A performance with a red carpet, on which Donald Trump welcomed Putin to Alaska on 15 August, caused fear in Europe and besides obscured the geopolitical image of the situation. The United States is not considering rebuilding the Russian empire within russian borders. Moreover, they do much to yet push Moscow out of her erstwhile sphere of influence.
When Donald Trump was preparing for Putin's party, American soldiers were rolling on the ground. And it was not the central and western European camps. By the end of July, the “Agile Spirit 2025” maneuvers began in Turkey as well as in neighbouring Georgia. In addition to the hosts, there were subdivisions from Germany, Bulgaria and Romania, as well as Moldova and Ukraine. The goal was to strengthen the ties between the Alliance and its partners. To any degree interoperability is besides being built. Paratroopers from the 173th US Army Airborne Brigade, who landed close Adana, played a key function in the venture.
Before dust subsided in Georgian and Turkish fields, there were another exercises on the another side of the Black Sea. In Moldova, 300 local army soldiers were trained together, while in Romania, about 120 Americans from the US Army Europe & Africa and from the National defender of North Carolina. The aim of these exercises was primarily to rise the level of training of Moldovan troops.
In August, the Americans besides practiced in Armenia. Under the code name “Eagle Partner 2025”, as explained by its organizers, it was intended to aid the Armenian military prepare to participate in possible peace missions. peculiar emphasis has been placed on medical evacuation procedures.
American soldiers from 173 Airborne Brigade during the "Agile Spirit 2025" exercise in Georgia, 3 August 2025.
Each of these exercises has a different story. Americans have worked with the armies of Moldova and Georgia for years, while military contacts with Armenia are new. Political background is besides different. The Moldovan authorities have long since taken a clear Western course. However, while a large part of the population supports integration with the European Union, NATO membership is not necessarily the case. However, political elites, aware of the threats from Russia, are forced to search allies in the West – besides in the military dimension. Armenia is besides rapidly turning towards the West. The country has been a close ally of Russia for years. However, erstwhile Azerbaijan occupied the disputed territories of Nagorno-Karabakh, and asked for intervention Moscow was silent, it revised its policies. The United States yet helped to put an end to a longstanding conflict with its closest neighbour. Early in August, Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a peace agreement in Washington. The relation between the US and Georgia is much more complicated. Georgians have been heading for integration with the West since the presidency of Micheil Saakashvili. This changed as the Georgian Dream organization came to power. The current Georgian authorities are increasingly pregnant towards the Kremlin – they have not joined the sanctions imposed on Russia, they have besides introduced any controversial changes in the law, even if the Putinian standard law on abroad agents is based. The US and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Tbilisi, but the final breakup of the existing partners has not yet occurred.
However, regardless of the differences in relations with Moldova, Armenia and Georgia, there is 1 thing – Americans (and the wider West) are increasingly accentuating their presence in the countries of the erstwhile USSR, marginalising Russia. Local elites, and to an even greater degree society, see in this a chance for safety and comparative prosperity. In another words, the benefits Moscow is incapable to provide. The Americans themselves, in turn, see an chance to do business with them, which is peculiarly crucial for the current administration. An example? TRIPP, or Trump way for global Peace and Prosperity, to connect Azerbaijan with its enclave in Armenia – the Nachichevan Autonomous Republic. For the next 99 years, it is to be managed by the United States. And, as Wojciech Górecki points out, the analyst of the Center for east Studies is an component of an crucial trade way that connects China and Central Asia with Europe, despite Iran and Russia.
Of course, not all of the erstwhile russian republics are equally crucial to Americans and the West, whether for strategical or commercial reasons. It is besides hard to presume that Trump will agree to their NATO membership. America will not want to annoy Russia to this extent, especially as China is behind it. However, it seems that weakening Moscow remains in orbit of the interests of the White House. And this allows any optimism besides in the context of the game about the future of Ukraine. nevertheless chaotic and hard to realize would be the actions of the American administration in fresh times.
