I was still wrapped in my blanket cocoon, phone inches from my face, when I saw a news clip that made me rub my eyes in disbelief. There, in the Oval Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Vice President J.D. Vance were locked in what could only be described as diplomatic theater of the absurd.
This was supposed to be a meeting to finalize a framework agreement between the two nations—one that could potentially pave the way for ending the Russo-Ukraine war. Instead, it spiraled into a spectacle fit for reality TV, the kind that would make producers giddy with excitement.
For those who’ve been living under a boulder of news avoidance, Ukraine has been fighting a brutal war since 2022, defending itself against an unprovoked Russian invasion. I sympathize with Ukraine because, much like the time my physically larger classmate used “strong persuasion” to convince me to “share” my pocket money in elementary school, I have zero tolerance for bullies. No matter what grievances Russian President Vladimir Putin may claim—and trust me, I’ve heard more coherent excuses from my cat after she’s chewed through my charging cable—sending armies to occupy a sovereign nation falls squarely into the absolutely unacceptable category.
Under former President Biden, the United States—along with its NATO allies—stood firmly behind Ukraine. The logic wasn’t exactly rocket science: If Putin wasn’t stopped in Ukraine, he’d feel emboldened to continue his forceful “family reunion” with other former Soviet republics. The stakes? Just minor concerns like European stability and the future of democracy in the region. No pressure.
Now, barely two months into Trump’s second term—a stretch of time that somehow feels like twenty DOGE-years—the geopolitical landscape has flipped like a buttered piece of toast, landing money-side down. Trump, along with his factually challenged Vice President Vance and his tepidly compliant Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has left the world reeling with a policy shift so abrupt it gave me whiplash. Not only did they blame the war on Ukraine, but they also accused Zelenskyy of being a dictator and aligned themselves with Russia and North Korea by refusing to support a UN resolution condemning Putin’s invasion.
It’s a seismic shift in U.S. foreign policy—one that leaves America’s allies questioning their relationship status. That Oval Office meeting was supposed to offer Ukraine a path to peace. Instead, it sent a stark message to America’s European partners: The U.S. can no longer be relied upon to provide security in Europe.