When a strong leader is elected, the whole world takes notice—and for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Chinese Communist Party’s Xi Jinping, the return of Donald Trump to the White House is a daunting reality that can’t be ignored. They know Trump doesn’t play games.

World leaders are already preparing for a new era of diplomacy and mutual respect, with the potential for peace felt across every corner of the globe, just as during Trump’s first term in office.

In his first public remarks on Trump’s second term win, Putin praised the Republican president-elect’s stance on foreign relations, especially his commitment to mending strained ties with Russia and addressing the Ukrainian crisis.

“I would like to take this opportunity to offer my congratulations on his election as President of the United States. As I said before, we are going to work with any head of state that is going to garner the trust of the American people, and this is what’s going to happen in practice,” Putin said during a speech at the Valdai forum in the southern Russian city of Sochi.

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JUST IN: Russian President Putin officially congratulates Donald Trump on becoming President of the United States.

“We are going to work with any head of state that is going to garner the trust of the American people.” pic.twitter.com/zCJaJ2LsKa

— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) November 7, 2024

Putin added that Trump’s stated commitment to ending the Ukraine crisis and restoring stable relations with Russia are goals worth pursuing.

“What was said about the desire to restore relations with Russia, to bring about the end of the Ukrainian crisis, in my opinion, deserves attention at least,” he added.

Russia, Putin added, is ready to establish a dialogue to foster peace and rebuild ties with the U.S.

SCMP reported:

Trump said during campaigning that he could bring peace in Ukraine within 24 hours if elected, but has given few details on how he would seek to end the biggest land war in Europe since World War II.

The 72-year-old Kremlin chief gave just one note of caution: “I do not know what is going to happen now. I have no clue”.

When pressed by a questioner what he would do if Trump called to suggest a meeting, Putin said he was ready to resume contacts if a Trump administration wanted that, and was ready for discussions with Trump.

Trump revealed he was also prepared for some kind of conversation, telling NBC News in an interview that “I think we’ll speak” as the topic turned to his contacts with world leaders since his victory was announced.

In addition, Putin commended Trump’s resilience and character, recalling an incident in Butler, Pennsylvania where Trump remained steadfast after an attempted assassination at a rally.

“He can make a lot of mistakes. But from the outside, I can tell you that his behavior, when there was an attempt on his life, I was impressed. He’s a courageous person. It’s not just about the hand he raised and his call to fight for their common values and ideas,” Putin said.

“Of course, there was a Rush of adrenaline, but a person shows their true color in these emergencies. This is precisely one of those cases. I think he acquitted himself admirably in a valiant fashion as a man,” he added.

Similarly, Chinese President Xi Jinping extended his congratulations to Trump, expressing Beijing’s commitment to a constructive U.S.-China relationship under a Trump-led administration.

Alarabiya News reported:

In a “congratulatory message” to Trump, Xi “pointed out that history has shown that China and the United States benefit from cooperation and suffer from confrontation,” state broadcaster CCTV said.

“A stable, healthy and sustainable China–US relationship is in the common interest of both countries and is in line with the expectations of the international community,” Xi said.

In his first message to Trump since the former president secured a second term in office, the Chinese leader said he hoped “that both sides will uphold the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.”

He called for Washington and Beijing to “strengthen dialogue and communication, properly manage differences, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and find a correct way for China and the US to get along in this new era, to benefit both countries and the world.”