon after, that "we need Greenland from the standpoint of strategic interests".

This massive island is the world's biggest island – it's 600% the size of Germany. It is situated in the Arctic region but is an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Denmark.

At the conference, Mette Frederiksen, Copenhagen's leader, was sitting opposite two powerful personalities speaking on behalf of Trump: special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's relative Jared Kushner.

She was under pressure from her EU allies to avoid provoking the US over the Greenland issue, lest that affects US backing for the Ukrainian cause.

The continent's officials would have far preferred to compartmentalize Greenland and the discussions on the war separate. But with the political temperature escalating from Washington and Copenhagen, representatives of major EU countries at the Paris meeting put out a communiqué stating: "Greenland is part of NATO. Security in the North must therefore be attained together, in partnership with treaty partners like the America".

"The decision is for Copenhagen and the Greenlandic authorities, and them only, to determine on matters regarding Denmark and Greenland," the communiqué continued.

The announcement was welcomed by Nuuk's head of government, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but observers argue it was delayed to be drafted and, owing to the limited number of signatories to the declaration, it failed to project a Europe aligned in objective.

"Were there a unified statement from all 27 member states, plus NATO ally the UK, in support of Danish sovereignty, that would have sent a powerful warning to the US," stated a European defense analyst.

Consider the paradox at work at the European gathering. Multiple EU government and other leaders, such as NATO and the EU, are seeking to secure the cooperation of the White House in guaranteeing the future sovereignty of a EU nation (the Eastern European nation) against the expansionist geopolitical designs of an external actor (Moscow), immediately after the US has entered sovereign Venezuela militarily, detaining its leader, while also continuing to publicly challenging the autonomy of a further EU member (Denmark).

To compound the situation – Copenhagen and the US are both members of the transatlantic alliance NATO. They are, as stated by Copenhagen, extremely close allies. At least, they were.

The question is, were Trump to fulfill his goal to acquire Greenland, would it constitute not just an severe risk to the alliance but also a major crisis for the European Union?

Europe Risks Being Marginalized

This is far from the first instance President Trump has expressed his determination to dominate the Arctic island. He's suggested acquiring it in the past. He's also left open the possibility of forcible annexation.

On Sunday that the landmass is "vitally important right now, it is patrolled by Russian and Chinese naval assets all over the place. We need Greenland from the vantage point of defense and Denmark is incapable to provide security".

Denmark contests that assertion. It not long ago vowed to spend $4bn in the island's defense encompassing boats, drones and aircraft.

Under a bilateral agreement, the US maintains a strategic outpost presently on the island – founded at the start of the East-West standoff. It has cut the total of troops there from around 10,000 during peak Cold War operations to about 200 and the US has frequently been criticized of neglecting polar defense, recently.

Denmark has suggested it is willing to talk about a bigger US role on the territory and additional measures but in light of the US President's assertion of independent moves, the Danish PM said on Monday that the US leader's goal to control Greenland should be treated with gravity.

In the wake of the US administration's actions in Venezuela this weekend, her counterparts across Europe are heeding that warning.

"The current crisis has just emphasized – once again – Europe's fundamental weakness {