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Earlier today, a so-called Group of the Willing, mostly made up of EU officials, met in Paris with representatives of President Trump, hoping to secure more progress on a sustainable peace deal for the embattled nation.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky insisting that a plan to halt the war with Russia is "largely complete", not a single person in that meeting desired to endanger retaining the US involved.

Yet, there was an enormous glaring omission in that opulent and luxurious Paris meeting, and the prevailing atmosphere was exceptionally tense.

Recall the developments of the past week: the US administration's divisive incursion in Venezuela and the American leader's insistence soon after, that "it is essential to have Greenland from the viewpoint of strategic interests".

This massive island is the world's largest island – it's sixfold the size of Germany. It is situated in the far north but is an autonomous possession of Copenhagen.

At the Paris meeting, Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's Prime Minister, was positioned across from two influential individuals representing Trump: emissary Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

She was under pressure from European allies to refrain from provoking the US over Greenland, lest that affects US assistance for the Ukrainian cause.

EU heads of state would have much rather to separate Greenland and the debate on Ukraine separate. But with the diplomatic heat escalating from the White House and Denmark, leaders of leading EU countries at the gathering issued a statement asserting: "The island is part of the alliance. Defense in the North must therefore be attained together, in partnership with alliance members such as the United States".

"Sovereignty is for Denmark and Greenland, and no one else, to decide on issues related to Denmark and Greenland," the declaration added.

The statement was greeted by the island's leader, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but observers say it was delayed to be put together and, due to the restricted group of signatories to the declaration, it was unable to project a European Union united in objective.

"If there had been a common position from all 27 member states, along with alliance partner the UK, in defense of Copenhagen's sovereignty, that would have delivered a powerful warning to Washington," noted a European defense expert.

Ponder the paradox at work at the France meeting. Numerous EU government and other leaders, such as the alliance and the EU, are trying to secure the cooperation of the White House in guaranteeing the future sovereignty of a European country (the Eastern European nation) against the aggressive geopolitical designs of an external actor (Russia), just after the US has swooped into sovereign Venezuela militarily, taking its president into custody, while also continuing to actively undermining the autonomy of another continental ally (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To compound the situation – Denmark and the US are both members of the transatlantic alliance the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, in the view of Danish officials, exceptionally close allies. Or were.

The question is, were Trump to fulfill his desire to bring Greenland under US control, would it mark not just an severe risk to NATO but also a profound challenge for the European Union?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Marginalized

This is not an isolated incident President Trump has expressed his determination to acquire Greenland. He's suggested purchasing it in the past. He's also refused to rule out forcible annexation.

On Sunday that the island is "crucially located right now, it is frequented by foreign naval assets all over the place. We need Greenland from the perspective of defense and Copenhagen is not going to be able to handle it".

Denmark contests that last statement. It has lately vowed to allocate $4bn in Arctic security including boats, drones and aircraft.

Pursuant to a mutual pact, the US has a strategic outpost currently on the island – founded at the onset of the Cold War. It has cut 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 neglecting the northern theater, up to this point.

Copenhagen has indicated it is open to discussion about a bigger US footprint on the territory and additional measures but in light of the US President's warning of unilateral action, Frederiksen said on Monday that Washington's desire to acquire Greenland should be considered a real possibility.

Following the American intervention in Venezuela this past few days, her counterparts in Europe are taking it seriously.

"This whole situation has just emphasized – for the umpteenth time – Europe's basic weakness {