German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron held a telephone call on Wednesday morning to discuss the possible effects of  Donald Trump returning to the White House.

A spokesperson for the German government said the two had promised to work together even more closely in the future.

"We will work in this new context for a more united, stronger, more sovereign Europe. In cooperation with the US and defending our interests and values," Macron wrote on social media site X.

The defense ministers of both countries also said they will hold talks on Wednesday. It is not known how Trump will approach Russia's war in Ukraine, though he has indicated that he will be far less friendly to Kyiv than his predecessor, President Joe Biden.

Trump: I will not start a war

Trump also took a more hostile stance toward NATO allies while in office, regularly repeating demands that they increase defense spending.

In a speech to his supporters in the early hours of Wednesday, Trump made no note of international allies and did not address foreign policy except to say that he did not intend to start any wars.

es/sms (AFP, dpa)