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This very day, a self-styled Group of the Committed, mostly composed of EU officials, met in Paris with representatives of President Trump, hoping to make more headway on a lasting settlement for the embattled nation.

With President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that a roadmap to conclude the hostilities with Russia is "90% of the way there", nobody in that room wished to jeopardise retaining the US onboard.

Yet, there was an immense glaring omission in that impressive and glittering summit, and the underlying mood was exceptionally strained.

Recall the actions of the last few days: the White House's controversial involvement in Venezuela and the US president's insistence shortly thereafter, that "we need Greenland from the viewpoint 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 self-governing region of Copenhagen.

At the summit, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was seated across from two key personalities speaking on behalf of Trump: emissary Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser Jared Kushner.

She was subject to urging from her EU allies to avoid provoking the US over Greenland, in case that affects US backing for Ukraine.

EU heads of state would have far preferred to separate the Arctic dispute and the discussions on the war distinct. But with the diplomatic heat mounting from the White House and Denmark, representatives of major states at the Paris meeting released a communiqué saying: "Greenland is part of NATO. Stability in the Arctic must therefore be attained collectively, in partnership with alliance members like the United States".

"The decision is for Denmark and the Greenlandic authorities, and them only, to determine on affairs concerning the kingdom and Greenland," the communiqué further stated.

The statement was greeted by the island's leader, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but critics argue it was tardy to be drafted and, owing to the restricted group of supporters to the declaration, it failed to demonstrate a European Union aligned in objective.

"Were there a joint declaration from all 27 European Union countries, plus alliance partner the UK, in backing of Copenhagen's control, that would have conveyed a powerful signal to the US," noted a European defense expert.

Consider the contradiction at hand at the European gathering. Several EU government and other officials, such as the alliance and the EU, are seeking to involve the US administration in protecting the future independence of a EU nation (the Eastern European nation) against the hostile land claims of an foreign power (Moscow), immediately after the US has swooped into independent Venezuela with force, detaining its leader, while also continuing to publicly threatening the territorial integrity of a further EU member (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To make matters even more stark – Denmark and the US are both signatories of the transatlantic alliance the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, according to Danish officials, exceptionally strong partners. At least, they were.

The question is, should Trump fulfill his goal to acquire Greenland, would it mark not just an existential threat to the alliance but also a significant challenge for the EU?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Overlooked

This is not an isolated incident Trump has voiced his resolve to acquire Greenland. He's proposed purchasing it in the past. He's also refused to rule out forcible annexation.

He insisted that the landmass is "so strategic right now, it is frequented by Russian and Chinese vessels all over the place. We need Greenland from the perspective of defense and Denmark is unable to handle it".

Denmark refutes that claim. It recently vowed to invest $4bn in Greenland defence for boats, drones and aircraft.

As per a bilateral agreement, the US has a military base currently on Greenland – established at the start of the Cold War. It has scaled down the figure of troops there from about 10,000 during the height of Cold War operations to around 200 and the US has frequently been criticized of overlooking polar defense, up to this point.

Denmark has indicated it is open to discussion about a bigger US role on the island and additional measures but in light of the US President's threat of going it alone, Frederiksen said on Monday that Trump's ambition to take Greenland should be considered a real possibility.

Following the Washington's moves in Venezuela this weekend, her fellow leaders across Europe are doing just that.

"This whole situation has just underlined – yet again – Europe's core shortcoming {