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Just this morning, a so-called Alliance of the Committed, largely consisting of European leaders, met in Paris with envoys of US President Donald Trump, aiming to secure further headway on a durable settlement for Ukraine.

With President Volodymyr Zelensky insisting that a plan to halt the war with Russia is "nearly finalized", no-one in that gathering wished to endanger maintaining the US onboard.

Yet, there was an immense elephant in the room in that grand and luxurious Paris meeting, and the prevailing atmosphere was profoundly uneasy.

Recall the events of the last few days: the US administration's contentious intervention in Venezuela and the US president's assertion soon after, that "our national security requires Greenland from the standpoint of strategic interests".

Greenland is the world's greatest island – it's sixfold the dimensions of Germany. It lies in the Arctic but is an autonomous possession of Denmark's.

At the summit, Mette Frederiksen, Copenhagen's leader, was sitting across from two key figures speaking on behalf of Trump: emissary Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser Jared Kushner.

She was under pressure from her EU counterparts to refrain from antagonising the US over the Arctic question, lest that undermines US assistance for the Ukrainian cause.

EU heads of state would have greatly desired to separate Greenland and the negotiations on the war distinct. But with the tensions rising from Washington and Copenhagen, leaders of big states at the Paris meeting released a declaration stating: "The island is part of the alliance. Security in the Arctic must therefore be attained jointly, in partnership with NATO allies such as the US".

"Sovereignty is for Denmark and Greenland, and no one else, to rule on issues regarding the kingdom and Greenland," the communiqué further stated.

The communique was greeted by Greenland's prime minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but analysts contend it was tardy to be drafted and, due to the restricted group of signatories to the statement, it failed to demonstrate a Europe aligned in intent.

"Were there a unified position from all 27 member states, plus alliance partner the UK, in backing of Copenhagen's control, that would have sent a strong warning to Washington," stated a European defense analyst.

Ponder the irony at hand at the Paris summit. Multiple European national and other officials, including the alliance and the European Union, are trying to engage the US administration in protecting the future autonomy of a EU nation (Ukraine) against the aggressive territorial ambitions of an outside force (Moscow), just after the US has swooped into independent Venezuela by armed intervention, detaining its leader, while also continuing to publicly challenging the autonomy of a further European nation (Denmark).

To add to the complexity – Copenhagen and the US are both signatories of the defensive pact NATO. They are, according to Danish officials, profoundly key friends. Previously, they were considered so.

The dilemma is, were Trump to act upon his goal to bring Greenland under US control, would it constitute not just an severe risk to NATO but also a profound problem for the European Union?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Overlooked

This is not an isolated incident Trump has voiced his determination to dominate Greenland. He's proposed buying it in the past. He's also not excluded a military seizure.

He insisted that the landmass is "crucially located right now, it is frequented by Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. Our security demands Greenland from the perspective of national security and Copenhagen is unable to handle it".

Copenhagen refutes that claim. It recently pledged to invest $4bn in the island's defense encompassing boats, drones and aircraft.

Under a treaty, the US operates a strategic outpost presently on the island – founded at the start of the Cold War. It has reduced the figure of staff there from about 10,000 during the height of that era to about 200 and the US has frequently been criticized of taking its eye off polar defense, recently.

Copenhagen has indicated it is amenable to dialogue about a larger US footprint on the island and further cooperation but in light of the US President's threat of going it alone, Frederiksen said on Monday that Washington's desire to take Greenland should be taken seriously.

In the wake of the Washington's moves in Venezuela this weekend, her counterparts in Europe are taking it seriously.

"These developments has just underlined – yet again – Europe's fundamental shortcoming {