World leaders praise Biden's statesmanship after his withdrawal
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President Biden Biden delivers remarks during the NATO 75th anniversary celebratory event on July 9. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Foreign leaders praised President Biden's qualities as a leader and achievements strengthening global alliances, following his decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
Why it matters: Biden's withdrawal shakes up the 2024 presidential race and emphasizes the stakes of the election, with many U.S. allies already anticipating what a return of former President Trump to the White House could mean for the international order.
State of play: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on X on Sunday, "Joe Biden has achieved a lot: for his country, for Europe, for the world. Thanks to him, transatlantic cooperation is close, NATO is strong and the USA is a good and reliable partner for us."
- Keir Starmer, the U.K.'s new prime minister, said on X he was sure Biden had "made his decision based on what he believes is best for the American people."
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a post to X praised Biden as a "partner to Canadians — and a true friend."
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Biden in a post to X for his "unwavering" and "critical" support as his country battles Russia's invading forces, and expressed hopes that the U.S. would continue to show leadership.
Zoom in: Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said Biden had been a "voice for reason, effective multilateralism and shared solutions" and added that he was a "proud American with an Irish soul."
- Biden has supported Israel over the course of the Israel-Hamas war, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog thanked Biden on X for his "friendship and steadfast support," calling him "a true ally of the Jewish people."
- Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X that Biden's leadership had ensured that "Poland, America and the world are safer."
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters Sunday that Russia must "be patient and carefully monitor what happens," Reuters reported.
- Russia's priority remains its war in Ukraine, Peskov added.
The big picture: Biden has led the U.S. as it navigated wars in Europe and the Middle East.
- He proved to be an especially strong supporter of Ukraine and NATO, and also assembled the AUKUS alliance.
- Trump is a NATO-skeptic, who said this year that he would "encourage" Russia "to do whatever the hell they want" to a NATO ally if the country wasn't meeting defense spending obligations.
- Trump has reportedly said privately he would end Russia's invasion of Ukraine by pressuring Kyiv to cede territory — a proposition Ukraine opposes.
- During his previous term, Trump regularly flouted the post-World War II international order the U.S. had helped create, including by withdrawing the U.S. from the UN Human Rights Council and the Paris climate agreement.
Go deeper: NATO plots Trump survival strategy on its 75th birthday
