Assistance with Trump: How Zelensky plans to persuade the U.S. President to maintain support for Ukraine.

Even during the height of the election campaign, the old-new President of the United States Donald Trump promised to become a "dictator for one day" in order to immediately change the country's policy. It seems he kept this promise, as just after taking the oath, he revoked 78 orders from Joe Biden and signed dozens of his own decrees. Among them are measures in the field of immigration, pardoning his supporters convicted for the storming of the Capitol, lifting censorship, withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Also among the first documents signed by the 47th President of the United States is an order to halt foreign aid programs for 90 days. During this period, it is planned to check whether the allocation of this aid aligns with the new administration's political goals, clarifies Reuters.

The document notes that "the foreign aid and bureaucracy industry does not serve American interests and, in many cases, contradicts American values." It also claims that the allocation of funds allegedly "serves to destabilize the world by promoting ideas in foreign countries that are contrary to harmonious and stable relations within and between nations."

"No further foreign aid from the United States will be provided unless it fully aligns with the foreign policy of the President of the United States," Trump emphasized. It is quite telling that he signed the first nine presidential decrees while speaking to supporters at the Capital One arena in Washington. After signing the documents, the 78-year-old Republican tossed a few pens into the crowd, which he used to sign the initial decrees.

What weight and role does the new U.S. Secretary of State have in the issue of aid to Ukraine?

As noted by the AP agency, foreign aid from the U.S. typically constitutes about 1% of the American federal budget, except in specific cases, particularly the provision of weapons to Ukraine. Recently, the U.S. State Department stated that since the onset of the full-scale war with Russia, approximately $66 billion has been allocated to Kyiv. Other major recipients of U.S. aid include Israel ($3.3 billion annually), Egypt ($1.5 billion), and Jordan ($1.7 billion).

It should be noted that the order signed by Trump grants the newly appointed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio or his designated representative the authority to make decisions regarding aid to other countries after appropriate thematic consultations with the Office of Management and Budget. By the way, recently Mr. Rubio told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee the following: "Every dollar we spend, every program we fund, and every policy we implement must be justified by answering three simple questions: 'Does this make America safer? Does this make America stronger? Does this make America more prosperous?'

After being appointed Secretary of State, the 53-year-old Rubio stated that ending the war between Russia and Ukraine is only possible if both sides are willing to compromise. He specifically noted that achieving peace is a priority for the administration of President Donald Trump, but added that this process will be difficult. It is also important to mention that Marco Rubio clearly labeled Russia as the aggressor in this war, insisting on the need to conclude the conflict.

How to convince Trump to continue supporting Ukraine

"It is clear that Biden understood the irreversibility of Trump's decision to 'freeze' aid and was, as they say, laying the groundwork by providing necessary resources so that Ukraine could survive for at least 6 months without new aid from the U.S. As for what has already been allocated, those are approved decisions and are unlikely to be revised, so we have a certain safety cushion. However, six months will pass very quickly, so it is extremely important for Ukraine to engage in a substantive explanatory dialogue with Secretary Rubio and other representatives of the Trump administration who will deal with financial issues," notes the analyst.

In his opinion, it is crucial for Ukraine to explain to Trump's team that U.S. aid is beneficial for the United States itself: "As Nobel laureate in economics Joseph Stiglitz rightly pointed out, 90% of U.S. aid to Ukraine effectively remains in the United States. This means that this money does not disappear in Ukraine but is provided to American companies that deliver results of their work to Kyiv. Thus, the money — the most important aspect for the U.S. economy — stays in the U.S. Therefore, the key task for Kyiv is to explain that by supporting Ukraine, the U.S. also benefits economically while simultaneously achieving geopolitical successes."

Emphasizing that the geopolitical confrontation remains a relevant case, Ivan Us stated: "We should not forget that Russia is a member of BRICS, and Trump previously stated that attempts by BRICS to create a single currency would mean imposing tariffs on all member countries of this structure. Therefore, it will be interesting to see what U.S. policy will be regarding BRICS, and whether India will remain there, whose foreign minister, by the way, was at Trump's inauguration. But the main thing is that Trump's team must clearly realize that Russia is not only on the other side of the barricades; it will never be an ally of the U.S. due to its excessive dependence on China.

According to the expert, any weakening of policy towards Russia will negatively impact the U.S., and it is extremely important for Ukraine to timely clarify all these points to Trump's team.

What could guarantee Trump’s support for Ukraine?

Political scientist Oleg Lesnoy is convinced that during the 90-day period in which President Trump froze U.S. foreign aid to Ukraine, previously approved programs by Congress will remain in effect.

In the expert's view, while the question of U.S. aid will be effectively frozen, official Kyiv must "continue to demonstrate maximum openness to the American side."

"If they want to assess whether the aid allocated to Ukraine aligns with the national interests of the United States, let them do so. As far as I know, Ukraine has always been accommodating in terms of fund oversight, especially regarding military matters. Commissions have constantly come to us and thoroughly checked everything. Therefore, we must continue to demonstrate transparency and predictability," notes the political scientist. He emphasizes that the requests formed by Kyiv should align with the logic of the current U.S. administration, meaning there should be a clear explanation of why supporting Ukraine is beneficial, primarily for America.

Stressing that the lobby of arms manufacturers is "very abundant" among Republicans, Oleg Lesnoy concluded that the White House will not shut down this profitable direction for the U.S. As for social and budgetary support for Ukraine, the expert states that the emotional component will play a significant role. Highlighting that "emotion is Trump's second name", the political scientist summarized that Kyiv needs to successfully tap into the emotional niche of the U.S. President, and then Ukraine will always receive both favor and support from official Washington.