With Donald Trump's victory already declared, world leaders have started to react to the outcome of the U.S. presidential elections and the Republican's return to the White House. The first to do so was Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, who expressed his satisfaction even before the results were confirmed: "On the way to a beautiful victory". The nationalist leader does not hide his admiration for his "friend" Donald Trump, with whom he has already met twice this year and has supported since 2016. Days before, the Hungarian Prime Minister stated that he would "open champagne bottles" if his "dear friend" Donald Trump wins.
"His historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for the United States and represents a powerful renewed commitment to the great alliance between Israel and the United States," reacted Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in an English statement, congratulating what he describes as "the greatest comeback in history". Over the past year, Netanyahu has tried to rebuild the broken bridges with Trump, who was very upset with the Israeli leader after he congratulated Joe Biden too early on his victory in the 2020 elections, as reported by Sal Emergui.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, also wasted no time in reacting and congratulating Trump through the X social network, recalling the meeting they had in September to establish a "strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United States, the Victoria Plan, and ways to end Russian aggression." Zelensky also expressed his "appreciation for President Trump's commitment to the 'peace through strength' approach and emphasized his interest in political and economic cooperation between the two countries.
France was also among the first countries to react to the outcome, sending the message that Europe must "take control of its destiny", as stated by the government spokesperson. Shortly after, President Emmanuel Macron dedicated his congratulatory message in English: "Ready to work together as we did for four years. With your convictions and mine. With respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity."
Eight minutes later, he posted another tweet - this time in French - informing that he had just had a conversation with Chancellor Olaf Scholz to work towards a "more united, strong, and sovereign Europe in this new context" through "cooperation with the United States and defending values and interests".
Across the Atlantic, British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, also congratulated Trump, stating that he is "looking forward to working" with the Republican. "As close allies, we stand shoulder to shoulder in defense of our common values of freedom, democracy, and enterprise," expressed the Labour leader. "I know our special relationship will continue to thrive for years to come.
On the other hand, the leader of the opposition, the newly elected Kemi Badenoch, echoed the Prime Minister's words. In a post on X, the Tory politician stated: "The world faces numerous and serious challenges, and I hope that our two countries will work together to address them."
Also reacting was the most fervent supporter of the Republican, Nigel Farage, who was present at Trump's election party this Tuesday in West Palm Beach, Florida, urging Keir Starmer to "roll out the red carpet for the 47th President of the United States". "Donald Trump is a true friend of the UK," expressed the leader of Reform UK. "It is a great opportunity that must be seized."
Hours after Donald Trump's victory was announced, Russia pointed out that, although relations with the United States are at a historic low, the Kremlin is open to dialogue, as reported by Xavier Colás. This was explained by the spokesperson for the Russian presidency, Dmitry Peskov, who stated that he had no knowledge of any plans by President Putin to congratulate Trump. "Let's not forget that we are talking about a hostile country that is directly and indirectly involved in a war against our state. The United States is an unfriendly country to Russia." Moscow will be attentive to whether Trump changes his tone upon entering the Oval Office, Peskov added, pointing out that it is now the US that does not want "dialogue" and calling for the new president's inauguration: "We will see what happens in January."
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was the first to celebrate in Moscow the election of Donald Trump. Medvedev proclaims that Russia will win its war in Ukraine, which he considers the loser of these elections. He believes that "Kamala is finished" and even mocks her laughter, inviting her to "keep laughing contagiously." In a more serious tone, Medvedev proclaimed that "the objectives of the Special Military Operation [as Russia refers to the invasion of Ukraine] remain the same and will be fulfilled."
Medvedev believes that a new Trump presidency will be a blow to Ukraine. The current number two of the Russian National Security Council praised Trump, as "he has a quality that is useful to us: as a businessman to the core, he absolutely dislikes spending money on parasites and stupid allies, on bad charity projects," clearly referring to Washington's support for Ukraine. "The question is how much money Trump will have to give to the war. He is stubborn, but the system is stronger," Medvedev concluded on his official Telegram account.
Regarding US accusations of Russian interference in the presidential elections, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded that the United States should fix its own democracy and not blame others. Hours earlier, the FBI stated that false bomb threats linked to Russia affected polling places in battleground states.
In the Baltics, the new occupant of the White House has also been congratulated, including by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda. Trump has always criticized European countries for not spending their fair share on defense, while the Baltics are the overachievers in the class. According to the latest figures, Lithuania has allocated approximately 3.2% of its GDP to defense this year. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis proclaimed that "the long and continuous friendship between our nations will overcome all our enemies."
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics, on the other hand, expressed readiness to work "to strengthen bilateral relations and the transatlantic partnership." "Europe needs a strong United States, and the United States needs a strong Europe. Latvia is and will be a reliable partner," he emphasized.
European institutions have also closely followed the race to the White House. "Europe is ready". This is how the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, reacted to Donald Trump's victory, in a clear statement of intent. "Europe is ready to cooperate in facing unprecedented geopolitical challenges," declared the Maltese, before specifying: "Europe is ready to keep the transatlantic bond strong, rooted in our common values of freedom, human rights, democracy, and open markets."
Ursula von der Leyen was more optimistic. "I warmly congratulate Donald J. Trump. The EU and the US are more than just allies", began the President of the European Commission. "We have a true partnership between our peoples, uniting 800 million citizens. So let's work together on a strong transatlantic agenda that continues to deliver for them," she concluded.
The new President-elect of the United States has also been congratulated by the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte: "I look forward to working with him again to promote peace through NATO's strength."
He also took the opportunity to highlight that the organization is facing a series of increasingly growing global challenges "from a more aggressive Russia to terrorism and strategic competition with China, as well as the increasing alignment of China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran."
Additionally, he notes in his congratulations a "strong American leadership during his first term" and assures that in January, he "will be welcomed by a stronger, larger, and more united Alliance." In America, the President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, has been among the first to react to the preliminary scrutiny data coming from the United States. "May God bless and guide you," he wrote after congratulating "the President-elect of the United States of America."
In Asia, as Trump was nearing victory, Beijing expressed its desire for a "peaceful coexistence" with the United States. "We will continue to focus on and manage the relationship between China and the U.S. based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and mutually beneficial cooperation," declared Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a press conference. In the Middle East, the far-right ministers of Israel, Ben Gvir and Smotrich, welcome Trump as they await his victory.