Trump embraces Russia, attacks Ukraine

President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands as they meet in Helsinki, Finland, in July 2018.
President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands as they meet in Helsinki, Finland, in July 2018.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
At the end of the first month of his second presidency, Donald Trump moved toward a warm new relationship with Russia, a 180-degree pivot that created a horrifying situation for Ukraine and may undo all of the United States’ long-standing security alliances.

The realignment was announced at a meeting in Saudi Arabia between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, which was initially expected to focus on ending the war in Ukraine but ended up being about improving their diplomatic and economic ties. This would end the isolation that Vladimir Putin’s government has endured since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine three years ago.

The meeting – held without the presence of Ukraine or European countries – was a huge win for Putin. The Americans had already signaled that they accepted his terms for talks on ending the war: No NATO membership for Ukraine, no territorial concessions by the Russians, and no US military presence to enforce the peace.

Even as European leaders were scrambling to respond, Trump cranked up the pressure, denouncingVolodymyr Zelensky as a dictator and blaming him for the war. Zelensky replied that Trump is “living in a disinformation space.” Vance denounced him in turn.

Trump’s friends in the Kremlin say Putin and he may meet this month, at which point their plans may be clearer.

Two GOP senators have spoken against Putin, but Trump’s control over his party looks too strong to turn him, which leaves Ukraine in a desperate position, pleading for European help to either keep fighting or enforce a peace that the Americans force on him.

More from GZERO Media

US President Donald J. Trump signs executive orders in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 25, 2025.

Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday that aims to secure elections by requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. The order aims to guard against illegal immigrants voting in elections and would require all ballots to be received by Election Day.

Israel Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Itamar Ben Gvir shake hands as the Israeli government approve Netanyahu's proposal to reappoint Itamar Ben-Gvir as minister of National Security, in the Knesset, Israeli parliament in Jerusaelm, March 19, 2025
REUTERS/Oren Ben Hakoon

Israel’s Knesset on Tuesday approved its 2025 budget by a vote of 66 to 52, days before a March 31 deadline that would have otherwise triggered an election.

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 13, 2025.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

23 billion: India said on Tuesday that it’s open to cutting more than half of its tariffs against US imports – equivalent to $23 billion – in the first phase of a trade deal the two nations are negotiating.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during a press conference, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine March 25, 2025.
REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

The United States announced on Tuesday that Russia and Ukraine have verbally agreed to a Black Sea ceasefire and a moratorium on energy infrastructure strikes. In a pair of statements, the White House said it will help Russia regain access to agriculture and fertilizer markets and that it remains committed to returning forcibly transferred Ukrainian children.

Members of the Lawyers from Across Japan for the Victims of the Unification Church(LAJAVUC)attend a press conference as the Tokyo District Court issued a dissolution order to the Unification Church, the religious group formerly called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, in Tokyo on March 25, 2025.

On Tuesday, a Tokyo court revoked the legal status of the Unification Church in Japan, ordering the sect known as the Moonies to disband following a government problem spurred by the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022.

Across America, Walmart is supporting communities by working with small businesses, like beyondGREEN, in San Antonio, TX. Since becoming a Walmart supplier in 2023, the Texas-based company built a new factory and hired over 100 employees. Across the country, Walmart’s $350 billion investment in products made, grown, or assembled in America supports the creation of over 750,000 US jobs. Learn how Walmart’s investment in US manufacturing helps small businesses grow.

Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab, in collaboration with Nobel Prize winner David Baker, Seoul National University Professor Minkyung Baek, MIT Professor Bonnie Berger, and University of Pennsylvania Professor Gregory Bowman, have developed Seq2Symm, an AI model that can predict protein structures 80,000 times faster than previous methods. Understanding these structures is key to breakthroughs in medicine, disease research, and synthetic biology. Seq2Symm’s open-source technology will help scientists accelerate drug discovery, better understand diseases like Alzheimer’s, and develop new bioengineered materials. By making protein research faster and more accessible, Microsoft is helping unlock life’s biggest mysteries. Learn more here.