Ukraine, Russia and Belarus welcome Trump’s return to the White House

The biggest concern concerns Donald Trump’s statements on military support for Ukraine. The former real estate mogul (and convicted felon) has repeatedly stated that he sees no reason for American taxpayers to pay to arm the country and that he has a simple plan to end the war. In practice, this plan would involve forcing kyiv to make concessions to Russia. In such a scenario, which would also involve easing sanctions on Russia, Trump would effectively give the Kremlin the time and resources to rebuild its military in preparation for another attack. And maybe this time Ukraine would no longer be the only target.

This is why Volodymyr Zelensky was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Trump on his victory and praise his approach to international affairs, which is supposed to be based on the principle of “peace through strength”. Whether Zelensky himself believes it is irrelevant. What matters is that the Ukrainian president understands that he must get to work as soon as possible with the material at his disposal: he must curry favor with Trump, whose approach relies less on reason than on personal sympathies and animosities. In addition to his laudatory message about X, Zelensky also had a telephone conversation with Trump, which he later described as excellent.

Perhaps Zelensky will win Trump’s heart based on their shared status as outsiders in gatherings of world leaders. Or perhaps Trump and his entourage can be convinced that giving the Russian war criminal what he wants will make the United States look like a loser? Perhaps lobbying by the American arms industry, which benefited greatly from the war, will play a role? These are the few levers of influence that Ukraine has. There is no guarantee that they will work.

When Trump won his first presidential election in 2016, the champagne was popped in the Russian Duma. Literally: Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the late maverick of Russian politics, had organized a banquet to mark the occasion. The Kremlin thought Donald Trump would be its man in the White House; the reality turned out to be more complex. Despite his displayed affection for Vladimir Putin, Trump has not pursued a pro-Russian policy. This is why the atmosphere in Moscow is calmer this time. The independent portal Viorstka reported on November 6 that Putin congratulated Trump privately, through unspecified mutual acquaintances. Public congratulations were delivered by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as well as Dmitry Medvedev and the speakers of both houses of the Russian parliament.

Andrei Peretzheva correspondent of Medusa known to have many contacts at the top of the Russian government, learned from them that the Kremlin still considers Trump “its muzhik” (peasant of the Russian Empire). Apparently, Trump’s mannerisms simply make him more understandable than l The democratic elite In reality, and despite Putin’s mocking declaration in favor of Kamala Harris before the election, the Kremlin did not support either candidate. What it is still looking for today is a polarization that will result. on demonstrations and riots, thereby undermining American democracy.

Putin’s public congratulations to Trump finally took place during a meeting of the Valdai Club (a Russian think tank created at the initiative of Vladimir Putin). At the end of a three-hour session, when asked if he would meet with the US president if the latter proposed, Putin replied that he was prepared for the possibility that Western leaders wanted to renew contacts with Russia. He took the opportunity to congratulate Trump. Previously, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was asked by journalists about official congratulations from the Russian presidency, and responded that there was no reason for this, as the United States was a country considered unfriendly by Russia.

Near Minsk, on November 7, on the sidelines of a woodcutting championship (in which he participated), Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko spoke at length about Trump and his victory in the American presidential election, reports Mirror. “Trump is a real power“, Lukashenko said. “He’s doing great, regardless of what I think of him. It was hard to believe he could win. There were shootings, pressure, they wanted to put him in prison and so on, but he succeeded. And he did it after he had already run unsuccessfully for president. This is his personal achievement on behalf of the American people. From this point of view, he is a good man“.

Lukashenko also mentioned Trump’s promise to end wars, including the ongoing one in Ukraine. “If he succeeds, we will nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize, and he will get it,” said the Belarusian leader. “We hope he keeps his promise. But America is not Belarus. He might forget it or something.” Lukashenko added that ending the war in Ukraine did not depend solely on Trump. “He will try to end the war, but it is not a unilateral process. You have to bring other people, and maybe not just Russia. Many, many countries are involved.” These were the thoughts of the Belarusian dictator, usurper of the presidency of his country since 2020, who is now preparing for a new “election”. It is scheduled for the end of January 2025. His campaign slogan: “It must be!”.

The Belarusian president’s official website reported that Lukashenko congratulated Trump on his victory the day after the US election. The dictator wished the new American president good health and judicious political decisions that “will make America great again”.

After the celebrations in the Russian parliament in 2016, it is the turn of the Polish Sejm (parliament) in 2024 to pop the champagne. The right-wing populists of Jaroslaw Kaczynski (PiS, far right), who lost power to a coalition led by Donald Tusk (PO, center right) a year ago, could not contain their euphoria over to the turn of events abroad. Law and Justice party deputies applauded loudly and chanted the name of the new American president. The party believes the businessman’s victory gives it a political boost ahead of next year’s presidential election, increasing its chances of quickly returning to power. In the ranks of PiS, we dream of Trump’s presence at a pre-election meeting, or even of a resignation from the current government following Trump’s victory. A party which has built its identity on resistance to the dictatorship of Brussels no longer has limits when it comes to displaying its servility towards Washington.

What kind of friend will Trump be? We will know next year.

In partnership with Display Europe, co-funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed, however, are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible.