🔗 Share this article

Earlier today, a so-called Alliance of the Committed, mostly consisting of EU heads of state, convened in Paris with delegates of the Trump administration, aiming to secure more headway on a durable peace deal for the embattled nation.

With President Volodymyr Zelensky asserting that a roadmap to halt the conflict with Russia is "largely complete", not a single person in that meeting wanted to endanger maintaining the US involved.

Yet, there was an immense glaring omission in that opulent and glittering gathering, and the underlying tension was extremely tense.

Consider the events of the recent days: the White House's controversial intervention in the South American nation and the President Trump's declaration following this, that "we need Greenland from the perspective of national security".

This massive island is the world's greatest island – it's six times the dimensions of Germany. It is located in the Arctic region but is an self-governing territory of Denmark's.

At the summit, Mette Frederiksen, Copenhagen's leader, was positioned across from two key personalities speaking on behalf of Trump: emissary Steve Witkoff and Trump's relative Jared Kushner.

She was under pressure from her EU counterparts not to provoking the US over the Arctic question, for fear that that impacts US support for Ukraine.

The continent's officials would have far preferred to separate Greenland and the debate on Ukraine separate. But with the tensions escalating from Washington and Copenhagen, leaders of big states at the Paris meeting issued a declaration saying: "The island is part of NATO. Security in the North must therefore be achieved jointly, in partnership with alliance members including the US".

"Sovereignty is for Copenhagen and Greenland, and them only, to rule on matters regarding Denmark and its autonomous territory," the communiqué added.

The announcement was greeted by the island's leader, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but critics contend it was slow to be put together and, because of the limited group of signatories to the declaration, it failed to project a European Union in agreement in purpose.

"If there had been a common position from all 27 European Union countries, plus NATO ally the UK, in support of Copenhagen's sovereignty, that would have sent a strong signal to Washington," stated a European foreign policy analyst.

Reflect on the paradox at work at the France meeting. Several EU national and other officials, such as the alliance and the EU, are trying to involve the US administration in protecting the future sovereignty of a EU nation (the Eastern European nation) against the hostile land claims of an external actor (Moscow), immediately after the US has entered independent Venezuela militarily, taking its president into custody, while also persistently actively undermining the sovereignty of a further continental ally (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To make matters even more stark – Copenhagen and the US are both members of the defensive pact the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are, as stated by Danish officials, exceptionally strong partners. Or were.

The dilemma is, should Trump fulfill his ambition to assert control over the island, would it represent not just an severe risk to NATO but also a major problem for the EU?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Marginalized

This is far from the first instance Trump has voiced his determination to dominate the Arctic island. He's floated the idea of purchasing it in the past. He's also left open the possibility of taking it by force.

He insisted that the island is "crucially located right now, it is frequented by Russian and Chinese vessels all over the place. Our security demands Greenland from the standpoint of national security and Denmark is incapable to provide security".

Copenhagen refutes that assertion. It has lately committed to spend $4bn in Greenland defence encompassing boats, drones and aircraft.

Pursuant to a treaty, the US has a military base presently on the island – established at the start of the Cold War. It has reduced the total of staff there from around 10,000 during peak the confrontation to about 200 and the US has frequently been criticized of overlooking the northern theater, up to this point.

Copenhagen has indicated it is willing to talk about a expanded US footprint on the territory and further cooperation but confronted by the US President's assertion of independent moves, Frederiksen said on Monday that the US leader's goal to take Greenland should be treated with gravity.

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

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