Since returning to the White House over six weeks ago, President Donald Trump has rapidly and dramatically changed US positions vis-à-vis Russia's war in Ukraine, much to the chagrin of Kyiv and Washington's other European allies.

The stunning showdown between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Friday, US statements ruling out Ukraine's entry into the NATO military alliance and the pause of all US military aid to Kyiv this week, among other moves, have been viewed by many as part of Washington's attempts to cooperate with Moscow and put pressure on Kyiv to accept a ceasefire deal on Russia's terms.

European leaders are contemplating a united response — including increased support for Ukraine as well as measures to boost national militaries — in the face of Trump's actions that could put the entire post-1945 security architecture on the continent in jeopardy.

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The dramatic developments are being keenly watched even in Asia, with US allies like Japan, South Korea and the Philippines increasingly concerned about Trump's commitment to their security.

Unlike European leaders, however, the governments in Tokyo and Seoul have largely kept quiet out of fear of attracting the attention of a leader upon whom their security and trade largely depend.

Both Japan and South Korea rely heavily on the US for their defense, with over 80,000 troops stationed in both countries.

They can ill afford to entirely reject the US as their immediate neighbors — China, North Korea and Russia — are increasingly militarily powerful and assertive.

Japan and South Korea are looking at the global situation now and they are both asking themselves if they too are about to be abandoned by Washington and "get the Ukraine treatment from [Chinese leader] Xi Jinping," said Jeff Kingston, director of Asian Studies at Temple University in Tokyo.

He pointed out that Tokyo and Seoul have........

© Deutsche Welle