What the world thought of US debate

The archetypal showdown betwixt Kamala Harris and Donald Trump was intimately watched not lone successful the US but astir the world.

The statement successful Philadelphia featured immoderate tense exchanges connected overseas argumentation betwixt the 2 statesmanlike candidates.

From Beijing to Budapest, here's however the statement went down, according to BBC overseas correspondents.

• Follow latest connected the debate

By Steve Rosenberg, Russia editor, Moscow

Kamala Harris told Donald Trump that President Putin is “a dictator who would devour you for lunch.”

The look "to devour idiosyncratic for lunch" (or breakfast, oregon immoderate different meal) doesn’t beryllium successful Russian. But 1 happening you volition find successful Moscow is the appetite for a US predetermination effect that benefits Russia.

The Kremlin volition person noted (with pleasure) that successful the statement Trump sidestepped the question astir whether helium wants Ukraine to triumph the war.

“I privation the warfare to stop,” replied Trump.

By contrast, Harris spoke of Ukraine’s “righteous defence” and accused Vladimir Putin of having “his eyes connected the remainder of Europe”.

Later the Kremlin claimed to person been irked by each mentions of Putin successful the debate.

“Putin’s sanction is utilized arsenic 1 of the instruments for the interior conflict successful the US,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told me.

"We don’t similar this and anticipation they volition support our president’s sanction retired of this.”

Last week Putin claimed helium was backing Harris successful the predetermination and praised her “infectious laugh.”

Later a Russian authorities TV anchor clarified that Putin had been “slightly ironic” successful his comments.

The presenter was dismissive of Harris’ governmental skills and suggested she would beryllium amended disconnected hosting a TV cooking show.

I wonder: would it diagnostic “dictators” eating US statesmanlike candidates “for lunch"…?

• Who won the debate?
• Fact-checking Harris and Trump

By Nick Beake, Europe correspondent, Kyiv

Donald Trump’s failure, erstwhile asked connected the statement signifier to accidental if helium wanted Ukraine to triumph the war, whitethorn not person amazed radical present but it adds to their interest astir what a 2nd Trump word would bring.

Trump has agelong boasted helium could extremity successful the struggle successful 24 hours, a imaginable galore Ukrainians presume would mean an incredibly atrocious woody with Kyiv forced to springiness up immense swathes of the onshore Russia has seized implicit the past 2 and a fractional years.

In contrast, Ukrainians volition person been reassured by Kamala Harris’s responses, with nary motion she would deviate from the existent presumption of staunch American support.

She took recognition for the relation she’s already played, arguing she shared important quality with President Zelensky successful the days earlier the full-scale invasion.

She past claimed Trump’s presumption would person been fatal for Ukraine had helium inactive been successful the White House. “If Donald Trump were president, Putin would beryllium sitting successful Kyiv close now.”

Publicly, determination has been a deafening soundlessness from Ukraine’s existent ministers and elder subject successful absorption to the debate. The figurative US electoral conflict is 1 they request not measurement successful to portion they’re consumed by existent warring astatine home.

It’s President Zelensky himself who truthful acold has gone furthest successful articulating, albeit somewhat euphemistically, what a Trump triumph would mean for Ukrainians.

Speaking to the BBC successful July, helium said it would mean “hard work, but we are hard workers”.

By Lyse Doucet, main planetary correspondent

America’s longest warfare ended successful August 2021 erstwhile it scrambled to propulsion retired the past of its troops, and evacuate thousands of civilians, arsenic the Taliban swept into Kabul with astonishing speed.

That debacle made it into the statement and, not surprisingly, the issues were dodged, dismissed, distorted.

Harris veered distant from the question “do you carnivore immoderate work successful the mode that withdrawal played out?”.

As a analogous who followed the chaotic pullout closely, I ne'er heard that the vice-president was successful the country erstwhile decisions were taken successful those last fateful weeks. But she made it wide she agreed with President Biden’s determination to leave.

Trump boasted that helium talked pugnacious with “Abdul”, the “head of the Taliban” who is “still the caput of the Taliban.”

He seemed to beryllium referring to Abdul Ghani Baradar, who signed the withdrawal woody with the US. But helium ne'er headed the Taliban, and has been sidelined since the Taliban takeover.

The notation instantly prompted a question of net memes featuring “Abdul” with radical named Abdul weighing in, and others asking “who is Abdul?”

Both contenders focused connected the flawed woody with the Taliban. The information is that the Trump squad negotiated this exit plan; the Biden squad hastily enacted it.

Trump said the woody was bully due to the fact that “we were getting out”.

There were nary bully ways to go. But the departure turned into a catastrophe and each sides are to blame.

By Laura Bicker, China correspondent, Beijing

Kamala Harris was an chartless quantity to leaders present and she inactive is, adjacent aft the debate.

She has nary way grounds connected China and connected the statement signifier she simply repeated her enactment that the US, not China, would triumph the contention for the 21st Century.

The vice-president represents thing China does not similar - uncertainty.

That is wherefore President Xi precocious utilized a sojourn by US officials to telephone for “stability” betwixt the 2 superpowers, possibly a connection to the existent vice-president.

The prevailing presumption among Chinese academics is that she volition not stray excessively acold from President Biden’s dilatory and dependable diplomatic approach.

But connected the statement signifier she went connected the onslaught and accused Donald Trump of “selling American chips to China to assistance them amended and modernise their military”.

Donald Trump has made it wide helium plans has to enforce 60% tariffs connected Chinese goods.

China retaliated, and galore studies suggest this caused economical symptom for some sides.

This is the past happening China wants close present arsenic it is trying to manufacture and export goods to rescue its economy.

For Chinese leaders, this statement volition person done small to assuage beliefs that Trump represents thing other they don’t similar - unpredictability.

But successful truth, determination is small anticipation present that US argumentation connected China volition alteration significantly, nary substance who sits successful the White House.

• Six highlights from Harris and Trump connected stage
• Undecided Americans impressed by Harris

By Paul Adams, planetary correspondent, Jerusalem

The 2 candidates did not stray overmuch from their antecedently stated positions past night, adjacent if Trump did add, with diagnostic hyperbole, that Israel wouldn’t beryllium successful 2 years if his hostile becomes president.

Here successful the Middle East, the contention for the White House is being keenly watched.

With the warfare successful Gaza raging and a ceasefire woody inactive elusive, immoderate of Benjamin Netanyahu’s critics fishy that Israel’s premier curate is deliberately stalling until aft the election, successful the anticipation that Trump volition beryllium much sympathetic to Israel than Harris.

There’s a whiff of past possibly being astir to repetition itself.

In 1980, Ronald Reagan’s run squad was suspected of urging Iran not to merchandise American hostages held successful Tehran until aft helium had beaten President Jimmy Carter, saying Reagan would springiness Iran a amended deal.

Could thing akin beryllium afoot now? Certainly Netanyahu’s opponents judge helium is present the main obstacle to a ceasefire deal.

Harris has indicated that she mightiness beryllium tougher connected Israel than Joe Biden, thing Trump has seized on, saying past nighttime that the vice-president “hates Israel”.

Palestinians, profoundly sceptical astir Donald Trump but dismayed by the Biden administration’s inability to halt the warfare successful Gaza, are perchance inclined to spot Harris arsenic the lesser of 2 evils.

They’ve agelong since abandoned immoderate conception of the US arsenic an honorable broker successful the Middle East, but volition person noticed that Harris, dissimilar Trump, says she’s committed to Palestinian statehood.

By Nick Thorpe, Central Europe correspondent, Budapest

Donald Trump showered praise connected the Hungarian premier minister.

"Viktor Orban, 1 of the astir respected men, they telephone him a beardown man. He's a pugnacious person. Smart..."

Hungarian pro-government media picked up connected the compliment. "Huge recognition!" ran the header successful Magyar Nemzet.

But government-critical quality portal 444 quoted Tim Walz, moving mate of Harris.

"He [Trump] was asked to sanction 1 satellite person who was with him, and helium said Orban. Dear God. That's each we request to know.’

Viktor Orban backed Trump for president successful 2016 and is powerfully backing him again successful November.

The 2 men met for the 2nd clip this twelvemonth astatine Trump’s location successful Florida connected 12 July, aft Orban visited Kyiv, Moscow and Beijing successful speedy succession.

The Orban authorities is banking some connected Trump’s triumph and his quality to swiftly extremity the warfare successful Ukraine.

"Things are changing. If Trump comes back, determination volition beryllium peace. It volition beryllium established by him without the Europeans," Balazs Orban, Viktor Orban’s governmental director, told the BBC successful July.