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This very day, a informal Coalition of the Determined, mostly composed of EU officials, convened in Paris with representatives of President Trump, aiming to secure further progress on a lasting peace deal for Ukraine.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that a plan to end the conflict with Russia is "nearly finalized", not a single person in that gathering desired to endanger retaining the Americans engaged.

Yet, there was an immense glaring omission in that impressive and luxurious Paris meeting, and the underlying mood was profoundly tense.

Recall the events of the past week: the White House's controversial intervention in Venezuela and the US president's assertion soon after, that "we need Greenland from the perspective of national security".

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

At the Paris meeting, Mette Frederiksen, Copenhagen's leader, was sitting facing two powerful personalities representing Trump: diplomat Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser Jared Kushner.

She was subject to urging from European colleagues to avoid alienating the US over the Arctic question, lest that impacts US support for the Ukrainian cause.

Europe's leaders would have greatly desired to keep the Arctic dispute and the discussions on the war apart. But with the tensions mounting from Washington and Copenhagen, representatives of leading European nations at the Paris meeting issued a communiqué stating: "Greenland is part of NATO. Defense in the Arctic must therefore be secured together, in conjunction with NATO allies including the America".

"Sovereignty is for Denmark and Greenland, and no one else, to rule on matters concerning the kingdom and its autonomous territory," the declaration added.

The communique was received positively by Greenland's prime minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but critics say it was tardy to be put together and, because of the small number of endorsers to the declaration, it failed to demonstrate a Europe aligned in objective.

"If there had been a unified statement from all 27 member states, plus alliance partner the UK, in support of Copenhagen's authority, that would have sent a strong signal to the US," noted a EU defense specialist.

Reflect on the contradiction at work at the European gathering. Numerous European national and other leaders, from NATO and the European Union, are seeking to secure the cooperation of the Trump administration in protecting the future independence of a European country (Ukraine) against the hostile territorial ambitions of an outside force (Russia), immediately after the US has intervened in sovereign Venezuela by armed intervention, detaining its leader, while also still actively undermining the sovereignty of a different continental ally (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To compound the situation – Copenhagen and the US are both participants of the defensive pact the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, in the view of Copenhagen, exceptionally close allies. Or were.

The question is, were Trump to fulfill his ambition to bring Greenland under US control, would it constitute not just an existential threat to the alliance but also a profound challenge for the European Union?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Marginalized

This is not an isolated incident President Trump has spoken of his intention to dominate Greenland. He's suggested buying it in the past. He's also not excluded taking it by force.

On Sunday that the island is "vitally important right now, it is patrolled by Russian and Chinese naval assets all over the place. We need Greenland from the vantage point of strategic interests and Copenhagen is not going to be able to do it".

Copenhagen strongly denies that assertion. It recently vowed to allocate $4bn in the island's defense including boats, drones and aircraft.

Under a mutual pact, the US operates a military base presently on Greenland – founded at the beginning of the Cold War. It has cut the total of troops there from about 10,000 during the height of that era to about 200 and the US has often been faulted of taking its eye off polar defense, recently.

Copenhagen has indicated it is willing to talk about a expanded US role on the island and further cooperation but in light of the US President's threat of going it alone, the Danish PM said on Monday that Trump's ambition to control Greenland should be considered a real possibility.

In the wake of the American intervention in Venezuela this weekend, her counterparts throughout Europe are doing just that.

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