Trump promises to ‘stop the wars’ as his presidency could alter conflicts in Europe and the Middle East
Donald Trump said he was going to “stop the wars” in his victory speech today, raising huge questions about how his presidency could alter the course of major conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.
Donald Trump said he was going to “stop the wars” in his victory speech today, raising huge questions about how his presidency could alter the course of major conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.
Referring to his previous presidency, he claimed: “We had no wars for four years. We had no wars. Except we defeated ISIS.
“They said ‘he will start a war’. I’m not going to start a war, I’m going to stop the wars.”
While he made no direct reference to Ukraine, Trump has previously vowed to stop aid to Kyiv, prompting concerns about the country’s future ability to defend itself against Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Trump on his victory, and said he appreciated his “commitment to the ‘peace through strength’ approach” in global affairs.
“This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer. I am hopeful that we will put it into action together,” Zelenskyy said. “We rely on continued strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States.”
But Russia also seemed upbeat about Trump’s victory.
“Trump has one quality that is useful to us: as a businessman to the core, he mortally dislikes spending money on various hangers-on and freeloaders – on idiotic allies, on stupid charity projects and on gluttonous international organisations,” Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president, said via Telegram, according to an NBC translation.
A Trump presidency also raises questions about how the US will influence conflict in the Middle East, as Israel continues its offensives in Gaza and Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Trump’s return to the White House “offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America”.
“This is a huge victory!” he added.
John Bolton, former national security adviser for Trump, told the BBC yesterday: “Trump does not have a philosophy, certainly not in the national security space.”
“The prism that he views things through doesn’t differentiate between what’s in the best interest of Donald Trump and what’s in the best interest of the United States.”
