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Earlier today, a informal Coalition of the Willing, mostly composed of EU heads of state, met in the French capital with representatives of the Trump administration, aiming to make further headway on a durable settlement for the embattled nation.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that a plan to conclude the conflict with Russia is "90% of the way there", not a single person in that gathering wanted to endanger maintaining the Washington engaged.

Yet, there was an enormous glaring omission in that impressive and sparkling gathering, and the fundamental mood was exceptionally strained.

Bear in mind the developments of the recent days: the White House's divisive intervention in the South American nation and the President Trump's assertion following this, that "it is essential to have Greenland from the standpoint of defense".

Greenland is the world's largest island – it's 600% the dimensions of Germany. It is located in the Arctic region but is an semi-independent possession of Copenhagen.

At the Paris meeting, Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's Prime Minister, was seated facing two influential personalities acting for Trump: diplomat Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

She was subject to urging from her EU colleagues to refrain from antagonising the US over the Arctic question, for fear that that undermines US support for the Ukrainian cause.

EU heads of state would have far preferred to separate the Arctic dispute and the discussions on Ukraine apart. But with the political temperature escalating from the White House and Copenhagen, leaders of big EU countries at the Paris meeting released a communiqué asserting: "The island is part of NATO. Stability in the Arctic must therefore be attained collectively, in partnership with alliance members like the America".

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

The communique was greeted by Greenland's prime minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but critics contend it was delayed to be formulated and, because of the limited set of signatories to the declaration, it was unable to demonstrate a Europe in agreement in objective.

"Were there a common position from all 27 member states, along with alliance partner the UK, in support of Copenhagen's control, that would have sent a powerful warning to America," commented a European foreign policy analyst.

Reflect on the contradiction at work at the European gathering. Numerous European national and other leaders, including NATO and the EU, are seeking to involve the US administration in guaranteeing the future independence of a continental state (the Eastern European nation) against the hostile geopolitical designs of an foreign power (Russia), on the heels of the US has entered sovereign Venezuela with force, arresting its head of state, while also continuing to actively challenging the sovereignty of another European nation (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To make matters even more stark – Copenhagen and the US are both participants of the military bloc the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, as stated by Copenhagen, exceptionally key friends. Or were.

The issue is, if Trump were to fulfill his desire to acquire Greenland, would it represent not just an fundamental challenge to the alliance but also a profound problem for the EU?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Marginalized

This is not the first time Trump has expressed his intention to acquire Greenland. He's proposed buying it in the past. He's also refused to rule out taking it by force.

He insisted that the island is "crucially located right now, Greenland is patrolled by foreign naval assets all over the place. It is imperative to have Greenland from the perspective of strategic interests and Denmark is unable to provide security".

Copenhagen refutes that assertion. It not long ago committed to spend $4bn in Arctic security including boats, drones and aircraft.

Under a mutual pact, the US maintains a defense installation currently on the island – set up at the onset of the East-West standoff. It has reduced the total of troops there from about 10,000 during the height of Cold War operations to approximately 200 and the US has frequently been criticized of neglecting Arctic Security, recently.

Copenhagen has signaled it is willing to talk about a bigger US role on the territory and additional measures but faced with the US President's warning of independent moves, the Danish PM said on Monday that the US leader's goal to acquire Greenland should be treated with gravity.

After the Washington's moves in Venezuela this past few days, her colleges across Europe are doing just that.

"These developments has just highlighted – once again – Europe's basic shortcoming {