Vice President JD Vance, right, speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, as President Donald Trump listens in the Oval Office at the White House
| Photo Credit: Mystyslav Chernov
Over the past week, two events have redrawn U.S. relations with Ukraine as the latter battles Russia for the third year. First, the U.S. broke precedent and adopted a neutral stance at the United Nations on resolutions regarding the Russia-Ukraine war. Second, Donald Trump, the country’s new President empathised with Russian President Vladimir Putin on camera, while lambasting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for refusing ceasefire deal.
Contrast this with former President Joe Biden’s term. Billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, outspoken support for Ukraine’s sovereignty alongside strong criticism of Putin marked his time in office. With a new Republican President in office, America’s government structures and priorities have already seen a broad overhaul. Foreign policy aspects like international aid, membership in global organisations and halting of funding initiatives have followed. America’s posture in the Russia-Ukraine war is next.
Policy pivot
On Monday (February 24, 2025), the 193 member countries of the United Nations General Assembly voted on two resolutions, with one more brought for a vote in the 15-member United Nations Security Council. The UNSC resolution mourned the loss of life, reiterated the UN’s purpose is to maintain international peace and security and peacefully settle disputes, and urged a swift end to the conflict and a lasting peace.
This is the first time since 2022 that the U.S. has voted alongside Russia on a resolution about the war. The press conference with Mr. Zelenskyy that followed on Saturday (March 1, 2025) was the most dramatic demonstration of the country’s change of stance. However, it was hardly the first.
Besides calling Mr. Zelenskyy a “dictator” in the past, Mr. Trump said last month that he wanted back the money sent to Ukraine these past couple years. “We’re going to get our money back because it’s just not fair,” he said.
Mr. Trump’s attitude is in line with what his party’s voter base thinks. An opinion poll from Pew Research Centre conducted in the first week of February this year showed how more Republicans are against maintaining high levels of American aid to Ukraine.
American support for Ukraine
If the U.S. slashes or stops its aid to Ukraine, the warring country will lose a significant chunk of assistance. For context, the U.S. provided €114.15 billion as aid to Ukraine, or around 42% of total aid between 2022 and December 31, 2024.
Mr. Biden approved a surge in aid towards the end of last year in order to ramp up the flow before the end of his term. However, with Mr. Trump at the helm, aid flows are set to drop. Data from the Ukraine Support Tracker (maintained by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy) showed that in case Mr. Trump halts aid flow, Ukraine will lose around €80 billion in 2025.
Published – March 03, 2025 12:24 pm IST
