🔗 Share this article

Earlier today, a informal Group of the Willing, mostly made up of European leaders, gathered in the French capital with delegates of the Trump administration, attempting to make additional headway on a lasting settlement for Ukraine.

With President Volodymyr Zelensky asserting that a plan to conclude the conflict with Russia is "90% of the way there", nobody in that gathering desired to jeopardise maintaining the Americans onboard.

Yet, there was an enormous elephant in the room in that grand and glittering Paris meeting, and the underlying atmosphere was profoundly tense.

Consider the events of the last few days: the White House's contentious intervention in Venezuela and the American leader's insistence soon after, that "our national security requires Greenland from the viewpoint of national security".

The vast Arctic territory is the world's biggest island – it's sixfold the dimensions of Germany. It is situated in the Arctic region but is an autonomous possession of Copenhagen.

At the summit, Mette Frederiksen, Copenhagen's leader, was seated across from two powerful personalities acting for Trump: special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser Jared Kushner.

She was under pressure from her EU allies not to provoking the US over the Greenland issue, for fear that that affects US support for Ukraine.

EU heads of state would have far preferred to keep the Arctic dispute and the debate on Ukraine apart. But with the tensions escalating from the White House and Denmark, representatives of leading EU countries at the talks issued a statement asserting: "Greenland is part of the alliance. Defense in the Arctic must therefore be secured together, in conjunction with alliance members including the America".

"The decision is for Denmark and the Greenlandic authorities, and no one else, to rule on issues regarding the kingdom and Greenland," the communiqué further stated.

The announcement was greeted by Nuuk's head of government, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but critics 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 purpose.

"Were there a joint statement from all 27 European Union countries, along with alliance partner the UK, in backing of Copenhagen's control, that would have delivered a resounding signal to America," noted a European defense specialist.

Ponder the paradox at play at the European gathering. Several EU government and other officials, such as the alliance and the European Union, are attempting to engage the US administration in safeguarding the future sovereignty of a continental state (the Eastern European nation) against the expansionist geopolitical designs of an external actor (Moscow), just after the US has intervened in sovereign Venezuela militarily, taking its president into custody, while also continuing to publicly undermining the sovereignty of a different EU member (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To compound the situation – Copenhagen and the US are both members of the military bloc the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, according to Danish officials, exceptionally close allies. Previously, they were considered so.

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

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Overlooked

This is not the first time Trump has voiced his intention to control the Arctic island. He's suggested purchasing it in the past. He's also refused to rule out a military seizure.

Recently that the island is "vitally important right now, Greenland is patrolled by foreign ships all over the place. Our security demands Greenland from the standpoint of strategic interests and Copenhagen is unable to do it".

Copenhagen refutes that claim. It recently committed to allocate $4bn in Greenland defence encompassing boats, drones and aircraft.

As per a mutual pact, the US maintains a military base currently on Greenland – founded at the beginning of the East-West standoff. It has reduced the figure of staff there from approximately 10,000 during the height of the confrontation to approximately 200 and the US has often been faulted of neglecting the northern theater, recently.

Copenhagen has signaled it is willing to talk about a expanded US role on the territory and additional measures but in light of the US President's threat of unilateral action, the Danish PM said on Monday that Washington's desire to take Greenland should be taken seriously.

In the wake of the Washington's moves in Venezuela this weekend, her fellow leaders throughout Europe are heeding that warning.

"The current crisis has just emphasized – for the umpteenth time – the EU's core shortcoming {