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World Leaders Welcome Macron's French Election Win

French President and La Republique en Marche (LREM) party candidate for re-election Emmanuel Macron (R) holds his fist in the air as he holds Brigitte Macron’s hand after his victory in France’s presidential election, at the Champ de Mars in Paris, on April 24, 2022. AFP
French President and La Republique en Marche (LREM) party candidate for re-election Emmanuel Macron (R) holds his fist in the air as he holds Brigitte Macron’s hand after his victory in France’s presidential election, at the Champ de Mars in Paris, on April 24, 2022. AFP
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World Leaders Welcome Macron's French Election Win

French President and La Republique en Marche (LREM) party candidate for re-election Emmanuel Macron (R) holds his fist in the air as he holds Brigitte Macron’s hand after his victory in France’s presidential election, at the Champ de Mars in Paris, on April 24, 2022. AFP
French President and La Republique en Marche (LREM) party candidate for re-election Emmanuel Macron (R) holds his fist in the air as he holds Brigitte Macron’s hand after his victory in France’s presidential election, at the Champ de Mars in Paris, on April 24, 2022. AFP

World leaders rushed to congratulate France's centrist President Emmanuel Macron on his re-election and defeat of far-right leader Marine Le Pen in elections Sunday.

Here are some of the main reactions according to AFP:

- European Union -"I am delighted to be able to continue our excellent cooperation," tweeted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

"We can count on France for five more years," European Council President Charles Michel wrote on Twitter.

- United States -"France is our oldest ally and a key partner in addressing global challenges," US President Joe Biden tweeted. "I look forward to our continued close cooperation -- including on supporting Ukraine, defending democracy, and countering climate change."

Secretary of State Antony Blinken also congratulated Macron.

"We look forward to continuing close cooperation with France on global challenges, underpinning our long and enduring Alliance and friendship," he wrote.

- Germany -Chancellor Olaf Scholz said French voters "have sent a strong vote of confidence in Europe today. I am happy that we will continue our good cooperation".

- Britain -Prime Minister Boris Johnson called France "one of our closest and most important allies" and said he looked forward "to continuing to work together on the issues which matter most to our two countries and to the world".

- Ukraine -President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has spoken with Macron several times since Russia's invasion on February 24, called Macron a "true friend of Ukraine".

"I wish him further success for the sake of the (French) people. I appreciate his support and I am convinced that we are moving together towards new common victories," he wrote in both Ukrainian and French.

- Russia -Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote in a telegram: "I sincerely wish you success in your state activities, as well as good health and well-being," according to a statement from the Kremlin.

- Algeria -President Abdelmadjid Tebboune congratulated Macron on his "brilliant" victory and invited him to visit Algeria soon "to intensify and broaden" relations which have been fraught in recent times between France and its neighboring former colony.

- China -China President Xi Jinping said he would "like to continue working with President Macron to maintain diplomatic relations based on independence, mutual understanding, foresight and mutual benefit". according to a readout from state broadcaster CCTV.

- Australia -Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Macron's victory was a "great expression of liberal democracy in action in uncertain times".

"We wish you and France every success, in particular your leadership in Europe and as an important partner to Australia in the Indo-Pacific," he tweeted, using an alternative name for the Asia-Pacific region.

In November, Macron accused his Australian counterpart of lying over a multi-billion-dollar submarine contract that Canberra scrapped without warning.

- Canada -Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was "looking forward to continuing our work together on the issues that matter most to people in Canada and France -- from defending democracy, to fighting climate change, to creating good jobs and economic growth for the middle class".

- India -Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated his "friend" on being re-elected and said "I look forward to continue working together to deepen the India-France Strategic Partnership."

- Japan -Tweeting in French, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida wrote: "We will strengthen our close cooperation with President Macron in various areas, such as the Indo-Pacific region and the Russian aggression against Ukraine."

- Italy -Prime Minister Mario Draghi described Macron's victory as "great news for all of Europe".

- Spain -"The citizens have chosen a France committed to a free, strong and fair EU. Democracy wins. Europe wins," tweeted socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. "Congratulations Emmanuel Macron."

- Belgium -Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said French voters had made a "strong choice", opting for "certainty and Enlightenment values".

- UN bodies -UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi sent his "warm congratulations" and said his organization would continue to count on Macron's support on the European and world stage "as humanitarian challenges and refugee crises become more serious and complex every day".

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he looked forward to "continuing the important partnership" with France "for a healthier, safer, fairer world".

- Ireland -Prime Minister Micheal Martin hailed Macron's "principled and dynamic leadership" as "important not only for France, but for Europe".

- Switzerland -President Ignazio Cassis said he looked forward to "continuing our good collaboration," stressing the close ties between the two neighboring countries.

- Sweden -Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson sent her "warmest congratulations".

"Let's continue our close cooperation -- bilaterally and for a competitive, green and resilient European Union," she tweeted.

- African Union -African Union Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat congratulated Macron over "his brilliant re-election", saying he hoped to continue building "mutually beneficial relations between Africa and France".

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Bomb Threat Prompts Checks on Israel-Bound Cruise Ship in Greek Port

View of the island of Halki from a ferry sailing to the island of Rhodes, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, off the island of Halki, Greece, April 13, 2021. (Reuters)
View of the island of Halki from a ferry sailing to the island of Rhodes, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, off the island of Halki, Greece, April 13, 2021. (Reuters)
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Bomb Threat Prompts Checks on Israel-Bound Cruise Ship in Greek Port

View of the island of Halki from a ferry sailing to the island of Rhodes, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, off the island of Halki, Greece, April 13, 2021. (Reuters)
View of the island of Halki from a ferry sailing to the island of Rhodes, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, off the island of Halki, Greece, April 13, 2021. (Reuters)

A ‌bomb threat to an Israel-bound cruise ship prompted a security operation at the Greek island port of Syros on Tuesday after an unknown person claimed an explosive device had been attached to ‌its hull, ‌Greek authorities said.

The Panama-flagged ‌Crown ⁠Iris was due ⁠to sail to Haifa carrying 940 passengers and 597 crew members when the threat was received.

Coast guard personnel assisted ⁠by an explosives detection dog ‌and ‌a private diver searched ‌the vessel, while a ‌special coast guard unit was deployed to the scene.

Initial checks found no explosive device. ‌Coast guard specialists are expected to arrive at ⁠9.30 ⁠p.m. (1930 GMT) to carry out further inspections before the ship can resume its voyage.

At least seven flights in Europe received bomb threats on Tuesday, causing disruption at airports although no devices were discovered.

World

US Will Halt $4 Billion in Aid to Israel, Trump Says

US President Donald Trump points his finger towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they shake hands during a press conference after meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, US, December 29, 2025. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump points his finger towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they shake hands during a press conference after meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, US, December 29, 2025. (Reuters)
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US Will Halt $4 Billion in Aid to Israel, Trump Says

US President Donald Trump points his finger towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they shake hands during a press conference after meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, US, December 29, 2025. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump points his finger towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they shake hands during a press conference after meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, US, December 29, 2025. (Reuters)

The United States will stop providing $4 billion in aid each year to Israel in 2027 but will sell arms to its closest ally in the Middle East, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday.

The Republican president told Fox News Channel during a phone call on Election Day for the midterms that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had approached him about the idea and that they have been talking about it for a couple of years.

Trump said Israel doesn’t need the aid and it’s a lot of money for the US to spend. But Trump also said that US aid to Israel has become a Democratic talking point for candidates such as Michigan US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, a vocal critic of Israel.

Even far-right conservatives, who have supported Trump in the past, have taken issue with US support for Israel, with prominent commentators like Tucker Carlson openly questioning the value of the relationship.

“You can consider it barter. You can consider military aid or cash,” Trump said. “Look, we give them $4 billion of things and money, and they don’t need it. And I was approached by Bibi Netanyahu, and we’ve been talking about it for a couple of years because it’s a lot of money.”

There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu’s office. But at least some of his political opponents were cautious.

Opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot said the announcement showed that Netanyahu must go.

"The fact that Israel's defense establishment is learning of a shift in our strategic relationship through the media, at the same time as the Israeli public, shows just how dangerous Benjamin Netanyahu's conduct is. He can no longer be trusted and must be replaced," Eisenkot said in a statement.

Yair Golan, a leader in Israel’s opposition bloc, said an end to US military aid would deal a “severe blow to Israel’s security” at a time when the country is fighting wars on multiple fronts.

“The burden of funding defense needs at such a critical juncture will fall entirely upon the Israeli public,” Golan, a former deputy military chief, said in a statement.

The United States has sent tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Israel over the last few years.

In 2016, President Barack Obama, a Democrat, signed an unprecedented security agreement with Israel to give its military $38 billion over 10 years, amounting to $3.8 billion a year. Under the agreement, Israel’s ability to spend part of the funds on Israeli military products was to be phased out and eventually all of the money would be spent on American military industries.

Netanyahu has talked about the need to wean Israel off the aid in the past and has said that the American aid would end at some point.

He told The Economist in January that he wanted to “taper off” US military aid in the next 10 years and that such a change was “in the works.”

But the optics of the aid had also become an issue, according to Trump, who singled out El-Sayed for using it as a talking point.

“The left uses the $4 billion payment — that everybody knows about, it’s no secret — as a signal of unfairness,” Trump said Tuesday on Fox. “And we can’t allow that to happen. I don’t like that, because it’s too easy. It’s almost too easy a target. And Bibi and I have been talking, and we’ve agreed. He was very understanding of it.”

Phasing out direct military and economic aid to Israel has long been a subject of debate in both countries and has gained traction in the last several years.

There are several issues that complicate it, though, not least of which are obligations the US has to Israel under the terms of the Camp David peace accords with Egypt, which require the United States to support Israel and Egypt with security assistance.

In addition, much of the assistance the US provides Israel comes in the form of foreign military financing, or FMF, that gives Israel the money but requires it to spend the money on American-produced weaponry, meaning the funds are plowed back into the US economy.

Unless Israel plans to spend the same amount on purchasing American materiel, US defense contractors may see an impact.

An academic study published last year showed the US under the administrations of President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and Trump provided at least $21.7 billion in military assistance to Israel after the start of the Gaza war in 2023. The study was published on the second anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel that provoked the conflict.

Another study, also published last year by the Costs of War project at Brown University’s Watson School of International and Public Affairs, said the US had spent roughly $10 billion more on security aid and operations in the broader Middle East in the previous two years.

While the reports relied on open source material for most of their findings, they offered some of the most comprehensive accountings of US military aid to close ally Israel and estimated costs of direct American military involvement in the Middle East.

World

EU to Host Talks on Ukraine with United States and Others on Wednesday

Ukrainian rescuers clear rubble from a destroyed residential building following an air attack in Dnipro on November 3, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
Ukrainian rescuers clear rubble from a destroyed residential building following an air attack in Dnipro on November 3, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
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EU to Host Talks on Ukraine with United States and Others on Wednesday

Ukrainian rescuers clear rubble from a destroyed residential building following an air attack in Dnipro on November 3, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
Ukrainian rescuers clear rubble from a destroyed residential building following an air attack in Dnipro on November 3, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)

The European Commission will host a meeting on Ukraine on Wednesday with representatives of the United States, Ukraine, NATO and European allies, the European Union's executive body said on Tuesday.

"So tomorrow the European Commission will host a meeting with representatives from Ukraine, from the United ‌States, France, Germany, the ‌UK, NATO and the ‌World ⁠Bank and this meeting ⁠will build on earlier talks that took place in Miami," Commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho told reporters in Brussels.

The delegations will discuss a "prosperity plan" and security guarantees for Ukraine, a ⁠source familiar with the plans told ‌Reuters.

US envoy ‌Steve Witkoff had said earlier that the ‌meeting would take place in Brussels.

NATO ‌will host further talks on Thursday, according to Allison Hart, a spokesperson for the military alliance.

She said representatives from France, ‌Germany, Britain and the United States would "discuss the way forward on ⁠bringing about ⁠a just and sustainable end to the war in Ukraine".

The United States will then bring together delegations from Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11 to discuss ending Moscow's war in Ukraine, post-war security agreements and de-escalation, Witkoff said earlier in a post on social media platform X.