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This very day, a informal Alliance of the Willing, largely made up of EU officials, gathered in the French capital with envoys of President Trump, aiming to secure further headway on a lasting peace agreement for the embattled nation.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that a plan to halt the war with Russia is "90% of the way there", nobody in that room wished to endanger retaining the Washington onboard.

Yet, there was an enormous elephant in the room in that opulent and glittering Paris meeting, and the underlying mood was profoundly tense.

Recall the actions of the past week: the White House's contentious involvement in the South American nation and the President Trump's assertion soon after, that "we need Greenland from the viewpoint of national security".

This massive island is the world's greatest island – it's sixfold the size of Germany. It lies in the far north but is an self-governing possession of Denmark's.

At the conference, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was seated across from two key personalities representing Trump: special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's relative Jared Kushner.

She was subject to urging from her EU allies to avoid alienating the US over the Greenland issue, in case that impacts US assistance for Ukraine.

The continent's officials would have far preferred to separate Greenland and the debate on Ukraine separate. But with the political temperature rising from Washington and Copenhagen, representatives of major EU countries at the Paris meeting put out a communiqué stating: "The island is part of the alliance. Defense in the Arctic must therefore be achieved together, in cooperation with NATO allies like the US".

"The decision is for Denmark and Greenland, and them alone, to rule on issues regarding the kingdom and Greenland," the communiqué added.

The announcement was received positively by the island's leader, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but observers contend it was slow to be put together and, owing to the limited set of signatories to the declaration, it did not manage to demonstrate a Europe in agreement in intent.

"Had there been a common position from all 27 member states, along with NATO ally the UK, in support of Copenhagen's authority, that would have sent a strong warning to Washington," noted a European foreign policy specialist.

Reflect on the paradox at work at the Paris summit. Numerous EU government and other officials, from the alliance and the European Union, are seeking to engage the Trump administration in guaranteeing the future autonomy of a continental state (Ukraine) against the hostile territorial ambitions of an foreign power (Moscow), immediately after the US has entered sovereign Venezuela with force, arresting its head of state, while also continuing to publicly challenging the sovereignty of a further continental ally (Denmark).

To make matters even more stark – Denmark and the US are both participants of the defensive pact the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, in the view of Danish officials, profoundly key friends. Previously, they were considered so.

The issue is, if Trump were to make good on his goal to bring Greenland under US control, would it mark not just an severe risk to NATO but also a major challenge for the EU?

Europe Risks Being Overlooked

This is far from the first instance President Trump has voiced his determination to control Greenland. He's proposed buying it in the past. He's also left open the possibility of forcible annexation.

On Sunday that the island is "vitally important right now, it is patrolled by Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need Greenland from the vantage point of national security and Copenhagen is not going to be able to provide security".

Denmark strongly denies that assertion. It has lately vowed to spend $4bn in Greenland defence encompassing boats, drones and aircraft.

Under a treaty, the US has a defense installation presently on Greenland – established at the start of the Cold War. It has cut the total of personnel there from about 10,000 during peak that era to approximately 200 and the US has long been accused of overlooking the northern theater, until now.

Denmark has signaled it is amenable to dialogue about a bigger US footprint on the island and additional measures but confronted by 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.

In the wake of the US administration's actions in Venezuela this past few days, her colleges in Europe are heeding that warning.

"This whole situation has just underlined – for the umpteenth time – Europe's core shortcoming {