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Earlier today, a so-called Coalition of the Determined, mostly made up of European leaders, met in Paris with representatives of US President Donald Trump, attempting to achieve additional headway on a lasting settlement for Ukraine.

With President Volodymyr Zelensky insisting that a plan to end the conflict with Russia is "nearly finalized", no-one in that room wanted to endanger retaining the Washington onboard.

Yet, there was an colossal glaring omission in that impressive and luxurious Paris meeting, and the fundamental mood was profoundly strained.

Bear in mind the actions of the recent days: the White House's controversial incursion in the South American nation and the US president's declaration soon after, that "our national security requires Greenland from the standpoint of national security".

This massive island is the world's biggest island – it's sixfold the dimensions of Germany. It is located in the far north but is an semi-independent territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.

At the Paris meeting, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was seated opposite two key individuals acting for Trump: emissary Steve Witkoff and Trump's relative Jared Kushner.

She was subject to urging from her EU allies to refrain from antagonising the US over the Arctic question, in case that undermines US backing for Ukraine.

The continent's officials would have greatly desired to separate Greenland and the negotiations on Ukraine apart. But with the political temperature mounting from the White House and Copenhagen, leaders of big states at the Paris meeting released a statement stating: "Greenland is part of the alliance. Security in the North must therefore be achieved jointly, in partnership with treaty partners like the United States".

"It is for Copenhagen and the Greenlandic authorities, and them only, to rule on issues related to the kingdom and Greenland," the statement further stated.

The statement was greeted by the island's leader, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but analysts say it was slow to be put together and, due to the restricted number of endorsers to the declaration, it did not manage to project a Europe in agreement in objective.

"Had there been a joint position from all 27 EU partners, plus NATO ally the UK, in defense of Copenhagen's sovereignty, that would have delivered a powerful warning to Washington," noted a European defense expert.

Consider the paradox at work at the France meeting. Multiple EU national and other leaders, from NATO and the European Union, are trying to involve the Trump administration in guaranteeing the future independence of a continental state (Ukraine) against the aggressive geopolitical designs of an outside force (Moscow), on the heels of the US has intervened in independent Venezuela militarily, taking its president into custody, while also persistently openly challenging the autonomy of a different continental ally (Denmark).

To compound the situation – Denmark and the US are both signatories of the military bloc the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, according to Danish officials, extremely key friends. Previously, they were considered so.

The question is, if Trump were to fulfill his desire to acquire Greenland, would it represent not just an existential threat to NATO but also a significant crisis for the European Union?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Overlooked

This is far from the first instance President Trump has expressed his determination to dominate the Arctic island. He's proposed buying it in the past. He's also refused to rule out taking it by force.

On Sunday that the territory is "crucially located right now, it is patrolled by Russian and Chinese naval assets all over the place. It is imperative to have Greenland from the standpoint of strategic interests and Denmark is not going to be able to provide security".

Copenhagen refutes that assertion. It has lately vowed to invest $4bn in Greenland defence encompassing boats, drones and aircraft.

As per a bilateral agreement, the US operates a military base already on Greenland – established at the beginning of the East-West standoff. It has cut the total of personnel there from about 10,000 during peak that era to around 200 and the US has frequently been criticized of overlooking Arctic Security, until now.

Copenhagen has signaled it is willing to talk about a larger US footprint on the territory and additional measures but faced with the US President's assertion of going it alone, Frederiksen said on Monday that Washington's desire to control Greenland should be considered a real possibility.

In the wake of the Washington's moves in Venezuela this past few days, her colleges throughout Europe are taking it seriously.

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