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Earlier today, a so-called Group of the Committed, mostly made up of European leaders, convened in the French capital with envoys of US President Donald Trump, attempting to achieve more headway on a durable peace deal for Ukraine.

With President Volodymyr Zelensky insisting that a roadmap to conclude the hostilities with Russia is "90% of the way there", not a single person in that room wanted to endanger maintaining the US involved.

Yet, there was an colossal elephant in the room in that grand and luxurious summit, and the prevailing tension was profoundly tense.

Consider the actions of the past week: the White House's contentious intervention in Venezuela and the US president's assertion following this, that "we need Greenland from the standpoint of national security".

The vast Arctic territory is the world's biggest island – it's 600% the area of Germany. It is situated in the far north but is an autonomous possession of Denmark's.

At the summit, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was seated across from two powerful figures representing Trump: diplomat Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser Jared Kushner.

She was subject to urging from European colleagues to avoid alienating the US over the Arctic question, for fear that that affects US assistance for the Ukrainian cause.

EU heads of state would have much rather to compartmentalize the Arctic dispute and the debate on the war distinct. But with the political temperature escalating from the White House and Denmark, leaders of major EU countries at the gathering issued a statement stating: "Greenland is part of NATO. Stability in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in cooperation with treaty partners like the United States".

"It is for Copenhagen and the Greenlandic authorities, and them alone, to determine on affairs concerning the kingdom and its autonomous territory," the declaration added.

The communique was welcomed by Greenland's prime minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but analysts contend it was delayed to be drafted and, owing to the small number of signatories to the statement, it did not manage to show a Europe aligned in intent.

"Had there been a joint declaration from all 27 European Union countries, along with alliance partner the UK, in support of Copenhagen's sovereignty, that would have delivered a strong warning to America," noted a EU defense expert.

Reflect on the irony at hand at the European gathering. Numerous EU national and other leaders, from NATO and the European Union, are seeking to engage the Trump administration in safeguarding the future autonomy of a continental state (the Eastern European nation) against the aggressive territorial ambitions of an external actor (Russia), immediately after the US has entered independent Venezuela by armed intervention, detaining its leader, while also continuing to openly challenging the sovereignty of a different European nation (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To compound the situation – Copenhagen and the US are both participants of the transatlantic alliance the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, in the view of Danish officials, exceptionally key friends. Or were.

The dilemma is, were Trump to fulfill his desire to bring Greenland under US control, would it represent not just an existential threat to the alliance but also a major challenge for the EU?

Europe Risks Being Overlooked

This is not the first time President Trump has spoken of his determination to acquire the Arctic island. He's floated the idea of buying it in the past. He's also not excluded taking it by force.

He insisted that the territory is "so strategic right now, Greenland is patrolled by foreign vessels all over the place. It is imperative to have Greenland from the vantage point of strategic interests and Copenhagen is unable to handle it".

Denmark contests that last statement. It not long ago vowed to allocate $4bn in Greenland defence for boats, drones and aircraft.

Pursuant to a bilateral agreement, the US has a military base currently on the island – set up at the onset of the East-West standoff. It has scaled down the figure of staff there from about 10,000 during peak Cold War operations to approximately 200 and the US has long been accused of overlooking the northern theater, up to this point.

Copenhagen has indicated it is amenable to dialogue about a larger US role on the territory and additional measures but confronted by the US President's assertion of unilateral action, Frederiksen said on Monday that Washington's desire to take Greenland should be considered a real possibility.

Following the US administration's actions in Venezuela this past few days, her fellow leaders in Europe are doing just that.

"These developments has just underlined – yet again – the EU's fundamental weakness {