🔗 Share this article

Earlier today, a self-styled Coalition of the Willing, largely made up of European leaders, gathered in Paris with representatives of US President Donald Trump, hoping to achieve further advances on a sustainable settlement for Ukraine.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky insisting that a framework to end the conflict with Russia is "nearly finalized", no-one in that meeting wanted to risk keeping the US engaged.

Yet, there was an immense elephant in the room in that impressive and luxurious summit, and the underlying mood was profoundly strained.

Consider the events of the past week: the White House's controversial incursion in Venezuela and the President Trump's assertion soon after, that "it is essential to have Greenland from the standpoint of strategic interests".

This massive island is the world's biggest island – it's six times the size of Germany. It is located in the Arctic but is an autonomous territory of Copenhagen.

At the Paris meeting, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was positioned opposite two powerful individuals acting for Trump: special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's relative Jared Kushner.

She was under pressure from her EU counterparts to avoid antagonising the US over Greenland, lest that affects US assistance for Ukraine.

Europe's leaders would have far preferred to separate the Arctic dispute and the debate on Ukraine separate. But with the political temperature mounting from the White House and Copenhagen, representatives of big states at the talks put out a declaration stating: "The island is part of NATO. Security in the North must therefore be achieved together, in cooperation with treaty partners such as the America".

"It is for Denmark and Greenland, and no one else, to rule on matters regarding Denmark and Greenland," the statement added.

The announcement was welcomed by Nuuk's head of government, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but analysts argue it was slow to be formulated and, owing to the restricted group of supporters to the declaration, it failed to demonstrate a Europe united in objective.

"If there had been a joint declaration from all 27 EU partners, plus alliance partner the UK, in defense of Copenhagen's control, that would have delivered a strong message to America," noted a EU defense specialist.

Reflect on the paradox at play at the France meeting. Numerous European government and other officials, including NATO and the EU, are trying to engage the White House in safeguarding the future autonomy of a continental state (the Eastern European nation) against the expansionist geopolitical designs of an foreign power (Russia), on the heels of the US has swooped into sovereign Venezuela militarily, taking its president into custody, while also still actively threatening the autonomy of a different EU member (Denmark).

To make matters even more stark – Copenhagen and the US are both participants of the military bloc the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, in the view of Copenhagen, exceptionally key friends. Or were.

The dilemma is, if Trump were to act upon his ambition to acquire Greenland, would it constitute not just an severe risk to NATO but also a major crisis for the European Union?

Europe Risks Being Overlooked

This is not the first time President Trump has spoken of his intention to dominate the Arctic island. He's proposed buying it in the past. He's also left open the possibility of taking it by force.

On Sunday that the territory is "crucially located right now, Greenland is frequented by Russian and Chinese vessels all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of strategic interests and Denmark is not going to be able to provide security".

Denmark refutes that assertion. It recently committed to spend $4bn in Arctic security including boats, drones and aircraft.

As per a mutual pact, the US has a military base presently on Greenland – set up at the onset of the Cold War. It has reduced the total of personnel there from about 10,000 during peak the confrontation to around 200 and the US has long been accused of overlooking the northern theater, recently.

Denmark has suggested it is amenable to dialogue about a larger US role on the territory and more but faced with the US President's assertion of unilateral action, the Danish PM said on Monday that Washington's desire to acquire Greenland should be taken seriously.

In the wake of the US administration's actions in Venezuela this weekend, her colleges in Europe are taking it seriously.

"This whole situation has just underlined – for the umpteenth time – the EU's basic weakness {