Earlier today, the so-called Coalition of the Willing, largely made up of European leaders, met in Paris with envoys of US President Donald Trump, to try to make further progress on a sustainable peace deal for Ukraine.
With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky insisting a plan to end the war with Russia is '90% of the way there', no-one in that room wanted to jeopardise keeping the Americans onboard.
But there was an immense elephant in that grand Paris meeting and the atmosphere was extremely tense. The Trump administration's controversial intervention in Venezuela and the insistence that 'we need Greenland from the standpoint of national security' set the stage for a complex diplomatic environment.
Greenland, the world's largest island, lies in the Arctic and is an autonomous territory of Denmark. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen found herself under pressure from European colleagues not to antagonize the US regarding Greenland, fearing it might impact American support for Ukraine.
Europe's leaders preferred to keep Greenland and the Ukraine debate separate, yet escalating political tensions from Washington led them to declare: 'Greenland is part of NATO. Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in conjunction with NATO allies including the United States.'
Despite calls for solidarity, critics noted the limited number of endorsing countries in the statement, revealing a fragmented European stance. This was echoed by ECFR's Camille Grande, who emphasized that a unified statement from all EU countries alongside NATO ally the UK would have sent a potent message to Washington.
The meeting further highlighted Europe's vulnerability as they strived to engage the Trump administration about safeguarding Ukraine's future sovereignty against Russian territorial ambitions, following US military actions in Venezuela and threats to Danish control over Greenland.
As Trump's resolve to control Greenland resurfaced with claims of its strategic importance, the alliance's future came under scrutiny. The EU appears divided in its approach to the Trump administration, showcasing a fundamental weakness that risks undermining both NATO and its own integrity. With Denmark being a smaller, yet active NATO member, the alliance's unity is in question, prompting urgent calls for contingency planning from both former and current officials.
As political players in NATO prepare for the implications of Trump’s Greenland ambitions, the anxious atmosphere among European leaders indicates a crucial moment: will they unite to protect their interests or risk being overshadowed in the evolving landscape dictated by global power politics?
