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This very day, a self-styled Group of the Committed, mostly composed of European officials, gathered in Paris with representatives of the Trump administration, hoping to make more advances on a lasting settlement for the embattled nation.

With President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that a framework to end the hostilities with Russia is "largely complete", no-one in that gathering desired to endanger keeping the Americans engaged.

Yet, there was an enormous unspoken issue in that grand and sparkling Paris meeting, and the fundamental tension was extremely tense.

Consider the events of the past week: the US administration's divisive intervention in Venezuela and the US president's insistence shortly thereafter, that "it is essential to have Greenland from the perspective of national security".

Greenland is the world's biggest island – it's six times the size of Germany. It is located in the Arctic but is an autonomous possession of Copenhagen.

At the summit, Mette Frederiksen, Copenhagen's leader, was positioned opposite two powerful personalities acting for Trump: emissary Steve Witkoff and Trump's relative Jared Kushner.

She was facing pressure from her EU allies to refrain from provoking the US over the Arctic question, lest that undermines US assistance for the Ukrainian cause.

Europe's leaders would have greatly desired to keep the Arctic dispute and the debate on Ukraine apart. But with the tensions mounting from the White House and Denmark, leaders of leading states at the Paris meeting put out a communiqué asserting: "The island is part of the alliance. Stability in the Arctic must therefore be secured together, in cooperation with alliance members like the United States".

"Sovereignty is for Copenhagen and Greenland, and them alone, to decide on issues related to the kingdom and Greenland," the communiqué continued.

The statement was greeted by Nuuk's head of government, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but critics say it was slow to be put together and, due to the restricted number of signatories to the declaration, it did not manage to demonstrate a European Union united in objective.

"If there had been a unified statement from all 27 member states, along with NATO ally the UK, in defense of Copenhagen's control, that would have conveyed a strong warning to Washington," noted a European foreign policy specialist.

Ponder the irony at play at the European gathering. Multiple European government and other officials, including the alliance and the EU, are seeking to involve the White House in safeguarding the future sovereignty of a continental state (the Eastern European nation) against the aggressive geopolitical designs of an outside force (Moscow), immediately after the US has swooped into independent Venezuela with force, detaining its leader, while also continuing to openly challenging the territorial integrity of another continental ally (Denmark).

To add to the complexity – Denmark and the US are both participants of the transatlantic alliance the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, as stated by Danish officials, profoundly key friends. Previously, they were considered so.

The dilemma is, if Trump were to make good on his ambition to assert control over the island, would it mark not just an existential threat to NATO but also a profound problem for the European Union?

Europe Risks Being Overlooked

This is not an isolated incident Trump has expressed his intention to acquire Greenland. He's suggested purchasing it in the past. He's also left open the possibility of a military seizure.

On Sunday that the landmass is "vitally important right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. Our security demands Greenland from the standpoint of defense and Copenhagen is not going to be able to do it".

Copenhagen refutes that last statement. It recently committed to invest $4bn in Greenland defence for boats, drones and aircraft.

Pursuant to a bilateral agreement, the US has a military base already on the island – founded at the start of the East-West standoff. It has cut the total of personnel there from around 10,000 during peak that era to around 200 and the US has long been accused of neglecting the northern theater, until now.

Denmark has indicated it is willing to talk about a expanded US role on the territory and further cooperation but confronted by the US President's warning of independent moves, Frederiksen 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 across Europe are heeding that warning.

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