The U.S.’s latest efforts to end the conflict between Ukraine and Russia have jolted the trans-Atlantic alliance.

After being blindsided by President Donald Trump’s 28-point plan last month, some Europeans have expressed extreme disquiet at being apparently sidelined in talks.

Matthew Whitaker, the U.S. ambassador to NATO, told the Berlin Security Conference earlier this month that he hoped a German would become Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), overseeing the alliance’s military activities in Europe, a role that has been held by an American since NATO’s inception.

President Donald Trump said he would formally designate Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally in a further strengthening of ties between the two countries, capping a day of dealmaking between the US leader and the kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Trump designated Saudi Arabia a major non-NATO ally during a historic White House dinner with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, marking 80 years of relations.

President Trump said Tuesday he will designate Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, marking a step up in defense ties between the U.S. and the Gulf monarchy.

For all his breathless talk of "closing airspace," the West still tiptoes around Russian air probes targeting NATO while Trump talks tough in America’s backyard—against a pariah state that, unlike Moscow, can’t shoot back. Reactions to Trump’s stance on Venezuela have been swift.

Until a few years ago, the US and European powers worked closely together to encircle Russia and bring Eastern Europe and large parts of the former Soviet Union under their control. But now the axis of conflict is shifting.

Amid a renewed U.S.-led diplomatic drive to end the Ukraine war, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russia's Vladimir Putin for a sixth time.