Trump's pivot on Ukraine: Reshaping America's global role
Donald Trump and his attack on Volodymyr Zelensky could signal changes in global politics. "Wall Street Journal" and "Washington Post" analyze the possible consequences.
The "Washington Post" emphasizes that the verbal conflict between Trump and Zelensky raises concerns about the future of U.S. policy towards Russia and Ukraine. The newspaper recalls that Trump has previously sided with Putin, which could lead to significant geopolitical reorganization.
"This time, Trump’s siding with Russia comes after Putin has waged the largest land war in Europe in 80 years, killing hundreds of thousands of people, committing what the International Criminal Court has said are war crimes and seeking to wipe an entire nation off the map," the "WP" highlights.
In the view of the "Wall Street Journal," Trump appears to be heading toward abandoning the path on which U.S. diplomacy has remained for decades. In just four weeks, Trump radically changed the direction of American foreign policy, making the United States a less reliable ally and withdrawing from global commitments in a way that could radically change the U.S.'s relations with the world, it reads.
Trump-Zelensky conflict: Global consequences
The "New York Times" notes that Republicans in Congress have either significantly softened their criticism of Trump or are not speaking out at all regarding his actions and statements.
"There has been no concerted effort to challenge [Trump] from GOP leaders or senators who play pivotal roles in overseeing military and foreign policy in Congress," it reads.
In the newspaper's opinion, "it is a striking turn for Republicans, who for decades defined themselves as the party of a strong defence and argued that the United States had a pivotal role to play as a beacon of freedom and defender of democracies around the globe."
Michael Schuman from "The Atlantic" warns that Trump's policy could weaken the U.S.'s position on the international stage, giving China an opportunity to strengthen its influence.
"The main beneficiary will be the Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who has been planning for the moment when Washington stumbles and allows China to replace the United States as the world’s superpower. That Trump is willing to hand the world over to Xi—or doesn’t even realize that’s what he’s doing—shows that his myopic worldview, admiration for autocrats, and self-obsession are combining to threaten international security and, with it, America’s future," Schuman writes.
