The primary showdown between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump was carefully watched not solely within the US however world wide.
The talk in Philadelphia featured some tense exchanges on international coverage between the 2 presidential candidates.
From Beijing to Budapest, this is how the talk went down, in line with BBC international correspondents.
Mentions of Putin famous by Kremlin
By Steve Rosenberg, Russia editor, Moscow
Kamala Harris instructed Donald Trump that President Putin is “a dictator who would eat you for lunch.”
The expression “to eat somebody for lunch” (or breakfast, or another meal) doesn’t exist in Russian. However one factor you will discover in Moscow is the urge for food for a US election consequence that advantages Russia.
The Kremlin can have famous (with pleasure) that within the debate Trump sidestepped the query about whether or not he needs Ukraine to win the battle.
“I would like the battle to cease,” replied Trump.
Against this, Harris spoke of Ukraine’s “righteous defence” and accused Vladimir Putin of getting “his eyes on the remainder of Europe”.
Later the Kremlin claimed to have been irked by all mentions of Putin within the debate.
“Putin’s title is used as one of many devices for the inner battle within the US,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov instructed me.
“We don’t like this and hope they may hold our president’s title out of this.”
Final week Putin claimed he was backing Harris within the election and praised her “infectious chortle.”
Later a Russian state TV anchor clarified that Putin had been “barely ironic” in his feedback.
The presenter was dismissive of Harris’ political expertise and steered she can be higher off internet hosting a TV cooking present.
I’m wondering: would it not function “dictators” consuming US presidential candidates “for lunch”…?
Concern in Kyiv over Trump feedback
By Nick Beake, Europe correspondent, Kyiv
Donald Trump’s failure, when requested on the talk stage to say if he wished Ukraine to win the battle, could not have shocked individuals right here but it surely provides to their fear about what a second Trump time period would carry.
Trump has lengthy boasted he might finish within the battle in 24 hours, a prospect many Ukrainians assume would imply an extremely dangerous take care of Kyiv pressured to surrender large swathes of the land Russia has seized over the previous two and a half years.
In distinction, Ukrainians can have been reassured by Kamala Harris’s responses, with no signal she would deviate from the present place of staunch American assist.
She took credit score for the position she’s already performed, arguing she shared vital intelligence with President Zelensky within the days earlier than the full-scale invasion.
She then claimed Trump’s place would have been deadly for Ukraine had he nonetheless been within the White Home. “If Donald Trump have been president, Putin can be sitting in Kyiv proper now.”
Publicly, there was a deafening silence from Ukraine’s present ministers and senior army in response to the talk. The figurative US electoral battle is one they needn’t weigh in to whereas they’re consumed by actual combating at residence.
It’s President Zelensky himself who to this point has gone furthest in articulating, albeit considerably euphemistically, what a Trump victory would imply for Ukrainians.
Talking to the BBC in July, he mentioned it could imply “onerous work, however we’re onerous employees”.
Abdul memes observe Trump Taliban remarks
By Lyse Doucet, chief worldwide correspondent
America’s longest battle led to August 2021 when it scrambled to drag out the final of its troops, and evacuate 1000’s of civilians, because the Taliban swept into Kabul with stunning velocity.
That debacle made it into the talk and, not surprisingly, the problems have been dodged, dismissed, distorted.
Harris veered away from the query “do you bear any accountability in the way in which that withdrawal performed out?”.
As a correspondent who adopted the chaotic pullout carefully, I by no means heard that the vice-president was within the room when selections have been taken in these ultimate fateful weeks. However she made it clear she agreed with President Biden’s resolution to depart.
Trump boasted that he talked robust with “Abdul”, the “head of the Taliban” who’s “nonetheless the top of the Taliban.”
He gave the impression to be referring to Abdul Ghani Baradar, who signed the withdrawal take care of the US. However he by no means headed the Taliban, and has been sidelined for the reason that Taliban takeover.
The point out instantly prompted a wave of web memes that includes “Abdul” with individuals named Abdul weighing in, and others asking “who’s Abdul?”
Each contenders targeted on the flawed take care of the Taliban. The reality is that the Trump workforce negotiated this exit plan; the Biden workforce unexpectedly enacted it.
Trump mentioned the deal was good as a result of “we have been getting out”.
There have been no good methods to go. However the departure was a catastrophe and all sides are in charge.
Harris represents uncertainty for Beijing
By Laura Bicker, China correspondent, Beijing
Kamala Harris was an unknown amount to leaders right here and she or he nonetheless is, even after the talk.
She has no observe file on China and on the talk stage she merely repeated her line that the US, not China, would win the competitors for the twenty first Century.
The vice-president represents one thing China doesn’t like – uncertainty.
That’s the reason President Xi lately used a go to by US officers to name for “stability” between the 2 superpowers, maybe a message to the present vice-president.
The prevailing view amongst Chinese language lecturers is that she is not going to stray too removed from President Biden’s sluggish and regular diplomatic strategy.
However on the talk stage she went on the assault and accused Donald Trump of “promoting American chips to China to assist them enhance and modernise their army”.
Donald Trump has made it clear he plans has to impose 60% tariffs on Chinese language items.
This can add to the tariffs he imposed as president which began a commerce battle in 2018. China retaliated, and quite a few research counsel this triggered financial ache for each side.
That is the very last thing China needs proper now as it’s making an attempt to fabricate and export items to rescue its financial system.
For Chinese language leaders, this debate can have executed little to assuage beliefs that Trump represents one thing else they don’t like – unpredictability.
However in fact, there’s little hope right here that US coverage on China will change considerably, irrespective of who sits within the White Home.
White Home race keenly watched in Center East
By Paul Adams, worldwide correspondent, Jerusalem
The 2 candidates didn’t stray a lot from their beforehand said positions final evening, even when Trump did add, with attribute hyperbole, that Israel wouldn’t exist in two years if his opponent turns into president.
Right here within the Center East, the race for the White Home is being keenly watched.
With the battle in Gaza raging and a ceasefire deal nonetheless elusive, a few of Benjamin Netanyahu’s critics suspect that Israel’s prime minister is intentionally stalling till after the election, within the hope that Trump will probably be extra sympathetic to Israel than Harris.
There’s a whiff of historical past maybe being about to repeat itself.
In 1980, Ronald Reagan’s marketing campaign workforce was suspected of urging Iran to not launch American hostages held in Tehran till after he had crushed President Jimmy Carter, saying Reagan would give Iran a greater deal.
Might one thing comparable be afoot now? Actually Netanyahu’s opponents consider he’s now the chief impediment to a ceasefire deal.
Harris has indicated that she may be harder on Israel than Joe Biden, one thing Trump has seized on, saying final evening that the vice-president “hates Israel”.
Palestinians, deeply sceptical about Donald Trump however dismayed by the Biden administration’s lack of ability to cease the battle in Gaza, are presumably inclined to see Harris because the lesser of two evils.
They’ve lengthy since deserted any notion of the US as an trustworthy dealer within the Center East, however can have seen that Harris, not like Trump, says she’s dedicated to Palestinian statehood.
Reward for Orban makes waves in Hungary
By Nick Thorpe, Central Europe correspondent, Budapest
Donald Trump showered reward on the Hungarian prime minister.
“Viktor Orban, probably the most revered males, they name him a powerful man. He is a troublesome particular person. Good…”
Hungarian pro-government media picked up on the praise. “Enormous recognition!” ran the headline in Magyar Nemzet.
However government-critical information portal 444 quoted Tim Walz, working mate of Harris.
“He [Trump] was requested to call one world chief who was with him, and he mentioned Orban. Expensive God. That is all we have to know.’
Viktor Orban backed Trump for president in 2016 and is strongly backing him once more in November.
The 2 males met for the second time this 12 months at Trump’s residence in Florida on 12 July, after Orban visited Kyiv, Moscow and Beijing in fast succession.
The Orban authorities is banking each on Trump’s victory and his capability to swiftly finish the battle in Ukraine.
“Issues are altering. If Trump comes again, there will probably be peace. It will likely be established by him with out the Europeans,” Balazs Orban, Viktor Orban’s political director, instructed the BBC in July.