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This very day, a informal Group of the Committed, largely made up of EU officials, gathered in Paris with delegates of President Trump, hoping to achieve more advances on a durable peace agreement for Ukraine.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky insisting that a roadmap to conclude the war with Russia is "nearly finalized", nobody in that gathering wanted to endanger maintaining the Washington onboard.

Yet, there was an immense glaring omission in that grand and sparkling gathering, and the underlying atmosphere was exceptionally strained.

Recall the developments of the past week: the US administration's controversial involvement in the South American nation and the President Trump's insistence shortly thereafter, that "our national security requires Greenland from the standpoint of national security".

Greenland is the world's greatest island – it's 600% the size of Germany. It is located in the far north but is an semi-independent region of the Kingdom of Denmark.

At the summit, Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's Prime Minister, was positioned across from two powerful personalities representing Trump: special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's relative Jared Kushner.

She was subject to urging from European allies to refrain from alienating the US over Greenland, lest that undermines US assistance for the Ukrainian cause.

The continent's officials would have much rather to separate Greenland and the discussions on the war apart. But with the diplomatic heat escalating from the White House and Denmark, representatives of major European nations at the Paris meeting issued a declaration stating: "The island is part of the alliance. Stability in the North must therefore be attained collectively, in partnership with alliance members like the America".

"The decision is for Denmark and the Greenlandic authorities, and no one else, to rule on matters related to Denmark and its autonomous territory," the statement further stated.

The communique was greeted by the island's leader, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but analysts contend it was tardy to be put together and, because of the limited set of supporters to the statement, it did not manage to demonstrate a European Union united in intent.

"If there had been a joint declaration from all 27 European Union countries, in addition to NATO ally the UK, in support of Copenhagen's sovereignty, that would have sent a resounding signal to the US," noted a EU foreign policy specialist.

Ponder the irony at hand at the European gathering. Numerous European national and other leaders, including NATO and the European Union, are trying to secure the cooperation of the US administration in guaranteeing the future sovereignty of a continental state (the Eastern European nation) against the hostile geopolitical designs of an outside force (Moscow), on the heels of the US has intervened in sovereign Venezuela with force, arresting its head of state, while also persistently actively threatening the sovereignty of a further continental ally (Denmark).

To compound the situation – Copenhagen and the US are both participants of the transatlantic alliance NATO. They are, in the view of Copenhagen, extremely key friends. At least, they were.

The question is, if Trump were to act upon his goal to assert control over the island, would it represent not just an existential threat to NATO but also a major challenge for the European Union?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Overlooked

This is not an isolated incident President Trump has expressed his resolve to dominate the Arctic island. He's floated the idea of buying it in the past. He's also left open the possibility of a military seizure.

On Sunday that the landmass is "crucially located right now, Greenland is patrolled by foreign ships all over the place. It is imperative to have Greenland from the standpoint of defense and Denmark is unable to provide security".

Denmark contests that last statement. It has lately vowed to spend $4bn in Arctic security encompassing boats, drones and aircraft.

Pursuant to a bilateral agreement, the US operates a military base presently on the island – set up at the beginning of the East-West standoff. It has cut the total of staff there from around 10,000 during the height of the confrontation to around 200 and the US has long been accused of overlooking polar defense, until now.

Copenhagen has suggested it is amenable to dialogue about a expanded US role on the island and additional measures but in light of the US President's threat of going it alone, Frederiksen said on Monday that Washington's desire to take Greenland should be treated with gravity.

Following the American intervention in Venezuela this past few days, her colleges across Europe are doing just that.

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