LONDON, United Kingdom –

The verdict of American voters was more decisive than most pollsters and pundits had predicted. The world now waits to see whether the election of Donald Trump to the presidency for a second time will prove as destabilizing as many US allies fear.

Trump clinched victory Wednesday by surpassing the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win. In a victory speech before the official declaration, he pledged to “put our country first” and bring about a “golden age” for America.

During Trump’s first term, he insulted and alienated many of America’s longtime allies. His return to the White House, four years after losing office to President Joe Biden, has enormous consequences for everything from global trade to climate change to multiple crises and conflicts around the world.

Trump has vowed to escalate the tariff feud with China, the United States’ growing economic and strategic rival. In the Middle East, Trump pledged, without saying how, to end the conflicts between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah. He also pledged to end the Russo-Ukrainian war within 24 hours of taking office, something Ukraine and its supporters fear, on terms favorable to Moscow.

Here’s how leaders and others around the world are responding:

NATO is nervous and Ukraine is worried

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte congratulated Trump, saying: “I look forward to working with him again to advance peace through strength through NATO” in the face of “an increasing number of challenges on a global scale,” including “the growing alignment of China and Russia.” , North Korea and Iran.

Trump has been a vocal critic of the North Atlantic military alliance during his first term, accusing its other members of failing to do their part. Earlier this year, he said the United States would not defend NATO members that fail to meet their defense spending goals. Trump wants European allies to increase their own military spending to rely less on U.S. deterrence, but some European leaders and diplomats have expressed concerns that he fundamentally lacks commitment to NATO.

Rutte highlighted the positive side, praising Trump for his work to persuade member states to increase defense spending and saying NATO was now “stronger, bigger and more united.”

America’s allies are wondering — belatedly, some say — what they should do if they can’t count on the United States for their defense.

“The existential concern of Europeans has been what is happening to Ukraine, what is happening to the security of Europe, what is happening to the United States’ commitment to ‘NATO?’ said Leslie Vinjamuri, director of the United States and Americas program at the Chatham House think tank. “Will America be there for Europe?”

The United States is by far kyiv’s biggest military supporter in its fight against the Russian invasion, although the Biden administration has resisted pressure from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to do even more. Zelensky, like Rutte, said he welcomed Trump’s “peace through strength” approach.

“This is exactly the principle that can practically bring a just peace in Ukraine closer,” Zelensky wrote on social media. “I am hopeful that we will put this into practice together. We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under the decisive leadership of President Trump.”

No congratulations came from Moscow, where President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian-American relations were at the “lowest point in history.”

European congratulations mask deep divisions

European leaders rushed to congratulate Trump even before his victory was officially declared – some more effusively than others.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the victory a “historic election victory” and said that “as our closest allies, the United Kingdom and the United States will continue to work together to protect our shared values ​​of freedom and democracy.

Like the governments of America’s allies around the world, Starmer’s center-left administration has worked hard to forge ties with Trump and his team. Starmer had dinner with Trump at Trump Tower in September.

French centrist President Emmanuel Macron offered his congratulations, “respect and ambition”. German Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz congratulated Trump and said he wanted to maintain close ties, although “many things will surely be different under an administration led by Donald Trump.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose far-right government is in some ways politically close to Trump, said Italy and the United States had a “strategic bond, which I am sure we will now , strengthen even further”.

European leaders are keen to emphasize that the transatlantic relationship transcends individual politicians, but there are concerns about Trump’s protectionist economic tendencies. During his last term, he imposed tariffs on European steel and aluminum, damaging the bloc’s economy.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed that the EU and the United States “are linked by a true partnership between our people, uniting 800 million citizens. Let us work together on a transatlantic partnership that continues to serve our citizens.”

Europe’s populist politicians, meanwhile, hailed the victory of a kindred spirit.

“They threatened him with prison, they took his property, they wanted to kill him… and he still won,” declared Hungarian nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who will hold a summit in Budapest on Thursday bringing together a fifty European leaders.

A Middle East in turmoil awaits Trump’s measures

During his first term, Trump pushed to remake the Middle East by reconciling Israel and Saudi Arabia, and all eyes are now on how he intervenes in the conflicts raging in the region between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon – and the partisan leader of both militant groups, Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Trump’s election victory “the greatest comeback in history.”

“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 tremendous victory!” he wrote on social media.

Trump and Netanyahu — another conservative nationalist — enjoyed a close relationship during the former president’s first term, but ties deteriorated when Netanyahu congratulated President Joe Biden on his 2020 victory.

Netanyahu’s entourage hopes Trump will give Israel free rein against its enemies, but the president-elect is notoriously unpredictable and the Israeli leader faces strong opposition at home. On Tuesday, he fired popular Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a surprise announcement that sparked protests across the country.

Hamas issued a terse statement saying: “Our position towards the new US administration depends on its positions and its practical behavior towards our Palestinian people, their legitimate rights and their just cause. »

Washington is one of the main mediators in the so far unsuccessful ceasefire negotiations in Gaza. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, another key player in regional peace efforts who had close ties to Trump during his first administration, said Egypt hoped to “together achieve peace and preservation stability in the region.

Other African leaders, including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, also sent their congratulations.

The challenge from China still looms

The Chinese government has said its approach toward the United States has not changed since Trump’s victory.

“We will continue to view and manage China-US relations in accordance with the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

But Chinese analysts were pessimistic, citing the likelihood of escalating tariffs and intensifying confrontation over Taiwan.

“It’s not all doom and gloom, but there are more challenges than opportunities,” said Da Wei, director of the Center for International Security and Strategy at Beijing’s Tsinghua University. “We are aware of the challenges. As for the opportunities, we do not yet see them clearly.”

Long-running territorial disputes in the South China Sea represent a fault line in the U.S.-China rivalry in Asia and will likely remain a major foreign policy concern for the next U.S. president.

Asian leaders, worried about China’s growing influence and North Korea’s nuclear program, have clamored for Trump’s attention in congratulatory messages.

“I hope to cooperate closely with President-elect Trump to further elevate the alliance and relations between Japan and the United States to even higher levels,” Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said the Korea-US alliance will “shine brighter” under Trump’s “strong leadership.”

But Phillips O’Brien, a professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews, said Washington’s allies in the Indo-Pacific, including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and even Australia, “can no longer expect the United States to be a reliable partner.” defense partner. »

Neighbors hope for good relations

The United States’ neighbors on the American continent, some of whom felt the impact of Trump’s protectionist instincts during his first term, have also braced for uncertainty.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told Mexicans “there is no reason to worry,” despite Trump’s previous threats to impose tariffs on Mexican goods unless the country does more to stem the flow of migrants and drugs to the United States.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – previously derided by Trump as “weak” and “dishonest” – wrote on X: “The friendship between Canada and the United States is the envy of the world. I know that President Trump and I will work together to create greater opportunity, prosperity, and security for our two nations.

Brazil’s left-wing president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, praised Trump – despite supporting Kamala Harris a few days ago.

“Democracy is the voice of the people and must always be respected,” Lula said on X.

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Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this story.