WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has, in recent weeks, pushed U.S. diplomacy into three arenas — the Panama Canal, Greenland and Ukraine — unsettling allies who say the Trump foreign policy turn is shaking assumptions about sovereignty and deterrence. The White House says the strategy curbs Chinese and Russian leverage and ends wars faster, but partners warn it could fracture alliances and reward aggression, Dec. 21, 2025.
Trump foreign policy meets blowback from allies
Supporters say Trump foreign policy is forcing overdue debates about shipping lanes and critical minerals. Allies counter that Washington is applying the same pressure tactics to friends as to foes.
Panama Canal: “take back” rhetoric returns
Trump revived the language of reclamation in his inaugural address, saying the United States would “take back” the Panama Canal, according to Reuters’ account of his Jan. 20, 2025, inauguration speech.
In Latin America, Trump foreign policy has paired that rhetoric with security messaging. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, “Together, we will take back the Panama Canal from China’s influence,” and pledged deeper cooperation with Panamanian forces during an April trip, Reuters reported. More than 40% of U.S. container traffic — valued at roughly $270 billion a year — moves through the canal, the report said.
Panama’s government says its sovereignty is not negotiable. The United States handed over control of the canal to Panama on Dec. 31, 1999, History.com recounts. During Trump’s return to office, President Jose Raul Mulino said “Every square meter of the Panama Canal and the surrounding area belongs to Panama,” and Trump replied, “We’ll see about that!” Reuters reported in December 2024.
Greenland: minerals, security and a renewed push
In the Arctic, Trump foreign policy is increasingly tied to critical minerals. In October, administration officials discussed taking an equity stake in Critical Metals Corp., a move that would give Washington a direct interest in Greenland’s largest rare earths project, Reuters reported.
The push echoes Trump’s first term. In 2019, he canceled a Denmark visit after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen rebuffed his idea of purchasing Greenland, Reuters reported at the time. Denmark and Greenland say the island is not for sale.
Ukraine: peace talks and the price of concessions
The most immediate test of Trump foreign policy is playing out in Europe, where his team is pressing a peace framework to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. U.S., Ukrainian and European officials said in late November they had an “updated and refined” framework, but Trump’s plan still calls for Ukraine to cede territory, accept limits on its military and renounce ambitions to join NATO, Reuters reported.
Talks in Berlin produced an unprecedented U.S. offer of NATO-style security guarantees — potentially modeled on Article 5 — but negotiators have not bridged the dispute over land. “We’re trying to get it done,” Trump said, adding that he believed the parties were “closer now than we have been ever,” Reuters reported.
Across the three fronts, diplomats say the through line is a Trump foreign policy approach that treats geography, resources and security commitments as bargaining chips — leaving allies to weigh whether today’s pressure is a negotiating tactic or a durable shift in how Washington uses power.
