Sir Keir Starmer has joined world leaders in congratulating Donald Trump after he declared victory in the US presidential election.

The UK prime minister said he looked forward to working with Mr Trump in the years ahead and said the relationship between the UK and US will “continue to prosper”.

“As the closest of allies, we stand shoulder to shoulder in defence of our shared values of freedom, democracy and enterprise,” he added.

US election latest: Reaction as Trump celebrates victory

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Trump declares victory

Elsewhere, Ukraine‘s President Volodomyr Zelenskyy said he looked forward to “an era of a strong United States of America under President Trump’s decisive leadership”.

There had been questions about whether the US would continue supporting Ukraine, after former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said a Trump win would probably be bad news for the country, which was invaded by Russia in 2022.

But Mr Zelenskyy said in a meeting with Mr Trump in September that the pair “discussed in detail the Ukraine-US strategic partnership, the victory plan, and ways to put an end to Russian aggression against Ukraine”.

Responding to the result, Russia’s foreign ministry says the country will work with the new US administration to defend Russian national interests.

Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meet at Trump Tower in New York City, U.S., September 27, 2024. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton REFILE - QUALITY REPEAT
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Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left) with Donald Trump. Pic: Reuters

Mr Zelenskyy has been joined in congratulating Mr Trump by Israel‘s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, France‘s president Emmanuel Macron and Hungary‘s prime minister Viktor Orban.

Asked during the election campaign how he would support Israel in its war against Hamas if re-elected, Mr Trump said: “Nobody’s done what I’ve done for Israel.”

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Mr Netanyahu dubbed Mr Trump’s win “history’s greatest comeback”, which offered “a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America”.

Hamas said Mr Trump’s victory “puts him to the test” on his claims he could stop the war within hours.

In the meantime, Hezbollah said it was not expecting the war to end through political action and the only way it would reach its conclusion would be on the battlefield.

U.S. President Donald Trump applauds as he arrives with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prior to signing the Abraham Accords, normalizing relations between Israel and some of its Middle East neighbors in a strategic realignment of Middle Eastern countries against Iran, at the White House in Washington, U.S., September 15, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner
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President Trump with Israel’s prime minister Netanyahu. Pic: Reuters

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President Macron said he was “ready to work together” with Mr Trump, while Mr Orban called it a “much needed victory for the world”.

Turkey‘s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan commended Mr Trump for winning “a great battle” and said he believed “more efforts will be given for a fairer world”.

Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated his “friend” on his “historic election victory”.

And Egypt‘s President Abdel Fattah el Sisi said he looked forward to work together to “establish peace” and “maintain regional peace and stability”.

Read more:
The key moments of the US election night so far
Donald Trump vows to ‘heal the country’ in victory speech

During his first term in office, Mr Trump threatened to withdraw from the NATO alliance.

But its secretary general Mark Rutte said on Wednesday his leadership would be “key to keeping our alliance strong”.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen “warmly” congratulated Mr Trump and said the European Union and the US were “more than just allies”.