What Trump's victory means for the world - The Global Story podcast, BBC World Service

Hello, I'm Lucy Hockings. From the BBC World Service, this is The Global Story.

Donald Trump is the winner in what could be the most

consequential US presidential election in recent history.

His victory comes in the context of multiple ongoing conflicts around the world

and persistent instability in major global economies.

International leaders are flocking to congratulate Mr Trump,

but how might their governments be reacting behind closed doors?

Today we're considering how the newly minted president-elect could make his presence felt

in the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, in China, Europe and beyond.

With me today is our diplomatic correspondent, James Landale.

Hi, James. Hi.

And what a result, came quicker than many thought it would. It's a surprise for

many, but I know you've been speaking to diplomats around the world,

embassies and residences around the world this week.

And I wonder what you think the reaction is to this result.

I think inevitably there's going to be a sense of shock, simply

because when you've been listening to the broadcast, listening to the pollsters,

telling everybody it's knife edge, you know, touch and go, don't know which way it's going to go,

to have such a decisive result as this is clearly going to come as a surprise. Do I

think the victory of Donald Trump has come as a surprise? No. I think everybody has

been realistic enough to know that this has always been a very clear possibility.

And preparing for it. Well, the question is,

that's a really good point. Have they been preparing for that?

I've spoken to a lot of European diplomats about this. And they all say, "yes, no, we must,

we must prepare for, we must prepare for it". And then I say, well, what are you doing? "Well,

we can't anticipate it because we'll be annoying the previous incumbent if you start making

assumptions about elections. And, you know, we have to leave it up to the Americans to make

their own decisions". I think there is genuinely a sense that certainly in the European diplomatic

world that not enough has been done to so-called Trump-proof Europe from this future president.

Okay, we're going to get into Trump-proofing foreign policy and take a whistle-stop tour

around the globe for this episode. And the conflict that comes to mind straight away James,

of course, is Ukraine and it continues to battle Russia's ongoing invasion. Remind us

what Donald Trump has said before about the war in Ukraine and what he'll do to bring an end to it.

Well, the first thing I want to say is there's quite often a gap between what Donald Trump says

and what he does. And sometimes what he says can be contradictory. So it's not always a good

predictor of what he actually intends to do, because sometimes it's part of a negotiating

ploy. Sometimes, you know, it's just difficult to work out because, you know, as I say, the

statement is contradictory. However, he has made it pretty clear that he wants this war to end.

He wants to be part of the process of making that war end. He's spoken of doing a deal. He's spoken