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This very day, a self-styled Group of the Willing, mostly composed of European leaders, convened in the French capital with delegates of US President Donald Trump, hoping to make more headway on a durable settlement for Ukraine.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky asserting that a plan to end the war with Russia is "90% of the way there", no-one in that gathering wished to endanger retaining the Americans involved.

Yet, there was an enormous unspoken issue in that impressive and sparkling summit, and the underlying mood was extremely strained.

Bear in mind the developments of the last few days: the Trump administration's controversial involvement in the South American nation and the President Trump's declaration following this, that "it is essential to have Greenland from the perspective of defense".

The vast Arctic territory is the world's greatest island – it's sixfold the dimensions of Germany. It lies in the Arctic region but is an self-governing region of Copenhagen.

At the conference, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was sitting across from two powerful individuals acting for Trump: special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

She was under pressure from European colleagues not to alienating the US over the Arctic question, lest that impacts US backing for the Ukrainian cause.

The continent's officials would have far preferred to separate the Arctic dispute and the discussions on the war distinct. But with the tensions escalating from Washington and Copenhagen, leaders of major European nations at the talks put out a declaration asserting: "The island is part of the alliance. Security in the Arctic must therefore be attained collectively, in cooperation with NATO allies such as the America".

"The decision is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to rule on issues concerning Denmark and Greenland," the statement added.

The announcement 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 signatories to the statement, it did not manage to demonstrate a European Union united in objective.

"Were there a joint position from all 27 EU partners, plus NATO ally the UK, in support of Danish control, that would have conveyed a powerful signal to America," noted a EU foreign policy analyst.

Ponder the contradiction at work at the Paris summit. Numerous EU national and other leaders, from NATO and the European Union, are trying to secure the cooperation of the Trump administration in guaranteeing the future independence of a continental state (Ukraine) against the hostile land claims of an outside force (Moscow), just after the US has swooped into independent Venezuela militarily, arresting its head of state, while also still publicly undermining the sovereignty of a different European nation (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To add to the complexity – Denmark and the US are both signatories of the transatlantic alliance the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, as stated by Danish officials, profoundly strong partners. Previously, they were considered so.

The issue is, if Trump were to make good on his desire to acquire Greenland, would it mark not just an severe risk to NATO but also a profound crisis for the European Union?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Marginalized

This is far from the first instance Trump has spoken of his intention to control the Arctic island. He's suggested buying it in the past. He's also not excluded taking it by force.

He insisted that the island is "so strategic right now, it is frequented by foreign ships all over the place. It is imperative to have Greenland from the perspective of defense and Denmark is incapable to handle it".

Copenhagen strongly denies that claim. It not long ago vowed to spend $4bn in Arctic security including boats, drones and aircraft.

As per a treaty, the US maintains a defense installation already on Greenland – established at the start of the East-West standoff. It has scaled down the number of troops there from approximately 10,000 during the height of the confrontation to about 200 and the US has often been faulted of taking its eye off polar defense, recently.

Copenhagen has suggested it is amenable to dialogue about a expanded US footprint on the territory and additional measures but faced with the US President's threat of going it alone, Frederiksen said on Monday that Washington's desire to take Greenland should be considered a real possibility.

In the wake of the US administration's actions in Venezuela this weekend, her fellow leaders across Europe are taking it seriously.

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