Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has placed a public bet on the new balance of power in Washington. In an interview with Germany's ZDF television published on Wednesday, November 4, Zelenskiy said he hoped the Democrats' capture of both chambers of the US Congress in the midterm elections would generate more help for Ukraine in its four-and-a-half-year war with Russia, Reuters reported. The comments, provided by ZDF in German ahead of broadcast, are Kyiv's clearest signal yet that it expects the post-midterm Congress — not the White House alone — to decide the next phase of American support.

Source: Reuters / ZDF

"I am also grateful to the Republicans, but the Democrats speak very clearly about supporting Ukraine and providing assistance to Ukraine," Zelenskiy said. "They speak about renewing the connection between the United States and Europe… Therefore, there is hope that a balance of power will emerge and that we will receive more support." He argued that stronger American backing would itself be a weapon: "If Congress now speaks of strong financial support or military assistance, as Europe is doing and demonstrating today, then that will be something positive that will have an impact on Putin."

Source: ZDF via Reuters

Zelenskiy spent Wednesday in Spain for the Ibero-American summit, seeking air-defence help from Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and other leaders. Read: Zelenskiy in Madrid for air-defence talks

A careful line with Trump

Zelenskiy has worked hard to smooth an uneven relationship with President Donald Trump, particularly after a February 2025 Oval Office meeting at which the Ukrainian president was accused of being "ungrateful" for US assistance, Reuters noted. That history explains the interview's balance: gratitude to Republicans first, hope pinned on Democrats second, and no direct criticism of the president whose envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on Monday that the United States will bring Ukrainian and Russian delegations together in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11 to discuss ending the war, post-war security agreements and de-escalation. In recent weeks, Trump has made several moves favourable to Russia, including a deal to import Russian diesel and ease sanctions, Reuters reported — the backdrop against which Kyiv is looking to Congress for counterweight.

Source: Reuters

"We do not like his position": the Musk passage

In other comments published by ZDF, Zelenskiy discussed the Starlink satellite system of Elon Musk's SpaceX, on which Ukraine's attack and air-defence drone missions depend through its military version, Starshield. "We are grateful to SpaceX for providing us with connectivity. That was very helpful at the beginning of the war," Zelenskiy said. "But we must be very clear about this: we certainly do not like his position on this war." Zelenskiy said last week that Starlink and Starshield had resumed operations at the levels seen before limitations were introduced; Trump denied being involved in the decision concerning the service slowdown.

Source: ZDF via Reuters

The interview landed on a day when the war's cost was again in front of European audiences. Zelenskiy arrived in Spain on Wednesday for the Ibero-American summit, saying he planned talks on boosting Kyiv's air defences and a meeting with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday, and that he would also speak with US officials in the run-up to the Abu Dhabi talks, Reuters reported separately. In Ukraine itself, officials said the death toll from Monday's Russian bombing of an aid distribution point at Komyshuvakha, in the Zaporizhzhia region, had risen to 40 with dozens still missing — a strike Kyiv says hit people collecting aid, and which Russia's defence ministry said targeted Ukrainian military units.

Source: Reuters

What happens next

Three dates now frame Kyiv's diplomacy: Thursday's meeting with Sanchez in Madrid, where air defence tops the agenda; the November 10-11 Abu Dhabi talks, the first US-led trilateral round after a gap of several months; and the seating of the new US Congress next year, when Zelenskiy's bet on Democratic support would be tested in actual votes. For Punjabi and Indian readers, the thread to watch is energy: the same midterm earthquake that shook the Iran war also moved oil below $95 on hopes of de-escalation, and any renewed US funding fight over Ukraine will be fought in a Washington now preoccupied with ending one war before funding another.

Source: Reuters