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Earlier today, a informal Group of the Determined, largely made up of European leaders, gathered in Paris with representatives of President Trump, attempting to make more advances on a sustainable settlement for the embattled nation.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky asserting that a roadmap to conclude the conflict with Russia is "90% of the way there", nobody in that gathering wanted to risk retaining the Washington onboard.

Yet, there was an immense unspoken issue in that grand and luxurious summit, and the underlying atmosphere was exceptionally strained.

Recall the events of the last few days: the White House's controversial incursion in Venezuela and the American leader's declaration shortly thereafter, that "our national security requires Greenland from the perspective of defense".

Greenland is the world's largest island – it's six times the size of Germany. It is situated in the Arctic region but is an self-governing region of Denmark's.

At the conference, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was seated opposite two powerful individuals acting for Trump: emissary Steve Witkoff and Trump's relative Jared Kushner.

She was facing pressure from European colleagues not to alienating the US over Greenland, lest that affects US assistance for the Ukrainian cause.

The continent's officials would have greatly desired to keep Greenland and the debate on Ukraine apart. But with the political temperature rising from Washington and Copenhagen, leaders of leading states at the gathering released a statement asserting: "Greenland is part of NATO. Defense in the Arctic must therefore be secured together, in partnership with NATO allies such as the United States".

"The decision is for Copenhagen and the Greenlandic authorities, and no one else, to decide on affairs related to Denmark and Greenland," the communiqué added.

The communique was received positively by Greenland's prime minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but observers contend it was slow to be put together and, owing to the small number of supporters to the declaration, it failed to project a Europe in agreement in objective.

"If there had been a joint declaration from all 27 EU partners, plus alliance partner the UK, in defense of Copenhagen's control, that would have delivered a powerful signal to Washington," commented a EU foreign policy expert.

Ponder the contradiction at hand at the European gathering. Multiple European government and other leaders, from the alliance and the EU, are trying to engage the Trump administration in safeguarding the future autonomy of a European country (Ukraine) against the hostile territorial ambitions of an outside force (Russia), just after the US has intervened in independent Venezuela militarily, taking its president into custody, while also still publicly undermining the sovereignty of a further EU member (Denmark).

To make matters even more stark – Copenhagen and the US are both signatories of the defensive pact NATO. They are, as stated by Copenhagen, profoundly key friends. At least, they were.

The question is, were Trump to make good on his desire to acquire Greenland, would it represent not just an severe risk to NATO but also a significant challenge for the EU?

Europe Risks Being Overlooked

This is not an isolated incident President Trump has spoken of his determination to control the Arctic island. He's proposed acquiring it in the past. He's also refused to rule out taking it by force.

Recently that the island is "so strategic right now, Greenland is patrolled by Russian and Chinese naval assets all over the place. Our security demands Greenland from the vantage point of strategic interests and Copenhagen is unable to handle it".

Copenhagen refutes that claim. It not long ago vowed to spend $4bn in Arctic security for boats, drones and aircraft.

As per a bilateral agreement, the US maintains a military base currently on the island – set up at the beginning of the Cold War. It has reduced the number of staff there from around 10,000 during peak Cold War operations to about 200 and the US has frequently been criticized of overlooking Arctic Security, up to this point.

Copenhagen has suggested it is amenable to dialogue about a bigger US footprint on the island and additional measures but confronted by the US President's assertion of independent moves, the Danish PM said on Monday that the US leader's goal to take Greenland should be considered a real possibility.

Following the US administration's actions in Venezuela this weekend, her fellow leaders across Europe are doing just that.

"These developments has just underlined – for the umpteenth time – Europe's core vulnerability {