Ukraine aid in US interests, support to continue as before Minister's statement

As the Republicans look set to take back a slim majority in the House of Representatives, the reaction coming from Kyiv is one of absolute calm. Although Ukraine's war effort depends heavily on continued shipments of Western military aid and economic assistance, figures in president Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government remain confident that the change in power on Capitol Hill will not result in a change of priorities in Washington, at least as far as Ukraine is concerned.

"I have met numerous times with representatives of Congress and the Senate," Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov told Newsweek as part of a briefing organised by the Odesa Media Centre. "I have a clear understanding that bipartisan US support for Ukraine will continue as before."

Reznikov even saw reason to hope that the US midterm elections might lead to increased assistance from Washington.

"A majority of the American people support Ukraine in this war against Russia, and the American people are very pragmatic," he said. "They like to win, and they also understand that it is important for them to partner with Ukraine in this fight against the evil that is coming from the Kremlin and which is threatening the entire world."

"For this reason, it is in the direct interest of the United States to support Ukraine all the way through to victory," Reznikov added, "and I believe that, even after the elections, US support will either remain at the same high level, or else it will grow."

Republican Ukrainian-American Congresswoman Victoria Spartz of Indiana, like Reznikov, is optimistic that the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives can actually help improve the effectiveness of US assistance to Ukraine.

"Despite some exceptions, which is normal in a democratic country," Spartz said, "the American people are supportive of Ukraine, and the Republicans in Congress are as well."