Ever since Donald Trump launched his campaign for the 2024 presidential race, it has been pretty evident he would lessen support for Ukraine. He stated numerous times how he would end the war in less than 24 hours without really providing a real concrete plan on how he would. However, now that Trump won the election and is president, it is clear that he has a totally different playbook on not just Ukraine, but also the United States’ closest allies like Canada and other European countries.
On February 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the White House to sign Ukraine–United States Mineral Resources Agreement. The deal would have given the US the right of first offer for all future natural resources projects. The agreement also contained a clause stating that Ukraine would prevent any mineral sales to purchasers in countries the United States views as a competitor. In the Oval Office meeting in front of the press, Zelensky, Trump and Vice President JD Vance got into an unpleasant argument regarding US financial support for Ukraine. It was an unusual and shocking moment as this is rarely seen among adversaries let alone allies. Many Americans were outraged, and pro-Ukraine protests took place soon after in major US cities like New York. There was inevitable fallout of the unpleasantries at the Oval Office: the US paused all military aid and intelligence until Kyiv agreed to a ceasefire agreement negotiated by both the Ukrainian and American delegations in Saudi Arabia, and the Ukraine–United States Mineral Resources Agreement was never signed.
Even in the weeks leading up to this Oval Office meeting, it was obvious that the new Trump administration would have a more combative way of interacting with US allies. For instance, at the Munich Security Conference in mid-February, Vance attacked European allies regarding their handling of misinformation instead of talking about Ukraine and other defense strategies regarding Europe. This speech showcased the changes in the diplomatic relations brought by the new Trump Administration. The new administration is more critical of its allies and has no issues with cozying up to its adversaries.
In March, Trump decided to implement tariffs on all imported goods from the European Union, resulting in a trade war with allies. For example, there is a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports. He also implemented reciprocal tariffs on multiple countries, including a 26% tariff on the EU. Then on April 9, he announced that there would be a pause on all reciprocal tariffs (except China) for 90 days. These pauses were announced as the stock market had plummeted as a result of these tariffs. Regarding Europe in general, Trump has put in place tariffs on all US imports from Europe. As a result, the stock market in the US and around the world tumbled.
Events since Trump took office have been changing frequently, and it is unpredictable regarding what could take place next.