The key facts
- Dmitry Medvedev believes that the Republicans' defeat in the congressional elections will not affect Russia's interests for now
- In his assessment, the Democrats may push for tighter anti-Russian sanctions, including through the threat of impeaching Trump
- The Democrats won a majority in both chambers of Congress; the new parliament will begin work in January 2027
Medvedev's assessment after the congressional elections
The Republican Party's defeat in the US congressional elections will not, for now, have a significant impact on Russia's interests, according to Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev. He wrote this in his channel on MAX, commenting on the results of the vote: 'Donald Trump has suffered a crushing defeat in the battle for Congress. How will this affect our interests? I think, for now, not at all in any fundamental way.'
The Ukrainian conflict and sanctions
Medvedev named two issues as paramount for Russia: settling the Ukrainian conflict and American sanctions. He assessed the consultations with the current US administration on Ukraine as fairly useful, but not having led to any significant change in the situation. The Deputy Chairman of the Security Council suggested that after the Republicans' defeat, Volodymyr Zelensky will listen to Trump even less, yet the American president retains instruments of pressure on Kyiv — including the possibility of curtailing intelligence support and access to the Starshield system. At the same time, Medvedev doubted that the head of the White House would dare take such measures amid the escalating confrontation with the Democrats.
The sanctions issue and US domestic politics
Medvedev called the situation with anti-Russian sanctions more complicated: in his assessment, the Democrats may try to push through tighter restrictions, including by using the threat of impeaching Trump. At the same time, he pointed out that new sanctions could provoke a rise in oil and fuel prices in the US and complicate Washington's relations with Moscow, which the American leader considers one of his foreign policy achievements. Medvedev also suggested that Trump may have to focus on domestic problems and on concluding the military campaign against Iran, as a result of which the American administration's decisions will become mostly situational. He advised Russia not to get distracted by the American elections and to keep pursuing its goals on the battlefield.
The results of the vote
According to Life.ru , citing preliminary Bloomberg data from November 4, the Democratic Party has secured a majority in both chambers of Congress: at least 223 seats in the House of Representatives, with 218 needed, and, according to projections, 54 seats in the Senate. The new composition of the American parliament will begin work in January 2027. Trump himself refused to consider the Republicans' defeat a personal failure, noting that his name was not on the ballots.
What is important to keep in mind
All of the assessments cited are the position of Dmitry Medvedev, expressed in his channel, and not a confirmed forecast of how events will unfold. The election results remained preliminary at the time of publication, and the conclusions about the impact of the new Congress on the Ukrainian conflict and sanctions policy are the author's opinion, not yet backed by any decisions of the new parliament: it will only begin work in January 2027.
