Those Uncomfortable Questions for NATO and the European Union as President Trump Threatens the Arctic Island

Earlier today, a informal Group of the Committed, mostly made up of EU leaders, met in the French capital with envoys of President Trump, aiming to make further progress on a sustainable settlement for the embattled nation.

With President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that a roadmap to conclude the conflict with Russia is "largely complete", nobody in that room desired to jeopardise keeping the Washington involved.

Yet, there was an immense unspoken issue in that opulent and glittering gathering, and the fundamental mood was profoundly tense.

Recall the events of the past week: the US administration's controversial intervention in the South American nation and the President Trump's declaration shortly thereafter, that "our national security requires Greenland from the viewpoint of national security".

Greenland is the world's biggest island – it's six times the area of Germany. It lies in the Arctic but is an semi-independent territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.

At the Paris meeting, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was sitting facing two powerful figures acting for Trump: special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's relative Jared Kushner.

She was facing pressure from her EU allies to avoid provoking the US over Greenland, lest that impacts US backing for the Ukrainian cause.

EU heads of state would have much rather to separate the Arctic dispute and the discussions on Ukraine separate. But with the diplomatic heat escalating from the White House and Denmark, representatives of big states at the gathering released a declaration asserting: "This territory is part of the alliance. Defense in the Arctic must therefore be achieved together, in cooperation with alliance members including the US".

"Sovereignty is for Copenhagen and the Greenlandic authorities, and them alone, to rule on issues regarding Denmark and its autonomous territory," the declaration 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 limited set of endorsers to the declaration, it was unable to demonstrate a Europe united in purpose.

"Were there a unified statement from all 27 member states, plus NATO ally the UK, in defense of Danish sovereignty, that would have conveyed a resounding message to Washington," commented a EU foreign policy specialist.

Ponder the contradiction at play at the European gathering. Several EU national and other officials, such as NATO and the EU, are attempting to secure the cooperation of the US administration in protecting the future autonomy of a continental state (Ukraine) against the hostile geopolitical designs of an outside force (Russia), on the heels of the US has intervened in independent Venezuela militarily, detaining its leader, while also persistently actively undermining the sovereignty of another EU member (Denmark).

To compound the situation – Copenhagen and the US are both signatories of the defensive pact the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, according to Danish officials, profoundly close allies. At least, they were.

The question is, were Trump to act upon his ambition to bring Greenland under US control, would it represent not just an severe risk to NATO but also a major crisis for the EU?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Marginalized

This is not the first time Trump has voiced his resolve to acquire Greenland. He's proposed buying it in the past. He's also left open the possibility of taking it by force.

He insisted that the landmass is "vitally important right now, it is frequented by foreign vessels all over the place. It is imperative to have Greenland from the standpoint of defense and Copenhagen is incapable to do it".

Copenhagen strongly denies that assertion. It not long ago pledged to invest $4bn in the island's defense encompassing boats, drones and aircraft.

Under a mutual pact, the US has a military base already on the island – set up at the beginning of the Cold War. It has reduced the number of personnel there from about 10,000 during peak that era to around 200 and the US has often been faulted of taking its eye off polar defense, up to this point.

Denmark has suggested it is open to discussion about a bigger US presence on the territory and more but in light of the US President's threat of going it alone, the Danish PM said on Monday that Washington's desire to take Greenland should be taken seriously.

Following the Washington's moves in Venezuela this past few days, her colleges across Europe are taking it seriously.

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