The key facts

  • In the November 3 elections, the Democrats won a majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate, depriving the Republicans of control of Congress
  • Zelensky hopes Congress will provide Ukraine with support comparable to Europe's and that this will influence Putin
  • Trump attributed the defeat to high fuel prices and the war with Iran; Peskov said Moscow expects Trump to continue his peace efforts

Zelensky pins his hopes on the new Congress

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed hope that the Democratic Party's victory in the US midterm congressional elections would lead to expanded support for Kyiv. He said this in an interview with the German TV channel ZDF, an excerpt of which was published on Wednesday; Reuters reported on the interview, and Gazeta.Ru summarized its contents. According to Zelensky, the Democrats speak 'very clearly' about supporting Ukraine and providing it with assistance, as well as about restoring ties between the US and Europe. He added that he is grateful to the Republicans as well, since, in his words, Kyiv has bipartisan support — Anadolu reports on this detail.

What exactly Zelensky expects from Congress

'If Congress now starts talking about substantial financial support or military assistance, as Europe is doing and demonstrating today, that will be a positive factor that will influence Putin,' Gazeta.Ru quotes Zelensky as saying. He expressed hope that after the elections a balance of power will take shape in which Ukraine will receive more support.

Election results and reactions

The congressional elections were held in the US on November 3: the Democrats won a majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, ending Republican control of Congress. US President Donald Trump attributed the Republican defeat to high fuel prices and, in his words, the impact of the war with Iran; he also said he was ready to cooperate with the Democrats — on the condition, as Anadolu notes, that they do not obstruct his administration's work. Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow expects Trump to continue his peace-making efforts to settle the Ukrainian conflict after the elections.