The 'terrifying' reality that Trump could be 'unpredictable' on Ukraine and NATO

Donald Trump’s crushing victory against Kamala Harris in the US election after claiming key battleground states creates uncertainty for the future of NATO and the war in .

The result raises concerns about whether Trump’s unpredictable nature and inflammatory rhetoric could lead to a breakdown in international relations and create a diplomatic crisis.

Mr Trump has publicly made remarks that suggest he may consider reducing support for and pulling out of NATO, which would be ‘terrifying’ for the UK.

Speaking on The Division Bell podcast, the ’s Lizzy Buchan said: “There's so many things in play here because he's so unpredictable, totally capricious in what he wants to do.

“He sort of says things like he wants to end all wars and he wants to get this deal with Putin. But that probably means ceding Ukrainian territory. If the U.S. pulls support for Ukraine, that's a nightmare scenario.”

Many Republicans do not support the US’s unwavering backing of Ukraine because of the immense financial cost, and Trump’s tendency towards isolationism may persuade him to reduce or cut off support for Kyiv.

Trump has also previously said he would end the war and floated the idea that Ukraine may have to give up some land.

He has also repeatedly criticised NATO and suggested pulling the US out as part of his ‘America First’ rhetoric. The implications of which would be unprecedented, given that the US is the biggest financier of the alliance.

Lizzy said: “It's not really clear whether [Ukraine] would be able to continue to resist without the support that they've had from the U.S, and so that is something that I think is top of the priority list for the UK[.]”

"He could pull the US out of Nato that is slightly terrifying when you think how much is hinging on a whim that he may wake up in the middle of the night and decide he's suddenly going to pull the US out…or ring up Putin and say ‘you know what? Hands up, you can have Ukraine.’ That's the kind of thing that we're dealing with now.”

For more, you can listen to The Division Bell on , and