The United States Retains Its Decisive Role in the Ukrainian Crisis

News:

US President Donald Trump said his meeting with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy went "very well." The two sides discussed a wide range of issues.

"It was a great honor to meet with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. Many issues were discussed. The meeting went very well," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

On July 28, Zelenskyy stated that during a meeting with US President Donald Trump, he discussed the issue of obtaining licenses for the production of interceptors for the Patriot air defense system. (Source:https://nv.ua/world/geopolitics/vstrecha-zelenskogo-i-trampa-obsudili-podderzhku-i-vooruzhenie-ukrainy-50628039.html)

Comment:

After Donald Trump's second term in the White House, and especially after his controversial meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on February 28, 2025, many were left with the impression that the United States, under this president, wants a swift end to the Russian-Ukrainian war.

However, after 1 year and 5 months, we can clearly see that the true goals were to shift the burden of the war onto European countries while maintaining a leading role over the largest source of instability in Europe since World War II.

The United States, whether under the previous President Biden or now under Trump, is using Russia's invasion of Ukraine to achieve its long-standing goals.

Let's list some of them:

1. Strengthening NATO due to the presence of an external threat. During the NATO summit in The Hague (June 24-25, 2025), the United States achieved its long-standing goal of forcing the alliance member countries to increase their overall defense and security spending to 5% of GDP per year by 2035.

2. European countries are shifting their energy supplies from Russian to other sources, including US energy. This transition began practically immediately after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

3. Preventing China from entering into an alliance with Russia, which would give it access to cheap Russian energy and other resources. The issue of a full-fledged alliance between China and Russia has been put on hold, as China, fearing sanctions, has adopted a wait-and-see approach and is awaiting the end of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

4. Limiting Russia's international influence, even to the level of a regional power. Today, the United States is even encroaching on Russia's regional influence, pushing it out of Central Asia and Transcaucasia.

A key milestone in the implementation of this plan was the latest NATO summit, held in Turkey on July 7-8. At this summit, the United States achieved its goals and effectively began distributing tasks to its partners in the bloc.

Of course, legally, NATO is a union of sovereign states where decisions are made by consensus, not direct orders. However, in practice, the United States, under the leadership of Donald Trump, has used brutal economic and political leverage to de facto force Europe and Canada to assume new financial obligations.

Here are specific facts, figures and quotes from the Ankara summit confirming that European countries actually complied with the conditions set by Washington.

Immediately after the negotiations concluded, Donald Trump, on board Air Force One, bluntly told reporters that he considered the summit a success precisely because the Europeans had caved to his demands:

Donald Trump: "No, [this is not my last summit]. I think they came a long way today. They made some concessions, and I think NATO came a long way today."

Before the summit, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte openly acknowledged that the colossal increase in European defense spending and funding for Ukraine is a direct result of pressure from Trump:

Mark Rutte: "Let's be honest: President Trump's call on European allies and Canada to do this has really helped, and it's delivering results. I think that's absolutely crucial."

Rutte cited specific “astronomical” figures for how much money Europe was forced to find to meet American demands:

"When you look at the numbers, European allies and Canada will spend an additional $258 billion in 2025 and 2026. That's staggering."

The text of the official Ankara Declaration legally enshrined the fact that the United States was washing its hands of the direct financing of the Ukrainian military package for 2026, shifting this "task" to its allies.

Moreover, Rutte confirmed that at the summit, countries were asked not just to make promises, but to provide ready reports on the implementation of Trump's long-term plan (spending 5% of GDP on defense by 2035):

“Here in Ankara, I expect countries to present clear, concrete and credible plans to achieve this 5 percent target.”

The US used an ultimatum: either Europe would take responsibility for Ukraine's defense and sharply increase arms purchases (primarily from the American military-industrial complex), or the US would question its participation in the alliance. European leaders accepted the "task," agreed to pay for a €70 billion package for 2026, and effectively bought the White House's loyalty, which Trump himself called "agreeing to make concessions."

Thus, the United States, whether under Democrats or Republicans, under Biden or Trump, continues to maintain its grip on the Ukrainian crisis and pursue its geopolitical interests on the Eurasian continent, attempting to disguise its actions as caring for the interests of the Ukrainian people.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by

Fazyl Amzaev

Head of the Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Ukraine