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Is Trump's new approach to Putin effective?
On GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb offers a cautiously optimistic outlook on US policy toward Ukraine under Trump’s leadership. Joining Bremmer on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Stubb highlights his conversations with the Trump administration, emphasizing that the president’s messaging to Putin is firm and strategic. He believes Trump is focused on securing a deal and expresses confidence that any agreement will ultimately benefit Ukraine.
On the issue of territorial concessions, Stubb draws from Finland’s own history, recalling how his country lost 10% of its land to the Soviet Union but retained its independence. While acknowledging the importance of territory, he argues that Ukraine’s priority must be securing its sovereignty and long-term stability. He sees Ukraine’s recent counteroffensive as a strategically valuable, albeit risky, move that strengthens its negotiating position. Ultimately, he insists this is a long game, and ensuring Ukraine’s security beyond the immediate conflict is the primary goal.
Watch full episode: Europe's new future with Trump 2.0
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube. Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔).
Europe's new future with Trump 2.0
As Donald Trump returns to the White House, European leaders are reassessing their reliance on the United States for security and economic stability. In a wide-ranging conversation on GZERO World, Ian Bremmer sits with Finnish President Alexander Stubb on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. They discuss the evolving role of Europe in an era of shifting alliances, economic uncertainty, and rising geopolitical risks. In other words, Europe's role in a Trump 2.0 era. Stubb expresses cautious optimism about Trump’s approach to Russia and Ukraine but underscores the need for Europe to take greater responsibility for its defense and technological leadership.
Stubb also acknowledges that Europe is facing a moment of reckoning. Leaders like Emmanuel Macron and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte calling for increased defense spending and reduced reliance on U.S. security guarantees. Stubb agrees that Europe must strengthen its strategic position but remains wary of the region’s economic competitiveness, particularly in technology, where the US holds a clear advantage.
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube. Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔).
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Is Europe ready to embrace Trump's return to power?
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the spotlight was on President Trump’s virtual address, where he reiterated his stance that Europe has treated the US unfairly and that this dynamic will change. However, it was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech that may have left a stronger impression. Zelensky warned that Europe can no longer afford to be an afterthought for its allies, questioning whether Trump sees NATO as necessary or respects EU institutions. His blunt message—Europe is on its own—was echoed by leaders across the continent, especially given that Trump didn’t mention Europe or Ukraine once in his inaugural address.
In response, European leaders are adopting a more pragmatic stance. French President Emmanuel Macron urged Europe to “wake up” and take greater responsibility for its own defense, while NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte agreed that Trump was right to push for higher defense spending. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, meanwhile, signaled that Europe has economic alternatives beyond the US Now, the real test begins: Will European nations follow through on defense spending, technological investment, and strategic independence? Or will they seek stability elsewhere, even with geopolitical rivals like China?
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube. Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔).
At the Paris Peace Forum, war and conflicts were topics du jour
Just days after Donald Trump's decisive victory in the US presidential election, leaders from around the world gathered in Paris for the annual Peace Forum. With so much uncertainty about the future of America's global commitments, from climate financing to funding for Ukraine, the vibe is anything but peaceful. Now in its seventh year, the Paris Peace Forum brings together a global network of government, nonprofit, and private-sector leaders to tackle the biggest issues of our time.
But on that stage, it's been looking more like curtains for true cooperation. The theme this year is "Wanted: A Functioning Global Order." What makes the current world order so dysfunctional? And a new era of regional wars is making those problems worse. This year's Global Peace Index reported the highest levels of armed conflict since the end of World War II, at a time when geopolitical competition threatens diplomatic efforts for peace. There was no shortage of critical issues for leaders to address here in Paris, but top of mind for Europe was the ongoing war in Ukraine and what Donald Trump's victory in the US election might mean for American support next year.
Watch the full GZERO World episode: Trump foreign policy in a MAGA, MAGA world
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube. Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔).
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Trump wants to be the one to end the Ukraine war, but at what cost?
Donald Trump may not have returned to the White House yet, but he's already eyeing some early foreign policy wins. Chief among them is the war in Ukraine. On the latest episode of GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, New York Times national security correspondent David Sanger outlines just how keen Trump is to make a deal with Kyiv and Moscow.
Watch the full episode: Trump foreign policy in a MAGA, MAGA world
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube. Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔).
Trump foreign policy in a MAGA, MAGA world
As Trump prepares to return to the White House, his foreign policy picks are already showing just how radically his presidency could reshape geopolitics. New York Times Correspondent David Sanger joins Ian Bremmer on GZERO World to discuss just what a Trump 2.0 foreign policy could look like for some of the key geopolitical flashpoints today. From the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East to the increasingly strained US-China relationship, the only thing we can say for sure is that the Trump sequel will look far different from the original.
And that uncertainty, Sanger tells Bremmer, is why Trump won the election. "If you voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 election, it was probably with a thought that these institutions need to be blown up." One of the biggest questions, however, is just how Trump will approach the Ukraine war, and if he'll follow through on his campaign pledge to end the conflict in "24 hours." "Trump would love to come in as the man who ended the Ukraine war" Sanger says, "But the only way I can imagine in my limited way for how you do that in 24 hours is you have a call of Vladimir Putin and you say, Vlad, what do you need?"
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube. Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔).
How Trump forced Europe's hand on Ukraine
Trump’s return to power—amid global wars, strained alliances, and economic tensions—could radically reshape the world order. It threatens to deepen rifts with Europe, complicate Middle Eastern conflicts, and push US-China relations to a breaking point. That might not be a bad thing, according to Ian Bremmer. He breaks it down on Ian Explains.
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube. Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔).
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Greek Prime Minister Kiriakos Mitsotakis stand together during NATO's 75th anniversary summit in Washington, U.S., July 10, 2024.
Does NATO need to be “Trump-proofed”?
Although Donald Trump isn’t present at the NATO summit this week, his name is everywhere at the event, where the world’s most powerful military alliance is preparing for the (very real) possibility that he could be back in the White House next year.
Trump, of course, hasrepeatedly said that the US should not protect members who do not meet NATO’s guidance of paying 2% of their GDP on defense. That’s a threat that would violate the alliance’s most basic mutual defense obligations. He has alsoquestioned sending military aid to Kyiv and has favored closer relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
To protect the alliance against all of that – Trump-proofing some would say – NATO leaders are taking some steps. For one thing, they have appointed Mark Rutte as the new secretary general – largely because leaders saw the former Dutch PM, who is a veteran of transatlantic politics, expressed a willingness to work with Trump when campaigning for the job. And they have moved majorelements of military aid for Ukraine – from funding to training – away from US command to the NATO umbrella.
But they have also taken steps to address Trump’s primary concern: “freeloading” in NATO. A record 23 of the 32 NATO countries will reach the 2% spending target this year, more than twice as many as in 2021. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is largely to thank for that – an aggressive Kremlin has concentrated minds in Europe – but it’s impossible to ignore Trump’s encouragement of Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” to NATO members delinquent on defense dues.
The Trump administration’s rhetoric was a wake-up call to European allies, according to NATO’s Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana. “They were saying, listen European allies, we just cannot continue for you to thrive under our protection. And now I think it's a more balanced relationship,” he told GZERO’s Emilie Macfie at the summit on Wednesday.
As it happens, the NATO members closest to the Russian bear seem surprisingly unflustered by the prospect of Trump 2.0.
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda and the defense ministers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – all of which share a prickly border with Russia – told GZERO during a meeting with Baltic defense ministers during the NATO summit that under Trump the US increased its military presence in Poland and the Baltics.
The Baltic defense ministers, meanwhile, said that Trump was right to call out NATO spending laggards, and why not: All of the Baltic nations are spending above2%, and Poland leads the alliance at4.1%.
In short: They aren’t the problem, so they aren’t worried – and they are confident that they can communicate that in terms that Trump can understand.
“Trump is a golfer and NATO is a club,” said Estonia’s defense minister Hanno Pevkur in response to whether Baltic nations fear Trump regaining power. “When you pay the fee in the golf club, you can play.”