PANEL
Trump's Foreign Policy and the Russia-Ukraine War
Whether the incoming administration could end the war, and how any settlement would fit its contest with China
Omer Niazi
December 10, 2025
OMER NIAZI is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Council and a Visiting Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center.
Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky and Ursula von der Leyen. Any settlement in Ukraine would have to satisfy four sharply different definitions of an acceptable outcome.
Omer Niazi, President of the Council on International Law, Order, and Security (CILOS), participated in a panel to discuss Trump administration's policy approach towards the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The discussion, hosted by the Usanas Foundation, featured prominent government and policy experts debating whether Trump’s proposed policies could bring an end to the war and how they align with broader U.S. foreign policy objectives. During the panel, Niazi discussed key priorities likely to shape the Trump administration’s foreign policy agenda through the lens of its approach to great-power competition with China.
"President-elect Trump has signaled an interest in swiftly resolving the Russia-Ukraine war, yet the feasibility of such a resolution remains uncertain," Niazi stated. He explained that while Ukraine may seek security guarantees from the U.S., the durability of such commitments remains in question. "The reality is that while the war may see temporary de-escalation, a complete and lasting resolution may not materialize during Trump’s term," he added.
Niazi’s remarks provided a perspective on potential geopolitical maneuvering surrounding the conflict, focusing on the broader strategic calculations involving NATO, Europe, Russia, and the great-power competition with China.
The panel also featured Amb. Pankaj Saran, former Deputy National Security Advisor of India and former Ambassador to Russia, who discussed NATO’s alignment and India’s stance on diplomacy; Nataliya Butyrska, affiliated expert at Ukrainian Prism, who examined Ukraine’s security concerns and Trump’s ability to broker peace; Dr. Sergey Markedonov, a leading researcher at MGIMO, who analyzed Russia’s strategic posture and its role in global security; Marian Duris, foreign policy advisor to the European Parliament, who provided insights on shifting European diplomatic dynamics; and Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan, senior research fellow at the Applied Policy Research Institute of Armenia, who explored the potential for a long-term conflict freeze rather than a resolution.
Disclosure: This discussion was convened by the Usanas Foundation, and the recording is published here with its permission. The views expressed are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the Council on International Law, Order, and Security, its staff, or its board.
To cite this article: Niazi, Omer. (2024, December). Panel discussion on the Trump administration's approach to the Russia-Ukraine war. Usanas Foundation.
Copyright in this article is retained by the author. Published by the Council on International Law, Order, and Security. Quotation with attribution is welcome; republication in full requires permission. See our Terms of Use.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the Council, its staff, or its Board of Advisors.
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