Donald Trump is once again the president-elect of the United States, a development that promises to profoundly affect the world order.
During his first term from 2017 to 2021, Trump’s foreign policy was protectionist and transactional; He doubted the utility of alliances, alienated partners, and attempted complex diplomacy himself. At times, Trump’s methods have soured US relations and made the US a target of ridicule.
He was clear throughout his campaign that a second term would feature the same approach, threatening to sweep new tariff (even with allies), suggests changes in how the US works with NATO and makes a commitment A quick end to the war in Ukraine. Ahead of his election, the report proposed Some US allies were worried About Trump’s win. Now that he’s headed back to the White House, world leaders across the political spectrum have shown reactions ranging from strong enthusiasm, to muted optimism, to silence. Here’s what they had to say.
A range of responses to conflict zones
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Trump on his “historic” return to office. Trump’s victory “provides a new beginning for America and a strong commitment to the great alliance between Israel and America,” Netanyahu wrote on social media site X. “It’s a huge victory!”
Netanyahu and Trump enjoyed a close relationship during Trump’s first term and have much in common; They are both nationalists, and both have faced significant legal obstacles to their leadership. Trump is a convicted felon, and Netanyahu is Thus successfully avoiding conviction on corruption charges.
As president, Trump moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a symbolic move that clearly affirms the contested city as Israel’s and pressures Arab countries to normalize relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords. Under the second Trump administration, Support for Israel and Netanyahu is likely to increase; While he called for an end to the Gaza war (which the Biden administration has supported financially and diplomatically) he also gave Netanyahu the green light.”Do what you have to do“Gaza and implied He no longer believes in the two-state solution.
Trump does not have the same warm relationship with Palestinian leaders, who have been more measured in their rhetoric. Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Palestinian Authority Congratulated Trump in a statement“We are confident that the United States will support the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people under your leadership,” he said. Hamas leaders were more cautious, saying, “Our position on the new US administration depends on their position and actual behavior towards our Palestinian people, their legitimate rights and their just cause.”
Ukraine also currently has deep military ties with the United States; The United States has been Ukraine’s largest security backer by far as the country fought back nearly three years of full-scale Russian aggression. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Congratulated and expressed his hope for Trump’s second term.
Zelensky wrote in X, “I applaud President Trump’s commitment to a global ‘strength through peace’ approach. I am hopeful that we will make it work together.”
Measured, but optimistic response from allies
Other allies, particularly in Europe, offered a range of cautiously optimistic responses.
Mark Rutte, the new head of NATO He said he would work with Trump to “advance peace through strength through NATO.”
Trump’s attitude toward the alliance — like international affairs more broadly — is highly transactional. During his first term, he regularly disparaged the security alliance, complained that European countries were not contributing enough financially, and by the end of his presidency had withdrawn nearly a third of US troops from Germany.
“Criticism of Trump has always been that America’s friends, partners and allies free ride on its security guarantees and steal jobs from the United States,” James M. Lindseya senior fellow on US foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, told Vox.
European leaders such as centrist French President Emmanuel Macron, centre-left British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and right-wing Italian President Giorgia Meloni have all congratulated Trump and expressed their desire to boost the trans-Atlantic partnership in a second term, as has the European Commission president. Ursula von der Leyen.
However, those desires may be tested by the tariff plan that Trump has enacted. He expressed his willingness to implement tariffs as high as 20 percent from most trading partners, including friendly countries. European Union leaders have tried to anticipate a Trump victory Prepared by the proposed retaliatory tariffs on US imports. D The US is the EU’s largest trading partnerAnd the bloc’s economies took a hit when Trump imposed tariffs on European steel and aluminum during his first term.
US opponents remain silent
US adversaries China and Russia had less to say about Trump’s victory.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Trump has praised in the past, Trump was not publicly congratulatedor have Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov He suggested that on Wednesday Referring to US support for Ukraine, official congratulations were unlikely to be forthcoming, saying, “We are talking about an unfriendly country, which is directly and indirectly engaged in war against our state”. Trump said he would end Russia’s war in Ukraine within 24 hours, without discussing how that would be possible.
While there are some indications that Russia and Ukraine could come to the negotiating table, Peskov was cautious about the role of the United States in making that happen.
“We have repeatedly said that the United States is capable of contributing to an end to this conflict,” he said. “Whether that happens, and if so, how … we’ll see after January,” when Trump takes office.
Xi also did not publicly congratulate Trump. Trump China imposed massive tariffs in 2018And threatened a 60 percent tariff on Chinese imports in a second term.
“We will move forward and manage China-US relations based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation,” said a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman. Mao Ning said this at a press conference on Wednesday. Asked whether Xi Jinping would call Trump to congratulate him on his victory, he said the ministry would “handle related matters according to normal practice” after the official announcement of election results.
