Trump's Ukraine policy: unexpected priority despite the lack of focus

Trump's Ukraine policy: unexpected priority despite the lack of focus

The Ukraine policy of US President Donald Trump

Trump's critical perspective on Russia

A striking characteristic of Trump's attitude to Ukraine is his continuous criticism of the economic damage that the Kremlin boss Russia causes. Trump makes a business case for a peace treaty and appeals to the Russian President Vladimir Putin to reach an agreement for financial reasons.

However, Putin's obvious pathological pursuit of a victory could misunderstand this perspective. For Moscow and his propagandists, the conflict is an existential matter that is seen as a war against all of NATO. This view is not only business nature, but expresses survival.

Trump's repeated discussions about the war

Another remarkable element is that Trump regularly talks about the war, although he excluded it in his inaugural speech on Monday. He correctly recognized on Thursday that a lower oil price of Russia could restrict warfare. Russia sells oil to China and India to keep the war machinery going, despite the sanctions that aim to reduce the income.

Trump also explained that he would speak to Kim Jong Un of North Korea, whose troops are now fighting for Moscow in Kursk. In addition, he rightly pointed out that Beijing has a big influence on Moscow and that she could force them to a peace agreement.

China's role and the geopolitical implications

Trump looks at the conflict through the lens of shops and that all parties are looking for a solution that will bring you financial profit. China could wish to be calmer and ultimately wish that the Ukraine conflict would never have started. However, this is currently not the reality, and Xi Jinping has to go a narrow line: on the one hand, it sees how his ally Moscow is displaced militarily and economically, on the other hand he is aware that Russia cannot lose the fight without endangering China's global ambitions.

Europe's responsibility in the Ukraine conflict

A crucial point is that it is right to say that this is Europe's war. Should Kiev lose, Poland, the Baltic States, Romania and Moldova will feel the consequences - not Florida or California. Even NATO boss Mark Rutte has indicated that Europe could possibly buy weapons for Ukraine from the United States. Trump will always question the costs of the war for Washington, and Europe is urged to assume more responsibility.

Trump's controversial statements about the war balance

Western officials regularly announce that Russia's losses amount to 700,000 deaths and wounded, while independent media have documented almost 100,000 public records that indicate Russian militaries on the battlefield.

Trump's promises and the future of Ukraine

Although Trump's emotional reference to millions of dead aims to illustrate the urgency and horror of the war in front of an American audience, which often does not speak about it, remains an exaggerated rhetoric. Even six months seem optimistic. But he took up the job with a shaky but lively understanding of the problem of war. This understanding could disappear if he slowly realizes that an agreement is not easy to achieve and that his opponents, even if Putin is portrayed as "big", are more patient, persistent and smarter.

In the first week, however, Trump contributed a lot to dispel the greater fear of Ukraine and its Allies that he puts preference for a close relationship with Putin about NATO unity. The fear that his unrealistic diplomatic promises from the election campaign - including the war financing - could disappear with his taking office should not occur for the time being. However, the future remains complex and challenging for Trump, since he is dealing with rivals that have far more experience in this task and have a lot more to lose or win.

Trump is obliged to the topic, has an emotional, although shaky understanding of the horrors of war and criticizes Putin instead of glorifying it. This represents another unexpected turn in a conflict characterized by unpredictability.