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Earlier today, a so-called Group of the Committed, mostly composed of EU heads of state, gathered in Paris with representatives of US President Donald Trump, aiming to make additional progress on a sustainable peace agreement for the embattled nation.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that a plan to conclude the war with Russia is "nearly finalized", not a single person in that room wanted to endanger maintaining the US involved.

Yet, there was an enormous unspoken issue in that impressive and sparkling Paris meeting, and the fundamental mood was exceptionally strained.

Consider the actions of the recent days: the White House's contentious incursion in the South American nation and the President Trump's assertion soon after, that "our national security requires Greenland from the standpoint of defense".

Greenland is the world's largest island – it's six times the dimensions of Germany. It is located in the far north but is an autonomous possession of the Kingdom of Denmark.

At the Paris meeting, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was positioned across from two powerful figures speaking on behalf of Trump: diplomat Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser Jared Kushner.

She was facing pressure from her EU counterparts to avoid antagonising the US over Greenland, lest that affects US assistance for Ukraine.

EU heads of state would have far preferred to separate the Arctic dispute and the discussions on Ukraine separate. But with the diplomatic heat mounting from Washington and Copenhagen, representatives of big states at the talks put out a declaration asserting: "The island is part of NATO. Security in the Arctic must therefore be attained collectively, in partnership with alliance members such as the America".

"Sovereignty is for Copenhagen and the Greenlandic authorities, and them alone, to decide on affairs related to Denmark and Greenland," the statement added.

The announcement was welcomed by Greenland's prime minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but observers say it was tardy to be put together and, owing to the small group of supporters to the statement, it did not manage to show a Europe united in objective.

"Had there been a unified statement from all 27 EU partners, plus alliance partner the UK, in defense of Danish control, that would have delivered a resounding warning to the US," noted a European foreign policy specialist.

Reflect on the paradox at hand at the European gathering. Numerous European national and other leaders, from the alliance and the EU, are trying to involve the US administration in protecting the future independence of a EU nation (Ukraine) against the aggressive territorial ambitions of an outside force (Russia), just after the US has entered independent Venezuela by armed intervention, taking its president into custody, while also still publicly threatening the territorial integrity of a further European nation (Denmark).

To make matters even more stark – Denmark and the US are both members of the military bloc the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, according to Copenhagen, extremely strong partners. At least, they were.

The dilemma is, if Trump were to act upon his ambition to acquire Greenland, would it constitute not just an fundamental challenge to the alliance but also a major crisis for the European Union?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Marginalized

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

He insisted that the landmass is "so strategic right now, it is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. It is imperative to have Greenland from the vantage point of defense and Copenhagen is not going to be able to handle it".

Denmark contests that last statement. It recently pledged to spend $4bn in Greenland defence including boats, drones and aircraft.

As per a bilateral agreement, the US has a strategic outpost presently on Greenland – established at the start of the Cold War. It has scaled down the figure of staff there from around 10,000 during peak the confrontation to about 200 and the US has frequently been criticized of taking its eye off the northern theater, recently.

Denmark has suggested it is open to discussion about a expanded US footprint on the island and further cooperation but faced with the US President's warning of unilateral action, Frederiksen said on Monday that the US leader's goal to control Greenland should be taken seriously.

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

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