🔗 Share this article

Earlier today, a informal Group of the Willing, predominantly composed of European leaders, met in the French capital with envoys of the Trump administration, hoping to secure further advances on a durable peace agreement for the embattled nation.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that a roadmap to halt the war with Russia is "largely complete", not a single person in that gathering desired to jeopardise maintaining the Washington involved.

Yet, there was an immense glaring omission in that opulent and glittering summit, and the prevailing tension was profoundly strained.

Consider the actions of the recent days: the US administration's contentious incursion in Venezuela and the American leader's insistence following this, that "our national security requires Greenland from the perspective of national security".

This massive island is the world's greatest island – it's six times the size of Germany. It lies in the far north but is an semi-independent region of the Kingdom of Denmark.

At the conference, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was seated facing two powerful personalities speaking on behalf of Trump: diplomat Steve Witkoff and Trump's relative Jared Kushner.

She was subject to urging from European counterparts to avoid provoking the US over Greenland, in case that affects US support for the Ukrainian cause.

Europe's leaders would have greatly desired to separate the Arctic dispute and the negotiations on Ukraine apart. But with the diplomatic heat mounting from the White House and Copenhagen, representatives of leading EU countries at the Paris meeting released a declaration asserting: "This territory is part of NATO. Defense in the North must therefore be secured jointly, in conjunction with NATO allies like the United States".

"Sovereignty is for Copenhagen and the Greenlandic authorities, and them only, to decide on matters concerning the kingdom and its autonomous territory," the statement added.

The communique was welcomed by Nuuk's head of government, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but critics argue it was delayed to be formulated and, owing to the limited number of signatories to the statement, it was unable to project a European Union united in intent.

"Had there been a unified statement from all 27 European Union countries, in addition to alliance partner the UK, in backing of Danish control, that would have sent a powerful message to Washington," stated a EU defense specialist.

Reflect on the contradiction at hand at the France meeting. Several European national and other leaders, from NATO and the European Union, are attempting to engage the White House in guaranteeing the future sovereignty of a continental state (the Eastern European nation) against the expansionist territorial ambitions of an foreign power (Moscow), on the heels of the US has swooped into independent Venezuela militarily, taking its president into custody, while also still actively challenging the sovereignty of another continental ally (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To compound the situation – Copenhagen and the US are both participants of the military bloc NATO. They are, in the view of Danish officials, profoundly strong partners. Or were.

The dilemma is, should Trump make good on his ambition to assert control over the island, would it represent not just an fundamental challenge to the alliance but also a major challenge for the European Union?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Overlooked

This is not an isolated incident President Trump has spoken of his intention to control Greenland. He's suggested purchasing it in the past. He's also refused to rule out a military seizure.

Recently that the territory is "crucially located right now, it is patrolled by Russian and Chinese naval assets all over the place. Our security demands Greenland from the perspective of strategic interests and Copenhagen is unable to provide security".

Copenhagen contests that assertion. It not long ago committed to invest $4bn in Arctic security including boats, drones and aircraft.

As per a mutual pact, the US maintains a defense installation already on Greenland – founded at the beginning of the East-West standoff. It has scaled down the figure of staff there from about 10,000 during the height of Cold War operations to about 200 and the US has frequently been criticized of taking its eye off the northern theater, until now.

Copenhagen has suggested it is amenable to dialogue about a larger US footprint on the island and more but confronted by the US President's assertion of unilateral action, Frederiksen 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 counterparts in Europe are doing just that.

"The current crisis has just emphasized – once again – the EU's basic shortcoming {