The 30-day pause in airstrikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure that Donald Trump got Vladimir Putin to agree to lasted perhaps a few hours.
The White House had claimed “we’ve never been closer to a peace deal” before the phone call between the two leaders yesterday.
Instead, Mr Trump appears to have achieved little in his conversation with Mr Putin, whose ‘red lines’ seem very much intact as his troops continue to hammer the Ukrainian frontlines and with Volodymyr Zelenskyy accusing him of hitting Ukrainian energy infrastructure overnight
It’s been a whirlwind first couple of months of the second Trump administration, both stateside and abroad.
As the fallout from the latest development in the Ukraine war continues, let’s look at how the dealmaker-in-chief has fared in his various international interactions.
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone. File pic: Reuters
Cutting Ukraine out of negotiations
Mr Trump famously promised to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours of being sworn in as commander in chief for a second time (he now says he was being sarcastic), but certainly, a swift peace is firmly on his wishlist.
In the last few weeks he has cut off and resumed military aid and intelligence sharing to Ukraine, berated Volodymyr Zelenskyy in public and started peace negotiations with Russia without Kyiv’s involvement.
Now the 30-day pause on attacks on energy facilities that Mr Putin agreed to on the phone appears to have been abandoned the same day, with drone strikes launched against Ukraine overnight.
What is clear, however, is that Mr Trump’s comments (and those of his associates) around NATO allies not spending enough appear to have galvanised Europe.
Countries including the UK have pledged to boost defence spending and shoulder more of the security burden – though potentially pivoting away from lucrative American arms sales at the same time.
Empty shelves in the American whiskey section of a shop in Vancouver. Pic: Reuters
Trade war with Canada
Mr Trump’s signature economic policy – tariffs on imports – have opened up what essentially amounts to a trade war with America’s biggest trade partner: Canada.
His comments on making the Great White North into the “51st state” have not helped, with new Canadian PM Mark Carney vowing his country will “never ever be part of the US”.
The American president has slapped 25% tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminium and is threatening sweeping tariffs on all Canadian products from 2 April.
Mark Carney has hit out at Donald Trump and called for Canada to be shown respect. Pic: Reuters
Canada, which is the biggest foreign supplier of steel and aluminium to the US, announced 25% retaliatory tariffs on those metals along with computers, sports equipment and other products worth $20bn in total.
That’s on top of tariffs imposed on 4 March worth a similar amount on US goods in response to broader tariffs by Mr Trump.
Read more:
What are Donald Trump’s tariffs?
Sky News correspondents react to Trump-Putin call
Impact of tariffs elsewhere
Canada is far from the only nation to be hit with sweeping trade tariffs by the Trump administration.
Mr Trump also imposed tariffs on Mexico – a key US trade partner – due to the fentanyl crisis in the US and illegal immigration. Mexico, along with Canada, hit back with retaliatory tariffs.
Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum has sought to appease Mr Trump, including by sending 10,000 national guard soldiers to the border with the US – a win for Mr Trump, though it only amounts to an extra five guards per mile of the border.
The EU’s Ursula von der Leyen criticised new US tariffs on steel and aluminium, and the bloc pledged to raise its tariffs on American products.
China, which has been hit by a 20% tariff by Mr Trump, said it was “ready” for “any type of war” with the US.
The trade escalation between the two countries also spooked markets, contributing to a widespread stock market sell-off.
What’s more, there’s a possibility that China could benefit from the global tariffs regime in the long run.
End of the Gaza ceasefire?
Despite it being signed during the final days of US President Joe Biden’s time in office, Mr Trump took a great deal of credit for the ceasefire deal signed between Israel and Hamas back in January.
It seems that his impending inauguration served to spur things on and help get the deal over the line.
In December, he made a public demand for the release of the hostages, threatening “ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East”, while his envoy put pressure on Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
The eventual deal did bring some success – around 30 hostages were released along with more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.
But Israel launched airstrikes on Gaza this week, bringing the fragile ceasefire to an end without moving to phase two, which would have seen conversations around a permanent ceasefire.
Why does Trump want Greenland?
Greenland and Panama
Mr Trump has also spoken repeatedly about his desire to annex Greenland, despite protests from Denmark and Greenlanders themselves.
“I think that will happen,” he said earlier this month when asked about the US taking over the territory – something around 85% of Greenlanders oppose.
He said the US already has a military presence in Greenland and added: “Maybe you’ll see more and more soldiers going there.”
The row has caused tensions between America and Denmark, which is a US ally and a member of NATO.
Mr Trump has also promised to take over the Panama Canal, a key trade route for international shipping.
He expressed a desire for America to “take back” the crucial waterway from alleged Chinese control.
Earlier this month, a Hong Kong firm sold two major ports on the Panama Canal to a US firm. Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings said the move was “wholly unrelated to recent political news” but the development was nonetheless welcomed by Mr Trump.
