Politico reports:

Ukraine’s allies in Europe are finally hearing the tough-on-Russia message they’d been hoping for from President Donald Trump. But they don’t trust it.

Across European capitals, there’s a feeling of whiplash over the administration’s recent Ukraine policy reversals and confusion about who is calling the shots at the Pentagon. As a result, governments are preparing for multiple scenarios — making it difficult to design any Ukraine strategy while Trump’s foreign policy appears to change at a whim. Trump may, for example, take more actions against Russia, or once again halt the flow of weapons to Ukraine or even pull out U.S. troops that undergird Europe’s defenses.

“Nothing surprises anymore; we have to be ready for anything,” said one diplomat from a NATO nation. The individual, like others interviewed for this story, was granted anonymity to discuss ongoing internal deliberations.

Many foreign allies were blindsided last week when the Pentagon ordered a surprise stop to air defenses and lethal military aid to Kyiv. Then this week, Trump made an abrupt U-turn and pledged more air defenses to the embattled Ukrainian forces while saying he was sick of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “bullshit.” But it’s unclear whether that will translate into action.

One reason for the confusion is a lack of communication from Washington. [Continue reading…]