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This very day, a self-styled Coalition of the Willing, predominantly consisting of EU leaders, convened in Paris with representatives of President Trump, aiming to achieve additional advances on a lasting peace agreement for the embattled nation.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky insisting that a plan to end the war with Russia is "nearly finalized", not a single person in that room wanted to jeopardise keeping the Americans involved.

Yet, there was an enormous elephant in the room in that grand and glittering Paris meeting, and the fundamental atmosphere was profoundly tense.

Recall the actions of the last few days: the White House's divisive intervention in Venezuela and the US president's assertion shortly thereafter, that "it is essential to have Greenland from the standpoint of national security".

Greenland is the world's biggest island – it's six times the area of Germany. It lies in the Arctic region but is an autonomous territory of Denmark's.

At the Paris meeting, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was seated opposite two powerful individuals speaking on behalf of Trump: special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

She was under pressure from European allies not to alienating the US over Greenland, lest that affects US assistance for Ukraine.

The continent's officials would have greatly desired to separate the Arctic dispute and the negotiations on Ukraine separate. But with the political temperature rising from the White House and Denmark, leaders of leading states at the gathering released a communiqué stating: "The island is part of the alliance. Defense in the North must therefore be achieved jointly, in partnership with NATO allies such as the United States".

"Sovereignty is for Copenhagen and the Greenlandic authorities, and no one else, to determine on matters related to the kingdom and Greenland," the statement added.

The statement was received positively by Nuuk's head of government, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but analysts argue it was slow to be formulated and, because of the restricted set of signatories to the declaration, it was unable to demonstrate a European Union united in intent.

"Were there a joint position from all 27 EU partners, in addition to NATO ally the UK, in defense of Copenhagen's sovereignty, that would have sent a powerful signal to America," stated a EU foreign policy analyst.

Ponder the irony at work at the Paris summit. Multiple European national and other leaders, from NATO and the EU, are attempting to engage the Trump administration in guaranteeing the future sovereignty of a European country (the Eastern European nation) against the expansionist geopolitical designs of an foreign power (Russia), on the heels of the US has intervened in sovereign Venezuela with force, detaining its leader, while also continuing to actively undermining the autonomy of a different European nation (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To add to the complexity – Denmark and the US are both participants of the military bloc NATO. They are, in the view of Copenhagen, extremely close allies. At least, they were.

The question is, should Trump make good on his desire to assert control over the island, would it mark not just an fundamental challenge to the alliance but also a significant problem for the European Union?

Europe Risks Being Trampled Underfoot

This is not an isolated incident President Trump has spoken of his intention to acquire the Arctic island. He's proposed acquiring it in the past. He's also refused to rule out taking it by force.

He insisted that the island is "so strategic right now, it is covered with Russian and Chinese naval assets all over the place. Our security demands Greenland from the standpoint of defense and Denmark is incapable to provide security".

Copenhagen refutes that last statement. It recently pledged to spend $4bn in Greenland defence for boats, drones and aircraft.

As per a bilateral agreement, the US operates a strategic outpost already on the island – founded at the onset of the Cold War. It has scaled down the number of troops there from about 10,000 during peak the confrontation to approximately 200 and the US has long been accused of taking its eye off the northern theater, recently.

Denmark has indicated it is amenable to dialogue about a expanded US role on the territory and more but faced with the US President's warning of independent moves, Frederiksen said on Monday that the US leader's goal to take Greenland should be treated with gravity.

After the Washington's moves in Venezuela this past few days, her counterparts across Europe are doing just that.

"These developments has just emphasized – yet again – the EU's core vulnerability {