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This very day, a self-styled Alliance of the Willing, predominantly composed of European leaders, met in the French capital with envoys of the Trump administration, attempting to make further advances on a lasting settlement for the embattled nation.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky insisting that a plan to end the hostilities with Russia is "90% of the way there", no-one in that gathering desired to endanger maintaining the US involved.

Yet, there was an enormous glaring omission in that impressive and luxurious summit, and the underlying atmosphere was profoundly strained.

Bear in mind the developments of the past week: the Trump administration's divisive involvement in the South American nation and the President Trump's assertion shortly thereafter, that "it is essential to have Greenland from the standpoint of strategic interests".

Greenland is the world's greatest island – it's sixfold the dimensions of Germany. It lies in the far north but is an semi-independent possession of Copenhagen.

At the summit, Mette Frederiksen, Copenhagen's leader, was sitting facing two influential personalities speaking on behalf of Trump: diplomat Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser Jared Kushner.

She was under pressure from her EU allies to avoid provoking the US over the Greenland issue, in case that impacts US support for the Ukrainian cause.

The continent's officials would have far preferred to keep Greenland and the debate on Ukraine separate. But with the political temperature escalating from Washington and Denmark, leaders of leading EU countries at the talks released a communiqué stating: "This territory is part of NATO. Stability in the North must therefore be attained together, in cooperation with treaty partners including the US".

"The decision is for Copenhagen and Greenland, and them alone, to rule on affairs concerning Denmark and its autonomous territory," the statement added.

The communique was greeted by Nuuk's head of government, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but critics contend it was slow to be drafted and, because of the limited set of signatories to the declaration, it failed to project a European Union united in objective.

"Were there a joint position from all 27 member states, in addition to NATO ally the UK, in backing of Danish sovereignty, that would have sent a powerful message to America," stated a EU defense expert.

Ponder the paradox at play at the France meeting. Multiple EU national and other officials, from NATO and the EU, are attempting to engage the White House in safeguarding the future sovereignty of a continental state (Ukraine) against the aggressive territorial ambitions of an external actor (Russia), just after the US has intervened in sovereign Venezuela with force, detaining its leader, while also continuing to publicly threatening the autonomy of a different EU member (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To compound the situation – Copenhagen and the US are both participants of the transatlantic alliance the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, according to Copenhagen, exceptionally strong partners. At least, they were.

The question is, if Trump were to make good on his desire to acquire Greenland, would it mark not just an fundamental challenge to the alliance but also a major challenge for the EU?

Europe Risks Being Marginalized

This is far from the first instance President Trump has expressed his determination to acquire the Arctic island. He's proposed acquiring it in the past. He's also not excluded forcible annexation.

Recently that the island is "crucially located right now, it is patrolled by Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. It is imperative to have Greenland from the vantage point of strategic interests and Denmark is incapable to do it".

Copenhagen refutes that last statement. It recently vowed to spend $4bn in the island's defense for boats, drones and aircraft.

As per a bilateral agreement, the US has a defense installation currently on the island – established at the start of the Cold War. It has reduced the total of troops there from around 10,000 during peak Cold War operations to approximately 200 and the US has frequently been criticized of neglecting polar defense, until now.

Copenhagen has suggested it is open to discussion about a larger US presence on the island and additional measures but in light of the US President's warning of independent moves, Frederiksen said on Monday that the US leader's goal to control Greenland should be considered a real possibility.

In the wake of the American intervention in Venezuela this past few days, her colleges throughout Europe are heeding that warning.

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