This very day, a so-called Alliance of the Committed, predominantly consisting of European leaders, convened in Paris with representatives of US President Donald Trump, aiming to achieve more headway on a lasting peace agreement for Ukraine.
With President Volodymyr Zelensky asserting that a plan to halt the conflict with Russia is "90% of the way there", not a single person in that room wished to jeopardise retaining the US engaged.
Yet, there was an enormous elephant in the room in that grand and sparkling Paris meeting, and the fundamental tension was exceptionally tense.
Bear in mind the developments of the recent days: the Trump administration's controversial incursion in Venezuela and the President Trump's insistence shortly thereafter, that "we need Greenland from the perspective of strategic interests".
This massive island is the world's biggest island – it's six times the dimensions of Germany. It is situated in the Arctic but is an semi-independent region of the Kingdom of Denmark.
At the summit, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was seated across from two key individuals acting for Trump: diplomat Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser Jared Kushner.
She was under pressure from her EU counterparts to avoid antagonising the US over the Arctic question, lest that impacts US support for Ukraine.
EU heads of state would have greatly desired to separate Greenland and the discussions on Ukraine separate. But with the diplomatic heat escalating from the White House and Copenhagen, leaders of big states at the talks released a statement saying: "This territory is part of NATO. Stability in the North must therefore be secured jointly, in cooperation with alliance members such as the US".
"Sovereignty is for Copenhagen and Greenland, and them only, to decide on affairs concerning the kingdom and its autonomous territory," the declaration continued.
The statement was welcomed by Nuuk's head of government, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but critics say it was tardy to be drafted and, due to the limited set of endorsers to the statement, it was unable to demonstrate a Europe in agreement in objective.
"If there had been a common statement from all 27 member states, along with alliance partner the UK, in backing of Danish sovereignty, that would have conveyed a resounding message to America," noted a European foreign policy expert.
Consider the paradox at hand at the France meeting. Numerous European national and other officials, including NATO and the European Union, are seeking to secure the cooperation of the Trump administration in safeguarding the future independence of a continental state (the Eastern European nation) against the aggressive land claims of an external actor (Moscow), immediately after the US has entered sovereign Venezuela with force, detaining its leader, while also continuing to publicly challenging the territorial integrity of another continental ally (Denmark).
To compound the situation – Copenhagen and the US are both members of the transatlantic alliance NATO. They are, in the view of Danish officials, exceptionally key friends. Or were.
The issue is, were Trump to make good on his ambition to assert control over the island, would it constitute not just an severe risk to NATO but also a profound crisis for the European Union?
Europe Faces the Danger of Being Trampled Underfoot
This is far from the first instance President Trump has expressed his resolve to acquire the Arctic island. He's floated the idea of purchasing it in the past. He's also left open the possibility of a military seizure.
On Sunday that the island is "so strategic right now, it is frequented by Russian and Chinese naval assets all over the place. Our security demands Greenland from the standpoint of defense and Denmark is not going to be able to do it".
Copenhagen contests that claim. It has lately pledged to allocate $4bn in Greenland defence encompassing boats, drones and aircraft.
Under a mutual pact, the US has a defense installation currently on Greenland – set up at the onset of the East-West standoff. It has reduced the number of staff there from about 10,000 during the height of that era to about 200 and the US has frequently been criticized of taking its eye off Arctic Security, up to this point.
Denmark has suggested it is amenable to dialogue about a bigger US footprint on the territory and further cooperation but in light of the US President's warning of unilateral action, Frederiksen said on Monday that Washington's desire to acquire Greenland should be taken seriously.
After the American intervention in Venezuela this past few days, her fellow leaders in Europe are taking it seriously.
"The current crisis has just underlined – yet again – the EU's core vulnerability {
