Trump and his White House tried to sacrifice Ukraine on the altar of their own strategy. However, Europe rose to the challenge. And she grew into a leadership role [OPINIA]
Three years after Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, with Donald Trump coming to power, The United States withdrew its promise to support Ukrainians defending their families and homes “for as long as necessary” against full-scale military aggression by a police state that openly sought to erase their country from the world map.
The decision, made on the initiative of President Donald Trump and passed by a Congress controlled by his allies, meant almost overnight the cancellation of American support for a nation fighting for its survival — and, more broadly, for the values traditionally associated with America: democracy and freedom. This shook the NATO alliance to its very foundations. The abandonment of Ukraine by the US was undoubtedly the most important geopolitical event not only of the fourth year of the Russian-Ukrainian war, but of the entire conflict.
In the following months, Ukrainians and their allies – at times with difficulty, but with great determination and persistence – began to regain their balance after this below-the-belt military and diplomatic blow (in Ukraine they say “treason”) from the US government.
For the first time since the beginning of the 20th century, the great European capitals – Berlin, Paris, London and Warsaw – significantly supported by Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Prague and The Hague, united forces, found financial resources, developed alternative support mechanisms and jointly managed a security crisis on a continental scale – and largely without the participation of Washington.
One of the pillars of the MAGA doctrine is the belief that “effeminate” Europe cannot act together or wage war effectively. However, reality showed something completely different.
This result – achieved by a coalition of leading European countries without a single cent of US funding – was achieved often despite open and cynical pressure from the White House for quick concessions to Russia.
As the fourth year of the Russian-Ukrainian war turned into its fifth, Russian offensives largely stalled on the 1,100-kilometer front line and Russian soldier casualties reached record levels.
The end of US military and financial support under the Trump administration is a fact — just as it is a fact that Europe has largely replaced that aid.
When the Trump administration turned off the aid to Ukraine, taxpayers across Europe – especially in Germany, the UK and the Scandinavian countries – took on the burden of financing. To a large extent, they managed to fill the gap.
Humiliation in the Oval Office
After taking power, the Trump administration announced that Ukraine was of no major importance to the US. In February 2025, during a face-to-face meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump demanded immediate concessions to Russia, stating: “you have no cards.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and United States President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House, Washington, February 28, 2025.Andrew Harnik / Staff / Getty Images
Meanwhile, Vice President J.D. Vance, sitting with obvious complacency on a nearby sofa, mocked the Ukrainian leader for wearing black military fatigues — a symbol of solidarity with the fighting defenders — instead of a smart Wall Street-style suit.
The White House has suspended all future arms shipments and financing to Ukraine, and even aid already approved and paid for by the US Congress has been made subject to additional conditions.
For ten days in March, it completely halted the transfer of weapons and intelligence, demanding that Ukraine accept a ceasefire and the presence of Russian troops on its territory – without any preconditions or concessions from Russia.
In July, another arbitrary suspension of deliveries was introduced, including, among others: short-range Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, long-range PAC-3/Patriot interceptor missiles, AIM-9 air-to-air missiles and precision ground-launched weapons systems.
On July 14, Trump publicly announced that if Russia did not agree to a peace agreement within 50 days, the United States would impose secondary sanctions on it. On July 28, he shortened this deadline to “10-12 days”. The deadlines passed without any reaction from the White House, and Russia remained one of the few countries for which the Trump administration did not introduce significant tariff increases.
Red carpet for the Kremlin
In mid-August, Trump held a summit with Vladimir Putin, ending his ten-year pariah status in relations with NATO countries. Potential tariffs against Russia were not on the agenda at the meeting in Anchorage.
The open arrest warrant for Putin issued by the International Criminal Court for the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children was also ignored.
As Putin walked the red carpet laid out by US soldiers at an air base in Anchorage, Alaska, Trump clapped and beamed at the cameras. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov wore a red T-shirt with the words “CCCP” — the Cyrillic abbreviation for the USSR — written on it.
Donald Trump greets Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, August 15, 2025.Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Associated Press/East News/East News
The Trump administration had previously announced that the president's negotiating skills would persuade Putin to agree to a ceasefire. However, the summit ended without a ceasefire and without any public mention of it – but with a smiling Putin in front of the media.
Russian state media promoted the narrative of Trump and Putin's close friendship and American support for Russia against Ukraine. In the months that followed, Trump and his aides repeated that Ukraine needed to “make concessions” — and quickly.
Europe invests, Ukraine produces
Meanwhile, in European capitals, and above all on the battlefields from Kharkov to Kherson, the reality was increasingly at odds with the rhetoric of the White House and the Kremlin.
There was a brutal war of attrition on the front – and by many indicators, despite the US withdrawal, Russia was suffering increasing losses.
By the end of 2025, the Ukrainian Armed Forces were already a world leader in the use of combat drones. Their crews probably eliminated more Russian soldiers each month than the Kremlin could recruit — despite record-high recruiting bonuses in Russia's poorer regions.
Ukrainian soldiers prepare a reconnaissance drone during the ongoing war in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, January 22, 2026.Anadolu / Contributor / Getty Images
In late July, Ukraine launched its first-ever strategic bombing campaign against enemy energy infrastructure using long-range drones. Every month, Ukrainian drones, reaching up to 2,000 km into Russia, attacked refineries, fuel tanks, pumping stations, transshipment quays, and even tankers moored in ports. On a typical night, 80 to 100 drones would hit two or three targets — almost always including a burning refinery. Russian oil production has fallen by 20-25%.
One of the most spectacular attacks was a series of strikes on Russian air bases using drones hidden in transport trucks. About 40–45 Russian bombers were destroyed or seriously damaged.
The question immediately arose on the Ukrainian Internet whether these were the “cards” that, according to Trump, Ukraine did not have.
Under Denmark's leadership, Ukraine's allies not only supplied weapons but also invested in the Ukrainian arms industry. As a result Ukraine has become one of the two largest producers of military drones in the world (exact data are kept secret by both China and Ukraine) and the most efficient producer of artillery ammunition in the free world. When Russia launched its invasion, Ukraine had virtually no weapons production of its own. At the end of 2025, Kiev declared that thanks to Western investments it already produces 50-60 percent of its GDP. its weapons and – provided financing – is able to wage war for years to come.
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Bloody commission
In February, the European Union, overcoming the hesitations of some countries afraid of “irritating” Russia, used a clever accounting solution by financing USD 90 billion. (approx. PLN 360 billion) of military support for Ukraine in the form of loans secured by Russian state assets frozen in European banks – which would be enough for another two years of war, if necessary.
As of February 2026, Ukraine was still receiving certain types of American weapons not yet produced in Europe or Ukraine itself—especially heavy air defense missiles and fighter missiles. However, these transfers were financed by Ukraine's European allies, not American taxpayers.
In October, Trump agreed to continue arms sales, but on the condition that he impose a 10 percent “surcharge” on Ukraine's allies. He explained this with the need to relieve the burden on American taxpayers. Ukrainians called this fee directly: blood money.
I’m Ashley Davis as an editor, I’m committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accuracy in every piece we publish. My work is driven by curiosity, a passion for truth, and a belief that journalism plays a crucial role in shaping public discourse. I strive to tell stories that not only inform but also inspire action and conversation.
