Trump's America first: Redefining global leadership roles
Americanist Prof. Michał Urbańczyk from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań assessed that Donald Trump's foreign policy prioritizes the slogan "America first." Under Trump's leadership, he emphasized that the United States is retreating from the role of a global leader and focusing on its interests.
This shouldn't surprise us. Trump, as the president of the USA, is primarily responsible for taking care of his country's interests, not those of the entire world. Americans have abdicated from being a global leader. They have said — we don't have the strength, money, or desire to ensure everyone's security everywhere — the expert stressed.
During the security conference in Munich, Vice President J.D. Vance criticized European leaders for abandoning values, imposing censorship, and ignoring voters. According to Prof. Urbańczyk, such speeches aim to "shake up" European politicians who, in Trump’s view, are not fulfilling their obligations to the USA.
Relations with Russia and Ukraine
Prof. Urbańczyk also addressed Trump's controversial statements regarding Ukraine. The US President accused Ukraine of starting the war and lacking an agreement with Russia. The Americanist pointed out that these statements are part of Trump's negotiation strategy, even though they are inappropriate.
They should not happen. This is certainly part of Trump's negotiation strategy, who simply wants to pressure President Zelensky. However, such statements should absolutely not appear — noted the expert.
Urbańczyk admitted he could not imagine a situation in which the US president would accept terms of the agreement on Ukraine that the whole world could assess as his failure. At the same time, he added that if Trump concluded that it was "worth it for him to end this war as soon as possible, no matter the conditions, it might turn out that something like this could happen."
The expert does not doubt that Trump does not intend to sever the Euro-Atlantic alliance completely, but his policy could lead to changes in relations with Europe. Prof. Urbańczyk emphasized that despite the controversies, the ties between the USA and Europe are too strong for one person to sever them completely.
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