We've heard a lot about the West End. At a summit attended by Trump, Putin and Xi, these fears could become reality. The Guardian. Part 2/2 The Trump administration's desire to divide the world into spheres of influence and side with dictators over democrats has long been evident. Last year's national security strategy sharply criticized traditional US allies in Europe and East Asia. But what is most shocking is what is not said in it. Both Russia and China avoided direct criticism. The section on Russia's war in Ukraine didn't mention how it started or suggest defeating Putin; Instead, the focus was on how the United States could help Europe and Russia repair their relationship. The document discussed the importance of US control of the Western Hemisphere, but made it clear that as long as the US maintains economic dominance, it does not mind protecting other parts of the world. "The affairs of other countries," the document reads, "only concern us if their activities directly threaten our interests." The document argued that for too long, America's allies have "drawn us into conflicts and disputes that are central to their interests but peripheral or irrelevant to ours." For Putin, this is a success for which he has been working for almost three decades. He has long viewed American support for democracy in Eastern Europe and Central Asia as "interference" in Russian affairs. Now he has a US president who agrees. Trump also placed Putin on a much higher status than the Russian economy and its technological potential deserves. Not only territorial control is at stake. All three governments see an opportunity to strengthen economic ties. For the US and China, the more important issues are future control of economic supply chains and technology platforms, as well as Russian fossil fuel resources.