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Just this morning, a self-styled Coalition of the Determined, predominantly made up of European heads of state, gathered in Paris with envoys of US President Donald Trump, aiming to make additional advances on a sustainable settlement for Ukraine.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky asserting that a plan to conclude the war with Russia is "90% of the way there", nobody in that meeting desired to risk retaining the Americans onboard.

Yet, there was an colossal unspoken issue in that grand and glittering gathering, and the underlying mood was extremely uneasy.

Recall the events of the last few days: the White House's divisive incursion in the South American nation and the US president's insistence soon after, that "our national security requires Greenland from the standpoint of defense".

This massive island is the world's biggest island – it's six times the size of Germany. It is located in the Arctic region but is an semi-independent region of the Kingdom of Denmark.

At the summit, Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's Prime Minister, was sitting opposite two key figures acting for Trump: diplomat Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

She was facing pressure from her EU colleagues not to antagonising the US over the Arctic question, in case that impacts US assistance for Ukraine.

EU heads of state would have greatly desired to keep Greenland and the debate on Ukraine separate. But with the political temperature mounting from the White House and Denmark, representatives of big states at the talks put out a declaration stating: "This territory is part of NATO. Stability in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in conjunction with alliance members including the America".

"The decision is for Denmark and Greenland, and no one else, to determine on affairs related to the kingdom and its autonomous territory," the declaration further stated.

The statement was welcomed by the island's leader, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but observers argue it was tardy to be drafted and, because of the small group of signatories to the declaration, it did not manage to demonstrate a Europe aligned in intent.

"Had there been a joint declaration from all 27 EU partners, plus NATO ally the UK, in backing of Copenhagen's control, that would have conveyed a strong signal to Washington," noted a European foreign policy specialist.

Ponder the contradiction at work at the European gathering. Several European government and other leaders, such as NATO and the EU, are attempting to engage the Trump administration in guaranteeing the future sovereignty of a continental state (Ukraine) against the expansionist territorial ambitions of an external actor (Moscow), on the heels of the US has intervened in sovereign Venezuela militarily, taking its president into custody, while also persistently openly undermining the territorial integrity of another European nation (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To make matters even more stark – Denmark and the US are both members of the defensive pact NATO. They are, as stated by Danish officials, extremely strong partners. Or were.

The dilemma is, should Trump act upon his ambition to acquire Greenland, would it represent not just an severe risk to the alliance but also a profound problem for the EU?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Trampled Underfoot

This is not an isolated incident President Trump has voiced his determination to control the Arctic island. He's proposed acquiring it in the past. He's also left open the possibility of taking it by force.

Recently that the landmass is "vitally important right now, Greenland is patrolled by foreign ships all over the place. It is imperative to have Greenland from the standpoint of national security and Copenhagen is not going to be able to provide security".

Copenhagen contests that claim. It recently pledged to allocate $4bn in the island's defense encompassing boats, drones and aircraft.

As per a treaty, the US operates a military base already on the island – set up at the beginning of the Cold War. It has reduced the number of staff there from approximately 10,000 during peak the confrontation to around 200 and the US has often been faulted of neglecting polar defense, until now.

Denmark has suggested it is amenable to dialogue about a larger US footprint on the territory and more but in light of the US President's threat of going it alone, the Danish PM said on Monday that Trump's ambition to take Greenland should be treated with gravity.

After the US administration's actions in Venezuela this weekend, her fellow leaders in Europe are doing just that.

"This whole situation has just emphasized – for the umpteenth time – Europe's core vulnerability {