How Trump is changing the US-Russia relationship

Throughout the Cold War, and then again after the invasion of Ukraine, the United States stood as a bulwark against Moscow's ambitions. That is changing under President Donald Trump.

America is "giving the impression it is switching sides" in Europe, said The New York Times. Trump on Tuesday falsely suggested that Ukraine was responsible for the war with Russia — "you should have never started it," he said, referring to Kyiv — when it was Russia that "started it" by invading Ukraine. The president's comments signal that Trump is "willing to abandon America's allies" to make nice with Vladimir Putin, said the Times.

Those comments are part of a "remarkable diplomatic shift," said The Associated Press. Russian and U.S. officials met Tuesday in Saudi Arabia for talks aimed at "improving their diplomatic and economic ties." The Russians are happy with the sudden turnabout: "I have reason to believe that the American side has started to better understand our position," said Sergey Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister. Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not so happy. Trump "lives in a disinformation space" influenced by Putin, he said.

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An 'assault on Europe'

Europe is "struggling to respond" to America's "about-face" under Trump, said The Wall Street Journal. The continent pulled together in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, and again when the Russians invaded Ukraine. But the warm U.S.-Russia alliance has discombobulated the continent, setting off a "blur of inconclusive meetings and squabbling governments." European leaders say they must "coalesce" in the face of Trump's moves. "I think Europe needs to get its act together," said Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

Trump's approach amounts to an "assault on Europe," said The Economist. The president has "carelessly" set aside "decades of diplomacy that has underpinned NATO as the most successful military alliance in modern history." The worst-case scenario now is if Trump signals "he will not come to NATO's aid if it is attacked by Russia." That seems unlikely "at least for now," said The Economist.

A 'much less American-centric world'

The "American betrayal of Ukraine" has begun, said Jim Geraghty at the National Review. Putin must be "grinning from ear to ear" after Trump's comments blaming Ukraine for the war. Trump has already offered to lift sanctions on Russia and to refuse Ukraine's membership in NATO, and in return, Putin has offered "nothing, really." Secretary of State Marco Rubio said America would work with Russia on matters of "mutual geopolitical interest," but that raises a question: "What 'mutual geopolitical interest' do we have with the regime that fired a missile into Kyiv's main children's hospital?" said Geraghty.

The U.S. is "alienating its allies," Richard Haass, the president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, said to NPR. The result will be a loss of American influence as those allies realize they can no longer depend on the United States for backing. Some may even decide to start building their own nuclear arsenals as a hedge against losing U.S. protection. We're moving toward "a much less American-centric world," Haass added.