Republican Win In Midterm Elections Will Benefit Russia, Russian State Media Says

Members of Russian state media on Wednesday said they are hoping that Republicans win in the United States’ midterm elections in November as they believe Russia will gain the most benefits from the GOP.

During the broadcast of a state TV show, “The Evening with Vladimir Solovyov,” participants mentioned that Russia could face fewer sanctions and Ukraine could receive less aid from the U.S. should Republicans win in the upcoming midterm elections.

“Republicans will come and say, why the hell do we need a corrupt, Nazi Ukraine? They will ask: whom are we supporting? Yes, Russia is bad and the sanctions will stay, but why do we need to keep throwing so much money over there?” the host, Vladimir Solovyov, said, as translated by The Daily Beast.

“Our schools lack funding, we have plenty of our own problems. Instead of fortifying the border with Mexico, helping our small businesses, we’ve given that money to corrupt Ukraine and no one knows where it went.”

Over the past few weeks, various programs on Russian state media portrayed the U.S. midterm election as a possible saving grace for the Russian economy and the war in Ukraine. Many shows have also been frequently airing statements showing the Republicans’ disapproval of the Biden administration’s support for Ukraine.

Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February, a growing number of conservative lawmakers and activists have pushed back against aid packages for Ukraine. Many argued that the Biden administration should instead spend taxpayer money on domestic problems.

In May, at least 11 GOP senators and 57 House Republicans voted against advancing the $40 billion Ukraine assistance bill, which was later passed by Congress with bipartisan support. The new legislation is intended to support Ukraine through September and follows an early emergency aid package worth $13.6 billion.

The majority of GOP House members still support the Biden administration’s position to send aid to Ukraine without deploying actual soldiers to the frontlines. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has also pushed back against anti-Ukraine voices in the GOP, arguing that supporting Kyiv is in the United States’ security interest.