Aaron Stein
US President Donald Trump is a radically transparent person but still manages to surprise. After promising for years that he would put pressure on Ukraine to agree with Russia to halt fighting, Trump has recently followed through. He directed his administration to extort the Ukrainian government for a natural resources agreement, ostensibly to “pay back” the American taxpayer for military assistance, and called on Europe to provide a military force to occupy the country to deter a Russian resumption of fighting after any agreement is reached.
Trump’s demands have caused a serious fissure in transatlantic relations. It is essential to understand the roots of these fissures so that the US-European relationship can evolve to meet the moment. Trump is remarkably consistent, and elements of his worldview have become mainstream, particularly his demand of Europe to do more for itself so that Washington can focus on the Indo-Pacific. The Obama administration first announced the “rebalance” towards Asia in 2011, which continued during the first Trump administration, accelerated under former President Joe Biden, and will likely fully mature during Trump’s second term. The “rebalance” always included a basic tradeoff: The United States would de-emphasize its commitments in the Middle East and Europe in favor of a reallocation of forces in Asia and Australia.
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