Trump administration heading into great unknown as critics smash USA’s ‘dramatic shift’ in push to end Ukraine war

This week’s “landmark agreement” that may bring about a Ukraine ceasefire is loaded with an uncomfortable question nobody has the answer to.

The United States has aligned itself with Russia at the United Nations, signalling a stark reversal in Washington’s stance on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and igniting millions of critics across the globe.

In the three years of conflict in Ukraine, the US has backed the nation to the tune of $65.9 billion (A$103b) in military aid. An envoy of tanks, anti-air systems and mountains of ammunition has assisted Ukraine’s efforts to push back the constant Russian offensive. But that is all set to end under Donald Trump, who has repeatedly claimed he will end the war as fast as possible, first by stopping the US taxpayer funding missiles in another continent.

His route to end the violence has immediately raised eyebrows, especially in Europe, where several of Ukraine’s backers are pushing for the nation’s right to defend itself and reclaim its land from Russia.

Trump has opted to placate Vladimir Putin instead, a man he refuses to label a dictator and one he believes “wants the war to end”.

There are a million questions that remain unanswered as relations between longstanding US allies sour under Trump and it is yet to be seen if handshaking with Russia will yield positive results.

Some believe he’s playing 4D chess by taking an unpopular position with an invading force to strike an ultimately beneficial deal for the world, while others say he’s “radically” abandoning a key foreign policy principle that has propped up the US for decades by siding with an enemy of Europe.

Trump’s route to end the violence has immediately raised eyebrows, especially in Europe, where several of Ukraine’s backers are pushing for the nation’s right to defend itself and reclaim its land from Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron today proclaimed a ceasefire must not mean Ukraine “surrenders”. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP)

US says UN vote will ‘deter further aggression’

The votes, which took place at the General Assembly in the morning and at the Security Council in the afternoon, showed the world exactly what President Trump’s administration is willing to do with the power it now wields.

Monday’s votes placed Washington alongside Moscow and its allies, including Belarus, North Korea, and Sudan, all of which are refusing to condemn Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

The United States had initially drafted a competing resolution but abandoned support for its own text after European allies pushed to reword it to explicitly attribute the “full-scale invasion of Ukraine” to Russia.

Despite the setback at the General Assembly, the US pushed its original text to a vote at the Security Council, where it passed with 10 votes in favour and five abstentions.

France, Britain, Denmark, Greece, and Slovenia abstained. Neither France nor Britain exercised their veto power, which could have blocked the resolution.

Moscow officials diplomatically described today’s developments as “constructive changes”.

“We acknowledge the constructive changes in the United States position when it comes to the Ukrainian conflict,” said Russia’s UN envoy Vassily Nebenzya.

Meanwhile, Washington officials hailed the “landmark agreement”.

“We call on all other UN member states to join the United States in pushing for a durable peace that will bring stability to Europe and deter further aggression,” said the US envoy to the United Nations, Dorothy Shea.

“We are proud that the Security Council has done just that, just now, in passing a historic landmark agreement on Ukraine, the first such in three years.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for peace ‘this year’. (Photo by Handout / UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE / AFP)

It has been three years since Russia’s invasion. (Photo by Roman PILIPEY / AFP)

Potential ramifications pile up

Today’s events have understandably incensed Trump’s opposition further, who have already spent the past week loudly condemning his comments claiming Volodymyr Zelensky was a “dictator” and that his government “started” the war.

Trump’s chumming-up with Putin has raised alarm with analysts claiming the implications are “almost hard to think through”. Trump has convinced his camp he has the silver bullet to end the violence, but even he can’t predict the fallout to his characteristically brash comments made about allies.

An article published in the The Atlantic, an outlet Trump has previously described as radically left wing, has turned its back around on the US President, claiming his move against Europe is a seismic departure from a principle that has propped up 80 years of US foreign policy.

Historian Anne Applebaum says Trump has brazenly burnt a bridge with key European allies in the same style he has dealt with interior political opponents in the US.

He believes he has the best plan for each problem and is willing to sour relations to get his way.

“By doing that, Trump is saying, ‘I don’t care anymore about alliances. I’m not interested in your opinions. I’m going to do a deal with this dictator over your head’,” Applebaum said.

“And that’s a message that is heard not just in every European capital, but in every allied capital around the planet as a sign that the US is changing.”

Applebaum argues Trump has now set off an uncontrollable domino effect.

“What happens to our trade relationships with Europe and with Asia? What about the US companies that have enjoyed special favour in those markets?” she said.

“All these things that have governed US behaviour and allied behaviour all over the world for 80 years, now disappear.”

Trump has opted to placate Vladimir Putin, a move that has been met with serious criticism. (Photo by Mikhail METZEL / POOL / AFP)

Putin question still unresolved

The criticism hasn’t just been from the left. Republican Senator John Curtis of Utah said he was “deeply troubled” by the US vote against the United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Curtis took offence at the fact the US had voted the same way as North Korea, a demonstrably authoritarian state with a bloody history of oppression.

“I was deeply troubled by the vote at the UN today which put us on the same side as Russia and North Korea. These are not our friends,” Curtis posted on X.

He also pointed out a fair criticism and a question nobody can answer for certain about Vladimir Putin and his “further territorial ambitions”.

“This posture is a dramatic shift from American ideals of freedom and democracy. We all want an end to the war, but it must be achieved on terms that ensure Ukraine’s sovereignty and security and that deter Putin from pursuing further territorial ambitions.”