Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hungary’s Victor Orban were among the first international leaders to congratulate Donald Trump, the winner of the US presidential election.
The election of a new president is not limited to the United States; a new leader in the White House has the potential to modify the country’s foreign policy and attitude towards its international friends and rivals.
Here’s how some of the world’s leaders have responded thus far.
Netanyahu spoke of “history’s greatest comeback” in his remarks, adding that Trump’s return to office represented a “new beginning for America, a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America.”.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a close ally, said Trump’s election was “a much-needed victory for the world. The biggest comeback in US political history!” he wrote in a statement on X.
Orban had openly endorsed his re-election bid after being the first and only EU leader to back him in 2016.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated, “I look forward to working with Trump in the years ahead.”.
“From growth and security to innovation and tech, I know that the UK-US special relationship will continue to prosper on both sides of the Atlantic for years to come,” Starmer added.
French President Emmanuel Macron also congratulated Trump, saying he was ready to work together with him just as before, “with respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity.”.
Macron also said that he had held talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz about working to defend Europe’s interests and values while cooperating with the US.
Nato’s Secretary General, Mark Rutte, stated that Trump’s leadership “will again be key to keeping our Alliance strong. I look forward to working with him again to advance peace through strength through Nato.”.
The president elect has been critical of the NATO alliance, accusing its European allies of not paying enough for security.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a statement on X, said, “I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the ‘peace through strength’ approach in global affairs. This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer.”
