Trump's mishandling of Ukraine hurts our allies – and empowers our enemies | Opinion
President Donald Trump has valid concerns about America's international agreements but lacks the nuance necessary to negotiate change properly.
Last week, the Trump administration dove headfirst into the foreign policy arena, negotiating with both Russia and Ukraine separately on the framework for ending the war in Ukraine, as well as for America’s interest in the war-torn nation.
After President Donald Trump made a series of outrageous comments, our allies in the rest of Europe have expressed concern about our reliability in the event of further conflict. Just as he did in his first term, Trump has valid concerns about America’s international agreements but lacks the nuance necessary to negotiate change properly.
The Trump administration has no problem sparking worry among our allies so long as their message is politically convenient to their supporters.
Trump is right about NATO spending, but his approach is wrong
Trump’s friendliness toward Russia last week has already spooked our NATO allies, and Trump has historically been critical of the world’s largest military alliance. The bad foreign policy continued on Monday when the United States voted against a United Nations resolution condemning Russia.
I’ve thought for a long time that NATO countries don’t spend enough on their defense. In fact, nine of the 32 countries in NATO cannot even meet the target of spending 2% of their gross domestic product on the military. The United States spends 3.38%, and while our military might stem from our wealth as a nation rather than from a ridiculous level of spending, NATO as a whole bringing their expenditures in line with the United States would significantly improve their security.
However, the Trump administration is inspiring change in the wrong way.
Trump lacks the nuance to navigate delicate foreign policy matters. NATO is an essential military alliance for the United States in the event of a world war, and our influence over member countries also gives us strength and security in times of peace.
There are better ways to spur change within NATO when it comes to spending than undermining its security. Trump’s friendliness with Russia has done exactly that, and emboldening a hostile power by spreading its propaganda is anti-American.
The good outcome from all of this is that Europe will hopefully become less reliant on America for defense, instead building up its infrastructure, which will strengthen NATO into the future.
However, the negative impact is that in the immediate future, Russia and China may surmise that America is unwilling to fund conflicts abroad and see little opposition to their territorial desires. The Chinese have their eyes on Taiwan, and I’m not so sure that America would intervene in any way should they act. When the dust settles on Ukraine, Moscow could continue to look westward in its territorial quest.
Trump is emboldening our enemies while undermining faith in us among our allies. Europeans feel they cannot depend on us to defend them and will move on without us.
Trump and Vance want to end the conflict, even if it weakens America
Elon Musk has been dominating headlines about the Trump administration’s domestic policies, so much so that he has taken attention away from Trump’s actual vice president, JD Vance.
However, as the Trump administration delves into the foreign policy arena, Vance is taking on a more significant role, increasing his influence.
Vance has long been critical of American intervention in the Ukraine conflict, and now that he has ascended to the White House, he is getting his wish through Trump.
The MAGA movement to which Vance belongs is highly skeptical of American dollars going abroad. Trump and Vance have not been shy about embracing the same outlook, even if it means weakening U.S. interests.
To give Vance credit, he has maintained that he wants Ukraine to keep “sovereign independence,” even in the face of reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin is looking to take all of Ukraine.
U.S. negotiators have also made it clear that they wish to maintain a sovereign Ukraine through a mineral use agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government. The deal would provide billions in value for the United States as Trump hopes to recoup some value from America’s investment.
However, Trump’s comments muddied the long-term future of the relationship between America and Ukraine. He has spent his public comments spreading Russian lies and smearing Zelenskyy as a dictator.
While I don’t envy the Trump administration's bargaining position on the matter of Ukraine, Trump has given up what little leverage remained by publicly making concessions to Russia and parroting Putin's propaganda.
Ukraine and our allies in the rest of Europe are rightfully worried by our volatile foreign policy stances. As his term continues, Trump is likely to further disrupt faith in America’s international position.
Dace Potas is an opinion columnist for Paste BN and a graduate of DePaul University with a degree in political science.