Russia Shrugs Off U.S. Midterm Results: Trump Still Controls Foreign Policy

The Kremlin appeared to dismiss the idea that the significant Democrat win in Tuesday’s midterm elections would meaningfully change Russia’s relationship with the United States, insisting on Thursday that President Donald Trump, as chief executive, still controls American foreign policy.

Dmitry Peskov, the top spokesman for strongman Vladimir Putin, addressed this week’s elections in comments to reporters, insisting that the elections were a “domestic” matter for Americans with minimal impact on Russia.

“President Trump will continue to exercise his presidential powers, and President Trump will continue to pursue his foreign policy. Everything else, from our point of view, is a domestic matter for the US,” Peskov said on Thursday, according to the Russian news outlet Tass.

Peskov’s comments followed a similar initial reaction on Wednesday in which he stated that his government was hoping to continue engaging the United States, particularly on purported “peace” negotiations for Ukraine.

“President Trump will continue his term, and we sincerely count on him continuing his peacemaking efforts,” Peskov was quoted as saying. As for the election results, Peskov said at the time, “There are ongoing developments, and very soon there will be another round of trilateral negotiations, as well as Melania Trump’s successful peacemaking and humanitarian efforts. We hope all of this will continue.”

First Lady Melania Trump is leading an initiative to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table to end Moscow’s full-scale invasion of the country. The first lady hosted representatives of both nations at the White House on Thursday to expand upon a limited ceasefire negotiated last week in the city of Olseshky, which allowed for an influx of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians. Prior to the meeting, she confirmed that the evacuation of hundreds of civilians and shipments of food and medicine had been a success and that she hoped to expand upon the ceasefire to create the building blocks for a workable, long-term peace agreement.

“Now, we must use the courage we brought to Oleshky to find common ground through a shared concern for the suffering of innocent people,” First Lady Melania Trump said in a statement on Thursday. “Together, we can create something more enduring than a temporary ceasefire. Let us see Oleshky as a spark in a world of darkness, capable of illuminating the best in humanity.”

Peskov serves as the official voice of the Russian government. His assessment that Russia would not see any substantial change in America’s perspective following the election was largely echoed by the slightly less official, and often more belligerent, mouthpiece former President Dmitry Medvedev, who currently leads the Russian Security Council. Rather than predicting stability because Trump remained in charge, however, Medvedev predicted stability because Trump was now in a more sensitive political environment.

“He’s an unpredictable guy, but now is not the time for exotic moves. Moreover, the impeachment pendulum will keep swinging no matter what the climate is,” Medvedev said of Trump, predicting that the Democrats’ win would limit Trump’s decision making as leader. Medvedev, who often threatens dramatic escalations in Ukraine, also predicted the Ukrainian government would begin to “simply ignore the weakened U.S. president,” contrary to his assessment that “quite useful consultations” were ongoing with Washington on Ukraine.

The historic wins for Democrats on Tuesday elicited a variety of opinions globally, from leaders and observers alike. Leftist governments, in particular, celebrated the election results, particularly those who have experienced tension with the Trump administration or are aligned with America’s enemies. The socialist government of South Africa, for example, expressed optimism. President Cyril Ramaphosa told reporters that Democrats taking over Congress was “going to introduce a new era in world relations.”

“We’re hoping that on a bilateral basis there will be a coming together of minds where we will find a proper path forward on geopolitics as well as on trade matters and investment matters,” Ramaphosa said.

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