Donald Trump has been congratulated by world leaders including Benjamin Netanyahu, Volodymyr Zelensky and Sir Keir Starmer, as the Republican is set to become the 47th president of the United States.
Trump claimed victory in the contest after Fox News projected that he had defeated Democrat Kamala Harris, which would cap a stunning political comeback four years after he left the White House.
High-profile allies of the Republican – as well as top figures who have a history of clashing with the former president – have hailed the result as a decisive and historic victory for Trump.
Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban declared it ‘the biggest comeback in US political history’ in a triumphant post on X.
The hard-right politician – who is widely seen as being soft on Russian dictator Vladimir Putin – congratulated Trump on an ‘enormous win’ and labelled his success ‘a much needed victory for the world’.
Ukraine’s president Zelensky also shared his congratulations, saying on X that Trump’s ‘peace through strength’ approach could bring ‘just peace’ closer in the war against Russia.
NATO chief Mark Rutte said Trump’s return to power would help keep the alliance ‘strong’, despite the former president rattling the bloc during his 2024 electoral campaign by threatening not to protect members who do not spend enough on defence.
France‘s president Emmanuel Macron said that he stands ‘ready to work together as we did for four years. With your convictions and mine. With respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity.’
Addressing Trump as the ‘president-elect’, Britain’s prime minister Keir Starmer wrote on social media that he looks forward to working with him in the years ahead, adding ‘I know the special relationship will continue to prosper on both sides of the Atlantic for years to come’.
Meanwhile, Israeli prime minister Netanyahu shared a highly personal message, writing on X: ‘Dear Donald and Melania Trump, Congratulations on history’s greatest comeback!’
‘Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America. This is a huge victory!’
Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been vocal in his condemnation of Israel during its war in Gaza and attacks on Lebanon, also called Trump his friend as he delivered his congratulatory message.
‘I hope Turkey-US relations will strengthen, that regional and global crises and wars, especially the Palestinian issue and the Russia-Ukraine war, will come to an end,’ the Turkish president wrote on X.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he hoped Trump’s return to the White House could help bring peace to the Middle East.
‘I wish him all the success… and I look forward to reaching peace together, upholding regional stability and strengthening the strategic partnership between Egypt and the United States and their friendly peoples,’ Sisi said on X.
India’s prime minister Narendra Modi offered his ‘heartiest congratulations’ to his ‘friend’, saying he looked forward to working together ‘for the betterment of our people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity.’
Italy’s right-wing prime minister Giorgia Meloni shared ‘sincere congratulations’ on behalf of her and her government, hailing the ‘unshakeable’ ties between the two countries.
‘Italy and the United States are ‘sister’ nations, linked by an unshakeable alliance, common values and a historic friendship. It is a strategic bond which I am sure we will now strengthen even more,’ she wrote on X.
Spain’s left-wing prime minister Pedro Sanchez congratulated Donald Trump Wednesday after he claimed victory in the US presidential election and pledged to work on a ‘strong transatlantic partnership’.
‘Congratulations @realDonaldTrump on your victory and your election as 47th President of the US. We will work on our strategic bilateral relations and on a strong transatlantic partnership,’ Sanchez wrote on X.
Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz shared his congratulations and wrote: ‘Germany and the USA have been working together successfully for a long time to promote prosperity and freedom on both sides of the Atlantic. We will continue to do so for the benefit of our citizens.’
El Salvador’s president Nayib Bukele, one of the first to share his congratulations before the result was called by most outlets, shared a picture of himself shaking hands with Trump on X.
‘Congratulations to the President-Elect of the United States of America, May God bless and guide you,’ he wrote.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol congratulated Donald Trump and posted on X to say: ‘Under your strong leadership, the future of the ROK-U.S. alliance and America will shine brighter. Look forward to working closely with you.’
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog responded to the result by vowing to strengthen his country’s ‘ironclad bond’ with the US.
‘Congratulations to President @realDonaldTrump on your historic return to the White House… I look forward to working with you to strengthen the ironclad bond between our peoples, to build a future of peace and security for the Middle East, and to uphold our shared values,’ Herzog said in a statement.
Far-right ministers in Netanyahu‘s government celebrated, with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir writing on X: ‘Yesssss, God bless Trump,’ and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich saying: ‘God bless Israel, God bless America.’
Another member of the government, Culture Minister Miki Zohar, said: ‘We are looking forward to the next four years.’
Dutch politician Geert Wilders also shared his congratulations to both Trump and America, writing on X: ‘Never stop, always keep fighting and win elections!’
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that a Donald Trump win in the US election would probably be bad news for Ukraine, but said it was unclear how far Trump would be able to cut US financing for the war.
‘Trump has one useful quality for us: as a businessman to the core, he mortally dislikes spending money on various hangers–on and stupid hanger-on allies, on bad charity projects and on voracious international organisations,’ Dmitry Medvedev, a senior security official, posted on his official Telegram account.
He said that the Ukrainian authorities fell into the category of people Trump was likely to not want to spend too much money on and suggested the Ukrainian leadership would be doing what it could to console itself if it was confirmed he had won.
‘The question is how much Trump will be forced to give to the war. He’s stubborn, but the system is stronger,’ said Medvedev.
However, many governments and world leaders have remained quiet on Trump’s victory, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he was not aware of any plans for Putin to congratulate Trump, adding that relations between the US and Russia are at a historic low.
Meanwhile, without directly mentioning Trump, China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular briefing that China hopes for ‘peaceful coexistence’ with the United States.
‘We will continue to approach and handle China-US relations based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation,’ she said.
‘We respect the choice of the American people.’
