What Concerns Right-Wing Populists in the USA and How They Influence the State’s Policy
Recently, the anti-European and anti-Ukrainian rhetoric and actions of US President Donald Trump and his administration have intensified once again;
this was triggered by Europe’s refusal to support the USA and Israel’s military operation against Iran, as well as Ukraine’s disagreement with Russia’s demands – backed by the USA – to hand over the entire territory of the Donbas to Russia;
at the same time, the real reason for this attitude of D. Trump and his environment to Europe and Ukraine is their right-wing populist positions, as expressed by the MAGA movement;
the ideology of this movement calls for the USA’s continued dominance in the world and disregard for the interests of other countries. This applies, among others, to Europe and Ukraine. And Russia is used by the USA to pressure them when they contradict it.
A distinctive feature of the current policy of US President Donald Trump and his inner circle, as well as some members of the Republican Party, is a skeptical attitude to Europe and Ukraine. At times, it is openly anti-European and anti-Ukrainian in nature.
This is precisely what we are seeing now, as Europe refuses to support the USA and Israel’s military operation against Iran and sides with Ukraine when it refuses to cede the entire Donbas region to Russia (which is backed by Washington). In response, D. Trump has not only intensified his negative rhetoric toward Europe and Ukraine. He has also moved to exert direct pressure on them, which resembles revenge.
For instance, he promised to increase import taxes on European-made cars entering the USA by 25%, to scale back cooperation with Spain within NATO, and to withdraw 5,000 US troops from Germany. One specific measure concerns Ukraine. The US administration did not include funding for military aid to Ukraine under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) – which had been provided since 2016 – in the draft military budget for 2027. Such actions by D. Trump are clearly not in the interests of the United States itself, as they not only undermine transatlantic unity but also weaken America’s own security. Moreover, Russia may benefit from them, remaining an adversary of the United States in any case. D. Trump’s aforementioned claims against NATO and Ukraine are also groundless.
The Alliance is a defensive union and is in no way obligated to support the USA’s war against Iran, which is, in essence, an unprovoked attack. Nor is Ukraine obligated to comply with the demands of the USA – or, in fact, Russia. On the contrary, it is the United States that must ensure the security of Europe, in accordance with the Washington Treaty of 1949, and of Ukraine, under the Budapest Memorandum of 1994. All the more so because Europe and Ukraine constitute the first line of defense for the Western world against Russia’s military expansion.
All of this seems strange, but it is a direct consequence of the nature of right-wing populism espoused by Donald Trump and his allies. In America, they have united under the MAGA movement – Make America Great Again. The movement’s ideology revolves around the concept of “America First”, which envisions the USA’s continued global dominance and is based on principles such as strengthening US military and economic power and its influence over other countries; anti-globalism and isolationism; conservatism; and the promotion of traditional Western and Christian values.
Right-wing populists consider it necessary to:
- strengthen and innovatively develop the US Armed Forces;
- contain other centers of power, primarily China;
- review the USA’s alliances with other countries, including Europe;
- create favorable conditions for dynamic growth of the American economy by supporting domestic manufacturers, protecting the American market through higher tariffs, and bringing American manufacturing back from abroad to the United States;
- preserve the deep foundations of American society;
- restrict immigration.
The movement’s ideas are supported by: right-wing political forces; some representatives of big business; a segment of the working class, farmers, and Americans without a college education; and various conservative media groups and movements. Its chief ideologue is Steve Bannon – an American businessman, film producer, head of the conservative news site Breitbart, campaign manager, and former advisor to Donald Trump.
The circle of key figures shaping the movement’s ideology also includes Steve Miller – senior policy advisor to the US President – and Roger Stone – an American political strategist, writer, journalist, and advisor to former US President Ronald Reagan.
The right-wing populist ideology is supported by a number of successful businessmen. The most well-known among them is Elon Musk – an entrepreneur, investor, and billionaire; founder of SpaceX, PayPal, Neuralink, and The Boring Company; chairman of the board of directors of Tesla Inc.; and owner of the social media platform Twitter. In 2024, he was one of the main sponsors of Donald Trump’s election campaign, having contributed $75 million to it. He served as a senior advisor to Donald Trump and headed the Department of Government Efficiency.
The Heritage Foundation, headquartered in Washington, D.C., serves as the MAGA movement’s think tank and ideological arm. It advocates conservative policies centered on a free-market economy, minimal government intervention in business affairs, individual freedoms, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.
In 2023, the center released a document it had developed entitled “Project 2025”. It contains conservative recommendations to the President regarding actions to reform US government institutions. Specifically, it proposed expanding the President’s powers, reducing the size of the government, and simplifying procedures for dismissing civil servants.
Upon returning to the presidency, D. Trump implemented many of the ideas outlined in “Project 2025”. For instance, as part of the DOGE initiative, which aimed to improve the efficiency of the US government, several thousand government employees were laid off.
The MAGA movement has no official status or cohesive structure. Nevertheless, its influence on the foreign and domestic policies of the US leadership is palpable. As noted, its ideology satisfies both D. Trump himself and the vast majority of his administration’s officials, who are implementing it. A separate MAGA group has also been established in the US Congress. It consists mainly of members of the US Republican Party. The positions and decisions of the current US administration are based on these principles, which determine their attitude to other countries and international issues, as well as the methods used to promote American interests.
As part of the practical implementation of the “America First” concept, Donald Trump is attempting to subjugate other countries and establish a sphere of exclusively American influence, defined as the Western Hemisphere. These D. Trump’s actions are his tariff or trade wars against virtually the entire world, including American allies, particularly Europe. And when the USA’s political and economic pressure on its opponents fails to yield the desired results, D. Trump does not hesitate to use military force. Evidence of this is the USA’s military operations against Venezuela and Iran. Cuba may be next.
Overall, D. Trump is achieving his goals. The only country that can stand up to the USA on a geopolitical level remains China. In the view of MAGA ideologues, the USA and China, as the most powerful centers of power, should jointly bear responsibility for the fate of humanity. They are also the largest trading partners. This requires the establishment of constructive relations between them. At the same time, China is viewed as a rival and competitor to the USA, one that must be contained.
However, what matters most to us is the positions of the MAGA movement – and thus Washington’s – regarding Europe, Ukraine, and Russia, as well as the Russia-Ukraine war. These positions are ambiguous, but they allow us to make relevant assessments and draw conclusions.
Indeed, the attitude of right-wing populists in the USA to Ukraine has largely been shaped by Moscow and largely aligns with its interests. The reasons for this are clear. Russia remains a fairly powerful nuclear power with significant economic potential and natural resources. Therefore, it is more important to the USA than Ukraine in political, economic, and military terms. Besides, Russia has far greater capabilities to influence US leadership and society through information operations.
Consequently, the MAGA movement’s attitude to Ukraine is predominantly negative. Many of its representatives view Ukraine as an “artificial country” and do not consider Ukrainians to be a genuine people. Furthermore, many of them are convinced of the “total corruption” and “nationalist nature” of the Ukrainian government. Therefore, providing aid to Ukraine is seen as “a waste of money”.
Donald Trump personally views Ukraine negatively as well. This is primarily due to the Ukrainian leadership’s refusal to support him during the 2020 election campaign. One aspect of this was attempts to discredit Joe Biden by accusing his son Hunter, who served on the board of directors of the Ukrainian gas production company Burisma, of corruption. Kyiv refused to back these accusations, which was one of the reasons Joe Biden won the election and Donald Trump lost the presidency.
During the subsequent 2024 election campaign, Donald Trump harshly criticized Joe Biden for providing aid to Ukraine and for severing ties with Russia. In D. Trump’s view, this approach led to excessive US financial expenditures and an escalation of confrontation with Russia, rather than mutually beneficial cooperation with it in the areas of global security, politics, and the economy. He also insisted that US aid to Ukraine not only failed to contribute to ending the Russian-Ukrainian war but, on the contrary, led to its prolongation.
Now, D. Trump constantly repeats such statements, trying to justify his current troubles. In particular, he explains the shortage of ammunition in the US Armed Forces for waging war against Iran by claiming that it was transferred to Ukraine by Joe Biden. Although, in reality, this problem arose due to Donald Trump’s own excessive self-confidence and miscalculations in preparing the US Armed Forces for combat operations.
Trump also is clearly irritated by Ukraine’s unyielding stance, which refuses to make concessions to Russia, preventing him from achieving quick successes as a mediator in peace talks and thereby boosting his own authority.
The MAGA movement’s stance on Russia is heterogeneous and pragmatic. Some right-wing populists view Russia as a potential partner in the political, economic, and security spheres. In particular, they regard Russia as a conservative force with which one can negotiate, disregarding the interests of others, including Europe. It is believed that Russia can be drawn away from China, which would weaken China as the United States’ main competitor. Others view Russia as America’s main adversary and the greatest source of threats to its military security.
The perception of Putin himself among right-wing populists is just as mixed. Some of them view him as a strong leader and a champion of traditional Christian values. Others see him as a dictator who has usurped power and is attempting to revive the Soviet Union while pursuing an aggressive policy which includes an attack on Ukraine and nuclear blackmail against Europe and America. Many experts believe that Donald Trump is friendly toward Putin and Russia, supports them, and is interested in doing business with them. D. Trump does indeed have personal business interests in Russia. But his current policy is aimed at weakening Russia as much as possible as a military adversary of the USA and a competitor to America in the global energy market.
Populists on the so-called right wing are largely skeptical of Europe as the USA’s partner, viewing it as both an economic competitor and a region with interests distinct from those of the United States. With this in mind, they believe it is necessary to continue developing the USA’s relations with Europe, but while simultaneously weakening its ability to act as a competitor with an independent policy. At the same time, given the need to focus the USA’s greater efforts on containing China, representatives of the MAGA movement believe it is necessary to reduce America’s involvement in ensuring Europe’s security. This is already being implemented in practice through the reduction of the USA’s military presence in the European theater of operations.
The most right-wing populists’ perception of the reasons for and nature of Russia’s war against Ukraine is significantly distorted and aligns with Russian narratives. Some of these populists tend to justify Moscow’s actions, attributing the war to NATO expansion, which they claim forced Russia to defend its security. There are also those who blame Ukraine for the war, claiming that Ukraine allegedly attacked the Donbas, while Russia is merely defending it.
Besides, representatives of the MAGA movement assert that Moscow seeks peace, while Ukraine’s leadership does not, as it uses the war to maintain its power and launder funds. They also argue that Ukraine is not only unable to defeat Russia but is also incapable of defending its independence, and that Ukrainian servicemen are nationalists.
Given such arguments, most right-wing populists oppose providing financial and other aid to Ukraine, as the funds are allegedly being embezzled or used inefficiently, and arms supplies cannot turn the tide of the fighting and only prolong the war. That is why they insist that the USA’s mediation efforts should focus on quickly reaching a ceasefire agreement between Moscow and Kyiv, which would allow America to normalize relations with Russia and focus on strengthening its position in the strategic competition with China. According to this approach, representatives of the MAGA movement believe it is necessary to continue pressuring Ukraine – including by withholding weapons and intelligence – in order to force it to make concessions in Russia’s favor. Currently, this also applies to supporting Moscow’s demands for the transfer of the entire Donbas region to Russia.
MAGA supporters propose gradually lifting the economic sanctions imposed on Russia if it ends the war with Ukraine. They advocate for the restoration of political and diplomatic ties with Russia, as well as its readmission to the G7, which would once again become the G8.
US President Donald Trump interprets the Russian-Ukrainian war in a similar way. His position as a mediator in the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine is based on these principles. In the initial phase of these talks in February–March 2025, D. Trump essentially pursued a policy coordinated with Russia to force Ukraine to accept Russian peace terms, which effectively amounted to its surrender. The only fundamental difference between the USA’s and Russia’s positions was Trump’s demand for an immediate cessation of hostilities followed by the negotiation of peace terms, while Moscow insisted on resolving this issue as a prerequisite for a ceasefire. In this way, the Russian leadership hoped to drag out the negotiations in order to seize as much Ukrainian territory as possible, and also hoped to achieve success on the front lines.
Nevertheless, D. Trump continued his mediation efforts, although they were asymmetrical in nature. In exchange for Ukraine’s agreement to Russian demands, D. Trump promised it rather ephemeral security guarantees, as well as the implementation of a joint project to develop Ukrainian rare-earth deposits, which was beneficial only to the USA.
Trump’s actions were accompanied by pressure on Ukraine: he threatened to halt arms supplies and withhold intelligence. This led to a sharp deterioration in relations between the United States and Ukraine, which began with the well-known diplomatic scandal during the meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy on February 28, 2025, in Washington, D.C., due to a heated dispute between them over the terms for ending the Russian-Ukrainian war. During negotiations with Russia and Ukraine, D. Trump relied on his inner circle, which included right-wing populists. He was most influenced by US Vice President J. Vance, his aide I. Musk, and Special Envoy S. Witkoff. Their positions were pro-Russian and anti-Ukrainian.
Besides, initially, D. Trump conducted the peace talks without Europe, even though they directly concerned its security. The reason was that Europe had consistently and comprehensively supported Ukraine.
However, the USA is a democratic country, so no single political force can dominate its political landscape. This applies to right-wing populists as well. They do not hold a monopoly even within the Republican Party. Only a third of its members share the ideology of the MAGA movement. The views of other Republicans differ from those of these right-wing populists.
Supporters of Ukraine view it as vital to the United States as a powerful force that curbs Russia’s aggressive expansion. In their view, if America refuses to support Ukraine and instead restores relations with Russia without the latter changing its course, it will undermine the USA’s role as a leader of the democratic world and contribute to the strengthening and spread of totalitarianism. Therefore, they believe it is necessary not to cease support for Ukraine but to increase pressure on Moscow to force it into peace, as well as to preserve transatlantic unity as a guarantee of the West’s ability to successfully counter Russia.
Key representatives of the pro-Ukrainian and anti-Russian wing of the US Republican Party are Senators L. Graham and M. Mallin, as well as Congressman M. McColl and Congresswoman V. Spartz. As is well known, the majority of members of the US Democratic Party, including its representatives in the US Congress, stand with Ukraine.
Through joint efforts, with the support of EU leaders and leading European countries, they managed to influence Donald Trump and force him to take Ukraine’s interests into account and shift from “flirting” with Russia to exerting real pressure on it. In particular, last autumn the USA imposed sanctions against the Russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil, which dealt a powerful blow to Russia’s oil sector. In addition, D. Trump agreed to have Europe participate in the peace talks.
This was further facilitated by a shift in the views of some right-wing populists, who finally realized Russia’s true objectives in the war against Ukraine, as well as the fact that it is Russia that is deliberately stalling negotiations and refusing to make peace. According to polls, about 75% of MAGA Republicans now consider Russia an enemy.
- Trump’s shift in position has allowed Ukraine and the USA, with the participation of EU representatives, to develop a peace plan that is in general acceptable to our country. Under pressure from the USA, Russia has largely agreed to the plan. The only obstacle to a ceasefire remains Russia’s demand for the transfer of the entire Donbas region to its control. Although, of course, it will not give up its goals of destroying Ukraine as an independent state.
However, these circumstances do not mean that D. Trump will definitively side with Ukraine or that right-wing populists of the pro-Russian and anti-Ukrainian variety will have no influence over him. He is still trying to achieve a rapid freeze on the Russian-Ukrainian war by forcing Ukraine to comply with Russia’s demands regarding the Donbas. But this is not so much a result of his right-wing populist views as it is his desire to achieve at least the appearance of restoring peace in Ukraine before the US midterm congressional elections in November of this year.
Incidentally, Donald Trump has recently begun linking US aid to Ukraine to Europe’s support for the USA Israel’s military operation against Iran. Within the USA itself, he is evidently relying on right-wing populists on this issue, who also believe that it is entirely possible to advance American interests at the expense of Ukraine’s. But D. Trump is unlikely to halt arms supplies to Ukraine, as this would have extremely serious political consequences for him.
This situation may change after the US congressional elections in November of this year. It is highly likely that the Democratic Party will win, thereby taking control of both chambers of the US Congress. As a result, the influence of right-wing populists on the country’s politics will diminish.
Thus, the USA’s policy is primarily shaped by the ideology of right-wing populism, which appeals to D. Trump and his administration. At its core is the “America First” concept, which aims to preserve the USA’s global leadership.
Accordingly, the US leadership defends exclusively American interests while disregarding the interests of other countries, including Europe, Ukraine, and Russia. This also applies to the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Indeed, for Donald Trump, mediating in the peace process is merely a tool he uses to achieve his political goals. By participating in such a process, he is simply seeking to bolster his own authority. In other words, he is not particularly concerned about Ukraine’s future.
At the same time, right-wing populists do not hold a monopoly in American politics. They are effectively countered by pro-European and pro-Ukrainian political forces. And after the US congressional elections in November of this year, these populists will lose their positions altogether.
Yurii Ilchenko,
Institute for Global Politics
Photo: Getty Images, RBC-Ukraine
