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Earlier today, a self-styled Group of the Willing, mostly composed of EU officials, convened in Paris with envoys of the Trump administration, hoping to secure more progress on a lasting peace deal for the embattled nation.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky asserting that a framework to halt the hostilities with Russia is "largely complete", nobody in that gathering wanted to endanger maintaining the Washington engaged.

Yet, there was an immense elephant in the room in that grand and sparkling gathering, and the prevailing mood was exceptionally uneasy.

Bear in mind the events of the past week: the White House's contentious incursion in the South American nation and the American leader's assertion soon after, that "our national security requires Greenland from the standpoint of strategic interests".

Greenland is the world's largest island – it's six times the dimensions of Germany. It is situated in the Arctic but is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.

At the summit, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was positioned across from two key personalities representing Trump: special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser Jared Kushner.

She was under pressure from her EU counterparts to refrain from alienating the US over the Arctic question, lest that affects US backing for Ukraine.

EU heads of state would have far preferred to keep the Arctic dispute and the negotiations on the war distinct. But with the diplomatic heat rising from Washington and Copenhagen, representatives of major European nations at the talks issued a statement stating: "The island is part of the alliance. Security in the North must therefore be achieved together, in partnership with alliance members like the US".

"It is for Denmark and Greenland, and no one else, to determine on affairs concerning the kingdom and Greenland," the communiqué further stated.

The communique was received positively by Nuuk's head of government, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but critics argue it was slow to be formulated and, because of the limited number of endorsers to the declaration, it was unable to demonstrate a European Union in agreement in objective.

"If there had been a joint declaration from all 27 member states, plus NATO ally the UK, in backing of Danish authority, that would have conveyed a strong warning to the US," stated a EU defense analyst.

Consider the paradox at hand at the Paris summit. Multiple EU national and other leaders, including NATO and the EU, are trying to engage the Trump administration in guaranteeing the future independence of a continental state (the Eastern European nation) against the expansionist territorial ambitions of an external actor (Russia), immediately after the US has swooped into independent Venezuela by armed intervention, arresting its head of state, while also persistently publicly undermining the territorial integrity of a different continental ally (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To compound the situation – Denmark and the US are both members of the military bloc NATO. They are, according to Copenhagen, extremely key friends. Previously, they were considered so.

The question is, were Trump to fulfill his ambition to acquire Greenland, would it constitute not just an existential threat to NATO but also a profound crisis for the EU?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Overlooked

This is far from the first instance Trump has spoken of his determination to control the Arctic island. He's floated the idea of acquiring it in the past. He's also refused to rule out a military seizure.

On Sunday that the island is "so strategic right now, it is patrolled by foreign ships all over the place. We need Greenland from the perspective of defense and Denmark is unable to provide security".

Copenhagen refutes that claim. It has lately committed to allocate $4bn in the island's defense encompassing boats, drones and aircraft.

Under a treaty, the US maintains a military base presently on the island – set up at the beginning of the Cold War. It has cut the total of staff there from about 10,000 during the height of that era to approximately 200 and the US has frequently been criticized of overlooking the northern theater, up to this point.

Copenhagen has suggested it is open to discussion about a expanded US presence on the island and further cooperation but faced with the US President's assertion of going it alone, the Danish PM said on Monday that Washington's desire to acquire Greenland should be considered a real possibility.

Following the US administration's actions in Venezuela this past few days, her fellow leaders across Europe are taking it seriously.

"This whole situation has just emphasized – once again – Europe's basic vulnerability {