U.S. President Joe Biden praised Justin Trudeau as a friend and ally Tuesday, making him one of just a handful of world leaders weighing in on the prime minister鈥檚 plan to resign his post later this year.

The muted response from world leaders comes despite Trudeau鈥檚 efforts to emphasize international connections over his nine years in office. Some analysts suggest those efforts were not always well received.

Trudeau announced Monday he will retire as prime minister as soon as a new Liberal leader is chosen. Biden said he spoke with Trudeau not long after that announcement.

鈥淥ver the last decade, Prime Minister Trudeau has led with commitment, optimism, and strategic vision,鈥� Biden said in a written statement.

鈥淭he U.S.-Canada alliance is stronger because of him. The American and Canadian people are safer because of him. And the world is better off because of him,鈥� wrote the president.

The small number of foreign officials who publicly noted Trudeau鈥檚 pending departure include Ireland鈥檚 foreign minister Miche谩l Martin, who thanked Trudeau for his 鈥渟ignificant contribution to the global stage,鈥� and Japanese foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya, who thanked Trudeau for his work with the G7.

鈥淗e has made tremendous efforts, and I鈥檇 like to extend my heartfelt respect,鈥� the ministry鈥檚 English interpreter translated Iwaya as saying during a news conference Tuesday.

鈥淛apan and Canada are important strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific region,鈥� he said, adding the G7 is critical to maintaining an international rules-based order facing numerous challenges.

The British embassy in Ottawa provided a statement Tuesday attributed to a spokesperson for U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

鈥淭he Prime Minister has always worked closely with the Canadian PM and wishes him well for the future,鈥� the statement reads. 鈥淐anada and the U.K. have a historic, close relationship and that will continue to grow.鈥�

The German embassy in Ottawa confirmed that the German government has offered no comment on Trudeau鈥檚 resignation, which occurred during that country鈥檚 ongoing election. The Canadian Press asked diplomatic missions for the other G7 members 鈥� France, Italy and the European Union 鈥� for comment Tuesday but has not received responses.

Beijing, New Delhi and Moscow had not commented on Trudeau鈥檚 departure as of Tuesday afternoon.

Stephen Nagy, a senior fellow with the Asia-Pacific Foundation based in Tokyo, said Trudeau鈥檚 鈥渆vangelistic鈥� focus on progressive politics strained international relations, although some of his policy choices resonated.

鈥淲e鈥檙e probably worse off, in terms of our Canadian footprint within the region,鈥� he said.

Nagy said most Asian countries were pleased with the Indo-Pacific strategy the Liberals released in late 2022 because it allocated significant funds to bolster projects to detect illegal fishing and monitor North Korea鈥檚 sanctions evasion.

Canada recently signed a free-trade deal with Indonesia that has vast potential for both countries, despite being 鈥渧ery late to the game鈥� in boosting ties with Southeast Asia, Nagy said.

Nagy said many conservative countries 鈥渟uperficially welcomed鈥� Canada鈥檚 championing of gender equality and its demands that it be part of trade agreements.

鈥淲hether we like it or not, almost all of these countries in the region are run by men that dye their hair dark,鈥� he said.

Canada shifted its attention to Japan only when relations with China soured, Nagy said. He called that 鈥渁 bit insulting,鈥� even if Tokyo is glad to partner on supply chains, international development and the environment.

He said Japan and South Korea want Canada to push back more on Russia鈥檚 co-ordination with North Korea and China.

鈥淗is government continued to misread the region鈥檚 priorities and underinvested in the most important partners,鈥� in addition to serious strains between Canada, India and China, Nagy said.

In Europe, Trudeau took office with 鈥渋mmense鈥� popularity and high expectations, which he met at the start before later falling short, said Marcin Gabrys, chair of Canadian Studies at Jagiellonian University in Krakow.

鈥淭rudeau鈥檚 leadership, and Canada鈥檚 leadership in general, has been perceived as weakened over the years,鈥� he said.

鈥淐anada under Trudeau set many goals, but in reality never fulfilled them.鈥�

Europeans praised Trudeau for reversing the Conservatives鈥� move away from international climate-change accords, and for doubling down on multilateralism, refugee protection and human rights.

Gabrys said Trudeau remains an icon across Europe for both liberals and conservatives.

A 2017 book, whose Polish title reads 鈥淐anada: The World鈥檚 Favourite Country,鈥� featured Trudeau鈥檚 face and made a stir in Poland. Left-leaning urbanites looked to Trudeau as a feminist icon, while the country鈥檚 strongly Catholic rural regions and former government saw Canada as dangerously liberal on matters like abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.

Europeans welcomed Canada鈥檚 NATO deployment in Latvia, despite it falling short of spending targets. Canada鈥檚 embassy in Warsaw gained prominence in Poland for helping resettle displaced Ukrainians and for supporting Belarus鈥� opposition movement.

But as time went on, Trudeau was unable to deliver liquefied natural gas to European countries that sought alternatives to Russian energy. Canada also failed to make as much progress on climate as many European leaders hoped.

鈥淓uropean leaders expected more support, and I think that would鈥檝e helped the image of Canada on the path to transition from fossil fuels to a green economy,鈥� said Gabrys.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 something I think, from a European perspective, could be considered as Trudeau鈥檚 failure.鈥�

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 7, 2025.

鈥� With files from Kelly Geraldine Malone in Washington.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press