Editor's note: Anthony Moretti, a special commentator for CGTN, is an associate professor at the Department of Communication and Organizational Leadership at Robert Morris University in the U.S. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.

Donald Trump's second term as President of the United States is not boring. On a daily basis, the White House – or Trump himself, often via social media – makes an announcement that leaves the democratic community worried and other parts of the world confused.

What has unfolded over the past few days regarding Ukraine is one of the latest examples. And what has transpired between Washington and Kyiv offers a powerful example that Trump has zero interest in legitimately backing any ally. Under his watch, everything is negotiable, and Trump is expecting the U.S. to get the better end of any deal. Proponents of his "America First" philosophy will celebrate; critics will ask about undermining the delicate balance between one country’s wants and the global community’s needs.

The controversial agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine, revealed by Ukrainian officials on February 25, involves the U.S. gaining access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals and other resources, although not at the level the White House first wanted. The minerals are critical because they are at the foundation of the technologies needed to produce everything from smartphones to electric vehicles. For now, there are no security guarantees committing the U.S. to protecting Ukraine; although when the presidents of the two nations meet in the coming days, that topic will likely be discussed.

Less than a week ago, the thought of any agreement between the two countries seemed implausible. Trump was on a verbal rampage, at one point suggesting the Ukrainian president was little more than a "modestly successful comedian" who had convinced the U.S. to spend billions of dollar on a war against Russia "that couldn’t be won." If that tirade was not enough to raise eyebrows, Trump also accused Zelenskyy of being "a dictator" who was wildly unpopular at home. To complete his barrage, Trump suggested Zelenskyy "immediately" exit Ukraine and move to France, according to a source who spoke to one U.S. newspaper.

Left unclear as well at this moment is whether Trump will remain adamant that conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin about ending the three-year-old military conflict between Russia and Ukraine should not include Ukraine at the negotiating table. Zelenskyy continues to be outraged by such suggestions, and one U.S. ally after another is also dissatisfied with the idea. They see it as a potential precursor to Trump distancing the U.S. from Europe for reasons that right now might be clear only in his mind. In examining U.S.-European relations, a senior fellow at a European think tank recently said that "we are in … a very serious situation here where the assumptions of many decades have simply been blown away – and principally, the assumption that the U.S. will underwrite Europe's security."

Trump is correct when he argues that his predecessors did nothing to stop the huge tab the U.S. carried in order to sustain European security year upon year, decade upon decade. Few Americans likely knew how little European governments actually spent to cover NATO's bills. Trump harangued Europe during his first term, demanding that NATO members increase their defense spending to at least 2 percent of their GDPs. That target has been reached. During the 2014 summit, all NATO members agreed to spend that amount of money on defense by 2025. Trump is now hinting at a 5 percent threshold, a figure that no country currently contributes and one that would be crippling to multiple nations. For Europe, the best thing that comes out of Trump's 5 percent diatribe is that it negotiates a deal with the U.S. that might involve eliminating or reducing tariffs (or something else). The worst: Trump pulls the U.S. out of NATO, which if it withstood legal scrutiny, would carry unknown consequences for the continent's security.

Trump's words, whether they are in response to someone who has spoken out against him or designed to promote one of his policies, are striking because he is demonstrating a complete disregard for decorum. But more importantly, they leave allies, most especially those throughout Europe, fearing what he might do next.

Akin to an underground mine that will explode should someone step on it, Trump has no cause for concern at blowing up the global world order or worrying about who might suffer from it. Right now, Europe is hamstrung in advancing a response primarily because the region's politics are in flux.

The absence of a strong leader is one reason. No one has the gravitas to stand up to Trump and rally Europe behind him or her. Another: Far-right political parties are becoming more and more influential; their skepticism of the EU is especially noteworthy in Germany, where the Alternative for Deutschland (AfD), which finished second in national elections a few days ago, is advocating for that country to leave the EU. Trump has offered no indication that he cares what Germany might do as one of his major allies, Elon Musk, repeatedly praised AfD in the lead up to the German elections.

Unless and until Trump faces legitimate resistance to whatever he has in mind for Europe, that continent remains akin to a piñata with Trump repeatedly smacking it as he eagerly awaits the spoils.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow @thouse_opinions on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)