Foreign leaders react to Biden's decision not to seek reelection
World leaders watching the U.S. election have started to react to the decision by President Biden on Sunday not to seek reelection, discussing their relationships with the U.S. president and offering thoughts on his decision.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: "I respect President Biden's decision and I look forward to us working together during the remainder of his presidency.
"I know that, as he has done throughout his remarkable career, President Biden will have made his decision based on what he believes is in the best interests of the American people," Starmer wrote.
In a statement on social media addressed directly to President Biden, Polish President Donald Tusk said Mr. Biden's "many difficult decisions" had helped keep Poland, America and the world safe and democracy stronger.
"I know you were driven by the same motivations when announcing your final decision. Probably the most difficult one in your life," Tusk wrote.
The difficulty of the president's decision was also highlighted by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala. "It is undoubtedly the decision of a statesman who has served his country for decades. It is a responsible and personally difficult step, but it is all the more valuable," Fiala wrote on social media. "I am keeping my fingers crossed for the USA that a good president emerges from the democratic competition of two strong and equal candidates."
Ireland's deputy premier Michael Martin said he heard of Mr. Biden's decision "with both sadness and admiration."
Biden, whose family has roots in the country, was warmly welcomed when he visited Ireland last year.
"This has no doubt been the toughest of calls, but one done, as ever, with dignity & class. I know that the people of Ireland will wish President Biden the very best," Martin wrote Sunday on social media.
Ireland's prime minister, Taoiseach Simon Harris, also thanked Mr. Biden in a statement shared on social media, crediting the U.S. president as "a voice for reason, effective multilateralism and shared solutions."
Harris pointed to Mr. Biden's leadership on the Russia-Ukraine war and said he had spoken with the president about plans for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, and called him "an unwavering voice and passionate worker for peace on the island of Ireland."
During his 2023 visit, Biden "relayed the words of his parents that 'everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect.' Anyone who knows or has watched Joe Biden knows that these are more than words to him but the way he has always conducted himself in public and private life," Harris said.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog thanked Mr. Biden "for his friendship and steadfast support for the Israeli people over his decades long career," in a statement on social media. Biden has faced pressure from within his party over the Israel-Hamas conflict.
"As the first US President to visit Israel in wartime, as a recipient of the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor, and as a true ally of the Jewish people, he is a symbol of the unbreakable bond between our two peoples," Herzog said.
Some politicians, such as Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Union Commission, invoked issues facing the international community. Von der Leyen said in a statement on social media about his withdrawal, "The EU and US are partners, friends and allies. We face common challenges together - in Europe, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific."
In a statement, Australian Prime Minister Albanese commended Mr. Biden's service, noting "The Australia-US Alliance has never been stronger with our shared commitment to democratic values, international security, economic prosperity and climate action for this and future generations.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also spoke of the U.S.' international cooperation, saying thanks to Mr. Biden, "transatlantic cooperation is close, NATO is strong and the USA is a good and reliable partner for us. His decision not to run again deserves respect."
