At the beginning of their term, Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Kamala Harris will face two challenges in foreign policy that will probably not decrease in temperature until January 20, the date of the inauguration of the winner of the presidential election on November 5 in the United States: the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Both have spoken extensively about the two themes during the campaign, emphasizing the need for stabilization in the two regions, but have not yet presented plans on how they intend to promote peace.
Trump has been accusing Democrats of bringing the world to the brink of World War III and, in the Ukraine conflict, Republicans have been very critical of the Joe Biden administration’s aid to Kiev without there being any prospect of an end to the war against Russia.
“Under President Trump’s administration [2017-2021]we had no war in the Middle East, no war in Europe and [havia] harmony in Asia, no inflation, no catastrophe in Afghanistan. Instead, we had peace,” Trump said in a statement posted on his website.
By the end of September, the United States had provided more than $61.3 billion in military assistance to Ukraine, as well as financial and humanitarian aid.
Between the end of 2023 and April, the Republican majority in the United States House blocked the approval of a new package for Ukraine, alleging excessive spending by the Biden administration and demanding tougher measures to combat illegal immigration on the border with Mexico .
Finally, the US Congress approved a $95 billion package to provide military aid to Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific region (including Taiwan). Regarding the Israeli conflict against Islamic terrorist groups, Republicans have been demanding that Biden accelerate the release of more resources to the allied country.
Last week, after Iran’s attack with around 200 missiles on Israel, Kamala claimed that she will continue to help Benjamin Netanyahu’s government militarily.
“As I have said, I will always ensure that Israel has the ability to defend itself against Iran and Iranian-backed terrorist militias. My commitment to Israel’s security is unwavering,” he said.
In the debate with Trump in September, she said that, if elected, she would seek the creation of a Palestinian state, but did not indicate how she would do so.
“We must chart a path to a two-state solution. And in this solution, there must be security for the Israeli people and Israel and in equal measure for the Palestinians”, he stated.
The Democrat cannot disguise her dislike for Netanyahu: in an interview with CBS this week, she deflected the conversation when asked whether the Israeli prime minister would be “a really close ally”.
“The better question is: Do we have an important alliance between the American people and the Israeli people? And the answer to that question is yes,” said Biden’s vice president.
Trump, who during his first term moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognized Israeli settlements in the West Bank (this measure was reversed by Biden), also promised to maintain support for Israel, but demanded from Netanyahu a quick resolution of the current conflict.
“Israel has to do a better job of public relations, frankly, because the other side is winning on the public relations front,” said the Republican, who called on Israelis to “get an end” to the war.
Kamala accuses Trump of seeking Ukraine’s surrender
The Ukraine issue is thornier for Trump. After criticizing the shipment of American cluster bombs to Ukrainian forces and aid packages to Kiev, in September he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in New York and promised that he would reach a deal “good for both sides” before taking office if elected. However, there was no word on what that plan would be.
In June, the Reuters agency reported that two former members of the National Security Council during the Trump administration prepared a peace proposal in Ukraine with three main axes.
The first would be to tell Ukraine that it will only receive more military aid from the United States if it begins peace talks. The second would be to warn Russia that any refusal to negotiate would be met with more shipments of American weapons to the Ukrainians.
The third axis would be a ceasefire during peace negotiations based on the battle lines that are currently prevailing in the conflict. However, Ukraine said it would only agree to start talks if Russian troops leave its territory.
Both the former advisers interviewed by Reuters and the Republican’s campaign refused to confirm that this should be Trump’s plan if elected.
Kamala said she will continue helping Ukraine if she wins in November and, in the interview with CBS, ruled out bilateral negotiations with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to discuss the end of the war. “Without Ukraine? No,” said the Democrat.
She claimed that, in fact, Trump’s plan for peace in Ukraine would be to force Kiev to surrender.
“Donald Trump, if he were president, Putin would be sitting [na cadeira de presidente da Ucrânia] in Kiev now. He talks about, ‘Oh, he can end the war on day one!’. You know what this is. It’s about surrender”, he accused.
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