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Earlier today, a informal Alliance of the Determined, predominantly made up of EU heads of state, gathered in Paris with envoys of the Trump administration, aiming to make further headway on a sustainable peace deal for the embattled nation.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky insisting that a framework to end the war with Russia is "90% of the way there", not a single person in that room wished to jeopardise retaining the US involved.

Yet, there was an enormous elephant in the room in that opulent and glittering summit, and the prevailing mood was exceptionally strained.

Consider the developments of the past week: the US administration's contentious incursion in Venezuela and the American leader's assertion shortly thereafter, that "we need Greenland from the viewpoint of strategic interests".

The vast Arctic territory is the world's greatest island – it's six times the area of Germany. It is situated in the far north but is an self-governing territory of Denmark's.

At the summit, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was positioned facing two key personalities representing Trump: emissary Steve Witkoff and Trump's relative Jared Kushner.

She was subject to urging from her EU counterparts to avoid antagonising the US over Greenland, for fear that that impacts US backing for Ukraine.

The continent's officials would have greatly desired to compartmentalize the Arctic dispute and the discussions on Ukraine separate. But with the diplomatic heat escalating from Washington and Denmark, representatives of leading European nations at the Paris meeting put out a statement saying: "Greenland is part of NATO. Stability in the North must therefore be achieved jointly, in conjunction with NATO allies such as the US".

"The decision is for Denmark and the Greenlandic authorities, and no one else, to rule on affairs related to the kingdom and its autonomous territory," the declaration continued.

The announcement was greeted by Greenland's prime minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but observers say it was slow to be formulated and, owing to the limited group of signatories to the declaration, it was unable to project a European Union in agreement in purpose.

"Had there been a unified declaration from all 27 European Union countries, plus NATO ally the UK, in backing of Copenhagen's sovereignty, that would have conveyed a strong message to the US," stated a European defense analyst.

Consider the irony at hand at the European gathering. Several European national and other officials, including the alliance and the EU, are trying to engage the Trump administration in guaranteeing the future independence of a EU nation (Ukraine) against the hostile land claims of an external actor (Moscow), on the heels of the US has swooped into independent Venezuela by armed intervention, arresting its head of state, while also still openly challenging the sovereignty of a different continental ally (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, exceptionally strong partners. Previously, they were considered so.

The issue is, should Trump act upon his ambition to acquire Greenland, would it mark not just an fundamental challenge to NATO but also a significant challenge for the EU?

Europe Risks Being Trampled Underfoot

This is not an isolated incident President Trump has expressed his resolve to acquire Greenland. He's suggested buying it in the past. He's also left open the possibility of forcible annexation.

On Sunday that the island is "crucially located right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese vessels all over the place. Our security demands Greenland from the perspective of defense and Copenhagen is unable to handle it".

Copenhagen contests that last statement. It has lately vowed to allocate $4bn in the island's defense including boats, drones and aircraft.

Under a bilateral agreement, the US maintains a defense installation presently on the island – founded at the onset of the Cold War. It has reduced the total of staff there from about 10,000 during peak Cold War operations to approximately 200 and the US has long been accused of taking its eye off Arctic Security, up to this point.

Denmark has signaled it is amenable to dialogue about a bigger US footprint on the territory and additional measures but in light of the US President's threat of independent moves, Frederiksen said on Monday that Washington's desire to acquire Greenland should be taken seriously.

In the wake of the US administration's actions in Venezuela this weekend, her fellow leaders in Europe are heeding that warning.

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