Concerns Are Growing Over What Tuesday's US Midterm Elections Could Mean For Ukraine

Concerns are growing over what Tuesday's US midterm elections could mean for Ukraine and US support for the country amid fears  a Republican surge could weaken US support for Kyiv. comments from their peers. "We hope that for our own sake  we will not become victims of the partisan debate that is taking place in the US right now.

That is the fear because we are so dependent  not only on American support but also on US leadership to sustain the concerted efforts of other nations." House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy , the potential next speaker if the Republicans win, said last month  there will be no "blank check" for Ukraine if the House of Representatives returns to Republican control. 

The Biden administration has sought to address concerns about government involvement. Support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion, but populist Republican sentiment in Congress calls for less support for Kyiv and more attention for the US.

internal problems. "I worry about the Trump wing of the Republican Party," said Mia Willard, a Ukrainian-American who lives and works in Kyiv. “I recently read about Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's promise that 'not a dime will go to Ukraine if the Republicans regain control of Congress. According to the latest poll data,  Republicans are the favorites to take over the House and possibly the Senate vote Tuesday.

"I hope that regardless of the election results," Willard said, "there will be a  bipartisan consensus to support Ukraine in the midst of Russia's genocide of the Ukrainian people, which I can call nothing but genocide as a witness to the war in Russia." first hand. 

Crimes in the now unoccupied territories," said Willard, who is a researcher at the International Center for Policy Studies in the Ukrainian capital. after the midterm elections. "I don't see a critical number of people among  Republicans who are calling for aid cuts," he told POLITICO. At the same time, Klimkin acknowledged that the process for Congress to consider aid to Ukraine could become more complex. 

Klimkin said he believes  the US stance on Ukraine  beyond the Ukraine conflict is "critical" for Washington, "not only in terms of Russia, but also in terms of how China will perceive the US .” For Ukraine, Klimkin said “The real risk” is the debate raging on both sides of the aisle in Washington that “the United States is giving much more than all of Europe to Kiev's war effort. Kiel  World Economy, the U.S. 

 has increased its total commitments for military, financial and humanitarian assistance to more than 52 billion euros, while EU countries and institutions together have  reached just over 29 billion euros. and combined institutions. That's a poor performance for the larger European countries, especially since so many of their pledges reach Ukraine with a long delay," said Christoph Trebesch, head of the team compiling the Kiel-based  Institute's Ukraine support tracker

If  Republicans prevail in Tuesday's vote, there is also a concern that without US leadership Ukraine would also slide down the political agenda in Europe and deprive Ukraine of the support the country needs to " to defeat the Russian monster". said Klympush-Tsintsadze. 

Should the worst happen and US support dwindles after the midterm elections, Klympush-Tsintsadze said she had some hope that Europe would hold its ground. He has found "much more sobriety in Europe in assessing what Russia is and what it can do, and I hope there are enough voices  in Europe to ensure support is not weakened," he said. 

Others are less optimistic about how steadfast and trustworthy Europeans would be without Washington's spur and encouragement. Citing the Balkan wars of the 1990s and how the Clinton administration caved in, several officials and lawmakers argued that Europeans should take the lead, only to later intervene diplomatically and militarily. 

We in Ukraine have been  closely monitoring developments in the US at GLOBSEC, a global think tank based in Bratislava. "This could undermine the existing determination of the US political establishment to continue supporting Ukraine, primarily militarily."

Especially given the voices of some Republicans calling for a freeze on support for Ukraine,” he said. But Osmolovska remains hopeful, noting that "from the early days of the invasion in February this year, Ukraine has enjoyed bipartisan support in the war with Russia." 

He also believes that with the legislation already on the books, President Joe Biden would have leeway to act more independently when it comes to military aid to Ukraine without seeking congressional approval. But he doesn't rule out "the risk of some exhaustion" from allies, arguing that Ukraine must redouble its diplomatic efforts to prevent this. What needs to be emphasized, he said, is that "our western partners will only benefit from allowing Ukraine to defeat Russia as quickly as possible" since a protracted conflict is in nobody's interest.

"There's a feeling in the air that we're winning  the war, even though it's far from over," said Glib Dovgych, a software engineer in Kyiv. "If the flow of money and equipment decreases, that doesn't mean our defeat, but it does mean a much longer war with much greater human casualties. 

And with many other allies  looking to the U. to support us in their decisions, If the U.S. reducing their aid, other countries like Germany, France and Italy would probably do the same with 

,” said Dovgych.

Yaroslav Azhnyuk, President and co-founder of Petcube, a tech company that develops smart devices for pets, says: "It is obvious that opinions about how to end Russia's war against Ukraine are  for internal political competition within the U. S. 

Concerned about the influence of US-based businessmen and investors on American political opinion, he cites David Sacks, Elon Musk and Chamath Palihapitiya, among others. "They publicly shared troubling views, saying that in Ukraine should cede Crimea to Russia, or that the US should stop supporting Ukraine to avoid a global nuclear war.

Azhnyuk added: "I understand that nuclear weapons are scary. But what will happen in the next 5-10 years after Ukraine gives up part of its territory or the conflict freezes? world that nuclear terrorism works. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that regardless of the results of the US midterm elections, Kyiv is "confident" that bipartisan support for Ukraine will remain in both houses of Congress. 

Republicans and Democrats alike have expressed solidarity with Ukraine, and that stance will continue to be "a reflection of the will of the American people," he said. The Ukrainian side counts on the leadership of the United States on important issues of defense assistance, in particular on expanding the capabilities of Ukraine's air defense system, financial support, tightening sanctions against Moscow and recognizing Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism . 

And it's not just about Ukraine, said Klympush-Tsintsadze, the former deputy prime minister. "Too many things in the world depend on this war," he said. "This is not just about restoring our territorial integrity.

It's not just about our freedom and our chance for the future, our survival as a nation and our survival as a country; it will have drastic consequences for world geopolitics,” said Klympush-Tsintsadze.