Kremlin hopes Trump keeps Ukraine peace push after Republicans lose both chambers

Kremlin hopes Trump keeps peace push

The Kremlin said on Wednesday, 4 November, that it hopes US President Donald Trump will keep pursuing peace efforts in Ukraine despite the Democratic victory in the midterm elections. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Trump remains in office and that Moscow sincerely hopes he will continue his efforts. Asked whether the new Congress could hinder those efforts, Peskov called it an internal American matter. The remarks were made to Russian journalists and carried by pro-Kremlin media and TASS. Greek outlet SKAI dated the remarks to Tuesday, while most reports place them on Wednesday.

Democrats take both chambers

Republicans lost their majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate in the midterm elections held on Tuesday, 3 November. Projections by US television networks, cited by Digi24, put the Democrats in control of both chambers, with the vote covering all 435 House seats and about a third of Senate seats. The new Congress takes office in January, according to Notícias ao Minuto, and will give Democrats more say over budgets and legislation as well as tighter oversight of the Republican administration. Trump keeps significant powers in foreign policy, including the conduct of diplomacy on the war in Ukraine. Digi24 reported that the result changes the balance of power in Congress for the final two years of Trump's term.

Talks, ceasefire and what comes next

Peskov pointed to a new round of trilateral talks that would take place soon, along with a local ceasefire in Oleshki and a humanitarian mission led by Melania Trump, which he said had produced successful peacemaking efforts. He added that the Kremlin expects all of this to continue. N-tv reported that negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv under US mediation are planned for the week of 9 November 2026 in Abu Dhabi. Trump has repeatedly tried to end the war since returning to the White House in early 2025, but those attempts have so far produced little tangible progress, according to the same report. The timeline below marks the dates reported so far.

Reactions abroad

Several foreign leaders reacted to the result. Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez said it showed that the far-right wave on both sides of the Atlantic is collapsing, according to Sky News as reported by Stirile ProTV. South African president Cyril Ramaphosa said the outcome would open a new era in international relations. Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre called it a strong political signal of a possible change of direction among American voters. Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on X that American citizens had voted against war.

Markets

US stock index futures recovered after significant losses at the opening, according to Stirile ProTV. Investors weighed what a Democratic sweep could mean for markets, spending on artificial intelligence and regulation. The losses were offset after Trump said he accepts the election results and acknowledged that his war with Iran contributed to the drop, the same outlet reported.