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Earlier today, a so-called Group of the Determined, predominantly consisting of European heads of state, convened in Paris with delegates of President Trump, hoping to make more advances on a durable peace deal for the embattled nation.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky asserting that a roadmap to conclude the conflict with Russia is "largely complete", nobody in that meeting wanted to risk maintaining the Washington onboard.

Yet, there was an enormous glaring omission in that opulent and sparkling gathering, and the underlying tension was extremely uneasy.

Bear in mind the developments of the last few days: the White House's controversial incursion in Venezuela and the President Trump's declaration following this, that "it is essential to have Greenland from the viewpoint of strategic interests".

This massive island is the world's largest island – it's six times the area of Germany. It lies in the far north but is an semi-independent territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.

At the conference, Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's Prime Minister, was positioned across from two key personalities acting for Trump: special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

She was facing pressure from European colleagues not to alienating the US over Greenland, for fear that that impacts US support for the Ukrainian cause.

EU heads of state would have far preferred to keep the Arctic dispute and the discussions on Ukraine distinct. But with the diplomatic heat escalating from Washington and Copenhagen, representatives of leading states at the gathering put out a statement stating: "This territory is part of NATO. Stability in the North must therefore be attained collectively, in cooperation with treaty partners like the America".

"Sovereignty is for Copenhagen and the Greenlandic authorities, and them only, to rule on affairs concerning the kingdom and Greenland," the statement continued.

The announcement was welcomed by the island's leader, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but analysts argue it was delayed to be formulated and, due to the limited number of signatories to the declaration, it failed to project a European Union in agreement in objective.

"Had there been a unified position from all 27 European Union countries, in addition to alliance partner the UK, in backing of Copenhagen's authority, that would have conveyed a powerful message to Washington," stated a EU foreign policy specialist.

Reflect on the contradiction at work at the European gathering. Numerous EU government and other leaders, including NATO and the European Union, are seeking to involve the Trump administration in guaranteeing the future independence of a European country (Ukraine) against the expansionist land claims of an foreign power (Russia), immediately after the US has entered sovereign Venezuela by armed intervention, arresting its head of state, while also continuing to openly challenging the autonomy of a different European nation (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To add to the complexity – Denmark and the US are both signatories of the defensive pact the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, as stated by Copenhagen, extremely strong partners. Previously, they were considered so.

The question is, should Trump make good on his goal to bring Greenland under US control, would it mark not just an fundamental challenge to NATO but also a profound crisis for the European Union?

Europe Risks Being Marginalized

This is not the first time President Trump has expressed his intention to acquire the Arctic island. He's proposed buying it in the past. He's also left open the possibility of taking it by force.

Recently that the territory is "vitally important right now, Greenland is frequented by foreign ships all over the place. Our security demands Greenland from the vantage point of national security and Copenhagen is not going to be able to handle it".

Copenhagen refutes that last statement. It has lately pledged to spend $4bn in Arctic security encompassing boats, drones and aircraft.

Under a bilateral agreement, the US maintains a military base currently on the island – established at the start of the Cold War. It has cut the figure of personnel there from approximately 10,000 during the height of the confrontation to approximately 200 and the US has often been faulted of overlooking polar defense, until now.

Copenhagen has suggested it is willing to talk about a expanded US presence on the island and additional measures but in light of the US President's assertion of independent moves, Frederiksen said on Monday that Trump's ambition to control Greenland should be taken seriously.

In the wake of the US administration's actions in Venezuela this weekend, her colleges throughout Europe are taking it seriously.

"The current crisis has just highlighted – yet again – Europe's core vulnerability {