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This very day, a self-styled Group of the Committed, predominantly made up of European heads of state, met in the French capital with envoys of President Trump, aiming to achieve further progress on a lasting settlement for the embattled nation.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that a roadmap to halt the hostilities with Russia is "largely complete", nobody in that room wished to endanger maintaining the Americans engaged.

Yet, there was an enormous elephant in the room in that opulent and glittering gathering, and the underlying tension was profoundly strained.

Bear in mind the events of the past week: the White House's divisive incursion in the South American nation and the US president's insistence following this, that "our national security requires Greenland from the viewpoint of national security".

This massive island 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 Copenhagen.

At the conference, Mette Frederiksen, Copenhagen's leader, was positioned facing two key individuals speaking on behalf of Trump: special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser Jared Kushner.

She was subject to urging from her EU colleagues not to alienating the US over Greenland, lest that affects US backing for the Ukrainian cause.

The continent's officials would have far preferred to keep the Arctic dispute and the negotiations on Ukraine separate. But with the tensions mounting from Washington and Copenhagen, leaders of leading European nations at the Paris meeting issued a statement saying: "Greenland is part of the alliance. Security in the North must therefore be attained collectively, in partnership with NATO allies like the US".

"Sovereignty is for Denmark and Greenland, and them alone, to determine on affairs regarding the kingdom and its autonomous territory," the declaration continued.

The communique was welcomed by Nuuk's head of government, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but critics argue it was tardy to be drafted and, due to the small group of signatories to the statement, it did not manage to show a Europe in agreement in intent.

"Were there a unified position from all 27 member states, along with alliance partner the UK, in backing of Danish sovereignty, that would have delivered a strong signal to Washington," noted a European defense expert.

Reflect on the contradiction at hand at the Paris summit. Numerous EU government and other leaders, including NATO and the EU, are attempting to engage the White House in guaranteeing the future independence of a continental state (Ukraine) against the aggressive land claims of an foreign power (Moscow), immediately after the US has entered independent Venezuela by armed intervention, taking its president into custody, while also still actively undermining the territorial integrity of a further EU member (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To add to the complexity – Denmark and the US are both members of the transatlantic alliance the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, as stated by Copenhagen, profoundly close allies. At least, they were.

The issue is, were Trump to act upon his desire to assert control over the island, would it constitute not just an fundamental challenge to NATO but also a profound problem for the EU?

Europe Risks Being Marginalized

This is not the first time Trump has expressed his determination to acquire Greenland. He's floated the idea of purchasing it in the past. He's also left open the possibility of forcible annexation.

On Sunday that the island is "so strategic right now, it is covered with foreign ships all over the place. It is imperative to have Greenland from the perspective of national security and Denmark is not going to be able to provide security".

Denmark refutes that assertion. It not long ago vowed to invest $4bn in Greenland defence encompassing boats, drones and aircraft.

As per a mutual pact, the US maintains a military base already on Greenland – set up at the onset of the Cold War. It has reduced the number of staff there from about 10,000 during peak Cold War operations to around 200 and the US has often been faulted of taking its eye off Arctic Security, until now.

Denmark has signaled it is open to discussion about a expanded US role on the territory 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.

After the American intervention in Venezuela this past few days, her colleges across Europe are heeding that warning.

"This whole situation has just emphasized – for the umpteenth time – the EU's core vulnerability {