Donald Trump Foreign Policy

Activists, rights groups and eyewitnesses say Iran’s nationwide protest crackdown has produced mass casualties—with activist tallies varying from several hundred to thousands (HRANA’s latest counts are in the 6,000s, and some unverified sources have claimed far higher), tens of thousands arrested, and circulating morgue and body‑bag footage emerging despite a near‑total internet blackout and state broadcasts of coerced confessions and pro‑government rallies. As Iran signals fast trials and possible executions, Western leaders have warned of consequences and U.S. officials have briefed military, cyber and covert options while the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group has been routed toward the Middle East.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told the European Parliament’s Security and Defence Committee that Europe “can’t” defend itself without U.S. support, warning that going it alone would require roughly 10% of GDP — including the cost of an independent nuclear deterrent — and that the U.S. nuclear umbrella remains the “ultimate guarantor” of European security. He cited tensions with President Trump over Greenland and tariff brinkmanship as evidence of strains inside NATO, stressed that Europe and the U.S. “need each other,” and echoed concerns about growing Arctic security challenges while Greenland’s leader signalled a preference for Denmark and NATO.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said two days of U.S.‑brokered trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi with U.S., Russian and Ukrainian delegations were "constructive," with parties agreeing to report back to capitals and military representatives identifying issues for a possible follow‑up meeting as soon as next week. The sessions — hosted by UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and preceded by four‑hour Kremlin talks between Trump envoys and Vladimir Putin — advanced discussion of U.S. peace‑framework elements but left the core sticking point unresolved: Moscow’s demand for territorial concessions in the Donbas amid ongoing Russian drone and missile strikes.

After U.S. forces captured Nicolás Maduro and the Trump administration signaled it would "run" Venezuela — seizing tankers, arranging sales of 30–50 million barrels to U.S. markets and pressing oil majors at the White House — Caracas advanced a draft overhaul to loosen state control, cut royalties and offer international arbitration to attract foreign capital. That mix of U.S. export control, promised revenue oversight and pro‑investor legal changes risks sidelining China’s state oil companies, which hold claims on more than 4 billion barrels now contingent on Washington’s policy and commercial decisions.

Iran’s top prosecutor Mohammad Movahedi called President Trump’s claim that Tehran halted or canceled the executions of “over 800” detained protesters “completely false,” saying no such judicial decision exists and suggesting the figure may have come from the foreign ministry while stressing the judiciary does not take instructions from foreign powers. The White House and Trump insist his warnings spared detainees, even as he threatened “crushing” retaliation and announced a U.S. “armada” en route, amid disputed activist casualty counts in the thousands and growing international concern over possible wider regional escalation.

The U.S. Treasury expanded sanctions on a nine‑ship “shadow fleet” and associated firms accused of moving Iranian oil and funding Tehran’s proxies, part of a broader campaign the administration ties to Iran’s repression and sanction‑evasion. Concurrently, the Trump administration has imposed a self‑declared “quarantine” on sanctioned Venezuelan tankers—seizing multiple vessels (including the former Bella 1, reflagged Marinera, after a trans‑Atlantic chase, and several Caribbean seizures) using Coast Guard, Navy and Marine forces and court seizure warrants as it moves to redirect and sell Venezuelan crude under U.S. control.

President Trump suggested on Truth Social that the U.S. "maybe should have put NATO to the test" by invoking Article 5 to have allies defend the southern border, and has tied a purported Davos "framework" with NATO chief Mark Rutte over Greenland to explicit tariff threats (initially 10% rising to 25% on eight European NATO countries) while saying he would waive tariffs for countries that cooperate or send forces. His Greenland push — in which he publicly said he "won't use force" but pressed for U.S. access and control — has spurred emergency NATO and European meetings, sharp allied rebukes and threats of retaliation, widespread U.S. polling opposition to military action, Danish and Greenlandic insistence that sovereignty is non‑negotiable, and Pentagon officials saying they have not been ordered to plan an invasion.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that President Trump’s push to seize Greenland amounts to a “deep crisis” for NATO that undermines the Western rules‑based order, saying Moscow is watching the transatlantic rift with a mix of glee and wariness even as it denies intent to threaten the island. He also denounced the U.S. raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as a “crude military intervention,” remarks made as Denmark and Greenland rebuffed U.S. acquisition efforts, European troops deployed to Greenland for Arctic exercises, and the White House floated military options and tariffs to press allies.

Speaking at Davos on Jan. 21, Trump told Canada "lives because of the United States" and directly addressed former Bank of England governor Mark Carney—saying "remember that, Mark"—in response to Carney’s warning that the world order is being ruptured. He also repeated his claim that the 2020 election was "rigged," said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine "wouldn't have started" if it weren't, and asserted "people will soon be prosecuted" over the 2020 outcome without specifying who or what charges; mainstream accounts note Joe Biden won 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 232 and that fraud allegations have been broadly refuted.

After a Senate vote failed to constrain the White House’s Venezuela actions, Sen. Rand Paul said the ongoing U.S. seizures and redistribution of Venezuelan oil amount to an “active war.” His remarks come as the administration faces fallout from a military operation that captured Nicolás Maduro, plans to sell 30–50 million barrels of Venezuelan crude, disputed casualty figures and widespread legal and diplomatic challenges over whether the campaign is law‑enforcement or an act of war.

President Trump ordered the U.S. to suspend support for 66 international organizations — including 31 UN‑linked bodies such as the UNFCCC, IPCC, UNFPA and UN Women — a move the administration cast as pruning “redundant, wasteful” or sovereignty‑threatening institutions but that raises legal questions (notably over the Senate‑ratified UNFCCC), risks funding and staffing cuts, and critics say will cede influence to rivals like China. UN Secretary‑General António Guterres warned the U.S. is privileging “the law of power” over the “power of law,” while UN officials, saying they were blindsided, stressed assessed dues remain legal obligations as agencies brace for disruptions and relocations.

The White House acknowledged a secret weekend meeting between Trump envoy Steve Witkoff (and reportedly other senior aides including Jared Kushner) and exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, even as President Trump publicly questioned whether Iranians would accept Pahlavi’s leadership, calling him "very nice" but saying a meeting may not yet be appropriate. Pahlavi meanwhile unveiled a six‑step plan calling for "maximum economic pressure" on Tehran — targeting IRGC leadership and command-and-control, blocking regime assets and dismantling "ghost" oil tankers, enabling uncensored internet access and cyber operations to prevent shutdowns, expelling diplomats and pursuing legal cases, securing the release of political prisoners, and preparing recognition of a transitional government.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Mexico’s cartel and migration crackdown — highlighted by joint U.S.–Mexico operations that seized more than 1,500 pounds of meth from clandestine labs and accompanied by a steep drop in homicides, reduced migration and lower fentanyl seizures at the U.S. border — shows “very compelling results” and makes U.S. strikes on Mexican soil unnecessary to protect Mexico’s sovereignty. After a call with U.S. leaders, U.S. and Mexican officials issued a joint statement saying more must be done to confront shared threats, and Sheinbaum urged Washington to curb southbound arms trafficking and treat drug consumption as a public‑health problem.

An AP–NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted Jan. 8–11, 2026 finds that 56% of U.S. adults believe President Donald Trump has 'gone too far' in using the U.S. military to intervene in other countries, following the U.S. operation that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. About 57% disapprove of Trump’s handling of Venezuela and 61% disapprove of his overall foreign policy, levels roughly aligned with his broader job approval. The backlash is driven largely by Democrats and independents—around 9 in 10 Democrats and roughly 6 in 10 independents say he has overstepped—while 71% of Republicans say his actions abroad have been 'about right' and only about 1 in 10 want him to go further. Despite the skepticism, about half of Americans see the Venezuela intervention as 'mostly a good thing' for stopping illegal drugs and 44% think it will do more to benefit than harm Venezuelans, but the public is split on whether it helps U.S. national security or the U.S. economy. The findings highlight growing unease with Trump’s threats to seize Greenland 'the hard way' and his vows to 'rescue' protesters in Iran, underscoring political risk if he doubles down on an expansive military posture that cuts against his earlier 'America First' non‑interventionist branding.