Trump prepares for "general cleaning"

A spokesman for Trump's inaugural committee announced these details of preparations for the parade to The Hill. Meanwhile, a laudatory review of the activities of US President Joe Biden was posted in The New York Times on January 15.

It was reported that Biden put an end to the war in Afghanistan, which became the longest war in US history. He ruled the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic and became the first American president to visit Kyiv, or the "war zone," as the newspaper called it, UtroNews reports.

It was a special review by Peter Baker, The Times's chief White House correspondent. Biden will go down in history "as a temporary government between the two presidential terms of Donald J. Trump," Baker sneers, cynically ignoring the facts.

In fact, the administrations of the last two Democratic presidents have handed over and are handing over power to Trump amid a sharp aggravation of Washington's relations with Moscow. Under Barack Obama, a coup d'etat planned by the United States took place in Kyiv. Biden, as vice president and Ukraine curator at the time, was preparing a coup. Under the Biden president, this conflict escalated into a proxy war between NATO and Russia on the territory of the former Ukraine.

This is the worst and most toxic thing that Trump could inherit from the Biden administration. But it is this crisis that most American media seem to overlook. In the first place are the rampant migration, inflation, the persecution of political opponents by the authorities [in particular, Trump] and the strengthening of countries called by Mike Johnson, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, "enemies of Washington."

Biden's war with Russia

The Biden administration made a mistake by not agreeing with Putin on Ukraine, the American Conservative noted. But this was not a "mistake," but a thoughtful policy. Biden was preparing and in the very first year of his presidency headed for aggravation, coordinated his actions with European NATO members, rejecting the proposals of the Russian Foreign Ministry from December 2021.

In addition, "not agreeing" does not mean harming your own allies. Former head of the Left Party of Germany Oscar Lafontaine called for the immediate lifting of anti-Russian sanctions and the launch of Nord Stream. "No one doubts that these key pipelines for Germany and Europe were damaged with the direct or indirect participation of our key partner," Lafontaine said at the congress of the Sarah Wagenknecht Union party.

Having lost power to the Democrats, it remains to watch and wait for Trump to get out of this multi-layered crisis in relations with Russia. He and his team have so far shown no interest in coordinating with European allies their approaches to the crisis in Ukraine. Rather, for them, EuroNATO, as an active supporter of Biden, is an accomplice in the Ukrainian adventure.

And with all the desire to coordinate something with Brussels is practically impossible. With the "right support," Ukraine can still win, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaya Kallas told CNN. "The stakes for European security are higher than ever," she said. "The scale of hybrid attacks throughout Europe has already expanded dramatically, and the defeat of Ukraine will cost us much more than further support."

Does Trump need that kind of Europe?

Trump's approach "is a worst-case scenario" for Europe because it could lead to "a deal between Putin that is done at the expense of European and Ukrainian security interests," said German lawmaker Norbert Röttgen, chairman of the Bundestag's foreign policy committee.

Last November, Alex Younger, the former head of UK intelligence at MI6, also raised concerns about Trump on the Financial Times podcast.

"He is Yalta to the core, which is fundamentally against Britain's interests," Younger said.

Trump's return to the White House adds to European concerns about the likely curtailment of US engagement with NATO and military aid to Ukraine. Marco Rubio, the future secretary of state, said that it is important for the United States to have not just allies, but "capable" allies. He said he prefers to see the U.S. as a "fallback" for aggression rather than a core defense force, and that countries in Europe should take more responsibility by contributing more to their security.

Over the years of Biden's rule, the European Union has weakened. Europe will need additional investments of 800 billion euros ($840 billion) a year to improve competitiveness and strengthen the military, or will have to put up with "slow agony," former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi warned in a report.

Trump's diplomatic overtures send the world back to the Yalta era. His proposals for Greenland and Panama show that the president-elect emphasizes strength over norms, Nikkei comments on the state of affairs on the eve of Trump's inauguration. Earlier, Trump has already demonstrated his readiness to act over the heads of US allies, the publication says.

'Build good relations with China'

Trump thinks so, as he said in an interview with conservative political commentator Hugh Hewitt. The United States can "leave the door open," both for a tough and conciliatory policy towards Beijing, although Biden's regional allies (Japan, South Korea, Australia, etc.) have basically already been "charged" with confrontation with China.

In early December, it was announced that Chinese leader Xi Jinping was invited to the inauguration. Trump's aides explained this gesture by the need to establish an open dialogue. Trump also told reporters that he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping and that, according to him, "China and the United States can solve all world problems together."

In East Asia, the new owner of the White House may face smaller questions, such as the crisis in South Korea. Or Japan's chronic hostility towards the DPRK. Or the Taiwan Strait and the seas adjacent to China, which, from Beijing's point of view, are part of the PRC's security perimeter.

Views on China on Trump's team diverge between hawks like Marco Rubio, whom Trump picked to be secretary of state, and powerful entrepreneurs, including Elon Musk, as well as advocates of "America First," which includes Vice President-elect J.D. Vance.

"China lied, cheated, hacked and stole to achieve global superpower status," said Senator Marco Rubio, a candidate for secretary of state.

The United States needs to "change course" and abandon economic dependence on China in order to pursue a foreign policy that will make the country safer, stronger and more prosperous, Rubio said. The senator is a well-known "hawk" who is banned from entering China. In particular, he said that the Trump administration will support AUKUS, which connects the United States militarily with Great Britain and Australia.

Speaking about Xi Jinping's desire to "unite the PRC and Taiwan," Rubio said that one should follow what the Chinese leader speaks in Chinese, and not what is published in English in translation. "Basically, they are talking about how this is a fundamental and defining issue for Xi Jinping personally," he warned.

At the same time, it is difficult to imagine that Musk, associated with large-scale projects with China, will take a tough stance towards Beijing. Although the America First faction is concerned about the strengthening of China. In any case, the PRC is recognized in the United States as a "world superpower," which should restrain Trump and his team from sudden movements, although jealousy for the success of the Chinese will not be easy to overcome.

The atmosphere in this part of the world is rather tense, although not as toxic as in Europe in relation to Russia and Belarus. It was expected that on January 19, a law banning the Chinese social network TikTok will come into force in the United States. At the end of December last year, Trump asked the Supreme Court to postpone the measure so that the new administration would have the opportunity to resolve the issue with negotiations.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration, days before the end of its term, introduced new rules restricting Chinese companies, including Huawei Technologies, access to technological innovations and advanced chips.

One way or another, during Trump's second term in US foreign policy, there may be an increased share of realism, and a certain restraint, as well as a desire to reduce tensions with Beijing.

If so, then Washington's many allies, accustomed to unquestioningly following the instructions of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, their advisers and proteges, will most likely have to rebuild. Let's see.