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Just this morning, a informal Coalition of the Willing, predominantly consisting of European heads of state, gathered in the French capital with envoys of US President Donald Trump, hoping to achieve further headway on a lasting peace deal for the embattled nation.

With President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that a plan to end the war with Russia is "90% of the way there", nobody in that gathering wanted to jeopardise keeping the Washington involved.

Yet, there was an enormous elephant in the room in that grand and glittering gathering, and the prevailing tension was profoundly tense.

Consider the events of the last few days: the Trump administration's contentious involvement in the South American nation and the US president's declaration shortly thereafter, that "we need Greenland from the perspective of national security".

Greenland is the world's greatest island – it's sixfold the area of Germany. It lies in the far north but is an autonomous territory of Copenhagen.

At the summit, Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's Prime Minister, was seated facing two influential individuals acting for Trump: diplomat Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser Jared Kushner.

She was under pressure from European colleagues not to provoking the US over Greenland, for fear that that impacts US assistance for the Ukrainian cause.

The continent's officials would have greatly desired to compartmentalize the Arctic dispute and the debate on the war apart. But with the tensions rising from Washington and Copenhagen, leaders of leading European nations at the gathering put out a communiqué saying: "This territory is part of the alliance. Defense in the Arctic must therefore be secured jointly, in partnership with alliance members including the US".

"Sovereignty is for Denmark and the Greenlandic authorities, and no one else, to decide on matters related to the kingdom and its autonomous territory," the communiqué continued.

The statement was received positively by the island's leader, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but critics contend it was delayed to be put together and, due to the restricted number of signatories to the statement, it did not manage to show a European Union aligned in purpose.

"If there had been a unified position from all 27 European Union countries, along with alliance partner the UK, in defense of Danish authority, that would have conveyed a strong message to Washington," noted a EU foreign policy specialist.

Reflect on the paradox at play at the Paris summit. Numerous EU government and other leaders, such as NATO and the European Union, are seeking to involve the US administration in protecting the future sovereignty of a EU nation (the Eastern European nation) against the hostile land claims of an outside force (Russia), immediately after the US has swooped into independent Venezuela militarily, arresting its head of state, while also still publicly threatening the autonomy of another EU member (Denmark).

To compound the situation – Copenhagen and the US are both participants of the military bloc NATO. They are, according to Copenhagen, profoundly key friends. Previously, they were considered so.

The question is, should Trump make good on his goal to acquire Greenland, would it represent not just an severe risk to the alliance but also a major challenge for the EU?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Overlooked

This is not an isolated incident President Trump has spoken of his determination to control the Arctic island. He's floated the idea of acquiring it in the past. He's also not excluded taking it by force.

He insisted that the landmass is "vitally important right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security and Copenhagen is incapable to do it".

Denmark strongly denies that last statement. It not long ago committed to allocate $4bn in the island's defense for boats, drones and aircraft.

Pursuant to a bilateral agreement, the US operates a defense installation already on the island – established at the start of the Cold War. It has cut the number of staff there from approximately 10,000 during peak that era to about 200 and the US has often been faulted of overlooking the northern theater, up to this point.

Denmark has indicated it is open to discussion about a expanded US role on the territory and additional measures but faced with the US President's warning of going it alone, Frederiksen said on Monday that the US leader's goal to take Greenland should be considered a real possibility.

In the wake of the American intervention in Venezuela this weekend, her fellow leaders throughout Europe are doing just that.

"The current crisis has just underlined – for the umpteenth time – Europe's basic shortcoming {