🔗 Share this article

Earlier today, a self-styled Coalition of the Committed, mostly consisting of European leaders, met in Paris with representatives of President Trump, aiming to make additional progress on a durable settlement for the embattled nation.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that a plan to halt the war with Russia is "largely complete", no-one in that gathering wanted to endanger maintaining the US engaged.

Yet, there was an immense glaring omission in that grand and sparkling summit, and the fundamental atmosphere was exceptionally uneasy.

Bear in mind the developments of the past week: the US administration's contentious involvement in the South American nation and the US president's declaration following this, that "we need Greenland from the standpoint of strategic interests".

The vast Arctic territory is the world's greatest island – it's sixfold the dimensions of Germany. It is situated in the Arctic but is an semi-independent possession of Copenhagen.

At the Paris meeting, Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's Prime Minister, was seated across from two key individuals representing Trump: special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser Jared Kushner.

She was under pressure from European counterparts to avoid alienating the US over Greenland, in case that affects US backing for Ukraine.

EU heads of state would have greatly desired to compartmentalize the Arctic dispute and the negotiations on the war separate. But with the political temperature rising from the White House and Copenhagen, representatives of leading EU countries at the Paris meeting issued a communiqué asserting: "Greenland is part of NATO. Stability in the North must therefore be secured collectively, in cooperation with NATO allies such as the US".

"Sovereignty is for Copenhagen and the Greenlandic authorities, and no one else, to rule on affairs regarding the kingdom and its autonomous territory," the declaration continued.

The communique was welcomed by Greenland's prime minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but observers argue it was tardy to be formulated and, owing to the limited group of endorsers to the declaration, it did not manage to demonstrate a European Union aligned in intent.

"Had there been a common position from all 27 member states, in addition to NATO ally the UK, in defense of Danish authority, that would have delivered a powerful warning to America," stated a European defense specialist.

Reflect on the irony at play at the France meeting. Numerous European national and other leaders, including NATO and the EU, are seeking to involve the Trump administration in safeguarding the future autonomy of a EU nation (the Eastern European nation) against the aggressive land claims of an outside force (Russia), just after the US has intervened in sovereign Venezuela with force, detaining its leader, while also persistently openly threatening the territorial integrity of a further European nation (Denmark).

To make matters even more stark – Copenhagen and the US are both signatories of the defensive pact the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, in the view of Copenhagen, profoundly key friends. At least, they were.

The question is, were Trump to make good on his goal to assert control over the island, would it constitute not just an severe risk to NATO but also a profound challenge for the European Union?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Overlooked

This is far from the first instance Trump has spoken of his resolve to control Greenland. He's proposed purchasing it in the past. He's also left open the possibility of a military seizure.

He insisted that the territory is "vitally important right now, Greenland is patrolled by Russian and Chinese vessels all over the place. Our security demands Greenland from the perspective of defense and Copenhagen is incapable to do it".

Copenhagen refutes that assertion. It has lately pledged to allocate $4bn in the island's defense including boats, drones and aircraft.

Pursuant to a treaty, the US has a defense installation already on Greenland – set up at the onset of the Cold War. It has scaled down the total of troops there from about 10,000 during peak the confrontation to around 200 and the US has long been accused of taking its eye off Arctic Security, up to this point.

Copenhagen has signaled it is amenable to dialogue about a larger US role on the island and more but faced with the US President's threat of unilateral action, the Danish PM said on Monday that Trump's ambition to take Greenland should be taken seriously.

Following the American intervention in Venezuela this past few days, her counterparts across Europe are taking it seriously.

"This whole situation has just highlighted – once again – Europe's fundamental shortcoming {