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Just this morning, a self-styled Group of the Willing, predominantly made up of European leaders, met in Paris with envoys of President Trump, aiming to secure additional advances on a durable peace agreement for Ukraine.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that a plan to conclude the war with Russia is "largely complete", not a single person in that room wanted to endanger keeping the US onboard.

Yet, there was an colossal unspoken issue in that opulent and luxurious gathering, and the underlying tension was profoundly strained.

Recall the events of the last few days: the US administration's divisive intervention in the South American nation and the US president's insistence following this, that "our national security requires Greenland from the standpoint of strategic interests".

The vast Arctic territory is the world's largest island – it's 600% the dimensions of Germany. It is situated in the Arctic but is an self-governing region of Denmark's.

At the conference, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was sitting opposite two key personalities representing Trump: emissary Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser Jared Kushner.

She was facing pressure from her EU colleagues to avoid alienating the US over the Arctic question, in case that undermines US support for the Ukrainian cause.

The continent's officials would have far preferred to separate the Arctic dispute and the discussions on Ukraine distinct. But with the political temperature rising from Washington and Copenhagen, leaders of big European nations at the gathering put out a declaration stating: "The island is part of the alliance. Defense in the North must therefore be secured collectively, in cooperation with NATO allies like the US".

"Sovereignty is for Denmark and the Greenlandic authorities, and them alone, to rule on issues concerning the kingdom and Greenland," the statement added.

The statement was received positively by Greenland's prime minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but observers contend it was tardy to be drafted and, due to the limited group of signatories to the declaration, it did not manage to demonstrate a European Union united in purpose.

"Had there been a joint position from all 27 member states, plus alliance partner the UK, in backing of Copenhagen's sovereignty, that would have delivered a strong warning to America," commented a European defense analyst.

Ponder the irony at hand at the European gathering. Multiple EU national and other leaders, including the alliance and the EU, are attempting to secure the cooperation of the US administration in protecting the future sovereignty of a European country (the Eastern European nation) against the hostile geopolitical designs of an external actor (Moscow), just after the US has entered independent Venezuela militarily, arresting its head of state, while also still publicly threatening the territorial integrity of another European nation (Denmark).

To compound the situation – Copenhagen and the US are both members of the military bloc the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, in the view of Danish officials, exceptionally strong partners. Or were.

The question is, if Trump were to fulfill his desire to assert control over the island, would it constitute not just an existential threat to NATO but also a significant problem for the European Union?

Europe Risks Being Marginalized

This is not an isolated incident Trump has voiced his intention to control the Arctic island. He's proposed acquiring it in the past. He's also not excluded a military seizure.

He insisted that the territory is "so strategic right now, it is frequented by foreign naval assets all over the place. We need Greenland from the vantage point of national security and Denmark is incapable to do it".

Denmark strongly denies that claim. It not long ago pledged to spend $4bn in Arctic security encompassing boats, drones and aircraft.

Under a mutual pact, the US operates a defense installation presently on the island – established at the onset of the East-West standoff. It has cut the number of staff there from around 10,000 during the height of that era to around 200 and the US has often been faulted of neglecting the northern theater, up to this point.

Denmark has signaled it is open to discussion about a bigger US presence on the island and additional measures but faced with the US President's assertion of going it alone, the Danish PM said on Monday that Trump's ambition to acquire Greenland should be considered a real possibility.

Following the American intervention in Venezuela this past few days, her fellow leaders throughout Europe are taking it seriously.

"This whole situation has just emphasized – for the umpteenth time – the EU's fundamental weakness {