How would Trump and Harris handle the Russia-Ukraine war?
Ukraine and its war with Russia have become a central and controversial topic in the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign. The brutal conflict, in which a million people have been killed or severely injured, shows no signs of ending.
Kamala Harris is committed to continuing her predecessor’s policy, which involves supporting Ukraine militarily, economically, and politically, and maintaining the sanctions pressure on Russia. U.S. President Joe Biden has said that Ukraine must prevail in this war and that Russia will not win. Donald Trump, who claims the war would not have broken out had he been president in 2022, says he could end it 24 hours after being elected, before his inauguration.
The issue for the American voter is whether the United States should continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes (as the White House now says) or whether it should pressure Ukraine to negotiate with Russia and end the war without having regained its full territorial integrity. The MAGA Republicans and many progressive Democrats question why it is in the U.S. national interest to pour so much money into supporting Ukraine and favor a rapid end to the conflict.
Trump’s policies toward Russia and Ukraine during his presidency
Both Russia and Ukraine featured prominently during Trump’s first presidency, as I have written elsewhere. Russian interference in the 2016 election consumed a disproportionate amount of domestic energy and Ukraine was the reason for his first impeachment. The former president’s unwavering and extravagant praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his assertion that he believed Putin over his own intelligence agencies on the question of whether Russia had interfered in the 2016 election baffled many. Trump promised to improve ties with Russia and to conclude a major arms control agreement. Yet his administration’s record is decidedly mixed. Despite his opposition, waves of sanctions were imposed on Russia both because of its election interference and the poisoning in the U.K. of the ex-GRU double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter.
India targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, says Modi
India’s economy will become carbon neutral by the year 2070, the country’s prime minster has announced at the COP26 climate crisis summit in Glasgow. The target date is two decades beyond what scientists say is needed to avert catastrophic climate impacts. India is the last of the world’s major carbon polluters to announce a net-zero target, with China saying it would reach that goal in 2060, and the United States and the European Union aiming for 2050.
COP26: What climate summit means for one woman in Bangladesh
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Why China's climate policy matters to us all
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Deliver on promises, developing world tells rich at climate talks
A crucial U.N. conference heard calls on its first day for the world's major economies to keep their promises of financial help to address the climate crisis, while big polluters India and Brazil made new commitments to cut emissions. World leaders, environmental experts and activists all pleaded for decisive action to halt the global warming which threatens the future of the planet at the start of the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday. The task facing negotiators was made even more daunting by the failure of the Group of 20 major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments at the weekend.