After being elected as the 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump promised to “end wars” in his victory speech Tuesday night, leaving Europe apprehensive about the conflict in Ukraine and the future of NATO.
Trump promised to return to an “America First” foreign policy, vowing to stop using the country’s resources to fight wars abroad. Throughout his campaign, the president-elect repeatedly claimed he could end the war between Russia and Ukraine “in a day,” though he has failed to provide any specifics. In his previous term, Trump paired isolationist rhetoric with escalated U.S. interventions from Somalia to Yemen.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was among the first foreign leaders to congratulate Trump, sharing his hopes for collaborative action to end the war.
“Congratulations to @realDonaldTrump on his impressive election victory! I recall our great meeting with President Trump back in September, when we discussed in detail the Ukraine-U.S. strategic partnership, the Victory Plan, and ways to put an end to Russian aggression against Ukraine,” Zelensky wrote on X.
Trump is likely to urge Moscow and Kyiv to agree to a ceasefire upon taking office, while also slashing aid for Ukraine's defense. The U.S. has provided Ukraine with $175 billion in aid since the country was invaded by Russia in early 2022. But many fear Trump's ceasefire talks will be on Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s terms, which include rejecting any future attempts by Ukraine to join NATO.
Last month, Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, told NBC News that to end the war in Ukraine, “we’re going to have to engage in some sort of negotiation between Ukraine, between Russia, between our NATO allies in Europe."
Vance has been a vocal critic of U.S. aid to Ukraine, calling for the latter to surrender territory to Russia, a stance that Zelensky said was “too radical,” The New Yorker reported in September.
Many Russian officials were quick to celebrate Trump’s victory, eager for the possibility of a negotiation that favors their interests. Several Russian officials were openly gleeful about Harris’ loss, prematurely celebrating the end of America’s aid to Ukraine.
"Kamala Harris was right when she quoted Psalm 30:5: 'Weeping may remain in the night, but joy comes in the morning,’” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram. “Hallelujah, I would add for myself.”
The Russian parliament’s head of foreign affairs, Leonid Slutsky, told The Washington Post that Trump’s victory will be a huge blow for Ukraine.
“Judging by the pre-election rhetoric … the Republican team is not going to send more and more American taxpayer money into the furnace of the proxy war against Russia,” he said.
Putin himself had yet to congratulate Trump as of Wednesday afternoon. There has been a wealth of speculation in recent months about Trump’s relationship with the Russian leader, as details of secret communication between the two men have emerged since Trump left the White House in 2021.
For much of the rest of Europe, a second Trump term brings apprehension and uncertainty. During his first presidency, Trump threatened to leave NATO. This time around, he’s repeatedly warned that the U.S. will abandon European allies who don’t invest more in defense. He’s previously criticized many of NATO’s European members for failing to commit more of heir GDP to their defense budgets.
While a Trump presidency likely means Europe can rely on the United States much less for its defense, it could also force EU governments to build stronger alliances, Politico reported.
A post from French prime minister Emmanuel Macron hinted as much. After congratulating Trump, Macron wrote that he had spoken with his German counterpart about the fate of their two countries going forward.
“I have just spoken with the Chancellor @OlafScholz. We will work towards a more united, stronger, more sovereign Europe in this new context. By cooperating with the United States of America and defending our interests and our values,” Macron wrote on X.
Scholz' echoed Macron's words. "The European Union must stand close together and act in a united manner," he told reporters on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.
