Danylo Danylenko, Razumkov Centre intern, student of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
In early September, 2025, European countries received a notification from the US State Department that Washington was terminating the MOUs concluded last year on coordination of actions in the fight against Russian, Chinese and Iranian disinformation. These agreements were initiated by the Global Engagement Center (GEC). The former head of the GEC, D. Rubin, called this step a "unilateral act of disarmament" in the context of the ongoing information war.
Noteworthy, this step was taken against the background of active and consistent curtailment of the US "soft power" and humanitarian influence in international institutions in different parts of the world. D. Trump's speech at West Point on May 24 became a landmark, as he declared that the US Armed Forces would no longer fight "for freedom and democracy in other countries" and that the US should not spread democracy in the world "at the point of a gun." Hence, the White House announced a gradual reduction of the US military presence in Europe.
In July–August, 2025, the US unilaterally reduced budget expenditures on humanitarian aid programs by more than $13 billion, including funding for 15 international programs, UN peacekeeping operations and initiatives to support democratic processes in different countries. This will lead, in particular, to large-scale staff reductions in the UN structures. One should also mention the US decision to withdraw from UNESCO due to the "inconsistency of its membership with the national interests."
In general, these actions correlate with another strategic trend: Washington is increasingly actively shifting the burden of countering Russian aggression to the European allies. Brookings, RAND and Atlantic Council analysts explain this “retrenchment” by the domestic political situation and the US refocusing on Asia and Pacific.
Thus, D. Trump’s US-centric business policy poses a double challenge for European democracies. On the one hand, financial — D. Trump’s policy shifts partnerships with allies to purely commercial tracks, imposing high tariffs. At the same time, his aggressive rhetoric and calls for annexation of Canada and Greenland have only complicated relations with key partners. On the other hand, in the context of hybrid attacks, complex election cycles and constant pressure from authoritarian states, the US reduction of its “soft power” tools and humanitarian support programmes looks like a de facto repudiation of its status of the global “pillar of democracy.”
The present course of the United States has become a catalyst for profound changes in Europe aimed at ensuring defence self-sufficiency and getting rid of external dependence. The EU has adopted a new defence strategy, the “White Paper on European Defence — Readiness 2030,” and a five-stage Rearm Europe plan. The European Commission boosted investments in the European Defence Fund and launched the concept of a “Readiness Strategy” for the civilian population. In May 2025, the EU also released a new Black Sea Strategy to strengthen security and stability in the region. In parallel, the EU member states are raising defence budgets, creating joint funds for the defence industry development, strengthening the European Defence Agency, and building their own cyber and intelligence structures.
Such trends in Europe's geopolitical self-identification were elaborated and specified in the annual address by the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, "State of the Union 2025" of September 10, 2025.
Importantly, these transformations have not only a political but also a social dimension: citizens of the EU countries increasingly actively support the idea of strategic autonomy, understanding the need to gradually get rid of dependence on the US. This indicates the trends of Europe establishing itself as an independent centre of power, which not only responds to challenges but forms its own agenda, including in the promotion of democracy in the world.
The Ukrainian diplomacy is to take into account present-day realities, complex and problematic processes on various geopolitical fronts. It is obvious that the European vector is a key priority for Ukraine now. But one way or another, the US is and will remain strategically important for Kyiv. Therefore, the agenda includes maintaining and developing a productive dialogue with the United States, promoting a common stand with the European partners in relations with the US, and strengthening economic partnership with Washington, including within the framework of the recently launched Ukrainian-US Reconstruction Investment Fund.
