The Binding of Ukraine

Why is it that every time there are international crises, there are countries that the Great Powers choose to sacrifice? Are they worthless in world affairs that deserve to be treated as such? In 2025, it seems that the latest such country is one which we heard all about: Ukraine.

One of the reasons Russia invaded Ukraine on that fateful day on February 24, 2022, was to topple its pro-Western government and bring it upon its orbit. The result was a long-dragged war with no headways, and a war of attrition in Ukraine, with Russia controlling parts of the country. Meanwhile, elections in the U.S. in 2024 resulted in a new president at the White House; Donald J. Trump is his name. And it seems that American policy for the country changed overnight. Suddenly, the U.S. is not quick to come to the aid of a country that sincerely wants to be part of the West. Is that how you treat an ally?

First, Trump undermined a foundation that the West does not speak directly to Russia. What Trump did was simply putting on a telephone call to his Russian counterpart, flabbergasting Europe. Then, the U.S. demands ownership of minerals in the Ukraine to pay for the war. Since when, if American hegemony is concerned, has a country on the American side forced to concede mineral rights to its own big ally? Last, but not least, is Trump’s abhorrent comments on Zelensky this month, where he called him a “dictator” and put the blame on the war on him.

In a geopolitical standing, Trump’s strategy is as follows. Just like President Nixon decided to warm relations with China to drive an even deeper wedge between China and the Soviet Union, Trump must believe that by driving a wedge between Russia and its allies, the U.S. would destroy the plan on destroying its global hegemony once and for all.

This is extremely concerning, as someone who is also living in a country that may also be at the mercy of Trump’s antics. How much time will pass until other U.S. allies, too, would be a victim? Would Trump cease support for Israel? Will it suddenly claim that every invention in our start-ups will be owned by the U.S. as payments for weapons? Would Trump even cozy up with not-so-friendly countries such as Turkey (Iran is too far of a stretch)?

A UN vote during the General Assembly showed how much Trump’s election overturned the geopolitical map, maybe up to 2029. Only last month, the U.S. voted with countries that until recently were its adversaries (together with Israel). Time will tell what will happen with Ukraine, whether it will be butchered into pieces, or feel betrayed at the most. As said above, this is extremely concerning in Israel’s part. It is up to Israeli policymakers to keep a wary eye on Trump’s antics.