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Just this morning, a self-styled Coalition of the Committed, largely consisting of European officials, met in Paris with delegates of US President Donald Trump, aiming to achieve additional headway on a durable peace deal for the embattled nation.

With President Volodymyr Zelensky insisting that a roadmap to end the hostilities with Russia is "nearly finalized", no-one in that meeting desired to jeopardise retaining the US engaged.

Yet, there was an colossal glaring omission in that impressive and glittering summit, and the fundamental tension was exceptionally uneasy.

Consider the actions of the past week: the Trump administration's divisive involvement in Venezuela and the US president's declaration soon after, that "it is essential to have Greenland from the viewpoint of defense".

Greenland is the world's greatest island – it's 600% the area of Germany. It is situated in the Arctic but is an self-governing region of the Kingdom of Denmark.

At the conference, Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's Prime Minister, was positioned across from two influential figures speaking on behalf of Trump: diplomat Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser Jared Kushner.

She was facing pressure from European colleagues not to alienating the US over the Arctic question, 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 negotiations on the war apart. But with the political temperature mounting from Washington and Denmark, representatives of big EU countries at the talks put out a statement saying: "This territory is part of NATO. Security in the Arctic must therefore be attained together, in conjunction with treaty partners such as the United States".

"It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them alone, to determine on affairs related to the kingdom and Greenland," the declaration continued.

The announcement was welcomed by the island's leader, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but observers argue it was tardy to be put together and, because of the restricted set of endorsers to the statement, it was unable to show a Europe united in intent.

"Were there a unified statement from all 27 European Union countries, plus NATO ally the UK, in backing of Danish control, that would have conveyed a resounding signal to the US," noted a European defense expert.

Consider the contradiction at work at the France meeting. Numerous European government and other officials, from the alliance and the European Union, are seeking to involve the White House in protecting the future sovereignty of a continental state (the Eastern European nation) against the aggressive territorial ambitions of an outside force (Moscow), just after the US has intervened in independent Venezuela with force, detaining its leader, while also persistently actively undermining the sovereignty of a different European nation (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To compound the situation – Copenhagen and the US are both participants of the transatlantic alliance the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, in the view of Copenhagen, profoundly close allies. At least, they were.

The issue is, if Trump were to fulfill his goal to assert control over the island, would it constitute not just an severe risk to NATO but also a profound problem for the European Union?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Overlooked

This is far from the first instance Trump has expressed his determination to control Greenland. He's floated the idea of buying it in the past. He's also left open the possibility of a military seizure.

On Sunday that the landmass is "vitally important right now, Greenland is covered with foreign vessels all over the place. It is imperative to have Greenland from the standpoint of national security and Copenhagen is incapable to do it".

Denmark strongly denies that assertion. It not long ago vowed to invest $4bn in Arctic security encompassing boats, drones and aircraft.

Pursuant to a bilateral agreement, the US has a military base currently on the island – set up at the start of the Cold War. It has reduced the number of personnel there from about 10,000 during peak that era to about 200 and the US has long been accused of neglecting polar defense, up to this point.

Copenhagen has signaled it is amenable to dialogue about a bigger US presence on the island and further cooperation but confronted by the US President's assertion of going it alone, the Danish PM said on Monday that Trump's ambition to acquire Greenland should be considered a real possibility.

After the US administration's actions in Venezuela this past few days, her colleges in Europe are doing just that.

"This whole situation has just highlighted – once again – Europe's fundamental shortcoming {