U.S. Actions Under Trump Challenge Russia's Approach to Global Institutions

Russian President Vladimir Putin has pursued a revisionist foreign policy since the end of the Cold War, seeking to reshape Europe's security architecture and expand influence over neighboring states. The Kremlin has opposed what it calls a Western-dominated rules-based international order and worked to build a multipolar system through multilateral forums while selectively defying their constraints.

The 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine represented the peak of this approach. Russia has clashed with the United States and European countries at the United Nations and other bodies, using its veto power on the Security Council to protect allies and promoting alternative formats such as the Astana Process in Syria and the expansion of the BRICS group.

Trump has criticized international institutions, withdrawn the United States from dozens of UN agencies, reduced their funding, and established a rival body called the Board of Peace. The administration has also employed coercive measures against smaller countries.

Shift in U.S.

resistance in multilateral settings, Putin now deals with an American president whose approach aligns with a might-makes-right perspective on some issues. This development has produced mixed effects for Russia. The U.S.-Israeli military actions against Iran have increased Russian oil revenues by billions of dollars.

Russia has also hoped that U.S. involvement in multiple foreign policy challenges could weaken American global standing over time and aid Moscow in its conflict with Ukraine. At the same time, the article states that Putin's strategy depended on the United States adhering to international rules while Russia selectively broke them.

Trump's actions risk diluting the value of Russia's veto power and institutional leverage.

Russia has criticized bodies such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons while continuing to use them when advantageous. In a 2007 speech in Munich, Putin expressed frustration with U.S. disregard for international law.

After the 2014 annexation of Crimea, Russian diplomats increased confrontations in multilateral meetings. The country has combined disruption of legacy institutions with selective participation in new formats. It joined the Astana Process with Iran and Turkey to manage de-escalation zones in Syria, which gained prominence over the UN-led Geneva Process.

Russia has championed BRICS expansion, presiding over integration events in 2024 while guarding its UN Security Council veto. The article concludes that a more belligerent United States may further weaken Russia's already strained global power projection, which has been diminished by the war in Ukraine.

Putin has had to observe U.S. military actions against partners Iran and Venezuela without direct recourse. >"Instead of contending with a Washington that resists his land grabs and tussles with him in multilateral forums, Putin has a simpatico U.S. president who appears to ascribe to his might-makes-right worldview," writes Hanna Notte.