The Democrats’ sweeping victory inUS midterm elections this week is alreadyreshaping the political map, both domestically and abroad. In Kyiv, the mood is cautiously optimistic, sharedFRANCE 24’s correspondent Emmanuelle Chaze, who said Ukrainians understand that US foreign policy still runs through the White House. Few of them expect an immediate shift in how the US approaches the war with Russia, especially given US President Donald Trump’s tense relationship with Ukraine as of late.
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Cover image: US midterms unlikely to change the war in Ukraine © agences Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskytold German public broadcaster ZDFon Thursday that Democrats were “speaking very clearly about supporting Ukraine” and “renewing the connection between the US and Europe”. He added he was hopeful to be able to push for more funding and aid with defence. While the Democrats’ control of Congress could indeed lead to financial relief for Ukraine and more sanctions on Russia, their room for manoeuvre remains limited.
Trump said Friday that a “big, beautiful agreement” to end the war is close– one he claims could involve “all of Europe”– and US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine are due in Abu Dhabi next week. But the European Union(EU) said “a lot of work” was still needed and EU spokeswoman Paula Pinho noted it would “obviously be up to the EU to decide on matters which affect its security”. FRANCE 24 spoke with James M.
Lindsay, a senior fellow in US foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, about what the results could mean for the war in Ukraine and US-Europe relations. **FRANCE 24: Now that the Democrats have gained control of Congress, how much room will they have to push for greater support for Ukraine? And how likely is it that they will make it a priority?** **James M. Lindsay:** The incoming Democratic Congress will be more supportive of Ukraine than the Trump administration has been.
Congressional Democrats, however, are going to find it difficult to translate their policy preferences on Ukraine into actual policy change. The reason for that is because the president of the US– despite seeing his party lose in historic fashion on election day– retains significant authority over US foreign policy. But I would anticipate that the Democrats will put ending the war with Iran, reaffirming US support for Ukraine, and reining in President Trump's use of tariffshigh on their to-do list.
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