The U.S. has begun talks with Russia this week to bring an end to the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. After years of unwaveringly backing Ukraine, President Donald Trump’s administration has decided to take a completely different path towards peace between the two nations by bringing Putin directly into the conversation.
The goal of concluding the Russia-Ukraine conflict is more than about how the United States is exerting its authority around the globe. It is about how Trump is trying to interrupt a longstanding positive diplomatic relationship between the United States and Europe. Trump’s courting of Russian President Vladimir Putin is a clear indication of his affection for a more imperialist style of leadership. The decision that the U.S. has taken to remove Europe from the negotiating table shows that the transatlantic relationship between these nations has become weak.
At the start of the week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance were in conversations with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to begin talks around ending the conflict. Rubio later flew out with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to Saudi Arabia to speak with Russian officials. These moves from the Trump administration marks the decisive end of four years of Russian isolation from the rest of the world. It is the strongest signal that the days of the U.S. protecting Europe are over. After just 30 days Trumps administration has become prone to sweeping, maximalist changes in foreign policy that have done little more than upset or annoy American allies.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Kier Starmer, has said that he would like the United Kingdom to be a central force in peace negotiations. He believes that the country could be instrumental in bridging the gap between Europe and the United States and has pledged to increase defense spending from 2.3 to 2.5% of GDP, which is a significant rise. He had also said that he would like to invest in troops on the ground to ensure a lasting peace. In doing so, the U.K. is trying to leverage a ‘special relationship’ with the U.S. that has also been collapsing into the 21st century. The preferences of the Prime Minister is not a high priority for Trump or his officials at the moment.
European leaders met in Paris on Monday, hosted by French President Emanuel Macron. He warned against the dangers of capitulating to Russia’s desires and stood in solidarity with the rest of Europe behind their plan to continue to protect Ukraine. Europe has often lauded the slogan “No talks about Ukraine without Ukraine”. Trump’s big ideas have dramatically hushed Europe’s megaphone, however. They are trying to dig themselves out of a hole that has been created by a lack of backing from the U.S. on their approach to the crisis.
In former President Joe Biden’s four years in office, there were a total of five Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) packages sent to Ukraine, each worth roughly $500 million. There was a concerted effort to strengthen the transatlantic relationship and protect a sworn ally. Now, the United States has made it publicly apparent that they don’t align with the views of Europe on a resolution for the conflict. Trump’s foreign policy instead aligns with a definitive ‘America first’ stance that he has been pushing for since his campaign for the presidency.
At the same time, a broader stripping away of the defense relationship between the two nations is being undertaken. The ‘North Atlantic Treaty Organization’, commonly known as NATO, has become the definitive joint defense body between the U.S. and Europe, expanding from just 12 members in 1949 to a total of 32 members in 2024. Ukraine was one of the latest countries to request membership into the organization, which it has not yet gained. The fact that the Trump administration is exercising thoughts about completely removing itself from NATO effectively signifies the U.S. washing its hands of a defense relationship that has been over 60 years in the making.
In trying to quickly hash out a deal that will be most beneficial to the U.S., the current administration is neglecting any tangible concerns about the outcome of Ukraine. The reality is that U.S. foreign policy has taken a different shade under the new president. The transactional nature of U.S. relations is now harming foreign policy decisions and worsening relations with world powers like North American neighbors Canada and Mexico. which have been historic allies.
Trump has developed the unique ability to normalize behavior and policy stances that would have previously been seen as abnormal. Treating the Russia-Ukraine conflict as a transaction to be won removes the diplomatic sensitivity that the situation requires. It means that the United States is turning its back on a history of diplomacy and international brokering.
Much of this made the United States the country that it is today. This will inevitably weaken the relationship that the U.S. has with the European continent and will form part of a long laundry list of countries that feel the sting from the president’s actions. What the administration currently seems to be failing to recognize is that every action has a reaction. The continuation of an ‘America first’ mindset may have long-term damaging consequences for the country.