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Following Donald Trump’s clinching of the presidential office for the next four years, spokesmen in nations for whom US foreign policy is an at-times existential matter have almost universally said they are content to wait and see what his next administration will bring.
For leaders past and present in these countries, Trump’s first administration spanned a spectrum from a physical threat to a trade tyrant, and although some may have noted his rhetoric softening, especially regarding existing conflict zones, they have historical lessons to draw from.
“Let’s not forget that we are talking about an unfriendly country that is both directly and indirectly involved in the war against our state,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, when asked if Vladimir Putin would congratulate Trump. Peskov noted that Russia is carefully monitoring information on the US election and is unlikely to give an official assessment until it sees “concrete words and action”.
“There is still some waiting to do, considering that the current US president will remain in office for almost another month and a half,” Peskov said in a regular press briefing on Wednesday where he also highlighted “significant statements” from Trump, including what the Kremlin referred to as “his desire to end the ongoing policies of extending old wars and starting new ones”.
“As he prepares to enter, or when has already entered the Oval Office, we recognize that sometimes statements take on a different tone. Therefore, we are carefully analyzing everything, observing, and will draw conclusions based on specific words and actions,” Peskov said.
Indeed, the campaign trail is fraught with lies.
The Iranian government was more dismissive, with the office of newly-elected president Masoud Perezhkian saying there is “no significant difference” in who becomes president in the US, state media reported.
“The spokesperson for the Iranian government, Fatemeh Mohajerani, confirmed that the general policies of Iran and the United States are consistent,” Tasnim News wrote. Mohajerani added that “necessary measures have been planned in advance”.
As WaL reported earlier this autumn, Perezhkian won the governing mandate with support from the moderate reformer types, who happened to hold during Trump’s last administration during which he proved himself a vicious bully, unilaterally withdrawing from the JCPOA and applying crippling sanctions to many separate industries of the Iranian economy, sanctions which Perezhkian was elected in part to help remove.
China, Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a social media post, “I recall our great meeting with President Trump back in September, when we discussed in detail the Ukraine-U.S. strategic partnership, the Victory Plan, and ways to put an end to Russian aggression against Ukraine”.
“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,” Zelensky said.
“We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under President Trump’s decisive leadership. We rely on continued strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States. We are interested in developing mutually beneficial political and economic cooperation that will benefit both of our nations”.
CNN wrote that during his campaign, Trump suggested that he could settle the war “in one day”. Terms of a peace plan floated by the now-Vice President JD Vance included conditions such as Russia retaining land they have occupied and Ukraine giving a “guarantee of neutrality,” two demands Russia had made in the lead-up to their invasion.
Such conditions are considered non-starters for Zelensky and Ukraine, however facing a lack or total end of American military support, he would have little choice. Perhaps it explains the congratulatory tone offered in his social media post.
China, who like Iran have many reasons to wince at Trump’s election, may nevertheless be encouraged by statements the President made on The Joe Rogan Experience, that he had “a great relationship” with Xi, and that in comparison to the Biden Administration that has passed draconian trade measures against China without first addressing issues with Beijing, Trump may be open to making one of his famous “deals”.
“Our policy towards the US is consistent,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular news conference in Beijing when asked how Trump returning to the Oval Office would affect US-China relations. “We will continue to view and handle China-US relations in accordance with the principles of mutual respect, peaceful co-existence and win-win cooperation,” she added. WaL
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PICTURED ABOVE: President Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, sign the US China Phase One Trade Agreement in 2020. PC: The White House.
