The transformation of the “world order” has begun.
By Oleg Vernik, Leadership of the Independent Trade Union of Ukraine “Zakhist Pratsi–Ukrainian Socialist League
On February 12, 2025, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, published on Truth Social his dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He stated that he had a “long and productive telephone conversation with Putin” and expressed his desire for the joint work of the US and Russia to continue, since it “benefits both countries.” Thus, both countries agreed to start inter-imperialist negotiations separately and behind Ukraine’s back.
It is interesting to note that Trump’s announcement on the format of the negotiation in Saudi Arabia accepts the participation of Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, John Ratcliffe Director of the CIA, Mike Waltz National Security Adviser and Steve Vitkoff Special Representative for the Middle East. As can be seen, when forming the delegation, Trump took into account Putin’s wishes, in particular, by excluding Keith Kellogg, the US special envoy for Ukraine, who has sometimes recalled Ukraine’s interests in his public statements.
President Zelensky waited until the last minute for the “Trump peace plan” to be presented at the Munich Security Conference, which he attended. However, Trump and Putin ignored Zelensky and the so-called “European partners of the US” who also insisted on participating in the negotiations.
On February 15, in his Munich speech, Zelensky expressed absolute disagreement with Trump’s policy of negotiating with Russia separately, insinuating that Trump had caved in his interests for Ukraine. He realized that he could no longer expect any more military and financial support from the US and asked the main countries of the European Union (EU) to do so. Zelensky echoed the words of French President Emmanuel Macron again, who called on the EU to create its own army to which, according to Zelensky, the battle-hardened Ukrainian army should be integrated. Such a statement that might have seemed fanciful before the speech of American Vice President J.D. Vance on February 14 in Munich, no longer seems so. Vance developed a conflictual approach to the internal and external policies of EU member states, trying to pave the political path for far-right parties (satellites of Trump and Putin) to come to power in key countries of the Bloc. It included harsh anti-immigrant rhetoric and criticized the organizers for not inviting the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
The day after Vance’s outrageous performance, Macron summoned European leaders to an emergency summit in Paris, in order to answer to Trump’s actions.
Behind this crazy and chaotic hodgepodge of messages and events, a Marxist position has to point out the key parameters of the ongoing transformation of the world order. The “campist” paradigm of world situation analysis has finally been buried by recent events. World imperialism has always manifested itself in a complex unity and struggle of contradictions between its various segments. With the final collapse of the so-called “unipolar” world imperialist system with the unconditional rule of global “western imperialism” and the emergence of new “young” and aggressive world and regional imperialisms – China, Russia, Turkey – any “campist” illusion of supporting this or that “new” imperialism in defiance of “global Western imperialism” no longer only seems an anachronism but also stupidity. The “campist” analysis and position seem even more anachronistic in light of the collapse of “Western imperialism” itself as a kind of integral category, united by the common goals and objectives of the foreign policy of all its segments.
The contradictions between American imperialism and Western European imperialism have existed and deepened for some time, but Vance’s speech seems to have sharpened estrangement. A bloc of American and Russian imperialisms would be extremely disadvantageous for Western European imperialism.
Macron also invited NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to his summit of European leaders. Trump has long been trying to get rid of NATO or, at least, significantly reduce the financial costs that the US allocates to it. His recent calls for the territorial annexation of Canada and Denmark (Greenland), finally deprive NATO of the traditional meaning of its existence.
The slow and clumsy bureaucracy in Brussels hopes that American behavior will be temporary and that the situation will normalize when Trump leaves power. However, and on the contrary, it seems that the destruction of the liberal paradigm of the “world order” is gaining momentum. Donald Trump’s right-hand man, Elon Musk, has said that the world is “falling apart” and does not hide their intentions to radically reformulate European policy towards the extreme right. In the German parliamentary elections Musk openly supported the pro-Putin and far-right AfD party, while Trump intensified his support for reactionary ultras Viktor Orban (Hungary) and Robert Fico (Slovakia). At the same time, Giorgia Meloni, Italian prime minister and leader of the post-fascist right-wing Brothers of Italy party, was the only European leader to attend Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration.
The abrupt rapprochement between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, representing US imperialism and Russian imperialism, had an immediate effect on US-Russian relations and the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. Trump’s team announced that another “agreement” is being prepared for the very near future according to which US economic and personal sanctions against Belarus and Lukashenko would be lifted and, in return, the Belarusian dictator would declare amnesty for some political prisoners.
Despite the fact that Donald Trump has not yet presented his “peace plan for Ukraine”, he has evidenced its general guidelines. In an attempt to follow Putin’s game, Trump has completely removed the issue of the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia between 2014 and 2022 (Crimea and part of the Donbass) from the framework of future peace negotiations, provides for the implementation of a ceasefire and the freezing of the conflict along the lines of the current situation on the combat front. In addition, most of the US sanctions against the Russian Federation will be lifted, a convenient option for Putin, since Russia is weakened due to the heroic Ukrainian resistance and the absence of significant successes on the front.
Until recently, Trump was confident of his control over Zelensky, now he constantly points out to him the corrupt nature of his regime and environment, his low popularity ratings and the need to hold presidential and parliamentary elections. One of the most serious threats to Zelensky is the possibility of conducting a full financial audit on military aid supplies. Journalist Tucker Carlson, who is close to Trump, pointed directly at Zelensky by stating that there are weapons originally supplied to Ukraine that are in the arsenal of Mexican drug cartels. Tucker did not present any evidence, but apparently this was not necessary, since the accusations were made mainly with the aim of achieving full control over Zelensky on the eve of the “deal” between Trump and Putin.
Realizing the weakness of his position, Zelensky offered Trump a monopoly on the exploitation of rare earth elements, hoping that, as a businessman, he would take advantage of this offer and continue supplying weapons to Ukraine. However, Zelensky also fell into a trap because Trump voluntarily took advantage of this offer, not to continue with the war supply but as a return for the weapons already delivered. Faced with the failure of his policy, in recent days Zelensky has tried to disavow the “deal” or at least get some support from Trump. However, according to the opposition media, despite the total purge carried out by Zelensky, the idea of selling Ukrainian mineral resources to the Americans has not gone down well. The Constitution of Ukraine states that mineral resources are the property of the people, which is why Zelensky does not have the exclusive right to dispose of them.
Ukrainian society has reacted negatively to the complicity of the American and Russian imperialisms behind Ukraine’s back. From time to time, the Ukrainian media, forced to concentrate only on the Internet, point out the obvious coincidences with the so-called “Munich Agreement” of 1938, in which the main imperialist states (Great Britain and France) behind the back of Czechoslovakia signed an independent agreement with Hitler on the cession of the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia to Germany. As is well known, this shameful Inter-imperialist conspiracy did nothing but increase Hitler’s appetites and brought the Second World War much closer.
It also seems clear that the EU’s military aid to Ukraine will be extremely small and cannot be compared in size and potential with American aid, which, it seems, is coming to an end.
In its analyses, the International Socialist League (ISL) repeatedly pointed out that the decisive factor in the struggle of the Ukrainian people for their right to self-determination and independent development is not the supply of weapons by Western imperialism, but the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to Russian imperialist aggression. In this context, Ukraine has already won its war for existence, despite the betrayals of its so-called imperialist “partners” and “allies.” In the current situation, Ukrainian workers must decisively abandon all their last hopes for “American help.”
* No to the inter-imperialist “negotiations” between the US and Russia behind the back of Ukraine!
* No confidence in Western imperialist countries and their blocs, which in this war pursue exclusively their own interests!
* Long live the resistance of the Ukrainian people to the Russian imperialist aggression!
* Long live the right of the Ukrainian people to self-determination and their own independent development!
* Long live the international solidarity of workers!
