Europe stands at a precipice. Following the US military operation in Venezuela, President Donald Trump and his close advisers have reiterated that Greenland - currently an autonomous territory of Denmark - will be next.

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"We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it," Trump told reporters this week. "Let's talk about Greenland in 20 days."

The threat is not mere hyperbole. Trump has appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, who publicly supports US annexation, as special envoy to Greenland.

And Katie Miller, wife of top Trump adviser Stephen Miller, recently posted an image of Greenland in US flag colours with the caption "SOON".

These are not random provocations but coordinated pressure tactics against a sovereign territory.

Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen responded by saying "That's enough now. No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation."

Danish leaders have warned a US attack on Greenland would signal "the end of NATO" and of post-second world war security.

Threats against NATO members (such as Denmark) could also embolden Russia even more and lead to more uncertainty for Europe.

So why are European leaders not more forcefully calling out Trump's threats against Greenland - as well as his government's shocking intervention in Venezuela? And what's at stake?

NATO's Article 5 commits members to treat an attack on one as an attack on all. If the US were to attack Greenland, Denmark would expect NATO's collective defence mechanisms to activate against the US.

European leaders have been forced to confront a reality they hoped to avoid: the US, NATO's founding member, may become the alliance's gravest threat.

But so far, the response across the continent to........

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