Republican candidate Donald Trump’s ascension to the White House has sent shock waves around the world. But it appears to have pleased one leader in particular — Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Within hours of Trump’s victory speech early Wednesday, Putin congratulated the US president-elect and flagged Moscow’s willingness to restore ties fully with its old Cold War foe, currently at loggerheads over the Syria conflict.
Europe’s far-right party leaders are cheering Trump’s win, including Britain’s Nigel Farage, the outgoing leader of the UK Independence Party, and France’s Marine Le Pen, who sent Trump a congratulatory tweet early Wednesday, adding a pat on the back for the “free” American people.
Far-right leaders in the Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, the Czech Republic, Italy and Serbia, among other places, also have voiced support for Trump. The hard-right Greek party, Golden Dawn, went so far as to make a pro-Trump video with neo-Nazis.