(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump is meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday amid uncertainty regarding the future of longstanding alliances between the United States and European countries.
Trump campaigned on quickly ending the war in Ukraine and has shifted the foreign policy landscape by speaking directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin in defiance of international efforts to freeze Putin out.
Trump is conducting the negotiations without input from European leadership or Ukrainian officials and set up a meeting with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia. He has also repeatedly attacked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling the elected leader a dictator.
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Trump has falsely said Ukraine started the war, when it was Russia that invaded the country in February of 2022.
Trump has made unprecedented demands on other European countries, including a desire to take over Greenland, which is currently under the control of Denmark, and demanding half of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals in exchange for American support in the war and as back pay for previous assistance.
He has also made demands in other areas of the world, suggesting the U.S. take over Canada, Gaza and the Panama Canal.
There are fears those desires could shift the geopolitical landscape and bring an end to the country’s role as a leading force for global stability and as an economic and moral leader.
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“The only conclusion you can draw is that 80 years of policy in standing up against aggressors has just been blown up without any sort of discussion or reflection,” said Ian Kelly, a U.S. ambassador to Georgia during the Obama and first Trump administrations and now a professor at Northwestern University.
Macron is expected to tell Trump that the U.S. and Europe should not show weakness to Russia and that how the negotiations are handled could impact future U.S. relations with China.
However, Trump has long shown a level of respect and support for Putin that separates him from other Western leaders. He has often repeated Russian talking points in his campaign rallies and statements as president.
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That has led to fears the European-U.S. alliance could be in jeopardy and sparked concerns of cracks in NATO with global consequences. European leaders meeting with Trump hope to shore up traditional ties and persuade Trump to include them in negotiations regarding Ukraine.
Another topic likely to be addressed is Trump’s plan for “reciprocal tariffs” on goods, which his administration is expected to determine on a country-by-country basis.
On Thursday, Trump is set to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
