Here’s What We Know About Trump’s First Calls With World Leaders

Topline

President-elect Donald Trump received a series of congratulatory phone calls from several top world leaders Wednesday, during which they discussed a multitude of global issues, including the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Key Facts

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he was among the first world leaders to call Trump, adding that the two had a “warm and cordial” discussion and “agreed to work together for Israel's security, and also discussed the Iranian threat.”

French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said he had a “very good 25-minute conversation” with Trump, where Macron “stressed the importance of Europe’s role” and told the president-elect he was willing to work together on issues including “Ukraine and the Middle East.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy—who has had a tense relationship with Trump in the past—tweeted that he had an “excellent call” with the president-elect where both agreed to “maintain close dialogue” and “advance our cooperation.”

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol congratulated Trump by reciting the president’s “Make America Great Again” slogan, before discussing North Korea’s new intercontinental ballistic missiles and calling for establishing a “perfect South Korea-US security posture.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s call with Trump focused on trade, “including the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement”—which was negotiated in the president-elect’s first term—and “their shared interest in secure and reliable supply chains and addressing unfair trading practices in the global economy.”

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters his call with Trump was “friendly” and he is reportedly planning to meet the president-elect in person later this month during a “stopover” in the U.S. after attending the G20 summit in Brazil.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said his call with Trump discussed the U.K.’s “special relationship” with the U.S. and also addressed the “situation in the Middle East and underscored the importance of regional stability.”

Trump also received congratulatory calls from other leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Saudi Arabia’s defacto leader Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Crucial Quote

According to Chinese state media, the country’s President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Trump and said: “A stable, healthy and sustainable China-US relationship is in the common interests of the two countries and the expectations of the international community.” Citing two unnamed sources, CNN reported Xi had a phone call with Trump, but there has been no official confirmation so far.

Tangent

Hungary’s hard-right Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, one of Trump’s most vocal public supporters, tweeted: “Mar-a-Lago calling. Just had my first phone conversation with President Donald Trump since the elections. We have big plans for the future!”

What To Watch For

The Russian government’s public reaction to Trump’s victory has been tepid so far. On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters he is not aware of any plans by Russian President Vladimir Putin to congratulate Trump on his victory. “Let's not forget that we are talking about an unfriendly country that is directly and indirectly involved in a war against our state,” Peskov said. The Kremlin spokesperson dismissed the suggestion that a lack of congratulatory call from Putin would worsen U.S.-Russia ties, saying: “It is almost impossible to worsen them further, relations are at their historically lowest point.”

Further Reading

Election 2024: Harris Concedes Election—Says ‘We Must Accept The Results’ (Forbes)

Trump’s ‘Day 1’ Agenda: Immigration, Ukraine And Oil Are Top Priorities, Advisers Say (Forbes)