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Just this morning, a self-styled Coalition of the Determined, predominantly composed of EU leaders, met in the French capital with representatives of the Trump administration, hoping to secure additional advances on a lasting peace agreement for Ukraine.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky insisting that a framework to halt the war with Russia is "nearly finalized", not a single person in that room wished to jeopardise keeping the Washington engaged.

Yet, there was an colossal glaring omission in that grand and glittering Paris meeting, and the underlying tension was exceptionally tense.

Consider the actions of the past week: the White House's contentious intervention in Venezuela and the US president's declaration following this, that "it is essential to have Greenland from the viewpoint of defense".

The vast Arctic territory is the world's largest island – it's six times the dimensions of Germany. It is located in the Arctic but is an semi-independent territory of Denmark's.

At the conference, Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's Prime Minister, was positioned opposite two influential personalities speaking on behalf of Trump: emissary Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser Jared Kushner.

She was facing pressure from European counterparts not to provoking the US over the Greenland issue, lest that undermines US support for the Ukrainian cause.

The continent's officials would have much rather to keep the Arctic dispute and the discussions on Ukraine separate. But with the diplomatic heat escalating from Washington and Copenhagen, representatives of leading states at the Paris meeting issued a declaration asserting: "This territory is part of the alliance. Stability in the North must therefore be achieved jointly, in partnership with alliance members such as the United States".

"It is for Copenhagen and the Greenlandic authorities, and them only, to determine on affairs regarding the kingdom and Greenland," the communiqué further stated.

The statement was greeted by the island's leader, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but observers say it was tardy to be drafted and, because of the limited number of endorsers to the declaration, it did not manage to demonstrate a European Union in agreement in intent.

"Were there a joint statement from all 27 EU partners, plus alliance partner the UK, in defense of Danish sovereignty, that would have conveyed a powerful message to America," commented a European foreign policy specialist.

Ponder the paradox at play at the France meeting. Multiple European national and other officials, including the alliance and the EU, are seeking to engage the White House in protecting the future autonomy of a continental state (Ukraine) against the expansionist territorial ambitions of an outside force (Moscow), just after the US has intervened in sovereign Venezuela by armed intervention, detaining its leader, while also still openly undermining the territorial integrity of a different European nation (Denmark).

To make matters even more stark – Copenhagen and the US are both participants of the defensive pact the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, in the view of Copenhagen, profoundly close allies. Previously, they were considered so.

The question is, should Trump make good on his goal to bring Greenland under US control, would it mark not just an existential threat to the alliance but also a profound crisis for the European Union?

Europe Risks Being Marginalized

This is not the first time Trump has voiced his intention to dominate the Arctic island. He's floated the idea of purchasing it in the past. He's also refused to rule out a military seizure.

On Sunday that the territory is "so strategic right now, it is covered with foreign vessels all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of defense and Copenhagen is unable to provide security".

Copenhagen contests that assertion. It recently pledged to allocate $4bn in Arctic security encompassing boats, drones and aircraft.

Pursuant to a treaty, the US has a strategic outpost already on the island – founded at the beginning of the Cold War. It has cut the figure of personnel there from approximately 10,000 during the height of that era to about 200 and the US has often been faulted of taking its eye off polar defense, until now.

Copenhagen has suggested it is open to discussion about a larger US presence on the island and further cooperation but in light of the US President's warning of unilateral action, Frederiksen said on Monday that the US leader's goal to control Greenland should be taken seriously.

Following the American intervention in Venezuela this weekend, her counterparts throughout Europe are doing just that.

"This whole situation has just highlighted – once again – Europe's basic shortcoming {