The second Trump presidency has fueled a widespread belief in Europe that Washington has gone soft on China and Russia. But the data tells a different story. US arms sales to Taiwan have accelerated dramatically from a record $11 billion in 2025 to a rumored $20 billion package for 2026. Meanwhile, US sanctions on Russia's two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, triggered in October 2025 a collapse in Russian energy revenue to its lowest point in five years, directly threatening the stability of Moscow's war economy.
