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Trump’s new world order 

In the wake of President Donald Trump and his team accosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a heated, televised exchange in the Oval Office, European leaders met over the weekend to devise a plan for protecting Ukraine from Russian aggression absent any security guarantees from the US.

And though multiple leaders, from the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to NATO leader Mark Rutte, insisted that they still view the US as an important partner, the meeting nevertheless seemed to mark the abrupt beginning of a new Western world order — one in which Europe stands alone.

Sunday, Starmer presided over a summit of more than a dozen mostly European leaders, and announced that the attendees would form a “coalition of the willing” to defend Ukraine and strengthen Europe’s military capabilities. 

“Not every nation will feel able to contribute but that can’t mean that we sit back,” Starmer said. “Instead, those willing will intensify planning now with real urgency.” 

That coalition could lead to UK troops on the ground in Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force, should a ceasefire or peace deal come about, Starmer said; France and the UK reportedly have a ceasefire framework.

Starmer did emphasize, however, that lasting peace will not be possible without US support. And while Starmer said he had a productive conversation with Trump about Ukraine this weekend, it’s not clear that US support will materialize. 

That’s in part because the Trump administration and its allies reiterated throughout the weekend that they believe their current approach to peace — that is, holding talks with Russia sans Ukraine and blaming Ukraine for the war — is the right one. 

The Trump team also redoubled their attacks on Zelenskyy on Sunday, with some going so far as to suggest the Ukrainian president ought to be replaced.

“The sooner everyone grows up around here and figures out that this is a bad war that's heading in a bad direction... the more progress we're going to be able to make,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on ABC Sunday. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also announced Sunday that the Pentagon will cease offensive cyber operations against Russia — a tactic that could be seen as an olive branch to Russian President Vladimir Putin, meant to ease peace negotiations. European leaders — who have faced covert Russian attacks on their soil in recent months — warned against the move, arguing Putin cannot be trusted. 

All of this tumult comes as Trump attempts to fulfill a campaign promise to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. But it also seems to be a case of Trump getting something he’s long demanded: That Europe increase its defense contributions while the US takes a step back from the conflict.

The UK announced over the weekend that it will send $2 billion in air defense missiles to Ukraine and will increase military spending by 2.5 percent of gross domestic product by 2027. 

Other countries may make similar commitments. But it may not be enough for Europe to stand alone against Russia in the short-term after decades of underinvestment in defense.

Still, Europe seems willing to try. And under Trump's radical new foreign policy, European countries may have no other choice but to do so.

Paige Vickers/Vox; Getty Images

Reel bad: I resisted Instagram for a long time, and Instagram Reels makes me wish I’d held out a little longer. Alex Abad-Santos explains why it’s so full of slop. 

Killer app: X’s AI tool was meant to be “anti-woke,” but that effort has led to a tool that displays a great tolerance for violence, Bryan Walsh writes. 

Weathering a storm: The agency that forecasts weather for the US has been hit with layoffs, Umair Irfan reports. It could disrupt important weather and climate data gathering. 

Cannabis chaos: New York had a grand plan to transform those who’d been swept by the war on drugs into weed entrepreneurs. It went south, fast. [New York Times] 

English only: Trump signed an executive order declaring English the official language of the US. [AP] 

Dionysian delights: Archaeologists have unearthed new frescos depicting rituals of the followers of ancient Greco-Roman god Dionysus. [Smithsonian]

Pompeii Archaeological Park

Beef is complicated. The way we produce it is bad for us, and the environment, but it is also nutritious, delicious, and — as Izzie Ramirez and Daniela Jordan-Villaveces explore in a moving comic — a central part of most Americans’ (North, South, or Central) cultural identity. 

Daniela Jordan-Villaveces for Vox

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Today’s edition was produced and edited by me, news editor Sean Collins. I hope your weekend was wonderful, and your week ahead full of wonders.

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