Before and after his inauguration, President Donald Trump appeared to be taking a more critical line on Russia, warning Moscow that it would face new sanctions if it didn’t enter into peace talks. In a social media post last month, Trump wrote: “We can do it the easy way, or the hard way ... It’s time to ‘MAKE A DEAL’.” But everything changed last week. After a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump flipped the script. The U.S. and Russia would enter into negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, Trump said, without mentioning any role for Ukraine’s government. His defense secretary flew to Europe and said NATO membership for Ukraine was off the table and it was unrealistic to expect Kyiv to regain the territory Russia had seized. By Tuesday night, Trump claimed that Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia three years ago, “should have never started” the war. That spat continued into Wednesday, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accusing Trump of living in a Russian “disinformation bubble” and Trump calling Zelenskyy a “dictator.” With his conciliatory words toward Putin and willingness to launch into direct talks, Trump effectively invited Russia in from the cold after three years of diplomatic and economic isolation. A photo from Saudi Arabia showing Trump’s deputies, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security adviser Mike Waltz, sitting across the table from senior Russian officials, seemed to capture the seismic shift. Within a week, Trump upended decades of U.S. foreign policy with Russia and Europe. And he raised grave questions in the minds of every American ally — not only in Europe but around the world. One consistent foreign policy theme throughout Trump’s public life, dating back to the 1980s, is his belief that allies are ripping Americans off. He has repeatedly questioned the value of alliances that date back to the end of World War II, arguing that the United States is being taken advantage of, either due to the cost of America’s military presence or allegedly lopsided trade relationships. Historians and analysts say the post-war order fueled a rise in living standards around the world, bolstered and spread democratic rule from Prague to Tokyo, and helped avert a war between major powers. But Trump and his supporters believe the U.S. has been too deferential toward its allies. Trump is testing the proposition that America can survive and thrive without cultivating its friends. Will “America First” mean “America Alone”? | 