Trump's Turbo Mode: How and why the U.S. president is reshaping geopolitical rules.

Explaining his decision to withdraw the U.S. from the UN Human Rights Council and UNRWA, Donald Trump stated that the "well-potentialed UN is performing poorly" and is failing to meet its objectives, attributing its issues to "very bad management." In this context, it is noteworthy that the United States had previously exited the UN Human Rights Council during Trump's first presidential term but rejoined under President Biden's administration. This seems to have compelled Donald Trump to demonstrate consistency on this issue by reversing his predecessor's decision. According to Politico, prior to the signing of the presidential decree, Trump is convinced that the UN Human Rights Council "is not fulfilling its tasks and is being used as a shield for countries committing terrible human rights violations." Additionally, the publication highlights that Trump's order mandates Secretary of State Marco Rubio to regularly report to the White House on which other international organizations or associations "are promoting radical and/or anti-American policies."

According to CNN, the next UN agency that may fall under Trump's "axe" is UNESCO. Reports indicate that the U.S. administration is currently scrutinizing the feasibility of continued American involvement in this organization. Sources within the White House have stated that President Trump is dissatisfied with UNESCO, which has previously exhibited "anti-American bias" in its activities.

In commenting on the anti-UN decisions of the current occupant of the White House and his harsh criticism of the organization's leadership, the headquarters of UN Secretary-General António Guterres preferred to "stay cool." "The support that the U.S. has provided to the UN from day one has saved countless lives and strengthened global security. The Secretary-General looks forward to continuing productive relations with President Trump and the U.S. government, as well as to strengthening these ties in today's turbulent world," stated UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, as if nothing extraordinary had occurred in the relations between the U.S. and the UN.

It is worth recalling that one of Donald Trump's first decrees right after his inauguration was the decision to withdraw the U.S. from the World Health Organization (WHO). As stated in the document, the WHO "acted incorrectly during the COVID-19 pandemic," failed to "implement necessary reforms," and proved "unable to demonstrate independence from inappropriate political influence by member states." Consequently, as stated recently by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the organization he leads is forced to freeze hiring and limit travel due to a liquidity crisis.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) also experienced a significant blow following the cessation of American funding. "We were able to pay salaries in January, but the situation is becoming increasingly complicated. The financial crisis is acute; we cannot plan anything," stated UNRWA communications director Juliette Touma on Wednesday, February 5.

It is no secret that the key antagonist of UNRWA is the Jewish state. While the agency's leadership points to its crucial role in carrying out humanitarian missions in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli side continues to insist that UNRWA is used as a funding source for the radical Palestinian movement "Hamas" under the guise of aiding peaceful Palestinians. It was previously established that some UNRWA employees are members of this radical organization. Last autumn, the Israeli Knesset passed a law banning UNRWA's activities in the country. The document prohibits the agency from having representatives, providing services, or conducting any activities on Israeli territory. The bill was prepared after evidence emerged of agency employees' involvement in the unprecedented attack on the Jewish state on October 7, 2023, which claimed over 1,200 lives. Thus, by signing the decree prohibiting funding for UNRWA during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington, the 47th President of the U.S. unequivocally indicated that in the long-standing conflict between Israel and UNRWA, he unconditionally sides with his key Middle Eastern ally.

However, while Israel anticipates new "perks" with Trump's return to the White House, European leaders are not necessarily frightened by the Republican presidency, but it certainly raises concerns. Recently, EU leaders held their first meeting in a new format. It was called an informal off-site meeting and focused on the topic of collective European defense. The desire to find new ways to finance military expenditures and deepen cooperation in defense has recently been justified by Russia's criminal actions in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the arrival of Donald Trump in the U.S. has served as an additional impetus for Europe to take greater responsibility for its own security.

The informal off-site meeting of EU leaders was initiated by European Council President António Costa. The Portuguese politician envisioned that this format would allow for discussions on important issues without the need to coordinate final documents, which has become quite difficult for the heads of state and government of the 27 EU countries in recent years, often due to Hungary's position, which aligns with the Russian Federation.

As Reuters notes, to emphasize the informality of the gathering, the European Council president chose a rather exotic location for the first such meeting - the Limon Castle, situated halfway between Brussels and Liège. However, ultimately, this creative idea was not realized: for security reasons, the informal "gathering" of European leaders was moved to the Egmont Palace in the Belgian capital. Nonetheless, the key declared theme of the meeting, dedicated to strengthening defense capabilities at the EU level, increasing funding and investments in the defense sector, and deepening cooperation in this area, remained unchanged.

Leaks in Western media suggest that the EU decided to strengthen the so-called coalition of willing countries by involving non-EU NATO members, primarily the United Kingdom, in pan-European defense matters. "We cannot talk about security on the European continent without NATO, without the British," an EU member state diplomat told the Financial Times off the records. According to him, it was for this purpose that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer were invited to the meeting in the Belgian capital, marking the first instance of a UK leader participating in a pan-European meeting since the country left the EU five years ago. Mr. Starmer subsequently called on all of Europe to "take on more burden in ensuring the region's security from Russia." "I am here to continue to pressure, together with our European partners, targeting revenues from energy sales and companies supplying missiles to crush Putin's war machine," emphasized the British Prime Minister.

"Europe is fundamentally changing its course on its defense capabilities and security. The EU and the UK have made a number of important decisions. The most significant is the increase in aid to Ukraine, the development of a unified defense industrial complex, and deep cooperation with NATO. Europe aims to be strong, so that it is taken seriously," commented former MP and former Ukrainian ambassador to Belarus Roman Bessmertny on the meeting of euro leaders "without ties" at the Egmont Palace.

It is quite notable that the meeting organizer António Costa also motivated the necessity for Europe to take more responsibility for its own security by the Russian-Ukrainian war. However, another powerful motivator for this was Donald Trump's return to the Oval Office, who during the height of the election campaign effectively demanded that NATO members raise their defense spending to 5% of GDP. At that time, this idea was wholeheartedly supported by neighboring Poland and the Baltic states, but criticized in Germany, the leading economy of the EU. In a recent interview with Spiegel, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius called this figure unrealistic and unnecessary. "5% of our economic output would amount to 42% of the federal budget – that’s almost every second euro that the government spends, around €230 billion. We wouldn’t be able to manage or even spend that," emphasized Mr. Pistorius.

However, as Bloomberg notes, there is an unspoken consensus that in the short term, Europe must demonstrate unity in its efforts to increase its defense capabilities, regardless of the circumstances. Interestingly, against this backdrop, there was even a suggestion to increase large procurements of American weapons, to both enhance its defense capabilities and quiet Trump, who complains that the European Union allegedly buys too little from the United States. Meanwhile, according to EU data, from mid-2022 to mid-2023, 63% of all EU defense contracts were awarded to American companies, while another 15% went to other non-EU suppliers.

Meanwhile, Trump has organized a new strike: he signed an order imposing sanctions against the International Criminal Court, as reported by an official White House representative. The document states that this order introduces financial and visa sanctions against individuals involved in investigations concerning U.S. citizens or their allies (including Israel), as well as their family members. This is guaranteed to provoke a new conflict that Trump will pursue with great pleasure.