🔗 Share this article

This very day, a so-called Coalition of the Willing, largely made up of European leaders, met in the French capital with representatives of President Trump, hoping to secure more advances on a lasting peace deal for the embattled nation.

With President Volodymyr Zelensky insisting that a roadmap to conclude the hostilities with Russia is "90% of the way there", not a single person in that gathering wanted to jeopardise retaining the US onboard.

Yet, there was an immense elephant in the room in that impressive and glittering Paris meeting, and the prevailing atmosphere was profoundly strained.

Consider the actions of the past week: the Trump administration's contentious involvement in the South American nation and the President Trump's assertion shortly thereafter, that "our national security requires Greenland from the standpoint of strategic interests".

The vast Arctic territory is the world's largest island – it's six times the dimensions of Germany. It is situated in the Arctic region but is an semi-independent territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.

At the summit, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was seated facing two powerful individuals speaking on behalf of Trump: special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

She was subject to urging from her EU colleagues to refrain from alienating the US over the Arctic question, for fear that that impacts US support for the Ukrainian cause.

The continent's officials would have greatly desired to compartmentalize Greenland and the negotiations on Ukraine apart. But with the diplomatic heat rising from Washington and Copenhagen, leaders of leading EU countries at the Paris meeting released a communiqué asserting: "The island is part of NATO. Security in the Arctic must therefore be secured jointly, in cooperation with treaty partners such as the United States".

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

The announcement was received positively by Nuuk's head of government, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but observers argue it was tardy to be drafted and, owing to the limited set of signatories to the declaration, it was unable to project a European Union in agreement in intent.

"Had there been a common declaration from all 27 EU partners, in addition to alliance partner the UK, in support of Danish authority, that would have conveyed a powerful warning to America," stated a European defense analyst.

Ponder the irony at play at the Paris summit. Numerous EU national and other leaders, from the alliance and the EU, are attempting to engage the White House in guaranteeing the future independence of a continental state (the Eastern European nation) against the hostile land claims of an outside force (Moscow), just after the US has intervened in independent Venezuela by armed intervention, taking its president into custody, while also persistently actively challenging the autonomy of a different continental ally (Denmark).

To add to the complexity – Denmark and the US are both signatories of the transatlantic alliance NATO. They are, as stated by Danish officials, profoundly strong partners. Or were.

The dilemma is, if Trump were to act upon his goal to acquire Greenland, would it represent not just an existential threat to NATO but also a major crisis for the European Union?

Europe Risks Being Overlooked

This is far from the first instance President Trump has voiced his determination to dominate Greenland. He's proposed acquiring it in the past. He's also not excluded taking it by force.

On Sunday that the territory is "crucially located right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese naval assets all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of defense and Copenhagen is unable to provide security".

Denmark refutes that assertion. It has lately vowed to invest $4bn in Greenland defence for boats, drones and aircraft.

As per a bilateral agreement, the US maintains a defense installation already on the island – established at the beginning of the East-West standoff. It has scaled down the total of troops there from approximately 10,000 during peak that era to approximately 200 and the US has often been faulted of overlooking Arctic Security, until now.

Denmark has indicated it is amenable to dialogue about a larger US presence on the island and additional measures 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.

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

"This whole situation has just emphasized – yet again – Europe's basic weakness {