Earlier today, a so-called Group of the Committed, largely made up of European officials, gathered in Paris with delegates of US President Donald Trump, aiming to secure additional advances on a durable peace agreement for Ukraine.
With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that a roadmap to halt the war with Russia is "largely complete", nobody in that gathering wished to risk retaining the Americans onboard.
Yet, there was an enormous unspoken issue in that opulent and luxurious gathering, and the prevailing tension was profoundly uneasy.
Bear in mind the developments of the past week: the Trump administration's divisive involvement in the South American nation and the President Trump's insistence shortly thereafter, that "our national security requires Greenland from the viewpoint of national security".
The vast Arctic territory is the world's largest island – it's sixfold the size of Germany. It is situated in the Arctic region but is an autonomous region of Denmark's.
At the summit, Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's Prime Minister, was seated across from two key individuals speaking on behalf of Trump: diplomat Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
She was facing pressure from her EU counterparts to avoid provoking the US over the Arctic question, lest that impacts US support for the Ukrainian cause.
The continent's officials would have greatly desired to compartmentalize the Arctic dispute and the debate on Ukraine separate. But with the political temperature mounting from Washington and Copenhagen, leaders of big EU countries at the gathering released a statement asserting: "This territory is part of the alliance. Defense in the Arctic must therefore be secured together, in partnership with alliance members like the United States".
"It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to rule on matters related to Denmark and its autonomous territory," the statement further stated.
The statement was welcomed by Greenland's prime minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but analysts say it was slow to be put together and, due to the restricted number of supporters to the declaration, it failed to project a Europe aligned in intent.
"If there had been a joint position from all 27 member states, along with alliance partner the UK, in backing of Copenhagen's sovereignty, that would have sent a powerful warning to the US," commented a European defense specialist.
Reflect on the paradox at play at the Paris summit. Numerous EU government and other officials, including the alliance and the EU, are attempting to secure the cooperation of the White House in guaranteeing the future independence of a continental state (Ukraine) against the expansionist geopolitical designs of an external actor (Russia), on the heels of the US has intervened in sovereign Venezuela militarily, detaining its leader, while also persistently openly challenging the territorial integrity of another European nation (Denmark).
To make matters even more stark – Denmark and the US are both members of the military bloc the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, as stated by Danish officials, extremely close allies. At least, they were.
The dilemma is, were Trump to fulfill his goal to bring Greenland under US control, would it constitute not just an severe risk to the alliance but also a profound problem for the European Union?
Europe Risks Being Marginalized
This is not an isolated incident President Trump has expressed his intention to control Greenland. He's suggested acquiring it in the past. He's also not excluded a military seizure.
He insisted that the island is "crucially located right now, Greenland is patrolled by Russian and Chinese naval assets all over the place. Our security demands Greenland from the vantage point of strategic interests and Denmark is incapable to handle it".
Copenhagen strongly denies that claim. It has lately vowed to invest $4bn in Greenland defence including boats, drones and aircraft.
Under a bilateral agreement, the US has a military base currently on Greenland – founded at the onset of the Cold War. It has reduced the number of staff there from around 10,000 during peak the confrontation to approximately 200 and the US has frequently been criticized of neglecting polar defense, until now.
Copenhagen has signaled it is amenable to dialogue about a expanded US footprint on the island and more but in light of the US President's warning of unilateral action, the Danish PM said on Monday that Trump's ambition to acquire Greenland should be treated with gravity.
Following the American intervention in Venezuela this weekend, her fellow leaders in Europe are heeding that warning.
"These developments has just highlighted – yet again – Europe's fundamental vulnerability {
