The evolving international security environment compels the United States to continuously reassess its strategic priorities, instruments of action, and methods of maintaining political and military advantage. The new U.S. security strategy is being shaped amid intensifying great power competition, the ongoing war in Ukraine, the growing importance of hybrid threats, and increasing uncertainty regarding the durability of the existing international order. In this context, a key issue is the role that Europe and Ukraine occupy in U.S. strategic thinking and the consequences that a redefinition of American interests may have for the region.
The core research problem arises from the tension between the global ambitions of the United States and the limitations of its political, military, and financial resources. As the U.S. seeks to maintain its leadership in the Western world, respond to China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific, and counter destabilizing actions by the Russian Federation, it must make strategic trade-offs. This means that U.S. engagement in European security and its support for Ukraine should be analyzed not only in terms of political declarations but also as part of a broader geopolitical calculation. A crucial question, therefore, is whether the new U.S. security strategy signals a long-term strengthening of American presence in Europe or merely a temporary response to the crisis triggered by Russia’s aggression.
For Ukraine, the scale and sustainability of U.S. military, financial, and political support are of critical importance. The U.S. stance influences not only Ukraine’s ability to conduct defensive operations but also its negotiating position, reconstruction prospects, and future integration with Western institutions. However, this support remains dependent on internal dynamics within U.S. politics, including changes in administration, partisan divisions, public opinion, and the perceived costs of prolonged engagement. As a result, Ukraine operates under conditions of strategic uncertainty, where even strong alliance commitments do not always translate into full predictability of actions.
For Europe, the new U.S. security strategy presents both opportunities and challenges. On the one hand, it reinforces NATO’s eastern flank, strengthens transatlantic cooperation, and encourages European states to enhance defense coordination. On the other hand, it exposes Europe’s continued dependence on U.S. security guarantees, military capabilities, and deterrence potential. This raises the question of whether Europe can leverage American support to build more autonomous defense capabilities or whether it will remain strategically dependent on decisions made in Washington.
Another important dimension of the problem is the potential divergence of interests between the United States and European countries. While segments of the U.S. strategic community may prioritize competition with China, many European states continue to view Russia as the primary threat, particularly due to geographic proximity and ongoing regional instability. Such differences in perspective may affect the coherence of Western policy toward the war in Ukraine, sanctions regimes, defense spending, and the future architecture of European security.
Consequently, the new U.S. security strategy emerges as a key factor shaping the future of Ukraine and Europe. Its analysis requires addressing whether the United States will remain a consistent guarantor of regional security or whether its policy will become increasingly selective, conditional, and driven by global power competition. This uncertainty constitutes the central axis of the contemporary problem situation.