This very day, a informal Group of the Determined, mostly consisting of European heads of state, met in the French capital with envoys of the Trump administration, hoping to make more advances on a lasting peace agreement for the embattled nation.
With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky asserting that a framework to halt the conflict with Russia is "nearly finalized", not a single person in that room wished to jeopardise keeping the Americans onboard.
Yet, there was an colossal unspoken issue in that grand and luxurious gathering, and the underlying mood was exceptionally strained.
Consider the actions of the recent days: the White House's contentious intervention in Venezuela and the American leader's assertion soon after, that "it is essential to have Greenland from the perspective of strategic interests".
This massive island is the world's biggest island – it's six times the dimensions of Germany. It is situated in the far north but is an semi-independent possession of Denmark's.
At the conference, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was positioned across from two key individuals representing Trump: emissary Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser Jared Kushner.
She was under pressure from her EU colleagues to avoid alienating the US over the Arctic question, lest that undermines US assistance for the Ukrainian cause.
Europe's leaders would have far preferred to separate the Arctic dispute and the negotiations on Ukraine separate. But with the tensions rising from Washington and Denmark, leaders of leading European nations at the Paris meeting issued a statement asserting: "This territory is part of the alliance. Stability in the North must therefore be secured together, in cooperation with treaty partners like the America".
"The decision is for Copenhagen and the Greenlandic authorities, and no one else, to determine on issues related to Denmark and its autonomous territory," the communiqué added.
The communique was received positively by Nuuk's head of government, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but analysts say it was tardy to be formulated and, because of the limited set of endorsers to the declaration, it failed to demonstrate a European Union aligned in intent.
"Were there a unified position from all 27 EU partners, along with alliance partner the UK, in support of Danish sovereignty, that would have sent a powerful signal to the US," noted a European defense expert.
Reflect on the contradiction at play at the European gathering. Multiple EU national and other officials, including NATO and the European Union, are trying to engage the US administration in safeguarding the future independence of a EU nation (Ukraine) against the expansionist geopolitical designs of an foreign power (Moscow), immediately after the US has swooped into sovereign Venezuela militarily, arresting its head of state, while also persistently actively threatening the territorial integrity of another European nation (the Kingdom of Denmark).
To make matters even more stark – Copenhagen and the US are both members of the military bloc the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, as stated by Danish officials, extremely close allies. Or were.
The issue is, if Trump were to fulfill his ambition to assert control over the island, would it constitute not just an existential threat to NATO but also a significant crisis for the EU?
This is not an isolated incident President Trump has expressed his determination to control the Arctic island. He's floated the idea of buying it in the past. He's also left open the possibility of a military seizure.
Recently that the landmass 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 defense and Copenhagen is unable to do it".
Copenhagen contests that assertion. It has lately vowed to invest $4bn in Arctic security including boats, drones and aircraft.
As per a mutual pact, the US has a military base already on the island – established at the onset of the Cold War. It has reduced the total of troops there from around 10,000 during the height of the confrontation to around 200 and the US has frequently been criticized of overlooking the northern theater, up to this point.
Denmark has signaled it is open to discussion about a bigger US role on the territory and more but faced with the US President's assertion of unilateral action, Frederiksen said on Monday that Trump's ambition to control Greenland should be considered a real possibility.
Following the US administration's actions in Venezuela this weekend, her colleges throughout Europe are doing just that.
"These developments has just underlined – yet again – the EU's basic vulnerability {
Lena Hoffmann is a seasoned journalist with a passion for uncovering stories that matter, specializing in German current affairs and digital media trends.
