Trump comes in peace

US President Donald Trump attempted to out manoeuvre his Ukraine counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky — but I believe Zelensky may return to the White House like Nicodemus at some point.

- Eric Naki

Eyeing Ukraine's minerals, Trump behaved like a typical American president, using a combination of soft and hard power tactics in an attempt to expand US hegemony worldwide.

However, Zelensky realised it was less about making peace with Russia and more about Trump's transactional interests. The US president seemed to befriend both Ukraine and Russia, primarily to access their mineral resources, not sincerely to reconcile them.

The United States often behaves like a schoolyard bully, misusing its power. It takes advantage of its status as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and often ignores international law. In doing so, it consolidates and legitimises its global hegemony.

Its irresponsible foreign policy and abuse of US influence, especially in matters of peaceful settlement of military conflicts, continue to provoke a growing mistrust of international institutions by the rest of the world.