Russia has welcomed a dramatic shift in U.S. foreign policy after President Donald Trump’s administration unveiled a new National Security Strategy this week, signaling a significant softening of Washington’s stance toward Moscow and raising alarm bells among European allies. The 33-page strategy document, released on December 7, 2025, no longer describes Russia as a direct threat—a position maintained by U.S. administrations since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Instead, it reframes the war in Ukraine in economic and stability terms, calls for greater cooperation with Moscow, and places the European Union under critical scrutiny.
According to the BBC, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov greeted the move as “largely consistent with our vision.” In an interview published by Russia’s state news agency Tass, Peskov stated, “We consider this a positive step,” while noting that Moscow would continue to analyze the document before drawing strong conclusions. He added, “We certainly need to look at it more closely and analyse it.” The Kremlin’s positive reaction marks a notable departure from the adversarial rhetoric that has dominated U.S.-Russia relations for over a decade.
The new strategy’s language is markedly softer on Russia. The document avoids labeling Moscow as a threat and instead urges cooperation on strategic stability issues. It also signals a willingness to seek an “expeditious cessation of hostilities” in Ukraine with the aim of stabilizing European economies and restoring “strategic stability with Russia.” While the document maintains that Russia’s actions in Ukraine remain a central security concern, it emphasizes a rapid resolution to the conflict and suggests that the U.S. should “re-establish strategic stability to Russia” to help stabilize Europe.
This shift in tone has prompted concern among European leaders and analysts, who worry that it could weaken Western resolve in confronting Moscow amid ongoing negotiations over the Ukraine war. Several EU officials have warned that the new framing mirrors Kremlin narratives and could undermine the West’s position at the negotiating table. The document blames the EU for blocking U.S. attempts to end the conflict and questions whether some NATO members can remain militarily reliable, urging allies to meet the Hague Commitment target of 5 percent of GDP on defense.
The strategy goes further, warning that Europe faces the threat of “civilization erasure.” It highlights migration, foreign influence, and opposition to what the U.S. administration calls EU “censorship” as core priorities. The document claims that Europe will be “unrecognizable in 20 years or less” if current trends persist and signals support for “patriotic” political forces inside EU states, language that echoes the rhetoric of nationalist parties across the continent.
European leaders have responded with a mix of caution and criticism. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told the BBC, “The US will remain our most important ally in the [NATO] alliance. This alliance, however, is focused on addressing security policy issues. I believe questions of freedom of expression or the organisation of our free societies do not belong [in the strategy], in any case at least when it comes to Germany.” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, addressing his “American friends” in a social media post, emphasized that “Europe is your closest ally, not your problem” and urged Washington to remain focused on common threats. “This is the only reasonable strategy of our common security. Unless something has changed,” Tusk wrote.
Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt was more blunt in his assessment, stating that the document “places itself to the right of the extreme right.” This criticism reflects a broader anxiety among European officials that the U.S. is aligning itself with nationalist and far-right elements within Europe, potentially undermining the unity of the Western alliance.
The Trump administration’s “America First” message is woven throughout the new strategy. The document calls for increased defense spending not only among NATO allies but also by Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Taiwan. It outlines broader foreign-policy goals, including possible military action against drug-trafficking routes near Venezuela and targeting alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. These moves are seen as part of a push for sharper burden-sharing among U.S. allies and a reassertion of American interests on the world stage.
Democratic lawmakers in Washington have warned that the new approach risks damaging America’s global standing. Representative Jason Crow of Colorado, who sits on House committees overseeing intelligence and the armed forces, called the strategy “catastrophic to America’s standing in the world.” New York Representative Gregory Meeks echoed this sentiment, stating the document “discards decades of value-based, US leadership.” Their concerns reflect a broader fear that the U.S. is abandoning its traditional role as a champion of liberal democratic values in favor of a more transactional and nationalist foreign policy.
Since 2014, U.S. national security strategies have consistently designated Moscow as a major threat, particularly after Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the subsequent invasion of Ukraine. The updated policy, however, sets out Trump’s foreign policy vision as one of “flexible realism” and declares that U.S. policy will be driven above all by “what works for America.” The strategy was released amid a stalled U.S. peace initiative, with Washington having presented a proposal that reportedly endorsed some of Russia’s main demands in the nearly four-year-old war.
Trump himself has often made positive and admiring comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin, prompting critics to accuse him of being overly accommodating to Moscow, even as his administration has maintained sanctions over Russia’s actions in Ukraine. European allies, who rely on U.S. military support to deter Russia, have watched the shift closely and voiced concern that the softer U.S. language could undermine efforts to confront Moscow as the war in Ukraine grinds on.
The new National Security Strategy’s emphasis on “restoring Western identity” and support for “patriotic European parties” has further inflamed debate within Europe, where the rise of nationalist movements has already sparked tensions over the future of the EU and transatlantic relations. As the EU continues talks with the Trump administration to set out a peace deal in Ukraine, officials are weighing the implications of a U.S. policy shift that appears to prioritize American interests and nationalist sentiment over the traditional pillars of Western unity and liberal democracy.
As the dust settles on the release of the new strategy, both supporters and critics are left to ponder the long-term consequences of a U.S. foreign policy that, for the first time in years, aligns more closely with Moscow’s worldview than with the consensus of its European allies. Whether this realignment will bring about the promised stability—or sow further discord on both sides of the Atlantic—remains to be seen.
