At the bottom of this page: Latest news at this hour
Death toll at Komyshuvakha aid site climbs… Melania Trump to host Ukraine and Russia representatives… Zelenskyy’s ex-spokeswoman charged with treason.
Editor’s note:
Yesterday, almost everyone on our team in Kyiv was left without water. Electricity comes on for just an hour or two a day. And it’s not even winter yet.
From here, an election thousands of miles away can feel distant. But the decisions the new Congress makes on air defense, aid and sanctions on Russia will shape how many Russian missiles reach our power plants this winter, and how many hours of light we get.
To read the full story, race by race, subscribe for free.
OUR LEAD STORY:
NEW YORK, USA – Accountability and restraint is coming.
A far more pro-Ukraine Congress will be seated in 2027 following the landslide gains Democrats picked up in last night’s midterms.
And whether Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was on voters’ minds or not, voters would oust some of the most hostile voices toward Ukraine in American politics.
The soon-to-be-blue Congress will make major decisions on sanctions bills and aid packages, which can feed or choke Russia’s war machine. Governors don’t vote on aid themselves, but these races gave some of the loudest critics of Ukraine a stage with a bedazzled microphone.
Ukraine’s dollar bonds have already leapt up, according to Bloomberg, as the markets react to an understanding that a Democrat-led Congress will mend U.S.-Ukraine diplomatic relations.
Tim’s Pessimistic Take: One thing I worry about is that the results could still lead to very bad outcomes for Ukraine. With his domestic agenda stymied, I’m concerned that Trump will focus all his efforts on appeasing the Russians and jamming a deal down Zelenskyy’s throat. I want Trump to think about Ukraine as little as possible – the results last night make me think he’ll retreat to the area where he has pretty much unfettered power: foreign policy.
Still, there can be investigations into Russian business dealings with Trump allies, and new sanctions legislation. Maybe they might even pass a new aid bill.
What do you think? Will Trump focus more of his efforts on jamming up Ukraine now that the midterms are over?
The Counteroffensive has been eyeing the races where the choice on the ballot was also a choice about Ukraine, and here’s the verdict: