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This very day, a self-styled Coalition of the Determined, predominantly made up of European leaders, gathered in Paris with envoys of President Trump, aiming to achieve further advances on a durable peace agreement for Ukraine.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky insisting that a roadmap to end the hostilities with Russia is "largely complete", not a single person in that meeting wished to risk maintaining the US onboard.

Yet, there was an colossal unspoken issue in that opulent and luxurious summit, and the fundamental tension was exceptionally uneasy.

Consider the events of the last few days: the Trump administration's divisive incursion in the South American nation and the American leader's declaration shortly thereafter, that "we need Greenland from the standpoint of national security".

Greenland is the world's greatest island – it's 600% the dimensions of Germany. It lies in the far north but is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.

At the summit, Mette Frederiksen, Copenhagen's leader, was positioned opposite two key personalities speaking on behalf of Trump: emissary Steve Witkoff and Trump's relative Jared Kushner.

She was subject to urging from her EU colleagues to avoid alienating the US over Greenland, in case that affects US backing for the Ukrainian cause.

EU heads of state would have far preferred to keep the Arctic dispute and the discussions on the war apart. But with the diplomatic heat escalating from the White House and Denmark, representatives of major EU countries at the Paris meeting issued a statement asserting: "Greenland is part of NATO. Security in the North must therefore be secured together, in conjunction with NATO allies like the US".

"The decision is for Copenhagen and Greenland, and no one else, to determine on affairs regarding the kingdom and Greenland," the statement added.

The statement was greeted by the island's leader, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but analysts argue it was tardy to be put together and, owing to the restricted set of signatories to the statement, it did not manage to project a European Union aligned in intent.

"Had there been a unified position from all 27 European Union countries, in addition to NATO ally the UK, in support of Copenhagen's control, that would have conveyed a strong warning to Washington," commented a EU foreign policy analyst.

Consider the irony at hand at the European gathering. Several EU government and other officials, including NATO and the EU, are trying to secure the cooperation of the US administration in protecting the future autonomy of a EU nation (Ukraine) against the hostile land claims of an outside force (Moscow), on the heels of the US has entered sovereign Venezuela by armed intervention, arresting its head of state, while also continuing to publicly challenging the sovereignty of another EU member (Denmark).

To compound the situation – Denmark and the US are both signatories of the transatlantic alliance NATO. They are, as stated by Copenhagen, extremely key friends. Previously, they were considered so.

The dilemma is, were Trump to act upon his desire to bring Greenland under US control, would it represent not just an fundamental challenge to NATO but also a significant challenge for the EU?

Europe Risks Being Overlooked

This is not an isolated incident Trump has expressed his intention to acquire Greenland. He's proposed buying it in the past. He's also not excluded taking it by force.

On Sunday that the landmass is "so strategic 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 not going to be able to do it".

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

As per a bilateral agreement, the US operates a defense installation presently on Greenland – established at the onset of the Cold War. It has reduced the number of troops there from around 10,000 during peak Cold War operations to around 200 and the US has long been accused of overlooking polar defense, up to this point.

Denmark has suggested it is willing to talk about a larger US footprint on the island and more but faced with the US President's warning of unilateral action, the Danish PM said on Monday that the US leader's goal to acquire Greenland should be considered a real possibility.

Following the Washington's moves in Venezuela this weekend, her fellow leaders in Europe are doing just that.

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