🔗 Share this article

This very day, a informal Coalition of the Willing, mostly consisting of EU officials, convened in the French capital with representatives of President Trump, attempting to achieve more progress on a lasting peace agreement for Ukraine.

With President Volodymyr Zelensky insisting that a roadmap to end the conflict with Russia is "largely complete", not a single person in that gathering wanted to endanger maintaining the US involved.

Yet, there was an enormous glaring omission in that grand and sparkling Paris meeting, and the underlying mood was extremely tense.

Consider the events of the past week: the US administration's divisive involvement in Venezuela and the US president's declaration soon after, that "we need Greenland from the viewpoint of defense".

The vast Arctic territory is the world's largest island – it's sixfold the area of Germany. It is located in the Arctic but is an autonomous region of Denmark's.

At the Paris meeting, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was seated opposite two key figures acting for Trump: special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser Jared Kushner.

She was facing pressure from her EU allies to refrain from antagonising the US over Greenland, lest that affects US backing for the Ukrainian cause.

Europe's leaders would have greatly desired to compartmentalize the Arctic dispute and the discussions on Ukraine distinct. But with the diplomatic heat mounting from Washington and Copenhagen, representatives of leading European nations at the talks put out a communiqué stating: "Greenland is part of the alliance. Security in the Arctic must therefore be secured jointly, in cooperation with alliance members such as the United States".

"It is for Copenhagen and Greenland, and no one else, to decide on issues concerning Denmark and Greenland," the communiqué added.

The communique was received positively by Greenland's prime minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but analysts say it was tardy to be put together and, due to the small number of endorsers to the declaration, it did not manage to project a Europe in agreement in purpose.

"Had there been a joint declaration from all 27 member states, along with NATO ally the UK, in defense of Copenhagen's control, that would have sent a powerful warning to America," stated a EU foreign policy analyst.

Ponder the contradiction at work at the France meeting. Several EU national and other leaders, including NATO and the EU, are attempting to secure the cooperation of the US administration in guaranteeing the future independence of a continental state (Ukraine) against the expansionist land claims of an foreign power (Russia), just after the US has swooped into independent Venezuela militarily, taking its president into custody, while also continuing to publicly threatening the territorial integrity of another EU member (Denmark).

To make matters even more stark – Copenhagen and the US are both members of the defensive pact NATO. They are, in the view of Copenhagen, extremely key friends. Or were.

The issue is, should Trump act upon his desire to assert control over the island, would it mark not just an existential threat to NATO but also a significant crisis for the EU?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Trampled Underfoot

This is far from the first instance President Trump has expressed his determination to acquire the Arctic island. He's suggested buying it in the past. He's also left open the possibility of forcible annexation.

He insisted that the territory is "so strategic right now, Greenland is frequented by Russian and Chinese naval assets all over the place. Our security demands Greenland from the vantage point of national security and Denmark is not going to be able to provide security".

Copenhagen refutes that last statement. It has lately vowed to spend $4bn in Arctic security for boats, drones and aircraft.

As per a mutual pact, the US has a strategic outpost already on the island – founded at the onset of the East-West standoff. It has scaled down the figure of staff there from about 10,000 during the height of that era to around 200 and the US has often been faulted of neglecting Arctic Security, up to this point.

Denmark has suggested it is open to discussion about a larger US role on the territory and further cooperation but in light of the US President's threat of going it alone, Frederiksen said on Monday that the US leader's goal to control Greenland should be treated with gravity.

After the Washington's moves in Venezuela this weekend, her fellow leaders throughout Europe are taking it seriously.

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