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Just this morning, a self-styled Alliance of the Committed, largely consisting of European heads of state, met in the French capital with delegates of the Trump administration, attempting to achieve additional progress on a durable settlement for the embattled nation.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that a framework to halt the conflict with Russia is "90% of the way there", no-one in that room wanted to endanger retaining the US involved.

Yet, there was an immense elephant in the room in that grand and sparkling summit, and the underlying tension was extremely uneasy.

Consider the developments of the past week: the US administration's controversial incursion in Venezuela and the US president's declaration following this, that "our national security requires Greenland from the perspective of national security".

Greenland is the world's largest island – it's six times the size of Germany. It is located in the far north but is an autonomous possession of Denmark's.

At the Paris meeting, Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's Prime Minister, was positioned facing two key personalities acting for Trump: special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's relative Jared Kushner.

She was under pressure from European allies to refrain from antagonising the US over the Arctic question, lest that affects US assistance for Ukraine.

Europe's leaders would have much rather to separate Greenland and the debate on the war apart. But with the political temperature escalating from the White House and Copenhagen, leaders of major EU countries at the Paris meeting put out a statement saying: "This territory is part of NATO. Security in the North must therefore be achieved together, in partnership with NATO allies like the America".

"It is for Denmark and Greenland, and no one else, to rule on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland," the declaration further stated.

The communique was received positively by Nuuk's head of government, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but observers contend it was delayed to be formulated and, because of the limited group of supporters to the declaration, it did not manage to demonstrate a European Union aligned in intent.

"Were there a common declaration from all 27 European Union countries, along with alliance partner the UK, in backing of Copenhagen's control, that would have sent a resounding warning to the US," commented a European defense expert.

Consider the irony at work at the Paris summit. Multiple European government and other officials, including the alliance and the European Union, are attempting to involve the US administration in safeguarding the future autonomy of a EU nation (the Eastern European nation) against the expansionist territorial ambitions of an external actor (Russia), just after the US has intervened in independent Venezuela militarily, arresting its head of state, while also still openly threatening the autonomy of a further European nation (Denmark).

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

The dilemma is, if Trump were to act upon his ambition to acquire Greenland, would it represent not just an existential threat to NATO but also a major crisis for the EU?

Europe Risks Being Marginalized

This is not the first time President Trump has expressed his determination to acquire the Arctic island. He's proposed acquiring it in the past. He's also refused to rule out forcible annexation.

On Sunday that the landmass is "vitally important right now, Greenland is frequented by Russian and Chinese vessels all over the place. Our security demands Greenland from the standpoint of national security and Denmark is incapable to do it".

Denmark contests that claim. It has lately committed to invest $4bn in the island's defense including boats, drones and aircraft.

As per a mutual pact, the US has a military base already on Greenland – set up at the onset of the Cold War. It has cut the number of personnel there from approximately 10,000 during the height of Cold War operations to about 200 and the US has long been accused of taking its eye off Arctic Security, until now.

Copenhagen has suggested it is open to discussion about a larger US presence on the island and additional measures but confronted by the US President's assertion of going it alone, Frederiksen said on Monday that the US leader's goal to acquire Greenland should be considered a real possibility.

After the Washington's moves in Venezuela this weekend, her colleges throughout Europe are taking it seriously.

"The current crisis has just underlined – yet again – Europe's fundamental weakness {