Today, Donald Trump will officially begin his term as the 47th President of the United States of America. His possible actions and strategies in the international arena were the main topic of discussion at a meeting of experts organized by the Atlantic Council and Experts Club. Brian Mefford, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, and Maksym Urakin, founder of the Experts Club, discussed key issues that will affect the geopolitical situation in the world, including Ukraine.
Brian Mefford noted that Trump’s first months in office will be focused on resolving domestic issues, such as the confirmation of his cabinet members in the Senate. However, the expert emphasized that Ukraine will remain an important issue in US foreign policy.
“Ukraine already has a special envoy, General Kellogg. Although his visit to Kyiv was postponed, it shows that Ukraine remains a priority. Its security is crucial for stability in the region,” Mr. Mefford said.
One of the key topics of discussion was Ukraine’s membership in NATO, which was first promised at the Bucharest Summit in 2008. According to Brian Mefford, this decision could have prevented many of the current problems.
“It was a serious mistake at the time. Russia used this uncertainty: first in Georgia and then in Ukraine. Now, because of the war on its own territory, the NATO issue for Ukraine is being postponed indefinitely. At the same time, there is a need for long-term security guarantees. Ukraine needs modern weapons, so the United States and European partners must remain reliable allies of Ukraine,” he explained.
At the same time, according to the expert, the issue of NATO funding became one of the most discussed during Trump’s first presidency, when he called on European countries to increase their defense spending.
“The United States spends more on defense than the next nine countries combined. Trump was right to insist that European countries spend at least 2% of GDP on defense. And now these requirements are being met. Increasing defense spending in Europe is in everyone’s interest. The alliance remains a powerful tool for ensuring stability,” Mr. Mefford emphasized.
According to him, the US withdrawal from NATO is currently an unlikely scenario.
Mefford suggested that the Trump administration will continue its tough economic policy towards China, including trade wars.
“China does not follow fair rules in international trade. Support for Taiwan will remain unchanged, as the United States has strategic interests in the region. Although China often demonstrates strength, its economy is on the verge of recession and its military power is exaggerated,” he explained.
The expert also touched upon the issue of sanctions against Russia, which remain an effective tool of international pressure.
“Trump imposed more sanctions against Russia during his previous term than Obama did. Their mitigation is possible only if the war ends. This is a long-term mechanism that cannot be ignored,” emphasized Mefford.
Maksym Urakin, founder of the Experts Club think tank, in turn, emphasized the importance of Donald Trump’s election for Ukraine and the world and reminded of other important elections for Ukraine and the region in 2025:
“For Ukraine, partnership with the United States is crucial. However, we need to be prepared for different scenarios and strengthen our economic resilience and diversify our foreign policy, given the very important elections this year in Germany, Poland, Romania, Moldova, and Canada. The world is becoming very dynamic in the future,” said Maxim Urakin.
The experts’ analysis showed that Trump’s policy toward Ukraine will be shaped by both internal and external factors. At the same time, Ukraine’s role in global security will only grow, and international support will remain critical for security on the European continent.
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Atlantic Council, EXPERTS CLUB, NATO, SECURITY, TRUMP, UKRAINE, URAKIN, USA, Меффорд
TikTok is no longer available to users in the U.S., the result of a controversial law that forces the popular platform to go offline unless it separates from its Chinese owner, ByteDance, npr.org reported.
“When users tried to open the app around 10:35 p.m. ET, a message appeared saying, ‘Sorry, TikTok is currently unavailable. A law banning TikTok has gone into effect in the United States. Unfortunately, this means you cannot use TikTok right now.”
The post goes on to say that newly elected President Donald Trump has promised to “work with us on a solution to restore TikTok as soon as he takes office. Please stay tuned! ”
Around the same time, TikTok also stopped appearing in the Apple and Google Play app stores. A law recently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court ordered Apple and Google to remove the service from their app stores. It also ordered web hosting companies, including TikTok’s internal cloud provider, Oracle, to stop supporting the app. Otherwise, they will face penalties that could reach billions of dollars.
The US Department of Homeland Security announced the extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ukrainians for 18 months.
“The extension allows eligible Ukrainian citizens who arrived before August 16, 2023 to retain their TPS status and employment authorization after verification,” the Department said in a statement.
We are talking about 103,700 Ukrainians. As noted, not all re-registered persons can get a new document on work authorization before the expiration of the previous one, so automatically extended for 12 months the validity of the permit.
“The extension of temporary refugee status is due to the ongoing armed conflict and emergency and temporary conditions in Ukraine, which do not allow citizens of Ukraine who are eligible to return safely,” – explained there.
In addition, a similar decision was made for 600 thousand Venezuelans, 232 thousand immigrants from El Salvador and about 1900 Sudanese.
Chairman of the Customs Committee of Uzbekistan Akmalhuzha Mavlonov met with U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Troy Miller in Washington, DC.
This is the first time in 32 years that Uzbekistan and the United States have held an official face-to-face meeting of this format between the heads of the two countries’ customs services.
Important agreements reached during the Uzbek-American summits in 2018 and 2023 paved the way for expanding mutual cooperation in all areas.
According to the agency, Uzbekistan’s foreign trade in US goods has increased by 48% over the past 6 years. For 8 months of this year, this figure increased by 64% compared to the same period last year.
It is emphasized that in order to increase these indicators, it is necessary to stimulate the expansion of foreign trade by establishing mutual cooperation and information exchange between the customs services of both countries.
That is why the negotiations focused on such pressing issues as monitoring risks at customs, digitalization of customs procedures and efficient use of human resources.
The heads of the customs services of the two countries signed an agreement on cooperation and mutual assistance, which is an important legal basis for cooperation in the field of customs. This document, which opens a new page in the relationship, provides for the exchange of information between Uzbekistan and the United States in the field of customs and serves to further strengthen cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking, human trafficking, transnational criminal groups, money laundering and customs evasion.
It is noteworthy that the United States has signed similar bilateral customs cooperation agreements with only 17 countries out of 200, and Uzbekistan is the 18th country on this list.
During the talks, the parties discussed in detail the possibilities of attracting specialists from the U.S. border and customs services to Uzbekistan, as well as the possibility of training Uzbek specialists in the United States.
During the visit, the Uzbek delegation is scheduled to familiarize itself with the activities of the U.S. National Targeting Center, the Academy of Cynology, San Antonio International Airport in Texas, the auto-border customs post in Laredo on the border with Mexico, and the Texas-Mexico international railroad crossing.
https://president.uz/ru/lists/view/7559
On August 21, 2024, the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine (AmCham Ukraine) held a reception in Kyiv to celebrate Ukraine’s Independence Day. The event brought together AmCham members, diplomats, and business representatives, becoming an important event in the capital’s business life.
The event began with greetings from AmCham leadership. AmCham President Andy Hunder emphasized the importance of partnership between Ukraine and the United States and expressed confidence in further development of bilateral economic relations. Special attention was paid to the challenges facing Ukrainian business in the context of the ongoing war and global economic instability.
Today, AmCham Ukraine unites over 600 member companies, making it one of the largest and most influential business associations in Ukraine. To effectively protect business interests and address key issues in various sectors of the economy, the Chamber has 24 specialized committees covering such areas as finance, IT, healthcare, agribusiness, and others.
AmCham Ukraine’s Board of Directors plays an important role in managing the organization, providing strategic recommendations and professional expertise. The Board consists of:
Executive Committee:
Olena Koszarny – Chair of the Board (Horizon Capital)
Arvid Turkner – Vice Chair (EBRD)
Alex McWhorter – Deputy Chairman of the Board (Citi Ukraine)
Sergiy Martynchuk – Treasurer (Cisco)
Sergiy Chorny – Legal Counsel and Secretary (Baker McKenzie)
Directors:
Yulia Badritdinova – General Director, McDonald’s Ukraine
Vasyl Bovdilov – General Director, Unilever Ukraine
Mikhail Bubnov – CEO, Schneider Electric Ukraine
Oleg Khaidakin – CEO, Carlsberg Ukraine
Michael Kharenko – Partner, Sayenko Kharenko
Leonid Polupan – CEO, Microsoft Ukraine
Petro Rondiyak – Chairman of the Board of Directors, Winner Group Ukraine
Andrzej Ruzicki – CEO, Bunge Ukraine
Olena Sereda – Director of Corporate Affairs and Legal Affairs, Coca-Cola Ukraine
Andriy Tsymbal – CEO, KPMG Ukraine
Vasyl Varvaroi – General Director, Cargill Ukraine
The reception, organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, demonstrated the unity and commitment of Ukrainian business to develop in the face of global challenges. The event once again emphasized the importance of international partnership and AmCham Ukraine’s role in supporting economic stability and growth in the country.
Interfax-Ukraine is a member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine and an official service provider of AmCham Ukraine.
Some 94% of Ukrainians consider Poland a friendly country, 86% consider the United States friendly, 85% – the UK, 80% – Germany, 40% – Turkey, and 5% – China, according to a poll by the Rating sociological group in cooperation with public organization Transatlantic Dialogue Center.
At the same time, 2% of Ukrainians consider Poland a neutral country, 7% consider the United States neutral, 6% the UK, 14% Germany, 48% Turkey, and 52% China.
In addition, 1% of Ukrainians consider Poland to be an enemy country, 2% consider the United States to be an enemy, 1% – the UK, 2% – Germany, 4% – Turkey, and 34% – China.
The attitude towards Germany among Ukrainians has improved, as the percentage of assessment of its friendly country has increased from 65% last year to 80% this year.
“The attitude of Ukrainians towards China and Turkey is deteriorating in dynamics. If in October last year, China was considered rather a neutral country (63%), this assessment changed to a more neutral-negative one: 34% rated it as a hostile country, 52% as neutral. As for Turkey, its assessment as a neutral country has increased: 48% consider it neutral, 40% – friendly, while last year its assessment as a friendly country (51%) was more than neutral (39%),” the sociological group said.
The survey was conducted on June 1-2, 2023 among citizens aged 18 years and older in all regions, except for the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas, as well as territories where there is no Ukrainian mobile communication at the time of the survey. The sample is representative in terms of age, gender, and type of settlement. The sample was 1,000 respondents. The survey method is computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI). The error is no more than 3.1%.
