The Painful Queries for NATO and the EU as President Trump Targets Greenland

This very day, a informal Group of the Committed, largely made up of European officials, convened in the French capital with delegates of US President Donald Trump, aiming to make additional progress on a durable peace agreement for the embattled nation.

With President Volodymyr Zelensky asserting that a framework to end the war with Russia is "nearly finalized", nobody in that meeting wanted to risk keeping the US onboard.

Yet, there was an immense glaring omission in that impressive and glittering gathering, and the fundamental mood was exceptionally tense.

Bear in mind the events of the recent days: the US administration's contentious involvement in the South American nation and the US president's assertion following this, that "it is essential to have Greenland from the standpoint of national security".

The vast Arctic territory is the world's largest island – it's sixfold the dimensions of Germany. It is located in the Arctic but is an self-governing region of Denmark's.

At the summit, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was positioned opposite two key personalities representing Trump: diplomat Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

She was under pressure from European counterparts not to provoking the US over Greenland, lest that impacts US support for Ukraine.

EU heads of state would have greatly desired to keep the Arctic dispute and the discussions on Ukraine separate. But with the diplomatic heat mounting from Washington and Denmark, leaders of major EU countries at the talks put out a statement asserting: "The island is part of NATO. Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved together, in conjunction with treaty partners like the US".

"It is for Denmark and Greenland, and no one else, to decide on matters regarding the kingdom and Greenland," the statement further stated.

The statement was greeted by the island's leader, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but observers say it was tardy to be drafted and, because of the small set of endorsers to the statement, it failed to project a European Union in agreement in objective.

"Had there been a common statement from all 27 EU partners, plus alliance partner the UK, in backing of Copenhagen's sovereignty, that would have conveyed a resounding message to the US," noted a European defense analyst.

Consider the contradiction at work at the Paris summit. Numerous European government and other leaders, from NATO and the EU, are trying to engage the White House in safeguarding the future sovereignty of a EU nation (Ukraine) against the hostile geopolitical designs of an foreign power (Moscow), just after the US has intervened in independent Venezuela militarily, detaining its leader, while also still actively undermining the territorial integrity of a further European nation (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To compound the situation – Copenhagen and the US are both participants of the defensive pact NATO. They are, according to Danish officials, extremely strong partners. At least, they were.

The issue is, should Trump act upon his ambition to assert control over the island, would it represent not just an fundamental challenge to NATO but also a major crisis for the European Union?

Europe Risks Being Trampled Underfoot

This is not the first time President Trump has spoken of his resolve to dominate the Arctic island. He's suggested buying it in the past. He's also left open the possibility of forcible annexation.

Recently that the island is "vitally important right now, Greenland is covered with foreign naval assets all over the place. We need Greenland from the perspective of strategic interests and Denmark is incapable to handle it".

Denmark refutes that claim. It has lately committed to allocate $4bn in Greenland defence including boats, drones and aircraft.

Under a mutual pact, the US maintains a defense installation presently on Greenland – founded at the beginning of the Cold War. It has reduced the figure of personnel there from around 10,000 during the height of that era to about 200 and the US has long been accused of neglecting polar defense, up to this point.

Denmark has suggested it is amenable to dialogue about a expanded US presence on the territory and more but confronted by the US President's threat of unilateral action, Frederiksen said on Monday that Trump's ambition to take Greenland should be treated with gravity.

After the Washington's moves in Venezuela this weekend, her fellow leaders in Europe are heeding that warning.

"These developments has just emphasized – for the umpteenth time – Europe's core vulnerability {