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Earlier today, a self-styled Coalition of the Willing, mostly composed of European leaders, convened in the French capital with representatives of the Trump administration, attempting to secure further headway on a sustainable peace deal for the embattled nation.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky asserting that a roadmap to halt the war with Russia is "90% of the way there", no-one in that gathering desired to jeopardise keeping the Americans engaged.

Yet, there was an enormous unspoken issue in that grand and glittering Paris meeting, and the prevailing atmosphere was profoundly uneasy.

Bear in mind the actions of the last few days: the Trump administration's contentious involvement in the South American nation and the American leader's assertion soon after, that "our national security requires Greenland from the viewpoint of national security".

The vast Arctic territory is the world's largest island – it's 600% the size of Germany. It is situated in the Arctic but is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.

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

She was subject to urging from her EU allies not to antagonising the US over Greenland, in case that affects US support for Ukraine.

EU heads of state would have much rather to separate the Arctic dispute and the debate on the war separate. But with the diplomatic heat mounting from Washington and Copenhagen, representatives of big states at the gathering released a statement saying: "Greenland is part of the alliance. Defense in the North must therefore be attained jointly, in partnership with NATO allies including the United States".

"The decision is for Copenhagen and Greenland, and them alone, to decide on issues concerning Denmark and its autonomous territory," the declaration continued.

The statement was greeted by Nuuk's head of government, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but critics contend it was tardy to be put together and, due to the limited group of supporters to the statement, it did not manage to show a European Union aligned in purpose.

"Were there a joint position from all 27 European Union countries, along with alliance partner the UK, in backing of Copenhagen's sovereignty, that would have sent a powerful warning to America," commented a European foreign policy specialist.

Ponder the paradox at work at the France meeting. Multiple European government and other officials, including NATO and the EU, are attempting to secure the cooperation of the Trump administration in safeguarding the future autonomy of a continental state (Ukraine) against the hostile land claims of an external actor (Russia), on the heels of the US has intervened in independent Venezuela with force, taking its president into custody, while also persistently openly undermining the territorial integrity of another European nation (Denmark).

To compound the situation – Copenhagen and the US are both signatories of the defensive pact the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, as stated by Copenhagen, extremely close allies. At least, they were.

The question is, should Trump act upon his goal to assert control over the island, would it represent not just an severe risk to NATO but also a profound problem for the EU?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Trampled Underfoot

This is not the first time President Trump has expressed his determination to acquire Greenland. He's suggested buying it in the past. He's also not excluded taking it by force.

Recently that the landmass is "so strategic right now, it is covered with foreign naval assets all over the place. It is imperative to have Greenland from the perspective of defense and Denmark is incapable to do it".

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

Under a treaty, the US maintains a defense installation currently on Greenland – set up at the start of the Cold War. It has reduced the total of personnel there from around 10,000 during the height of that era to about 200 and the US has often been faulted of neglecting polar defense, until now.

Copenhagen has signaled it is willing to talk about a larger US role on the island and additional measures but faced with the US President's threat of unilateral action, the Danish PM said on Monday that Trump's ambition to take Greenland should be taken seriously.

Following the American intervention in Venezuela this past few days, her fellow leaders across Europe are taking it seriously.

"These developments has just highlighted – yet again – Europe's basic weakness {