Confrontation with the West: what does Donald Trump want?

Donald Trump returned to the White House six weeks ago, and for a short period there is a major change in American foreign policy. Under Trump, Washington's relations with Moscow are being revived at the expense of Ukraine, which was attacked and partially occupied by Russia. Instead of including European allies in this twist, the US administration is now stressing differences in previous common values.

On Wednesday (February 26th), Trump declared: “The EU was created to deceive the US, while on Friday (February 28th) the American president, along with his vice president, J.D. Vance, an argument with Volodymyr Zelensky started in front of the world public.

Ukrainian president went to the White House to sign an agreement on rare metals. Instead, Trump and Vance offended him.

Is Trump ending the Western world order?

Historian Norbert Frey, who heads the 20th century History Centre at the University of Jenna, sees in all these developments the end of the world order established after World War II and the collapse of the Soviet Union. “The goal is clear: A global triumvia (threeth alliance, St.red.) with Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and Putin”, Frey told Deutschlandfunk.

What Trump doesn't want to see is that the U.S. is fighting as a declining world power. And right now they are rejecting their only remaining allies - Europe. While Europe is now left entirely in its hands”.

And that's why diplomatic talks are under way in Europe to find a common answer first at a summit in London and then at an extraordinary summit in Brussels.

“I hope they realize that this is a clear change of direction in world politics,” said Mikhail Alekseyev, a political scientist at the University of California, San Diego.

The execution at the Oval Office was not just a clash between the two leaders. It hides a signal of the US's greatest distance from Europe. We can't get any more American security guarantees, not just for Ukraine, but maybe even for NATO is safe. ”

A year ago, during his election campaign, Trump questioned Washington's military support for NATO members spending less than the agreed amount on defence. He even said that he “would encourage Russia to do whatever he wants to do with those countries that don't pay. Trump said that in February 2024 during his speech in South Carolina, while on another occasion he urged Europeans to invest five percent of their gross domestic production for defence”.

Will there be complete divisions with Europe?

Laura von Daniels, who heads America's working group at the Berlin-based <x0-> Science and Policy Foundation, says there has been a great nightmare, but that a complete collapse in transatlantic relations cannot currently be identified.

I believe the situation will be difficult and that he is willing to harm the interests of the European Union. In both security and economic policy, such as punitive fees. That's all true. But it is not in his interest to interrupt all relations with Europe overnight”, she thinks.

Von Daniels points to Trump's economic plans, such as Europe's treatment as a major market for liquid American natural gas. So economic pressure will be on the rise. “In March, tariffs for steel and aluminum” will come, says Von Daniels, and adds that in spring and summer, Europe should count on setting new tariffs, such as cars.

Trump wants to use these measures to equalise the trade balance between the EU and the US. According to US data, in 2024 The United States bought goods and services worth almost a thousand billion more from the EU than the EU bought from the US.

Von Daniels believes that existing transatlantic relations are useful for Trump. Of course, it's a legitimate question, if they still define themselves as an alliance of Western values. ”

Gabriel: Trump wants to weaken Europe

Former German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel Social Democrat, who currently heads Atlantic Bridge organisation, believes the administration TrumpYou no longer see Europe as an ally. Gabriel told a German newspaper that Trump “cannot find anything in common with Europe, because its outlook is almost entirely contrary to our European understanding of co-operation. I'm almost sure he wants to weaken or even destroy Europe”.

Regarding the upcoming talks between Trump and Putin for ending the war in Ukraine, Gabriel recalls the conference held in Yalta, where the US, the Soviet Union and Great Britain decided to divide Germany after the end of World War II.

“Trump takes into account a kind of Jalta 2.0, where the strong men of the world's policy would divide the world into areas of interest while the little boys would have to see how it would turn out,” said Gabriel.

Ukraine an obstacle to direct negotiations with Putin

Laura von Daniels says it is unclear what Trump's final goal is, but on Friday it became clear that Ukraine is an obstacle on its way to direct negotiations with Putin. She said about the Oval Office dispute that she “has the identifying marks of what we know of authoritarian heads of states”.

Washington's Institute for War Research has published an analysis under which the suspension of US military aid to Kiev would increase “the possibility of a Russian victory” in Ukraine, in its ambition to increase control over former Soviet republics, such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, while the influence of the United States in the world would be reduced. / DW