French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Monday that Russia's war against Ukraine would not end imminently despite Donald Trump's pre-investiture pledges to terminate the fighting soon after his formal return to the White House.
"This conflict will not end tomorrow or the day after," Macron said in his New Year's address to the French armed forces hours before Trump's investiture in Washington as the 47th president of the United States.
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Trump promised an end to the war on the campaign trail and in a TV debate with Kamala Harris last September that he would broker an end to the war before being sworn in as president.
Speaking in Cesson-Sevigne in north-western France, Macron said: "It is important to give Ukraine the means to last, and to enter any future negotiations from a position of strength.
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"The challenge, when hostilities cease, will be to give Ukraine guarantees against any return to war on its territory, and assurances for our own security."
Macron's comments came as leaders from around the world offered 78-year-old Trump their congratulations for sweeping to a second term in power following four years in the political wilderness.
"I look forward to working closely together once again, to benefit both our countries, and to shape a better future for the world," said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who referred to Trump as a dear friend.
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'Closest Ally'
"The US is our closest ally and the aim of our policy is always a good transatlantic relationship," said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz
After his investiture, Trump outlined his vision for the US promising to deport millions of illegal immigrants and target diversity programmes.
"The golden age of America begins right now," he told an audience that included the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and leading American politicians including outgoing president Joe Biden as well as former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W Bush.
"From this day forward our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. For many years, a radical and corrupt establishment has extracted power and wealth from our citizens, while the pillars of our society lay broken and seemingly in complete disrepair," he said. "From this moment on, America's decline is over."
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American relationships
Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky said: "President Trump is always decisive, and the peace through strength policy he announced provides an opportunity to strengthen American leadership and achieve a long-term and just peace, which is the top priority."
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Benjamin Netanyahu, who was prime minister of Israel during Trump's first term in office between 2017 and 2021, said: "I believe that working together again we will raise the US-Israel alliance to even greater heights, The best days of our alliance are yet to come."
Despite Trump's threats to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports, Justin Trudeau, the Canadian leader, said he looked forward to working with Trump. "We are strongest when we work together," Trudeau added. "Canada and the United States have the world's most successful economic partnership."
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France's Prime Minister François Bayrou echoed his president's caution during a trip to the south-western French city of Pau where he is mayor.
"The United States, with the inauguration of the president, has decided on a politics that is incredibly dominating," Bayrou said. "If we do nothing then our fate will be simple. We will be dominated. We will be crushed. We will be marginalised. It is up to us, French and Europeans, as it is impossible without Europe."
However, Ursula von der Leyen, the chief of the 27-nation European Union, adopted a more emollient tone. She wrote on social media: "The EU looks forward to working closely with you to tackle global challenges. Together, our societies can achieve greater prosperity and strengthen their common security."
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