🔗 Share this article

This very day, a informal Group of the Determined, largely consisting of EU leaders, convened in the French capital with envoys of the Trump administration, aiming to make further progress on a durable peace agreement for Ukraine.

With President Volodymyr Zelensky insisting that a plan to end the war with Russia is "nearly finalized", nobody in that gathering wanted to jeopardise keeping the US onboard.

Yet, there was an immense unspoken issue in that impressive and sparkling gathering, and the underlying mood was exceptionally uneasy.

Recall the events of the recent days: the White House's controversial involvement in Venezuela and the President Trump's assertion soon after, that "our national security requires Greenland from the standpoint of defense".

Greenland is the world's largest island – it's 600% the area of Germany. It is located in the far north but is an semi-independent territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.

At the summit, Mette Frederiksen, Copenhagen's leader, was seated opposite two key individuals representing Trump: diplomat Steve Witkoff and Trump's relative Jared Kushner.

She was facing pressure from her EU allies to refrain from antagonising the US over the Greenland issue, in case that undermines US assistance for the Ukrainian cause.

The continent's officials would have far preferred to compartmentalize Greenland and the discussions on Ukraine separate. But with the diplomatic heat mounting from the White House and Copenhagen, leaders of leading European nations at the Paris meeting put out a statement asserting: "The island is part of the alliance. Stability in the North must therefore be secured jointly, in conjunction with alliance members like the America".

"Sovereignty is for Copenhagen and Greenland, and them only, to decide on affairs regarding the kingdom and its autonomous territory," the communiqué continued.

The announcement was welcomed by the island's leader, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but observers say it was tardy to be drafted and, because of the small set of supporters to the declaration, it did not manage to project a European Union aligned in purpose.

"Were there a joint declaration from all 27 EU partners, in addition to alliance partner the UK, in backing of Copenhagen's authority, that would have sent a resounding signal to America," commented a EU defense expert.

Ponder the paradox at work at the European gathering. Multiple EU national and other officials, including the alliance and the European Union, are seeking to involve the US administration in safeguarding the future independence of a EU nation (Ukraine) against the aggressive territorial ambitions of an outside force (Russia), immediately after the US has intervened in sovereign Venezuela by armed intervention, taking its president into custody, while also continuing to publicly challenging the autonomy of a further EU member (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To compound the situation – Denmark and the US are both members of the defensive pact the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, according to Copenhagen, profoundly key friends. Or were.

The dilemma is, should Trump fulfill his desire to bring Greenland under US control, would it mark not just an severe risk to the alliance but also a significant problem for the European Union?

Europe Risks Being Trampled Underfoot

This is not the first time Trump has voiced his determination to control Greenland. He's proposed purchasing it in the past. He's also refused to rule out forcible annexation.

On Sunday that the landmass is "vitally important right now, Greenland is patrolled by foreign vessels all over the place. It is imperative to have Greenland from the perspective of national security and Denmark is not going to be able to handle it".

Denmark contests that claim. It not long ago committed to invest $4bn in the island's defense for boats, drones and aircraft.

Pursuant to a treaty, the US has a strategic outpost presently on the island – established at the onset of the Cold War. It has scaled down the number of personnel there from about 10,000 during peak Cold War operations to about 200 and the US has long been accused of overlooking polar defense, up to this point.

Denmark has signaled it is open to discussion about a expanded US role on the island and additional measures but faced with the US President's assertion of unilateral action, Frederiksen said on Monday that Trump's ambition to control Greenland should be considered a real possibility.

After the US administration's actions in Venezuela this weekend, her colleges across Europe are taking it seriously.

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