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Just this morning, a informal Alliance of the Committed, predominantly composed of European leaders, convened in the French capital with representatives of US President Donald Trump, hoping to make additional advances on a lasting peace deal for Ukraine.

With President Volodymyr Zelensky insisting that a roadmap to conclude the hostilities with Russia is "nearly finalized", nobody in that gathering wanted to endanger maintaining the Washington involved.

Yet, there was an immense elephant in the room in that impressive and sparkling summit, and the fundamental tension was exceptionally tense.

Consider the actions of the recent days: the Trump administration's controversial intervention in Venezuela and the US president's insistence soon after, that "our national security requires Greenland from the viewpoint of strategic interests".

The vast Arctic territory is the world's biggest island – it's sixfold the area of Germany. It is located in the far north but is an semi-independent territory of Copenhagen.

At the conference, Mette Frederiksen, Copenhagen's leader, was sitting facing two key individuals representing Trump: special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser Jared Kushner.

She was facing pressure from her EU counterparts to avoid provoking the US over the Greenland issue, for fear that that affects US backing for the Ukrainian cause.

Europe's leaders would have much rather to keep the Arctic dispute and the negotiations on Ukraine distinct. But with the diplomatic heat rising from the White House and Denmark, representatives of leading European nations at the talks put out a communiqué asserting: "Greenland is part of NATO. Stability in the North must therefore be secured collectively, in partnership with treaty partners like the America".

"Sovereignty is for Denmark and the Greenlandic authorities, and them only, to determine on matters regarding the kingdom and Greenland," the communiqué continued.

The statement was received positively by the island's leader, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but analysts contend it was slow to be drafted and, due to the limited number of supporters to the statement, it failed to demonstrate a Europe aligned in intent.

"Were there a joint statement from all 27 European Union countries, plus NATO ally the UK, in support of Copenhagen's authority, that would have delivered a strong message to Washington," commented a EU defense analyst.

Reflect on the paradox at work at the Paris summit. Numerous EU national and other leaders, from NATO and the European Union, are attempting to involve the Trump administration in protecting the future sovereignty of a European country (Ukraine) against the hostile land claims of an external actor (Russia), on the heels of the US has entered sovereign Venezuela by armed intervention, detaining its leader, while also continuing to actively undermining the autonomy of another continental ally (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To compound the situation – Copenhagen and the US are both members of the military bloc NATO. They are, according to Copenhagen, profoundly close allies. Previously, they were considered so.

The question is, were Trump to fulfill his goal to bring Greenland under US control, would it represent not just an fundamental challenge to NATO but also a profound problem for the EU?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Marginalized

This is not the first time President Trump has expressed his determination to acquire Greenland. He's floated the idea of purchasing it in the past. He's also not excluded forcible annexation.

He insisted that the landmass is "so strategic right now, Greenland is covered with foreign naval assets all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of defense and Denmark is not going to be able to do it".

Denmark contests that claim. It recently pledged to spend $4bn in Arctic security for boats, drones and aircraft.

Pursuant to a mutual pact, the US has a military base already on Greenland – established at the start of the Cold War. It has reduced the number of personnel there from around 10,000 during the height of 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 amenable to dialogue about a bigger US presence on the territory and more but in light of the US President's assertion of independent moves, the Danish PM said on Monday that Trump's ambition to take Greenland should be taken seriously.

In the wake of the US administration's actions in Venezuela this past few days, her counterparts throughout Europe are doing just that.

"These developments has just highlighted – for the umpteenth time – Europe's basic weakness {