Translated by Giulia Maffeis
On January 20, Donald Trump was sworn in for the second time as President of the United States. On his first day as the 47th U.S. president, he signed a series of executive orders, which he described as the end of the “American decline”: among them, stricter immigration policies and the U.S. disengagement (and disinterest) in international affairs.
Trump, “Peace Bringer”
In his inaugural speech, the new American president presented himself as a “bringer of peace, with the most powerful military in the world.” A striking contradiction that outlines the U.S. geopolitical position for the next four years.
At the same time, Trump lifted restrictions on Israel’s supply of “heavy bombs” — one-ton explosives capable of disproportionate destruction — whose shipment had been blocked by Biden last May. This move sends a remarkable signal of support for Netanyahu’s government.
Beyond the Middle East, the new Trump administration seeks to measure itself by “the number of wars it can stop”:
“The measure of our success will not only be the battles we win but also the wars we end and, maybe most importantly, the wars we never enter. This is called peace through strength.”
Europe and the Donald, what will the future look like?
From Ukraine to the Western Balkans, in his second term, the U.S. president could push for disengagement from Europe. However, if Brussels responds decisively, the EU’s role in ensuring the continent’s security could emerge stronger.
Future challenges for the European Union include geopolitical turmoil and Trump’s return to power, while Poland, holding the six-month presidency of the EU Council, is pushing for security and stability in the region, advocating for a faster and more rigorous enlargement. In 2025, EU expansion returns as a top priority, with Montenegro and Albania close to accession.
“Europe must start defending itself and must invest European funds as well.”
A major common space requires shared financing, as emphasized by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk while outlining Poland’s presidential priorities: “The future is in our hands, not in those of China or the USA.”
Between 2023 and 2024, U.S. support for Ukraine slowly declined, primarily due to opposition in Congress. Over the past year, American aid has more than halved to $21 billion. For 2025, already allocated funds amount to $15 billion—another significant cut. Trump has vowed:
“Six months to end the conflict.”
While considering new sanctions against Russia if Vladimir Putin refuses to negotiate with Ukraine, the U.S. president repeated that peace “takes two”, signaling openness to a meeting with his Russian counterpart.
A Possible Peace Plan?
This time around, Russia appears genuinely willing to negotiate: with Trump back in the White House, Moscow would consider an agreement that acknowledges its territorial gains and ensures future guarantees for a ceasefire. On January 22, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that “at least 200,000 allied troops” would be essential to enforce any peace agreement in Ukraine.
Shortly after Trump’s re-election, The Wall Street Journal published the most comprehensive version of a (potential) peace plan the former tycoon might propose to resolve the Ukrainian crisis. The plan reportedly includes a demilitarized zone on both sides of the front, a 20-year guarantee that Ukraine will not join NATO, and a European-led peacekeeping presence on Ukrainian soil, with minimal U.S. involvement. However, Trump neither confirms nor denies the plan, saying that revealing it would undermine its effectiveness in negotiations.
On the Oval Office desk, there is reportedly an agreement in which Russia would retain some of the occupied territories in exchange for peace. Currently, Russian forces control approximately 20% of Ukraine’s territory.
This would be a peace without justice, leaving Ukraine mutilated, weakened, and scarred by a war that began in 2014. The challenge now is to rebuild the post-invasion reality—a total war that has been devastating an entire country and an entire generation for the past three years. What remains to be seen is Ukraine’s future beyond February 24, 2022.
Mondo Internazionale APS – All Rights Reserved ® 2025
Share the post
L'Autore
Giuliana Băruș
Studi in Giurisprudenza e Diritto Internazionale a Trieste.
Oltre che di Diritto (e di diritti), appassionata di geopolitica, giornalismo – quello lento, narrativo, che racconta storie ed esplora mondi – fotoreportage, musica underground e cinema indipendente.
Da sempre “permanently dislocated – un voyageur sur la terre” – abita i confini, fisici e metaforici, quelle patrie elettive di chi si sente a casa solo nell'intersezionalità di sovrapposizioni identitarie: la realtà in divenire si vede meglio agli estremi che dal centro. Viaggiare per scrivere – soprattutto di migrazioni, conflitti e diritti – e scrivere per viaggiare, alla ricerca di geografie interiori per esplorarne l’ambiguità e i punti d’ombra creati dalla luce.
Nel 2023, ha viaggiato e vissuto in quattro paesi diversi: Romania, sua terra d'origine, Albania, Georgia e Turchia.
Affascinata, quindi, dallo spazio post-sovietico dell'Europa centro-orientale; dalla cultura millenaria del Mediterraneo; e dalle sfaccettate complessità del Medio Oriente.
In Mondo Internazionale Post è autrice per la sezione “Organizzazioni Internazionali”.
Categories
Tag
USA Donald Trump UE Donald Tusk NATO Russia Russia-Ukraine war