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This very day, a informal Coalition of the Willing, predominantly composed of EU heads of state, gathered in Paris with representatives of President Trump, attempting to secure further headway on a sustainable peace agreement for Ukraine.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky insisting that a roadmap to end the war with Russia is "largely complete", no-one in that meeting wanted to risk maintaining the Washington involved.

Yet, there was an colossal glaring omission in that grand and luxurious summit, and the fundamental tension was profoundly uneasy.

Bear in mind the actions of the recent days: the US administration's contentious incursion in Venezuela and the President Trump's assertion shortly thereafter, that "our national security requires Greenland from the viewpoint of strategic interests".

Greenland is the world's biggest island – it's six times the size of Germany. It lies in the Arctic region but is an semi-independent region of Copenhagen.

At the Paris meeting, Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's Prime Minister, was sitting across from two key individuals acting for Trump: emissary Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

She was under pressure from her EU allies to refrain from alienating the US over the Greenland issue, lest that impacts US support for the Ukrainian cause.

EU heads of state would have greatly desired to compartmentalize Greenland and the debate on Ukraine apart. But with the tensions escalating from the White House and Copenhagen, representatives of leading EU countries at the Paris meeting issued a communiqué stating: "This territory is part of the alliance. Security in the North must therefore be attained collectively, in conjunction with treaty partners including the America".

"It is for Denmark and the Greenlandic authorities, and them alone, to determine on matters related to Denmark and Greenland," the declaration continued.

The communique was greeted by Nuuk's head of government, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but observers say it was tardy to be put together and, because of the small number of signatories to the declaration, it was unable to project a European Union in agreement in purpose.

"If there had been a common statement from all 27 member states, along with NATO ally the UK, in defense of Danish authority, that would have delivered a resounding signal to America," noted a European defense specialist.

Ponder the paradox at play at the European gathering. Numerous European national and other officials, including the alliance and the European Union, are trying to involve the US administration in protecting the future independence of a continental state (the Eastern European nation) against the hostile geopolitical designs of an external actor (Moscow), on the heels of the US has intervened in sovereign Venezuela with force, arresting its head of state, while also persistently openly undermining the territorial integrity of a different EU member (Denmark).

To make matters even more stark – Denmark and the US are both signatories of the transatlantic alliance the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, in the view of Danish officials, extremely key friends. Or were.

The dilemma is, if Trump were to fulfill his ambition to acquire Greenland, would it mark not just an severe risk to the alliance but also a significant challenge for the EU?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Marginalized

This is not an isolated incident President Trump has expressed his intention to acquire the Arctic island. He's suggested purchasing it in the past. He's also refused to rule out taking it by force.

He insisted that the island is "vitally important right now, Greenland is frequented by foreign ships all over the place. We need Greenland from the perspective of national security and Denmark is incapable to do it".

Denmark contests that assertion. It has lately pledged to allocate $4bn in the island's defense including boats, drones and aircraft.

As per a mutual pact, the US maintains a defense installation currently on the island – set up at the beginning of the East-West standoff. It has reduced the figure of personnel there from approximately 10,000 during the height of that era to around 200 and the US has frequently been criticized of neglecting the northern theater, up to this point.

Copenhagen has signaled it is amenable to dialogue about a expanded US footprint on the island and more but faced with the US President's warning of going it alone, the Danish PM said on Monday that Trump's ambition to take Greenland should be treated with gravity.

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

"The current crisis has just emphasized – yet again – Europe's fundamental shortcoming {