Following Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory, his approach to the Ukraine conflict could redefine U.S. foreign policy strategy, Mikatekiso Kubayi, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Global Dialogue and Research Fellow at the Institute for Pan African Thought and Conversation, told Sputnik Africa.
He suggested that Trump’s campaign promise to end the conflict might mean scaling back military support to Ukraine.
“Without US support, there is no [military] campaign because Ukraine simply will not contest Russia for anything,” Kubayi explained, indicating that Trump could “push for a negotiated outcome” rather than continued military aid to Ukraine.
Such a shift could save “lives, resources, and time and long-term damage,” while potentially easing the burden on Western allies with limited resources, Kubayi added.
As for ongoing tensions in the Middle East, Kubayi noted Trump’s strong support for Israel.
“Trump, in fact, appeared to me to be an even bigger supporter of Israel than perhaps would have been President Biden,” he said.
Kubayi does not anticipate a change in US policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, predicting continued alignment with Israel.
Overall, as the researcher noted, Trump's election win may mark a shift in America’s focus inward, prioritizing economic revitalization at home with limited change in international relations.
“In terms of US relations with Africa, US relations with anybody else, in my view, I do not see that there's any difference,” Kubayi noted, underscoring the stability of US foreign policy regardless of leadership changes.
Kubayi also commented on Trump’s focus on the US economy, noting the former president’s intent to restore domestic industry.
“Donald Trump has got a constituency in the US, and he will need to get, for instance, industry going in the US. He will want to get companies to relocate to the US to produce, to build factories and so on,” the researcher pondered.
This approach, Kubayi suggested, may shape Trump’s foreign policy decisions, prioritizing America’s economic interests while maintaining a stable, pragmatic stance in global diplomacy.