What does American support of Russia mean for the post-WWII global order?

On 24 February, in the latest act that shocked its European allies, the US joined Russia to vote against a UN General Assembly resolution that sought to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Instead the US proposed a resolution of its own to the UN Security Council, calling for a swift end to the Russia-Ukraine war, but making no mention of Russia as an aggressor. 

The Security Council passed the resolution, with Russia and the US voting in favour of it while long-time US allies France and UK abstained, after their attempts to change the language used in the resolution was vetoed. Trump's second term as president, barely in its second month, is already threatening to upend long standing policies, rivalries and alliances, sending shockwaves throughout the rest of the world.

The US' votes in favour of Russia comes on the heels of President Trump's repeated statements disparaging Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky as a dictator, going so far as to blame Ukraine for the Russian invasion. Furthermore, the Trump administration has intentionally chosen to leave out Ukraine from negotiations of peace talks, preferring to negotiate with Russia without Ukraine's presence.

President Trump's stance on Russia is in sharp contrast to the previous Biden administration, which had provided over $65 billion dollars in aid to Ukraine since the war started in 2022. The Biden administration categorically supported Ukraine's right to self-defence and saw Russia as the clear and unprovoked aggressor in the war. In fact, one of Biden's last acts as president was to provide a $500 million weapons package to Ukraine, just days before Trump's inauguration.

Recently, Trump has said that the aid given to Ukraine by the US for its war against Russia should not be for free, demanding $500 billion dollars worth of rare earth minerals from Ukraine as compensation for the aid. Trump's negotiation tactics are a clear departure from US' historic support of Ukraine against Russia. It seems the US has switched teams. 

Historically, the US has had an adversarial relationship with Russia, dating back to the Cold War era. As the US emerged out of World War II as the only allied power that was not ravaged by war, the country moved away from its previous isolationist tendencies, choosing to take a more active role in influencing the world at large. 

After the end of the war, the US decided to exert its influence upon the world through increased globalisation and trade. It helped found international financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and international trade organisations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO). 

Furthermore, the US aimed to set up greater international cooperation with other nations through international laws and pacts. The US proposed the formation of the United Nations, hoping to minimise chances of  future large scale wars, while increasing its own military budget and spending.

In 1949, in response to fears of the former Soviet Union's communist expansions into Europe, the US and its European allies formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The goal was to deter Soviet aggression while strengthening ties with Western Europe and offering it protection. The core principle of NATO states that an attack on one member of NATO is an attack on all members, binding all members to defend each other.

Naturally, the Soviet Union considered NATO a direct threat to its interests, a stance that Russia espouses to this day. In 1955, the Soviet Union formed the Warsaw Pact, a military alliance of communist states in Eastern Europe, as a direct response to NATO. This solidified the division of Europe into two opposing blocs during the Cold War.

Since the US saw communism as the biggest threat to its agenda in the creation of a global capitalist order, it directly used its intelligence agencies such as the CIA to overthrow democratically elected leaders in foreign countries to establish anti-communist ones. At home, it engaged in propaganda against communists, influencing its population's opinion against the Soviet Union.

Historically, the US has had an adversarial relationship with Russia, dating back to the Cold War era. As the US emerged out of World War II as the only allied power that was not ravaged by war, the country moved away from its previous isolationist tendencies, choosing to take a more active role in influencing the world at large.

The end of the Cold War saw the fall of the Soviet Union, and the rise of modern day Russia. Despite the 30 years that have passed, the US' relationship with Russia has remained fraught with hostility. Russia continues to see NATO expansion as a threat against its self-interests, and its overt imperialist tendencies have often resulted in the United States and the EU slapping sanctions on the country. Furthermore, Russia has been accused of election interference in the 2016 US presidential election, which first saw Trump sworn in as president. 

Now with Trump's second term as president, for the first time ever, the roles seem to be reversing. As the US normalises diplomatic relations with Russia unlike anything we have seen before and refuses to rebuke its invasion of a European country at the expense of its European allies' safety, the world order seems to be on the cusp of change.

Europe has long relied on America's power to keep Russia at bay, neglecting to invest in their own military. Now, they find themselves at odds with their most powerful ally, who has made it clear through both action and words that it does not consider Russia the villain in this story any longer. 

Donald Trump's 'America First' policy, which has been highly critical of European nations, accusing them of resting on the former's laurels while benefiting from American generosity, threatens to shift the global order that the US itself has spent so many decades cultivating. Since Trump's inauguration, he has threatened to annex Greenland and Canada, while emboldening Russia, forcing European nations to reckon with the new normal. 

European relations with America are strained, yet, Europe must also decide where its best interests lie. Europe's loyalty to Ukraine may further drive a wedge between them and the US, but leaving Ukraine out to dry can leave them open to future Russian aggression. 

At the same time, the United States' image on the world stage is taking a hit, with its hardline stance on Ukraine, soft stance on Russia, and hawkish stance on its own allies. Domestically, the Trump administration is gutting federal funding for a host of organisations, including the FBI, which may leave the country vulnerable to both internal and external threats.

On the other hand, Russia's sustained war on Ukraine for the past three years has been disastrous for their economy and military, suffering heavy losses. But with diplomatic relations with the US improving, and the rest of Europe distracted by America's sudden shift in policy, will Putin be able to seize the opportunity to destabilise the West and exert greater control over Europe?