Despite being a private entity, Maxar remains subject to strict US export regulations that govern the transfer of defense-related technology. If US President Donald Trump chooses to withhold intelligence, that choice effectively overrules any commercial or contractual arrangements the company might have.
This circumstance is not unique to the US. In the UK, for example, BAE Systems would immediately be stopped by the government if it attempted to sell Challenger 2 tanks to a third party. Just as British laws can curtail private defense firms, so too can US legislation override Maxar’s commercial decisions. Even in modern democracies, private or public ownership of a defense contractor is irrelevant when national security regulations are invoked.
The ramifications of this move extend well beyond Washington and Kyiv’s spat. Recent reports, albeit contested, have hinted that Israel, Saudi Arabia and Five Eyes nations may also reduce their own intelligence sharing with the US. Although these allegations have been denied, the very suggestion betrays the heightened suspicion of US actions in a thinly veiled warning.
Curiously, Trump has shown a willingness to row back on other fronts, most notably the issue of tariffs that had provoked economic repercussions. Yet on the matter of Ukraine, his stance appears utterly unyielding. Perhaps this is because the economic pain caused by tariffs strikes directly at the wallet of American voters, whereas the question of Ukraine does not immediately impact the bottom line on the high street. The repercussions, however, will be catastrophic for Ukraine, for Europe, and ultimately for the security of the US itself.
Is the US Preparing to Reject Ukrainian Refugees?
Russia left unchecked
The issue is not just one of abandoning Ukraine, but of what Trump is willing to sacrifice for his handshake picture with Russian President Putin, under the headline “Peace in Our Time.” As announced after he kicked out President Volodymyr Zelensky from the White House, the US will scale down its operations against Russian hackers, described by Senator Chuck Schumer in the New York Times as “a free pass as Russia continues to launch cyberoperations and ransomware attacks against critical American infrastructure.”
By scaling back on cyber defenses and intelligence support, the administration risks leaving not only Ukraine exposed to Kremlin attacks, but also ordinary Americans. Bank accounts, power grids, hospitals and entire communities could become Moscow’s targets, shutting down US infrastructure, as Russian hackers continue unchecked.
In what seemed like momentary sobriety, last Friday, the US president announced intentions to adopt a tougher stance, threatening severe sanctions against Russia. But these statements were coupled with language that absolved Moscow of any responsibility for one of its largest attacks on Ukraine while casting Kyiv in the role of a weakened and undeserving supplicant.
Wake-up call for Europe
The most recent development, the decision to relocate US troops from Germany and Romania to Viktor Orban’s Hungary, should only cause alarm among NATO members. Europe has to finally face the facts that Washington’s commitments are no longer steadfast, as the White House is playing to the Kremlin’s long-term strategy: planting distrust within NATO and prompting allies to question how heavily they can rely on collective defense guarantees.
Trump’s readiness to disregard the near universal appeals of historic allies in favor of a nebulous detente with its long-time rival, Moscow, plays squarely into the hands of Russian strategists who have, for decades, pursued the fracturing of Western unity.
We are witnessing much more than a diplomatic hiccup, but the very moment that calls into question whether NATO’s ethos can endure, as its most powerful member seems bent on charting a course on its own. Europe must contemplate a future in which US support may prove inconsistent at best, or actively obstructive at worst. Whilst some might view this reorientation as a temporary political maneuver driven by one administration’s worldview, the consequences could outlast President Trump’s tenure.
The re-elected US head of state has not suffered a significant enough dip in his rating following the events of the past two weeks, and with Vice President J.D. Vance being of a similar mindset, can we really expect a change of pace in a few years? Distrust, once embedded, is difficult to uproot, and allies who have watched the US turn away from Ukraine could be forgiven for wondering whether they too might find themselves isolated in a moment of crisis. A crisis which comes ever closer with the White House emboldening the Kremlin on a daily basis.
Yet amidst all the treachery emanating from the White House, European allies cannot grow despondent. NATO cannot fall, even if it becomes temporarily incapacitated. Put simply, the propaganda gain and the grin on the faces of the Kremlin dwellers would be too great to endure. But, neither is it the time to take this US betrayal lying down. Europe has been caught out and it has already admitted as much. The next move is critical and it must be made towards a collective continental defense.
The views expressed are the author’s and not necessarily of Kyiv Post.
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