Kremlin hopes U.S. election shake-up won't shift Trump's negotiations on Ukraine

The Republicans' defeat in the U.S. midterm elections was watched closely in Russia, where some observers are predicting it could herald more support for Ukraine when the Democrats take over Congress in January. But if the Kremlin is hearing the ticking of a clock on its nearly 5-year-old full-scale invasion of its neighbour, it seemingly remains unperturbed.

Asked if the election's outcome could stymie U.S. attempts to help negotiate a settlement between Moscow and Kyiv, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov voiced hope that U.S. President Donald Trump will continue to pursue his peace efforts.

“There is groundwork already in place, and another round of trilateral negotiations is set to take place very soon,” Mr. Peskov said of talks planned for Tuesday (November 10, 2026) and Wednesday (November 11) involving Russian, Ukrainian and U.S.

representatives in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He also praised the “successful humanitarian peace-building efforts” by first lady Melania Trump, adding that “we hope that all of this will continue.” Last week's limited ceasefire around the Russia-occupied city of Oleshky, brokered with her help, allowed for the delivery of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of some residents.

Mr. Peskov shrugged off a question from reporters on whether the new Congress would challenge Mr. Trump's stance on Russia and Ukraine. He called it an “internal matter” for the U.S. Trump's recent moves have appeared to favour Moscow In recent months, Mr.

Trump's actions appeared to favour Moscow Last month, he struck a diesel fuel import deal with Russia in a stunning reversal of years of U.S. pressure on the Kremlin, to the dismay of Ukraine and its European allies.

He also claimed that Kyiv's attacks on Russian oil refineries caused a spike in diesel prices in the U.S. He urged Kyiv to halt the strikes, even though rising global energy prices were largely driven by the Iran war.

Mr. Trump also issued an executive order to put on hold sweeping new sanctions that clamped down on the Russian economy, telling Congress the pause was in the national interest. Lawmakers from both parties blasted Mr. Trump's move as benefiting Russian President Vladimir Putin.

At the same time, Ukraine reported a throttling of Starshield, the military-grade version of the Starlink satellite internet service owned by Elon Musk's SpaceX. Mr. Trump denied being behind the brief slowing of Starshield, but the move to limit the system that serves as the backbone of Ukraine's drone operations and battlefield communications was widely seen as part of Washington's efforts to pressure Kyiv.

The diesel deal appeared to falter this week after U.S. federal and state officials warned that handling any shipments could bring legal consequences, and two U.S.-bound tankers changed course. The Kremlin sought to play down the development, saying deliveries will continue.

Kyiv desperately needs to replenish its supplies of U.S.-made Patriot interceptors to fend off Russia's ballistic missile attacks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made repeated requests for Washington to speed up delivery of the defensive systems, but U.S.

stockpiles have been exhausted by the Iran war, and the U.S. has prioritised replenishing its own arsenals. On October 30, the Trump administration said it has approved a proposed $2.1 billion sale of Patriot interceptors for Ukraine after Kyiv had accused the Pentagon of delaying delivery.

Mr. Trump also appeared to echo the Kremlin's view that Mr. Zelenskyy was an obstacle to peace while saying Mr. Putin was more open to a deal. Mr. Trump on Thursday (November 5) conferred with Mr. Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who attended a White House ceremony with the first lady recognising last week's humanitarian truce.

The President didn't meet any of the Ukrainian officials also at the event but hinted that some kind of grand deal about European security was in the works. Many in Russia argue that the Democrats' victory could put congressional pressure on Mr.

Trump to tread more carefully and toughen his stand on Russia.