World leaders react to Donald Trump winning 2024 presidential election

Statements of congratulations came in from all over the world Wednesday, particularly from countries that consider themselves U.S. allies or those that would like to improve their ties with the United States under President-elect Donald Trump.

Israel’s Prime Minister congratulated Trump and his wife, Melania, in a post on X, calling his win “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!” Netanyahu wrote before signing “in true friendship.”

Keir Starmer, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, also congratulated the Republican in a post on X and said he looked forward to working with him.

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“As the closest of allies, we stand shoulder to shoulder in defense of our shared values of freedom, democracy and enterprise,” the post read. “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.”

But behind those words of congratulations, there is massive uncertainty and nervousness in the foreign country about what a Donald Trump presidency will mean for it and foreign policy. For example, Trump’s plan to apply tariffs on imports from non-U.S. entities into the country could severely hurt the U.K. — and the global — economy. London has reportedly prepared retaliatory tariffs already if those are to be implemented.

Other concerns relate to security, such as to what degree the new U.S. president will maintain support for Ukraine — something that is seen as integral to supporting not just Ukraine but also European security against Russia more broadly. Trump has been vague about this, but according to his victory speech, he said he wasn’t going to start wars but stop them.

However, questions arise on what the means for Ukraine, such as in territorial concessions or if it would be giving in to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demands for a demilitarized Ukraine. And that, in turn, worries Western European nations, who fear that could provide momentum to Russia and that it’s less concerned about potentially challenging NATO.

In regards to NATO and the European Union, leaders from both bodies expressed congratulations for Trump on Wednesday, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying the U.S. and EU were “more than just allies.”

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“We are bound by a true partnership between our people, uniting 800 million citizens. So let’s work together on a strong transatlantic agenda that keeps delivering for them,” the post read.

Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, said in his congratulatory post that he looks forward to working with Trump again “to advance peace through strength and through NATO.”

No congratulations are expected from Russia. For example, the Kremlin says that it does not expect Putin to give any sort of statement congratulating the United States, with his spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, saying, “Let’s not forget that we’re talking about an unfriendly country that’s both directly and indirectly involved in a war against our nation.”

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent his congratulations to Trump “on his impressive election victory!” He wrote in a post on X that he had a “great meeting” with Trump in September and that he looks forward to “an era of a strong United States of America under President Trump’s decisive leadership.”

“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. I am hopeful that we will put it into action together,” Zelenskyy wrote.