A sculpture made by Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik depicting US Republican presidential-elect Donald Trump in Puri, India’s Odisha state, on Wednesday. Picture: AFP
Global leaders raced to congratulate Republican Donald Trump on Wednesday as he triumphed in a US election victory over Democrat Kamala Harris.
China’s Foreign Ministry said: “We will continue to approach and handle China-US relations based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win co-operation.”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said: “We are under no illusions about the American president-elect.”
It said it would work with a new US administration and prioritise achieving its set goals in Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said its conditions on ending the conflict remained unchanged.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Trump’s win as “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,” he said.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he hoped Trump’s presidency would bring a “just peace in Ukraine closer”.
Nato Chief Mark Rutte congratulated Trump and said his return to power would help keep the alliance strong. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X: “We are bound by a true partnership between our people, uniting 800 million citizens.
Let’s work together on a strong transatlantic agenda.”
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “From growth and security to innovation and tech, I know that the UK-US special relationship will continue to prosper.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said he was ready to work with Trump “with respect and ambition” like “we managed to do for four years”.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Trump: “The EU and the USA are two similarly large economic areas, linked by the closest economic relations in the world.”
Japan’s Prime Minister Shiger Ishiba said he hoped “to work closely with Mr Trump to take the Japan-US alliance and Japan-US relationship to new heights.”
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and his son, de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent cables to Trump, with King Salman hailing “close relations between the two friendly countries and peoples”.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, whose Gulf monarchy is a key mediator in the Gaza conflict and hosts a largest US military base in the Middle East, said he looked forward to “working together again in promoting security and stability”.
Türkiye’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated “my friend, Donald Trump”.
“I hope Türkiye-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,” Erdogan said.
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu said Trump’s victory reflected the confidence Americans had placed in him.
“Together, we can foster economic co-operation, promote peace and address global challenges,” he said.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he hoped Trump’s return could help bring peace to the Middle East.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed a “historic election victory” and described Trump as “my friend”.
South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol said that under Trump’s “strong leadership, the future of the ROK-US alliance and America will shine brighter”. Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te expressed confidence US-Taiwan relations would continue to “serve as a cornerstone for regional stability”.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said: “Italy and the US are ‘sister’ nations, linked by an unshakeable alliance”. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called the result “perhaps the greatest comeback in Western political history.”
Cape Times