My contacts in the State Department see it much this way. American standing in the world is collasping with each new EU sanction package supported by Washington, the stealing of Russian Assets, etc. Ukraine has been the eseential indegrident in both US internal politics and abroad for many years and it became apparant to all, if not just Trump, in 2015. We have 10-years of Ukraine dominating US decision making in Washington.
To me, there’s a difference between being pissed off at the US and its standing. Trump is not making any new friends, but they are POed because they’ve had their way with tariffs for decades. Now, Trump is trying to level the playing field and they don’t like it. I say let’s internalize foreign aid and apply that sum directly to the US deficit. We’ve given enough of our treasure away since WWII. Time for the flow to come our way for a change.
“...contacts in the State Department...”
Your contacts in the State Department are schizophrenic. They were the one’s (under Obama, Victoria Nuland, Samantha Powers and the EU GloboHomo’s) in 2014 who started the entire destruction of Ukraine. The filthy rats at the State Department are the LAST who I would be taking advice from.
Trump is trying to restore the world order (prior to when the smelly anal fingers of Obama destroyed everything), but this does not mean that countries can continue to rip us off the way they have been doing for decades. The era of gigantic trade imbalances is OVER (looking straight at you China and India). If they don’t trust us anymore then too damn bad.