China's support for Russia in Ukraine is limited to things that are purely in China's own interest and do not risk Chinese sanctions—China is not selling arms to Russia and is only buying Russian resources at discounted prices for its own benefit, making it fundamentally limited in scope.

The incoming Trump Administration has figures like Elbride Colby who argue that China should not base its Taiwan decisions on how the Ukraine war pans out, suggesting a preference for minimal U.S. involvement in Europe and maximum focus on Asia.

At the same time that global power dynamics are characterized by an autocratic coalition challenging the liberal order, the incoming Trump Administration seems to have a very different idea of the role the US should play in the world compared to how the US has traditionally played that role, though what exactly the new role should be is unclear from a European perspective.

The Trump Administration's policy orientation toward foreign policy is quite different from the previous approach, and there is significant confusion and debate about what that new role for the US should be, particularly from a European perspective.