Those Uncomfortable Queries for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the EU as President Trump Targets Greenland

This very day, a informal Alliance of the Willing, predominantly consisting of European heads of state, met in the French capital with envoys of President Trump, aiming to secure more advances on a lasting settlement for the embattled nation.

With President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that a plan to halt the hostilities with Russia is "nearly finalized", no-one in that meeting wished to jeopardise maintaining the US involved.

Yet, there was an enormous unspoken issue in that impressive and luxurious Paris meeting, and the fundamental tension was extremely strained.

Bear in mind the developments of the past week: the White House's controversial intervention in the South American nation and the American leader's insistence following this, that "our national security requires Greenland from the standpoint of strategic interests".

Greenland is the world's greatest island – it's sixfold the size of Germany. It is situated in the far north but is an self-governing territory of Denmark's.

At the summit, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was seated opposite two powerful personalities speaking on behalf of Trump: diplomat Steve Witkoff and Trump's relative Jared Kushner.

She was facing pressure from European allies not to provoking the US over the Greenland issue, lest that undermines US backing for Ukraine.

EU heads of state would have far preferred to keep Greenland and the debate on the war distinct. But with the diplomatic heat rising from Washington and Denmark, representatives of leading states at the gathering issued a declaration asserting: "This territory is part of the alliance. Stability in the North must therefore be achieved together, in conjunction with treaty partners including the America".

"The decision is for Denmark and the Greenlandic authorities, and no one else, to decide on matters concerning the kingdom and its autonomous territory," the statement further stated.

The statement was greeted by the island's leader, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but critics argue it was slow to be formulated and, due to the limited set of supporters to the statement, it was unable to show a Europe in agreement in purpose.

"If there had been a unified position from all 27 EU partners, along with alliance partner the UK, in support of Danish sovereignty, that would have delivered a resounding signal to America," stated a EU defense expert.

Consider the paradox at hand at the Paris summit. Several European government and other officials, from the alliance and the European Union, are trying to secure the cooperation of the White House in guaranteeing the future autonomy of a EU nation (Ukraine) against the expansionist geopolitical designs of an external actor (Moscow), immediately after the US has intervened in sovereign Venezuela by armed intervention, arresting its head of state, while also still openly challenging the autonomy of a further 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, extremely strong partners. At least, they were.

The dilemma is, should Trump act upon his ambition to bring Greenland under US control, would it mark not just an fundamental challenge to the alliance but also a major crisis for the European Union?

Europe Risks Being Marginalized

This is far from the first instance Trump has expressed his intention to acquire Greenland. He's proposed acquiring it in the past. He's also not excluded forcible annexation.

On Sunday that the island is "vitally important right now, it is patrolled by Russian and Chinese naval assets all over the place. Our security demands Greenland from the standpoint of defense and Copenhagen is not going to be able to handle it".

Copenhagen contests that claim. It recently pledged to allocate $4bn in Greenland defence encompassing boats, drones and aircraft.

As per a bilateral agreement, the US maintains a strategic outpost presently on the island – founded at the beginning of the Cold War. It has scaled down the figure of troops there from about 10,000 during peak Cold War operations to approximately 200 and the US has frequently been criticized of neglecting the northern theater, until now.

Denmark has suggested it is open to discussion about a bigger US footprint on the island and additional measures but faced with the US President's assertion of independent moves, Frederiksen said on Monday that the US leader's goal to acquire Greenland should be treated with gravity.

In the wake of the American intervention in Venezuela this weekend, her fellow leaders across Europe are taking it seriously.

"These developments has just underlined – once again – the EU's basic vulnerability {