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Earlier today, a self-styled Alliance of the Determined, mostly composed of European heads of state, met in Paris with envoys of President Trump, aiming to make further advances on a durable peace deal for the embattled nation.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky asserting that a framework to conclude the hostilities with Russia is "largely complete", not a single person in that meeting desired to jeopardise maintaining the Americans onboard.

Yet, there was an immense glaring omission in that opulent and glittering summit, and the underlying tension was profoundly strained.

Recall the developments of the past week: the US administration's contentious intervention in Venezuela and the American leader's insistence soon after, that "we need Greenland from the perspective of national security".

The vast Arctic territory is the world's biggest island – it's six times the dimensions of Germany. It is situated in the far north but is an self-governing territory of Copenhagen.

At the summit, Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's Prime Minister, was seated across from two powerful individuals acting for Trump: special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser Jared Kushner.

She was under pressure from European colleagues to refrain from provoking the US over Greenland, for fear that that impacts US support for the Ukrainian cause.

Europe's leaders would have much rather to compartmentalize the Arctic dispute and the negotiations on Ukraine distinct. But with the diplomatic heat rising from the White House and Copenhagen, representatives of big European nations at the talks issued a communiqué stating: "Greenland is part of the alliance. Stability in the North must therefore be secured together, in partnership with treaty partners like the America".

"It is for Copenhagen and Greenland, and no one else, to decide on matters concerning the kingdom and its autonomous territory," the declaration continued.

The statement was received positively by the island's leader, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but analysts contend it was slow to be drafted and, due to the limited set of supporters to the declaration, it did not manage to project a European Union aligned in objective.

"Had there been a common position from all 27 EU partners, plus alliance partner the UK, in defense of Danish control, that would have sent a powerful warning to America," stated a EU defense analyst.

Consider the irony at work at the Paris summit. Multiple European government and other leaders, such as NATO and the EU, are attempting to secure the cooperation of the Trump administration in guaranteeing the future autonomy of a European country (Ukraine) against the hostile geopolitical designs of an outside force (Russia), just after the US has entered independent Venezuela militarily, detaining its leader, while also persistently actively undermining the autonomy of a different European nation (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To make matters even more stark – Copenhagen and the US are both members of the military bloc NATO. They are, in the view of Danish officials, profoundly key friends. Previously, they were considered so.

The issue is, should Trump make good on his ambition to assert control over the island, would it mark not just an existential threat to NATO but also a profound crisis for the EU?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Overlooked

This is far from the first instance President Trump has voiced his resolve to dominate the Arctic island. He's suggested buying it in the past. He's also left open the possibility of a military seizure.

He insisted that the landmass is "so strategic right now, it is frequented by foreign ships all over the place. We need Greenland from the vantage point of defense and Copenhagen is not going to be able to provide security".

Denmark refutes that last statement. It recently committed to invest $4bn in Arctic security encompassing boats, drones and aircraft.

Under a treaty, the US has a defense installation currently on the island – founded at the onset of the Cold War. It has scaled down the number 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 overlooking the northern theater, until now.

Copenhagen has indicated it is amenable to dialogue about a larger US footprint on the territory and further cooperation but confronted by the US President's assertion of going it alone, the Danish PM said on Monday that the US leader's goal to control Greenland should be taken seriously.

In the wake of the US administration's actions in Venezuela this weekend, her counterparts in Europe are doing just that.

"The current crisis has just highlighted – for the umpteenth time – Europe's core weakness {