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Earlier today, a informal Alliance of the Determined, predominantly made up of European heads of state, met in the French capital with representatives of US President Donald Trump, hoping to achieve more progress on a sustainable settlement for Ukraine.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky insisting that a plan to halt the hostilities with Russia is "largely complete", nobody in that room desired to endanger keeping the Washington onboard.

Yet, there was an enormous elephant in the room in that opulent and luxurious gathering, and the fundamental atmosphere was profoundly uneasy.

Consider the actions of the recent days: the Trump administration's controversial incursion in Venezuela and the US president's declaration soon after, that "we need Greenland from the perspective of defense".

This massive island is the world's greatest island – it's 600% the dimensions of Germany. It lies in the Arctic but is an self-governing territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.

At the conference, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was sitting across from two powerful individuals speaking on behalf of Trump: emissary Steve Witkoff and Trump's relative Jared Kushner.

She was facing pressure from her EU colleagues to avoid antagonising the US over Greenland, in case that affects US assistance for the Ukrainian cause.

The continent's officials would have far preferred to separate the Arctic dispute and the discussions on Ukraine distinct. But with the diplomatic heat escalating from Washington and Denmark, representatives of big states at the gathering issued a communiqué saying: "This territory is part of the alliance. Defense in the North must therefore be achieved jointly, in partnership with NATO allies such as the US".

"The decision is for Denmark and the Greenlandic authorities, and no one else, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and its autonomous territory," the communiqué further stated.

The statement was received positively by Nuuk's head of government, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but analysts say it was slow to be put together and, due to the restricted number of supporters to the statement, it was unable to show a European Union in agreement in intent.

"Were there a unified statement from all 27 EU partners, along with NATO ally the UK, in backing of Copenhagen's control, that would have sent a powerful message to America," noted a European defense expert.

Consider the irony at work at the France meeting. Several European government and other leaders, such as NATO and the European Union, are trying to secure the cooperation of the White House in protecting the future autonomy of a EU nation (the Eastern European nation) against the aggressive territorial ambitions of an external actor (Moscow), on the heels of the US has intervened in independent Venezuela militarily, arresting its head of state, while also continuing to publicly undermining the sovereignty of a further continental ally (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To add to the complexity – Copenhagen and the US are both signatories of the military bloc NATO. They are, according to Copenhagen, extremely close allies. Or were.

The issue is, should Trump act upon his ambition to assert control over the island, would it represent not just an existential threat to the alliance but also a major crisis for the European Union?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Marginalized

This is not an isolated incident Trump has voiced his determination to control the Arctic island. He's suggested purchasing it in the past. He's also left open the possibility of forcible annexation.

Recently that the island is "crucially located right now, Greenland is frequented by foreign naval assets all over the place. Our security demands Greenland from the vantage point of national security and Copenhagen is incapable to handle it".

Denmark refutes that assertion. It has lately vowed to allocate $4bn in Arctic security including boats, drones and aircraft.

Under a bilateral agreement, the US maintains a military base currently on Greenland – established at the onset of the East-West standoff. It has cut the total of staff there from about 10,000 during the height of Cold War operations to about 200 and the US has often been faulted of taking its eye off polar defense, recently.

Copenhagen has signaled it is willing to talk about a larger US footprint on the territory and more but in light of the US President's threat of independent moves, the Danish PM said on Monday that the US leader's goal to acquire Greenland should be taken seriously.

After the American intervention in Venezuela this past few days, her colleges across Europe are taking it seriously.

"This whole situation has just emphasized – once again – Europe's fundamental shortcoming {