Reactions from Ukraine:
Former Ukrainian prisoner of war Maksym Kolesnikov:
"As I understand it, the countdown to the 24 hours in which President-elect Trump will establish peace in Ukraine has already begun. Godspeed, Donald."
(Background: Trump has said he would end the Ukraine war by simply talking to the presidents of Ukraine and Russia. During the debate, Trump criticized the spending of billions of dollars on Ukraine's defense, saying that Kyiv “will not win the war.” He also said that Putin would not have invaded Ukraine if he, Trump, had been in the White House.)
Mykola Kniazhytskiy, Ukrainian MP from opposition European Solidarity Party:
"There is a lot of work ahead. Trump, like Zelensky once did, also believes that he will look Putin in the eye and solve all the problems. Some of his voters are also convinced of this. In the end, the fate of the world will still be decided by the Ukrainian soldier. But in such a situation, our public administration must grow up and become more responsible."
Ukrainian political activist and blogger Serhiy Sternenko:
"Look, Trump, you were shot at. Would you forgive your attacker? Think about it, Donald."
Ukrainian journalist Yanina Sokolova:
"We have to do our own thing. If we don't change and start relying on ourselves, we will die."
-- Compiled by Sashko Shevchenko
More from Balkan heads of state...
Among wishes for a successful mandate, he wrote on Facebook: "The United States is a strong supporter of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its citizens in building a democratic, multi-ethnic, and prosperous Bosnia and Herzegovina. U.S. support is of great importance for preserving stability and continuing the democratic processes that will enable Bosnia and Herzegovina’s successful integration into full membership of the European Union and NATO."
The president of Montenegro congratulates Trump:
"Montenegro and the U.S. are friends and steadfast partners," Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović stated in his message on X. "Montenegro and the USA are friends and steadfast partners, united by shared goals and values, focused on advancing democracy, security, stability, and freedom. As NATO allies, we look forward to working very closely with your administration on strengthening our friendship and deepening cooperation."
-- Compiled by Ajla Obradovic
Congratulations from the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, which opposes Taliban rule:
Iran Says It Will Be Unaffected By Election Result, But Markets Are Already Reacting
We have the first official reaction from Iran, with government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani insisting that the outcome of the election “will not affect the livelihood of our people.”
Without mentioning Trump, Mohajerani said the Islamic republic’s policies “will not be significantly impacted” by developments in the U.S. She also said that “preparations were made in advance,” without offering further details.
Despite Mohajerani’s insistence that livelihoods won’t be affected, the Iranian rial depreciated against major currencies, including the U.S. dollar. The rial this morning hit an all-time low of 701,000 rials, according to the foreign exchange website Bonbast.com, which tracks the unofficial market.
-- Kian Sharifi and Parisa Sohbati
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov weighs in:
The U.S. is an unfriendly country involved in a war against Russia, Peskov said, stating that Putin has no plans to congratulate Trump.
Peskov called the election results an internal matter for the U.S. At the same time, he acknowledged some optimism in Russia regarding Trump's election: "You know, during the campaign, there were statements that spoke of his peaceful intentions on the international stage."
The head of the office of the president of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak:
"I would like to congratulate Donald Trump on his victory in the U.S. election.
"President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy and our team had a good meeting with President Donald Trump in September. We managed to discuss in detail the Victory Plan of Ukraine, the strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United States, and ways to end the war.
"The Presidents also had a good working relationship during Donald Trump's first term in office.
"It is important that Ukraine has bipartisan support in the United States.
"'Peace through strength' is exactly the approach we need now. Because Russia and autocrats understand only the language of force. Aggressors must be brought back to a clear framework of justice.
"We need a just peace, and the world needs a strong United States and the triumph of democracy."
Afghan voices:
Taliban spokesman Inamullah Samangani:
“They said that finally a woman will become the president in America, something that has never happened and maybe after this no one will believe that she will. Americans are not ready to hand over the reins of their country to a woman."
Former U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad:
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian:
How Will The U.S. Election Impact Washington’s Iran Policy?
The outcome of the U.S. presidential election will likely impact Washington’s policy toward Iran. Under an "unpredictable" Trump, U.S. policy toward Iran would be “more of the inkling and the gut feeling of one man,” said one expert. Read the story by Kian Sharifi here.
'Not A Disaster': Ukrainian Experts See Opportunities In Cooperation With Trump
By Sashko Shevchenko
Donald Trump’s potential victory in the U.S. presidential election can prove to be beneficial for the Ukrainian cause, although risky, Kyiv-based Ukrainian Prism think-tank expert Oleksandr Krayev believes.
"Throughout the campaign, I repeated over and over again that there is no 'better' or 'worse' option in this equation for us. There are more risky and less risky ones. Trump, with all his instability and unpredictability, is exactly the risky one -- but not exclusively in a negative context. He can really unpredictably give us everything we need if we agree to negotiate. Or he can stop deliveries if he suddenly forgets where we are," says Krayev.
Trump before the election and Trump after the election may be somewhat different, the international affairs expert Bohdan Ferents told RFE/RL’s live show Svoboda Ranok.
He thinks there will be two scenarios of possible communication between the White House and the Kremlin, which wants Trump to win, according to Ferents.
First, Moscow will try to enhance the level of consultations directly with the U.S. On the other hand, Trump might try to raise the stakes in his communication with Russia.
"Given his business background, his desire to be really unpredictable, he can go for both aggravation and the formation of certain options. And here, in my opinion, not everything will be resolved very quickly, because, again, Trump has promised to end the Russian war," Ferents said.