Democrats have won control of both chambers of Congress, giving Kyiv a chance to push US aid back onto the agenda. President Volodymyr Zelensky says stronger financial and weapons support could influence Putin, but Ukraine has also lost two Republican allies in the election.
Zelensky’s Opening
In an interview with Germany’s ZDF, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he hopes the Democratic takeover of the House and Senate will strengthen support for Ukraine. His argument is direct: if Congress backs substantial funding and weapons assistance, as Europe is doing, that will affect Putin’s calculations.
A change of congressional leadership creates room to put aid to a vote. It leaves Trump’s approach to Russia unchanged and puts no weapons in Ukrainian hands. The new Congress begins work in January; until then, Kyiv still faces an administration drawing closer to Moscow.
The Fight in Washington
Ukrainian officials who spoke to The Washington Post were cautiously optimistic that Democrats could restore support weakened under Trump and the Ukraine sceptics in his administration. At a minimum, they hope a Democratic Congress will make it harder for him to strike further deals with Russia without scrutiny.
Oleksandr Merezhko, chair of the Ukrainian parliament’s foreign policy committee, argued that a Democratic victory, coupled with possible investigations into Trump’s administration, could make the president more careful in negotiations with Putin. Applying pressure remains necessary alongside passing aid.
The Coalition Kyiv Needs
The election also cost Ukraine supporters inside the Republican Party. Senator Susan Collins and Representative Brian Fitzpatrick lost their races. Merezhko calls Reaganite Republicans essential to sustaining support for Ukraine, and warned that winning over progressive Democrats and democratic socialists may be harder. Kyiv gained an outspoken supporter in James Talarico, the newly elected Democratic senator from Texas, but it cannot afford to trade a bipartisan coalition for a purely partisan one.
A change of congressional leadership creates room to put aid to a vote. It leaves Trump’s approach to Russia unchanged and puts no weapons in Ukrainian hands.
A practical diplomatic gap remains, too: Ukraine still has no ambassador in Washington. Ukrainian officials expect that appointment to be settled before Congress returns in January. With the makeup of both chambers changing, the person chosen will have to build relationships quickly, including with Republicans willing to resist Trump’s line on Russia.