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Earlier today, a self-styled Alliance of the Willing, largely consisting of EU heads of state, met in the French capital with representatives of the Trump administration, attempting to achieve further progress on a durable settlement for the embattled nation.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky insisting that a roadmap to end the hostilities with Russia is "90% of the way there", not a single person in that room wished to jeopardise retaining the US onboard.

Yet, there was an enormous unspoken issue in that opulent and sparkling gathering, and the underlying mood was profoundly tense.

Bear in mind the events of the recent days: the White House's contentious incursion in the South American nation and the American leader's insistence shortly thereafter, that "our national security requires Greenland from the perspective of national security".

Greenland is the world's greatest island – it's sixfold the size of Germany. It is located in the Arctic region but is an self-governing region of Copenhagen.

At the Paris meeting, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was positioned across from two key figures representing Trump: diplomat Steve Witkoff and Trump's relative Jared Kushner.

She was under pressure from European counterparts to avoid antagonising the US over the Arctic question, lest that undermines US assistance for Ukraine.

Europe's leaders would have much rather to keep the Arctic dispute and the debate on Ukraine apart. But with the diplomatic heat mounting from Washington and Copenhagen, leaders of leading EU countries at the talks put out a declaration asserting: "Greenland is part of NATO. Stability in the North must therefore be achieved together, in conjunction with NATO allies such as the US".

"The decision is for Denmark and Greenland, and them alone, to rule on issues related to Denmark and Greenland," the statement continued.

The statement was welcomed by Nuuk's head of government, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but observers say it was slow to be formulated and, because of the small group of supporters to the statement, it failed to project a European Union aligned in objective.

"If there had been a common position from all 27 member states, in addition to NATO ally the UK, in backing of Copenhagen's authority, that would have sent a resounding signal to the US," stated a EU foreign policy analyst.

Reflect on the irony at hand at the France meeting. Numerous EU government and other leaders, including the alliance and the European Union, are seeking to engage the White House in safeguarding the future sovereignty of a EU nation (the Eastern European nation) against the expansionist land claims of an external actor (Russia), on the heels of the US has intervened in sovereign Venezuela by armed intervention, detaining its leader, while also still actively threatening the territorial integrity of a different continental ally (Denmark).

To compound the situation – Copenhagen and the US are both members of the defensive pact NATO. They are, according to Danish officials, exceptionally close allies. Or were.

The dilemma is, should Trump fulfill his ambition to acquire Greenland, would it mark not just an fundamental challenge to the alliance but also a significant problem for the EU?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Overlooked

This is far from the first instance President Trump has spoken of his intention to control Greenland. He's suggested acquiring it in the past. He's also refused to rule out a military seizure.

Recently that the territory is "vitally important right now, Greenland is covered with foreign vessels all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security and Denmark is unable to do it".

Copenhagen refutes that claim. It not long ago pledged to allocate $4bn in Greenland defence including boats, drones and aircraft.

Pursuant to a treaty, the US operates a strategic outpost presently on Greenland – set up at the beginning of the Cold War. It has reduced the total of staff there from around 10,000 during peak that era to about 200 and the US has often been faulted of neglecting Arctic Security, until now.

Copenhagen 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 independent moves, the Danish PM said on Monday that the US leader's goal to take Greenland should be taken seriously.

Following the American intervention in Venezuela this weekend, her counterparts in Europe are taking it seriously.

"These developments has just emphasized – for the umpteenth time – the EU's fundamental vulnerability {