🔗 Share this article

Earlier today, a so-called Alliance of the Committed, predominantly consisting of EU officials, met in the French capital with representatives of the Trump administration, hoping to secure more progress on a durable settlement for the embattled nation.

With President Volodymyr Zelensky insisting that a roadmap to conclude the war with Russia is "nearly finalized", no-one in that room wished to risk keeping the US engaged.

Yet, there was an enormous unspoken issue in that opulent and sparkling gathering, and the underlying tension was extremely strained.

Recall the actions of the past week: the US administration's divisive intervention in Venezuela and the President Trump's assertion following this, that "our national security requires Greenland from the viewpoint of strategic interests".

The vast Arctic territory is the world's biggest island – it's six times the dimensions of Germany. It is located in the far north but is an autonomous region of Denmark's.

At the conference, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was sitting facing two key individuals speaking on behalf of Trump: emissary Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

She was subject to urging from European colleagues not to provoking the US over Greenland, lest that undermines US support for the Ukrainian cause.

The continent's officials would have much rather to keep Greenland and the discussions on Ukraine distinct. But with the tensions mounting from Washington and Copenhagen, representatives of big states at the Paris meeting released a communiqué asserting: "This territory is part of NATO. Security in the Arctic must therefore be attained jointly, in cooperation with NATO allies including the America".

"Sovereignty is for Copenhagen and Greenland, and them alone, to decide on issues regarding Denmark and its autonomous territory," the statement continued.

The communique was greeted by the island's leader, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but observers contend it was slow to be formulated and, owing to the restricted set of supporters to the statement, it was unable to project a Europe united in purpose.

"If there had been a joint statement from all 27 EU partners, in addition to NATO ally the UK, in defense of Copenhagen's control, that would have conveyed a strong message to Washington," noted a European foreign policy specialist.

Ponder the irony at play at the Paris summit. Several European government and other officials, such as the alliance and the EU, are attempting to engage the US administration in protecting the future independence of a EU nation (the Eastern European nation) against the expansionist territorial ambitions of an outside force (Russia), just after the US has intervened in independent Venezuela with force, detaining its leader, while also persistently publicly undermining the territorial integrity of a different continental ally (Denmark).

To add to the complexity – Denmark and the US are both participants of the transatlantic alliance the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, as stated by Danish officials, profoundly key friends. Previously, they were considered so.

The question is, if Trump were to fulfill his desire to bring Greenland under US control, would it constitute not just an existential threat to the alliance but also a profound challenge for the European Union?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Trampled Underfoot

This is not an isolated incident Trump has voiced his intention to control Greenland. He's suggested purchasing it in the past. He's also not excluded a military seizure.

He insisted that the territory is "crucially located right now, it is covered with foreign naval assets all over the place. Our security demands Greenland from the standpoint of strategic interests and Copenhagen is unable to do it".

Denmark strongly denies that last statement. It has lately committed to spend $4bn in Greenland defence including boats, drones and aircraft.

Under a bilateral agreement, the US maintains a military base currently on the island – set up at the beginning of the East-West standoff. It has scaled down the figure of personnel there from around 10,000 during peak Cold War operations to approximately 200 and the US has long been accused of taking its eye off Arctic Security, up to this point.

Denmark has suggested it is willing to talk about a expanded US role on the island and additional measures but faced with the US President's warning of going it alone, Frederiksen said on Monday that Washington's desire to acquire Greenland should be treated with gravity.

In the wake of the Washington's moves in Venezuela this weekend, her counterparts across Europe are doing just that.

"The current crisis has just emphasized – yet again – Europe's basic weakness {