Is Trump breaking the Western alliance? Maybe not

Donald Trump’s supporters argue that pulling out of Ukraine, and thaw with Russia will allow Washington to focus on China. In an uncertain and transactional world, the transatlantic alliance also seems to be metamorphosing into a new version of itself

Commemorative events were held at the United Nations and in Ukraine this week to mark the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine. In a remarkable turn of events, the US voted twice with Russia on Resolutions at the UN, marking a clear change of stance on the war by the Trump administration. The first was a resolution drafted by the European Union condemning Russian actions and supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity in the UN General Assembly. The second, a resolution drafted by the US that was tabled at the UN Security Council, called for a swift end to the conflict without explicit criticism of Russia.

The voting took place even as French President Emmanuel Macron was visiting the White House to convince President Donald Trump to favour the European and Ukrainian stance on the war. British Prime Minister Keith Starmer will follow with a similar effort on February 27. Notably, the UK and France attempted to amend the language in the Security Council but these attempts were vetoed. As many as 65 states abstained on the UNGA resolution, including India and China, while 93 voted for it and 17 states including Russia and the US opposed it. The UNGA also passed a US resolution but only after it was amended to include stronger language in support for Ukraine, which led to a US abstention. The UK, France, Denmark, Greece and Slovenia abstained on the US-drafted resolution in the Security Council.