Trump prioritizes domestic agenda, foreign aid on pause
In his inaugural speech, Donald Trump did not address Russia's war against Ukraine. Instead, he suspended all American foreign aid programs for 90 days. Nedim Useinov, a Crimean political scientist living in Poland, told us, "Everything is now subordinate to domestic policy and agency within his country."
Donald Trump, the newly sworn-in president of the United States, did not mention the war being waged by Russia against Ukraine even once in his inaugural speech. Ukrainian media noted this, emphasizing that Trump declared himself a "messenger of peace." However, he only mentioned peace in terms of wars in which the U.S. would no longer participate.
Ukraine remains an ongoing topic of interest. The RBK-Ukraine portal, among others, reminded readers that quickly ending the war in Ukraine was one of the new U.S. president's election promises.
The American leader only later addressed the war in Ukraine—at the White House, during the signing of a series of executive orders. He was questioned about it by journalists.
Trump announced that he would gladly meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and reiterated his intention to end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible. He added that Putin "cannot be thrilled" with how the war is going for him.
Domestic policy comes first
"I think everything Donald Trump is currently saying and doing is subordinate to the logic of his relationship with voters and American society. He emphasized domestic issues strongly in the election campaign, while foreign and international matters took a back seat. Among Trump's voters, there's now a demand for the fulfillment of promises where the U.S. is put first. The slogan 'America First' represents all the current actions of the American president," Nedim Useinov, a political scientist from the University of Warsaw and a member of the Coordination Council of the World Congress of Crimean Tatars in Poland, told us.
In his view, the omission of the war in Ukraine in Trump's speech was because it was not a popular and easy topic during the election campaign.
"In the speech and first hours of his presidency, he focused on actions that highlighted his agency. He signed decrees, decisions, and requests for pardons, including for those involved in the Capitol attack. In doing so, he garnered even more support from voters," Nedim Useinov assesses.
According to the executive order published on the White House website on Monday, Trump suspended all American foreign aid programs for 90 days to assess their alignment with his foreign policy. The document emphasizes that "no further United States foreign aid can be dispensed in a manner that is not fully consistent with the president's foreign policy."
According to the Associated Press, the decree signed by Trump pertains to international aid programs focusing on development initiatives, including UN agency activities, peace initiatives, refugee support programs, and human rights protection. Military aid for Ukraine is carried out under the PDA, USAI, and FMF programs, which were not covered by the decree.
PDA (Presidential Drawdown Authority) allows the U.S. president to quickly transfer military equipment from army reserves during crises. USAI (Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative) is a Congress-funded program providing Ukraine with long-term support like equipment purchase, training, and defense modernization. FMF (Foreign Military Financing) enables allied countries to purchase American arms through grants or loans, strengthening their defense capabilities. All these programs are crucial for enhancing Ukraine's military capabilities and remain unaffected by the restrictions introduced by Trump's decree.
The Associated Press noted that Trump has long opposed foreign aid, despite it accounting for only about 1% of the federal budget—except in extraordinary circumstances, such as the multi-billion-dollar weaponry supplied to Ukraine.
"More populism than realism"
"The executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump suspending international aid for 90 days does not apply to military support for Ukraine," believes Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center to Combat Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.
"In such actions by Trump, one can see more populism than realism. Aid for Ukraine has already been approved by Congress and activated, and the Trump administration is not in a position to reverse it with a single decision and revoke the previous decision. They would have to go through Congress again. And although they have the appropriate majority there, it would be time-consuming and must adhere to procedures," comments Nedim Useinov.
And as he comments, no far-reaching and hasty conclusions should be drawn from Trump's actions.
The Crimean political scientist believes that the U.S. president will face challenges in ending the war in Ukraine.
"Ukraine must wait"
"He will not get it done in 24 hours; we'll see if he manages it in six months, as he recently declared. Yet again, Trump is aware that this is not the most crucial problem for Americans. Much more important is what's happening at the Mexican border, where the U.S. president has announced very strict actions," assesses the Wirtualna Polska source.
In Useinov's view, Ukraine must wait.
"Also because Trump will want to show the international community that he is an effective president and that the U.S. is a power and a major player in the world. And that it can play a decisive role in many matters. Since he said he wants to be an advocate for peace, quickly ending the war in Ukraine will not happen. There will be significant challenges along the way," the Crimean political scientist assesses.
In his view, the biggest problem will be the personal conflict with Putin.
"The Russian leader, like it or not, will present himself as an experienced player and long-time dictator who has been in power when presidents were changing in the U.S. He will treat Trump as a strong leader but look down on him due to more significant political experience and a longer presidential career," Nedim Useinov believes.
And as he emphasizes, concerning ending the war in Ukraine, one should listen more to what the U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and the new Secretary of State Marco Rubio will say. Meanwhile, Trump will avoid this topic.
"All this creates anxiety in Ukraine. It's known that every political change brings with it fears. These have already arisen after the election outcome in the U.S. Now, before Trump organizes matters related to administration and domestic policy, several months will pass. This is an opportunity window for Putin," the WP expert says.
In his assessment, the real concern in Ukrainian society is caused by the situation on the front.
It's not about the word "quickly"
"Russians have made significant recent advances. These are substantial gains, although not yet strategic, to break the front line and threaten, for example, the Ukrainian capital. Ukrainians hoped that a change of power in Washington would somehow contribute to freezing the conflict and stopping Russian advances. Nothing of the sort has happened, and Ukraine must wait," Nedim Useinov predicts.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky referred to Trump's declaration on ending the war at the Davos forum.
"Trump told me, and then announced publicly, that he would do everything to end the war this year. I told him: we are your partner. We know how painful this war is; we are losing people, that is our greatest loss. We want to end the war this year. But it's not about the word 'quickly,' but primarily about fairness. So that Ukrainians can return home and live and work safely," said the leader of Ukraine.
