Donald Trump's Ukraine Policy

Adam Joseph

With the election in hindsight, the American people are left in anticipation of what is to come from president elect Donald Trump’s second term in office. Unfortunately, all political theorists can do in the meantime is to speculate off of his word, which has not been shown to be the most reliable source. However, it is still important to see what to expect on the incoming president’s foreign policy, specifically with regards to recent developments in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

After the original attack in February 2022, Russia and Ukraine have found themselves in a little bit of a stalemate for the past two years, as Russia’s progress on the Eastern front has slowed down significantly. Russia’s lack of progress can mainly be attributed to the amount of foreign aid Ukraine has received from America over the past two years. Congress has passed bills that, in total, sent $106 billion directly to the Ukrainian government, with just under $70 billion of it being used for military spending. 

With Donald Trump returning as the 47th president, many are left worrying that the U.S. might stop its foreign aid to Ukraine. Running on a “America first” platform, President Trump has made it clear that his priorities are to remain domestic, which is the first sign of worry for many. And as of recent, North Korea has committed troops to Russia now, which puts President Trump in an even harder situation, as he has articulated his friendship and support to the leaders of these two countries, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-Un. With him returning to office with these two forces getting ready to launch an attack on Ukraine, it seems more than possible that any U.S. funding of Ukraine could be cut.

However, there is a chance that a Trump presidency could be good for ending the Russian attack on Ukraine. A former Trump advisor has recently come forward, explaining that the administration’s policy will not be focused on getting lost Ukrainian land back but instead finally settling the conflict. With the lack of progress being made on either side and the amount of resources being funneled into it, calling for a draw at this point might be the best option. 

The conflict in Ukraine is starting to escalate again. With that addition of North Korean troops being thrust into battle, it appears that there could be even more unnecessary deaths in this seemingly endless war. Once Trump comes into office, one thing is certain– foreign intervention on behalf of the U.S. government is going to change significantly. The question is how it will change. There is a good chance that President Trump will just outright cut all spending in support of Ukraine. There is also a good chance that this change of presidency will lead to a desperately needed call for peace overseas. But it is far too up in the air for there to be a definitive claim about how this new administration will affect the Ukraine conflict. With recent reports of eccentric billionaire Elon Musk joining a call between the president-elect and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, it is hard to predict what Trump has in store for this overseas affair.