Kamala against Trump! Xi Jinping-Putin until Netanyahu opens his voice

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The United States is currently entering a political year to lead these developed countries. State leaders, from Putin to Xi Jinping, have cast their vote on the preferred candidate to fill a seat in the White House.

On the eve of Uncle Sam's Nov. 5 presidential election, polls show Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump in a tight race and nearly impossible to beat.

But while the US election hinges on who the American people want to see as their leader, the country's outsized influence means the contest is closely watched in capitals around the world.

Quoting Al Jazeera, here are the opinions of the leaders of Putin's country on Europe and NATO:

Vladimir Putin, Russia

Although the Russian leader jokingly said he would prefer Harris as president, many signs suggest Putin actually supports Trump's victory.

“Putin would like Trump to be president for many reasons,” Timothy Ash, a fellow in the Russia and Eurasia program at Chatham House, told Al Jazeera.

“I think Putin looks at Trump and sees a mirror image of himself, an authoritarian, a sociopath. He probably thinks he understands Trump,” Ash added.

Furthermore, Putin “hates” the Western liberal market democratic system, believing that Trump will pick up where he left off in Trump 1.0 by sowing division and chaos, thereby undermining institutions such as NATO and the European Union.

Putin has previously been open about his thoughts on US presidential politics and has repeatedly endorsed candidates since 2004.

Xi Jinping, China

Chinese President Xi Jinping has not publicly offered his support. As with Russia, both Democrats and Republicans have taken tough positions on China.

During his presidency, Trump started a trade war with China, imposing tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese imports in 2018. China retaliated by imposing tariffs on $110 billion of American imports.

Trump is unlikely to back down if elected, but the Democratic Party could also come together to oppose China's growing influence around the world.

When Joe Biden became president, he maintained Trump's tariffs. Additionally, on September 13 of this year, the Biden administration announced tariff increases on certain products manufactured in China. If Harris wins, she is expected to remain consistent with Biden's China policy.

Neither Trump nor Harris have given details of what actions they would take against China if elected.

Despite Trump's trade war, he boasts of his good relations with Xi. After Trump survived an assassination attempt on July 14, he said world leaders reached out to him.

“I get along very well with President Xi. He's a good guy, he wrote me a letter a few days ago when he heard about what happened,” Trump said during of a gathering.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not publicly supported either candidate. However, it is widely believed that he leans towards a Trump victory.

Netanyahu and Trump enjoyed good relations during the former US president's first term. In 2019, at the Israeli-American Council, Trump said: “The Jewish State has never had a better friend in the White House than your president. »

The feeling is mutual. Netanyahu, in a statement in 2020, said Trump was “the best friend Israel has ever had in the White House.”

However, relations between Trump and Netanyahu deteriorated after Biden's election. When Biden was inaugurated, Netanyahu congratulated him. Trump said he felt betrayed by this in an interview.

However, the Israeli prime minister sought to revive old ties. During a visit to the United States in July this year, Netanyahu visited Trump at his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. Axios reported that a Netanyahu ally even visited Mar-a-Lago before the two leaders' meeting, to read passages from Netanyahu's book praising Trump.

European leaders and NATO

The majority of European leaders prefer Harris as president of the United States.

“I know him well. He will certainly be a good president,” Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, told the press.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to leave NATO. However, Politico reports that national security advisers and defense experts say he is unlikely to leave the alliance.

Regardless, his complaints about NATO remain. He is believed to want NATO allies to increase their defense spending targets.

Narendra Modi, India

Although Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi maintained close relations with Trump during Trump's presidency, Modi was also one of the first world leaders to congratulate Biden on his 2020 election victory.

“I don’t believe Modi has a strong preference for one candidate over another,” Chietigj Bajpaee, a senior fellow at the South Asia and Asia-Pacific program at Chatham House, told Al Jazeera.

“There is a high degree of bipartisan consensus in Washington for deepening ties with India and viewing it as a long-term strategic partner – arguably as much consensus as viewing China as a long-term strategic rival,” he said. Bajpaee wrote in a statement. article for Chatham House.

He wrote that the three main pillars of American commitment to India are that India is the world's largest democracy, that the United States views India as a bulwark against China, and that the economy India has growth potential.

South Korea

South Korea is a major ally of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region. Although the country's President, Yoon Suk-yeol, has not explicitly supported either candidate, relations between South Korea and the United States have grown rapidly under Biden's leadership.

A commentary published in September by the US think tank Brookings said that under the Trump administration, the South Koreans were dismayed by accusations that they were not contributing enough to their defense and the maintenance of US forces, although they provided the bulk of the front-line combat troops. North Korea.

On the other hand, the Biden administration has done little to address the North Korean nuclear threat. However, the Biden administration is focused on strengthening bilateral and trilateral relations between Washington, Tokyo and Seoul,” Edward Howell, professor of international relations at the University of Oxford, told Al Jazeera.

Howell said this was clear during the Camp David summit in 2023, as well as during the presidential meeting between Biden and Yoon Suk-yeol.

Howell added that South Korea wants to ensure that U.S. support does not wane under the next president “at a time when the East Asian region faces not only the nuclear threat of North Korea, but also to an increasingly aggressive and bellicose China.

Japan

For U.S. ally Japan, a Trump victory could mean he will focus on domestic policies and reduce collaboration with Japan, raise tariffs and expect Japan to increase spending military, according to an analysis published by the Japanese website Nippon Communications Foundation.

However, Japanese government officials have established ties with officials from the previous Trump administration, including Bill Hagerty, a former ambassador to Tokyo and considered the favorite to become foreign minister, according to Kotani Tetsuo's analysis.

On the other hand, even if a Harris administration involves policies more in line with those of the Biden administration, new relationships will need to be forged with officials on Harris' team.

Australia

For Australia, an ally of the United States, Trump's victory will raise many questions. This statement was written by Australian journalist Ben Doherty for The Guardian.

Doherty added that many in Australia believe Trump will withdraw from the Paris Agreement if re-elected, which could weaken the influence of the informal climate coalition, the Umbrella Group, of which Australia is a member.

Australia also has trade relations with China and a Trump victory could result in a trade war with China, which could harm the Australian economy.

(pgr/pgr)

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