The Lens: Trump’s isolationist turn threatens Ukraine in war with Russia

US President Donald Trump is becoming increasingly harsh towards Ukraine in his pursuit of an isolationist policy. This approach is similar to the US’ stance before World War I when America refrained from involving itself in European affairs, hence the term “isolationist.”

Through his policies, it appears that Trump aims to revive an “America First” mentality, moving away from the policing role that his predecessors were often accused of embodying.

He has repeatedly stated his desire to withdraw funding from Ukraine. This would have severe consequences for Ukraine, as the US has been its primary source of financial support since the start of the war.

Trump’s approach suggests he seeks a swift conclusion to the conflict by any means necessary, contradicting previous American foreign policies. The Russian-Ukrainian conflict could result in two global superpowers aligning on one side while other nations scramble to respond on the opposite side.

The US is considered a global superpower and holds a lot of influence. Trump is a strong, commanding presence, and he is not afraid to speak what he believes is the truth.

Any action from the US could be damaging to Ukraine’s future. America is the world’s dominant economic and military power; other countries naturally want to trade with them, so they may follow their lead.

Cutting off financial support is a harsh action; even if it benefits the US, it could mean the loss of millions of lives on the Ukrainian front.

Regardless of whether this would lead to a quick end of the war, the morality of the action should be considered.

Read up on the issue in last week’s The Lens

Singapore will consider caning as punishment for serious scam-related offences as it steps up enforcement action following record losses.

Residents in the city state lost at least S$1.1 billion (HK$6.41 billion) to scams in 2024, a 70 per cent increase from the year before, as per the Singapore Police Force.

“We will consider ... caning to be prescribed for certain scam-related offences, recognising the serious harm they can cause,” Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling said during a parliamentary debate.

Sun was responding to a question by Member of Parliament Tan Wu Meng on whether caning should be legislated for serious scam-related offences.

According to local media outlet CNA, Tan had earlier called for the legislation.

“We must send a clear message to scammers, the syndicates and those who abet them: If you mess with our people, make off with the life savings of Singaporeans, scam Singaporeans, we must do everything in our power to teach the scammers a lesson they won’t forget,” he said.

Sun warned that scammers had upgraded their playbook even though several protective measures were already in place in the banking industry.

“They have started asking victims to convert their money to cryptocurrencies prior to performing the transfers, thereby evading our banking safeguards,” she said, adding that cryptocurrency-related cases accounted for nearly 25 per cent of all scam losses.

She advised Singaporeans “to steer clear of cryptocurrencies”.

Official data showed that investment scams accounted for the bulk of scam-related losses last year at 28.8 per cent, followed by job scams at 14 per cent. Meanwhile, government official impersonation scams accounted for 13.6 per cent of losses.

Staff writers, agencies

• What impact, if any, would caning have on the persistence of scams in Singapore? Do you believe that caning is an ethical form of punishment?

• What additional measures can the Singaporean government take to address the increase in scams?