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Just this morning, a informal Coalition of the Determined, mostly made up of European officials, convened in the French capital with delegates of US President Donald Trump, attempting to achieve additional headway on a lasting settlement for the embattled nation.

With President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that a plan to conclude the hostilities with Russia is "largely complete", nobody in that room desired to risk retaining the Washington onboard.

Yet, there was an enormous glaring omission in that opulent and sparkling Paris meeting, and the fundamental tension was extremely strained.

Consider the developments of the recent days: the US administration's divisive intervention in Venezuela and the US president's assertion soon after, that "it is essential to have Greenland from the viewpoint of national security".

Greenland is the world's biggest island – it's 600% the size of Germany. It is situated in the far north but is an self-governing territory of Copenhagen.

At the summit, Mette Frederiksen, Copenhagen's leader, was positioned across from two key individuals representing Trump: special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's relative Jared Kushner.

She was under pressure from her EU counterparts to refrain from alienating the US over the Arctic question, in case that undermines US support for Ukraine.

EU heads of state would have far preferred to compartmentalize the Arctic dispute and the negotiations on Ukraine separate. But with the diplomatic heat escalating from the White House and Denmark, leaders of major EU countries at the Paris meeting put out a declaration asserting: "Greenland is part of NATO. Stability in the North must therefore be attained collectively, in partnership with NATO allies such as the US".

"The decision is for Copenhagen and Greenland, and them alone, to determine on issues related to the kingdom and Greenland," the statement continued.

The communique was welcomed by Greenland's prime minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but critics argue it was slow to be formulated and, owing to the restricted number of supporters to the statement, it failed to show a European Union in agreement in objective.

"If there had been a common declaration from all 27 EU partners, along with NATO ally the UK, in support of Copenhagen's authority, that would have delivered a powerful signal to America," stated a EU defense expert.

Ponder the contradiction at hand at the European gathering. Multiple European national and other leaders, including the alliance and the EU, are attempting to involve the Trump administration in protecting the future sovereignty of a continental state (the Eastern European nation) against the expansionist territorial ambitions of an external actor (Russia), just after the US has entered sovereign Venezuela with force, detaining its leader, while also still openly threatening the autonomy of a different EU member (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To make matters even more stark – Copenhagen and the US are both signatories of the defensive pact NATO. They are, in the view of Copenhagen, exceptionally strong partners. Or were.

The question is, should Trump make good on his goal to acquire Greenland, would it constitute not just an fundamental challenge to the alliance but also a significant problem for the European Union?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Marginalized

This is not the first time Trump has spoken of his determination to control the Arctic island. He's proposed buying it in the past. He's also not excluded a military seizure.

On Sunday that the territory is "crucially located right now, it is covered with foreign naval assets all over the place. It is imperative to have Greenland from the perspective of strategic interests and Denmark is unable to do it".

Denmark contests that last statement. It not long ago vowed to invest $4bn in Greenland defence for boats, drones and aircraft.

Under a bilateral agreement, the US maintains a defense installation presently on Greenland – established at the onset of the East-West standoff. It has reduced the total of staff there from approximately 10,000 during the height of Cold War operations to approximately 200 and the US has long been accused of neglecting polar defense, until now.

Copenhagen has suggested it is willing to talk about a larger US presence on the territory and more but faced with the US President's warning of unilateral action, the Danish PM said on Monday that the US leader's goal to acquire Greenland should be taken seriously.

In the wake of the US administration's actions in Venezuela this past few days, her colleges throughout Europe are doing just that.

"This whole situation has just highlighted – yet again – Europe's fundamental shortcoming {