Abdelrahman
The Great Collision: A Shift in U.S. Foreign Policy
A significant turning point has commenced.
This week, as President Trump’s national security team made their way to Europe, the essence of their stringent stance was largely expected. However, for the political and diplomatic figures convening in Munich for the annual security summit on Friday, the magnitude and abruptness of the divide with the Trump administration were quite startling.
Unlike his initial term, President Trump has started to implement tariffs without engaging in preliminary diplomatic discussions, affecting both allies and rivals and dismantling years of established trade agreements.
While Trump was occupied with signing executive orders, his Vice President, JD Vance, travelled to Paris. There, he declared to a gathering of global leaders focused on the future of artificial intelligence that the United States would lead the industry by manufacturing the most advanced microchips domestically, developing software within the country, and establishing the governing rules. He stated that Europe had to either align itself with this vision or step aside.
Then came the developments surrounding Ukraine. On Wednesday, Trump’s newly appointed Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, addressed a coalition of allies in Brussels, suggesting that Ukraine should abandon its goal of reclaiming all territories lost in its conflict with Russia. Shortly thereafter, Trump engaged in conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, discussing negotiations while already conceding control of certain territories to Russia and confirming that Ukraine would not be joining NATO. Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is in Kyiv, initiating discussions regarding U.S. access to Ukraine’s untapped rare earth minerals.
These unilateral concessions led to a sense of sidelining among European leaders, including President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, as they found themselves marginalized in discussions over Ukraine’s territorial integrity and, by extension, Europe’s future. As a result, on Thursday, they began to express their concerns about the new administration’s approach, cautiously realizing that provoking Trump could worsen their standing.
