Midterm elections 'doubled' Ukraine's chances of getting US military aid, official says

The results of the recent U.S. midterm elections have "doubled" Ukraine's likelihood of receiving additional financial and military support from Washington, Ukrainian official David Arakhamia said on Nov. 6.

The comments come after a sweeping victory for the Democratic Party on Nov. 3, giving the Democrats control of both houses of Congress and shifting the balance of power in Washington. The scale of the Republican defeat dealt a serious blow to U.S. President Donald Trump, his MAGA movement, and the administration's political agenda for the next two years.

But given Trump's slashing of aid to Ukraine and recent pro-Russian moves, the election results may prove promising for Kyiv.

Arakhamia, head of President Volodymyr Zelensky's parliamentary group, told reporters at a White House briefing that Ukraine stands a better chance of receiving U.S. support with the Democrats in power.

"(I)t's my personal estimate, but the chances for us to get better U.S. support in terms of both financially and militarily at least doubled," Arakhamia said.

"This is my feeling. But it's going to happen next year, most probably, you know, like the first quarter."

Arakhamia stressed that before that, Ukraine must first survive what may be the most difficult winter of the entire full-scale war, as Russia's attacks target electrical, heating, water, and sewage systems in major cities.

The upcoming peace talks in Abu Dhabi will therefore focus on efforts to get Russia to de-escalate its aggression, "whatever it takes," he said.

"But in general, we are more optimistic, you know, like for cooperation between the U.S. and Ukraine."

In the weeks leading up to the U.S. midterms, the Trump administration shocked Ukraine, Europe, and many in the U.S. by announcing a deal to buy Russian diesel and issuing a sanctions waiver to Moscow.

The surprise economic incentives to Russia were followed by disruptions to Ukraine's front-line Starlink system and delays in U.S. approval for air defense deliveries — decisions that Washington did not explain to Kyiv, despite their dire consequences.

Trump also put pressure on Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries, blaming Zelensky for causing the surge in fuel prices following the U.S. war against Iran.

Even before the pre-election pivot to Moscow, the U.S. relationship with Ukraine has been fraught since Trump returned to the White House. Trump refused to allocate new defense packages under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), leading to a 99% drop in U.S. aid to Ukraine.  

Trump has repeatedly lambasted the amount of aid given to Ukraine by the U.S. and has used threats of withdrawing support, including intelligence sharing, as a cudgel to pressure Kyiv.

At the same time, Trump has been slow to sanction Moscow. His efforts to broker an end to the war — one of his frequent pledges on the campaign trail — have also yielded no significant breakthroughs.