The Painful Issues for NATO and the EU as Trump Targets the Arctic Island

Earlier today, a self-styled Alliance of the Willing, mostly composed of European officials, convened in Paris with envoys of US President Donald Trump, hoping to secure more advances on a lasting peace deal for the embattled nation.

With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that a framework to end the war with Russia is "nearly finalized", no-one in that meeting wished to risk retaining the Americans onboard.

Yet, there was an enormous unspoken issue in that opulent and sparkling summit, and the fundamental mood was exceptionally strained.

Bear in mind the developments of the last few days: the White House's divisive incursion in the South American nation and the President Trump's insistence following this, that "our national security requires Greenland from the standpoint of defense".

Greenland is the world's greatest island – it's 600% the size of Germany. It lies in the Arctic region but is an self-governing possession of the Kingdom of Denmark.

At the Paris meeting, Mette Frederiksen, Copenhagen's leader, was sitting across from two powerful figures acting for Trump: emissary Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

She was under pressure from European allies not to antagonising the US over the Greenland issue, lest that affects US assistance for Ukraine.

EU heads of state would have much rather to separate the Arctic dispute and the negotiations on the war apart. But with the tensions rising from the White House and Copenhagen, leaders of big European nations at the talks put out a statement stating: "The island is part of the alliance. Defense in the North must therefore be achieved jointly, in cooperation with treaty partners including the US".

"Sovereignty is for Denmark and the Greenlandic authorities, and them alone, to rule on matters related to Denmark and its autonomous territory," the declaration continued.

The announcement was greeted by Greenland's prime minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but critics say it was tardy to be formulated and, because of the small number of endorsers to the declaration, it failed to show a Europe in agreement in objective.

"Had there been a common statement from all 27 European Union countries, plus alliance partner the UK, in support of Danish control, that would have conveyed a resounding signal to America," commented a EU foreign policy expert.

Reflect on the irony at hand at the Paris summit. Numerous EU national and other officials, such as NATO and the EU, are trying to involve the US administration in guaranteeing the future autonomy of a continental state (Ukraine) against the expansionist land claims of an outside force (Moscow), on the heels of the US has entered independent Venezuela militarily, detaining its leader, while also persistently openly undermining the territorial integrity of a different European nation (the Kingdom of Denmark).

To compound the situation – Denmark and the US are both members of the transatlantic alliance NATO. They are, in the view of Copenhagen, profoundly key friends. At least, they were.

The dilemma is, were Trump to make good on his ambition to acquire Greenland, would it mark not just an severe risk to the alliance but also a profound challenge for the European Union?

Europe Risks Being Marginalized

This is far from the first instance Trump has expressed his determination to acquire the Arctic island. He's proposed buying it in the past. He's also left open the possibility of taking it by force.

Recently that the landmass is "so strategic right now, it is patrolled by Russian and Chinese naval assets all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of defense and Copenhagen is unable to handle it".

Copenhagen refutes that assertion. It not long ago vowed to spend $4bn in the island's defense for boats, drones and aircraft.

As per a treaty, the US operates a military base presently on Greenland – set up at the start of the Cold War. It has reduced the figure of troops there from around 10,000 during peak the confrontation to approximately 200 and the US has frequently been criticized of neglecting polar defense, until now.

Copenhagen has indicated it is amenable to dialogue about a expanded US footprint on the territory and additional measures but faced with the US President's warning of unilateral action, Frederiksen said on Monday that the US leader's goal to take Greenland should be taken seriously.

After the US administration's actions in Venezuela this past few days, her counterparts throughout Europe are taking it seriously.

"This whole situation has just underlined – yet again – Europe's fundamental vulnerability {