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This very day, a so-called Alliance of the Willing, mostly consisting of EU officials, convened in Paris with delegates of US President Donald Trump, attempting to make more headway on a durable settlement for Ukraine.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky insisting that a roadmap to end the hostilities with Russia is "nearly finalized", not a single person in that meeting wished to risk keeping the US involved.

Yet, there was an enormous glaring omission in that grand and sparkling Paris meeting, and the prevailing atmosphere was exceptionally uneasy.

Bear in mind the events of the past week: the Trump administration's divisive intervention in the South American nation and the US president's declaration soon after, that "it is essential to have Greenland from the standpoint of national security".

Greenland is the world's biggest island – it's six times the dimensions of Germany. It is located in the Arctic region but is an semi-independent region of the Kingdom of Denmark.

At the conference, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was positioned facing two influential personalities speaking on behalf of Trump: special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser Jared Kushner.

She was subject to urging from European colleagues not to antagonising the US over the Arctic question, lest that impacts US backing for Ukraine.

The continent's officials would have much rather to compartmentalize Greenland and the negotiations on Ukraine separate. But with the diplomatic heat escalating from Washington and Copenhagen, leaders of leading states at the gathering put out a communiqué stating: "Greenland is part of the alliance. Defense in the Arctic must therefore be attained together, in partnership with treaty partners such as the America".

"It is for Copenhagen and the Greenlandic authorities, and them alone, to decide on issues regarding Denmark and Greenland," the communiqué further stated.

The communique was received positively by Nuuk's head of government, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but observers say it was tardy to be drafted and, due to the restricted number of endorsers to the statement, it did not manage to show a Europe aligned in purpose.

"Were there a unified declaration from all 27 European Union countries, plus NATO ally the UK, in defense of Copenhagen's authority, that would have delivered a resounding signal to America," stated a EU defense expert.

Reflect on the contradiction at play at the Paris summit. Several European government and other officials, such as the alliance and the European Union, are trying to secure the cooperation of the White House in guaranteeing the future autonomy of a continental state (Ukraine) against the expansionist land claims of an foreign power (Russia), immediately after the US has swooped into sovereign Venezuela militarily, detaining its leader, while also persistently actively threatening the territorial integrity of a further European nation (Denmark).

To add to the complexity – Copenhagen and the US are both members of the defensive pact the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, as stated by Danish officials, profoundly key friends. Or were.

The question is, if Trump were to fulfill his goal to acquire Greenland, would it constitute not just an existential threat to the alliance but also a profound challenge for the EU?

Europe Risks Being Overlooked

This is not an isolated incident President Trump has expressed his determination to acquire Greenland. He's proposed acquiring it in the past. He's also refused to rule out taking it by force.

Recently that the island is "crucially located right now, it is frequented by Russian and Chinese naval assets all over the place. We need Greenland from the perspective of national security and Copenhagen is unable to provide security".

Denmark strongly denies that claim. It recently pledged to spend $4bn in the island's defense encompassing boats, drones and aircraft.

Pursuant to a mutual pact, the US has a defense installation currently on Greenland – founded at the onset of the East-West standoff. It has reduced the total of personnel there from around 10,000 during the height of the confrontation to approximately 200 and the US has long been accused of overlooking the northern theater, up to this point.

Denmark has signaled it is open to discussion about a expanded US role on the island and further cooperation but faced with the US President's threat of independent moves, Frederiksen said on Monday that the US leader's goal to acquire Greenland should be considered a real possibility.

Following the American intervention in Venezuela this past few days, her counterparts throughout Europe are doing just that.

"This whole situation has just highlighted – for the umpteenth time – Europe's fundamental vulnerability {