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Finbarr Bermingham

This article has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app.
A sombre mood enveloped Brussels on Wednesday, as the European Union woke to the news that its long-time antagonist had stormed to victory in the US election.
The Republican president-elect has threatened to relaunch a trade war with Europe, withdraw US support for Ukraine, and roll back America’s transatlantic security commitment.
Even as European leaders scrambled to congratulate Donald Trump and offered to work with him, some of their underlings were on the brink of despair.
“It is a disaster for us, there is no good to come from this,” said an EU diplomat, whose weary eyes betrayed an all-nighter watching the election results roll in.
Officials in the Belgian capital have spent months discussing how to “Trump-proof” the EU and Nato.
On Monday, its incoming trade chief Maros Sefcovic said that regardless of who won, the bloc would “put forward an offer of cooperation” but would “be ready to stand up for our interest if faced with a disruptive scenario”.
European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer confirmed that the bloc would be contacting the Trump transition team before his inauguration in January, but declined to offer any details.


“The US is such an important partner, I’m sure you can expect there will be contacts between the commission and the future US administration. That would only be natural,” he said.
Even before Trump’s election win was confirmed, German businesses were demanding the commission jump into gear quickly.
“Comprehensive tariffs of 10 or even 20 per cent on all imports and of 60 per cent on imports from China would not only cause massive damage to Germany and the EU, but also to the US economy,” said Siegfried Russwurm, president of the Federation of German Industries, referring to threats made by Trump on the campaign trail.
“It is good that the EU Commission has options for how it could react decisively to new tariffs on goods from the EU and, if necessary, initiate countermeasures,” he added.
The results streamed in as EU leaders were preparing to descend on Budapest for a European Council summit at which the election will be high on the agenda.
Rotating council president Hungary and its right-wing firebrand Viktor Orban will host the event, and the Trump ally was the first in a deluge of leaders to congratulate the president-elect.
“The biggest comeback in US political history!” Orban wrote on social media, adding that Trump’s win was a “much needed victory for the world!”
Well wishes flowed from almost all US allies across Europe, Asia and the Pacific. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen “warmly congratulated” Trump and voiced hope for a strong transatlantic agenda.
“Good work, Mr President,” posted Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni – another right-wing leader seen to be politically closer to Trump and his circle of advisers.
With weakened leadership in France and Germany, and Trump’s well-known dislike for Brussels’ institutions, it is expected that Orban and Meloni could play an outsize role in engaging the incoming US president.




“I don’t see what choice we would have, that is where Trump and his people will naturally go,” a French diplomat said.
Anxiety is mounting about whether Trump will pull America’s support for Ukraine – leaving the economically anaemic EU to foot the bill.
“The worst place in the world to wake up this morning is Kyiv,” the French diplomat added.
Trump has said that he will end the conflict before he even takes office in January, but Ukraine’s allies have voiced fears that he would push Kyiv to accept a peace deal with Russia that would result in it giving up swathes of occupied territories.
In a lengthy post, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he appreciated 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,” he wrote.
Mujtaba Rahman, managing director for Europe at Eurasia Group, a political consultancy, said the bloc’s success in dealing with Trump would depend on unity.
“Senior EU officials in Brussels and EU capitals have been talking about Trump-proofing for over a year – on trade, fiscal space, the EU pillar within Nato, and Ukraine. Some of those plans are more advanced than others,” he said.
“Let’s hope that unity as opposed to fragmentation now prevails.”
Nato, too, could be in for a rocky four years under Trump, who threatened to withdraw from the military alliance during his last term, and has frequently berated allies for not spending enough on defence.

Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said he had congratulated Trump, adding that his “leadership will again be key to keeping our alliance strong”.
In the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was overjoyed with Trump’s win, having clashed continuously with US President Joe Biden over how Israel has prosecuted its war on Gaza since October 2023.
“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,” Netanyahu wrote.
In the Indo-Pacific, leaders of US allies also offered their good wishes on social media.
“Heartiest congratulations my friend on your historic election victory,” wrote Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I look forward to renewing our collaboration to further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership.”
Like India, Australia has struck up a close military alliance with the US in recent years, antagonising China in the process. Its prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said on social media: “Australians and Americans are great friends and true allies.
“Working together, we can ensure the partnership between our nations and peoples remains strong into the future,” he wrote.


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US presidential election 2024

‘Disaster’: Trump’s political comeback stirs fresh anxiety in Europe, Ukraine

Donald Trump’s US election win resulted in a wide range of reactions from world leaders and diplomats. Trump is seen with Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg in December 2019. Photo: AP

Cars drive past a large billboard congratulating US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a traffic junction in Israel’s coastal city of Tel Aviv on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

How EU’s China policy anticipates Trump’s return to the White House after 2024 election

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump looms as a consideration for EU members as they try to forge policies on China and other issues. Photo: Reuters

Two weeks out, the race between Trump and his Democratic rival, US Vice-President Kamala Harris, is said to be close. Photo: AFP 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has become the EU’s leading China hawk. Photo: Xinhua

EU and US officials seek trade and tech alignments that might survive a Trump return

EU and US officials hope to further cooperation on tech and trade stances to counter China. Image: Shutterstock

From left, EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, EU Commissioner for Competitiveness Margrethe Vestager, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, at a Trade and Technology Council meeting in Lulea, Sweden, on May 31, 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE

EU united in unease over possible Trump win, but few agree on future path

Former US President and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a political rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on Saturday. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS

People donate blood for wounded Ukrainian personnel during an event held in a church in Kyiv on Tuesday. Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and the ensuing war has stoked security fears across Europe. Photo: AP

Spectre of Trump inspires EU fight on China’s economic strong-arming

Australian wines on sale in Shanghai, days before China hit them with tariffs which made them unviable on the Chinese market. Photo: EPA-EFE

Sabine Weyand, deputy negotiator for the European Union (EU), sits in the audience during a news conference following the sixth round of Brexit negotiations in Brussels, Belgium, on Friday, Nov. 10, 2017. European Union chief negotiator Michel Barnier said no breakthrough was made in Brexit talks this week, but progress was made on citizensÕ rights and both sides are aiming for a deal in December. Photographer: Dario Pignatelli/Bloomberg

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Reactions to election outcome range from ‘new beginning’ to despair as leaders consider how to deal with Trump’s return


Reactions to election outcome range from ‘new beginning’ to despair as leaders consider how to deal with Trump’s return.
