Reactions to the US election results: cautious joy, cautious hope

Worldwide reactions to the US election result: Cautious joy, cautious hope As of: November 4th, 2026 • 4:42 p.m

The spectacular triumph of the US Democrats in the midterm elections has triggered reactions around the world: Russia continues to rely on President Trump, China is keeping a low profile, and hope is spreading in the EU and South Africa.

Despite the clear defeat of US President Donald Trump's Republicans, Moscow hopes, according to the Kremlin, that Trump's efforts to end the Ukraine war will continue. Trump will remain president and Moscow fully expects him to continue his peace efforts, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Peskov spoke of progress and referred to the tripartite talks planned for next week in the Moscow-Kiev-Washington format. He also recalled the aid operation for the front-line town of Oleschky, which was occupied by Russian troops, during which Russia and Ukraine repeatedly thanked US First Lady Melania Trump for brokering a ceasefire. “We hope that all of this will continue,” Peskov said. When asked whether the US Congress could slow down Trump's efforts, he simply said that it was an internal US matter.

Washington sees Trump as a mediator in the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, which has been ongoing for more than four and a half years. However, Trump has not yet been able to demonstrate a breakthrough. He had recently moved closer to Russia again. The Democrats, on the other hand, are in favor of greater support for Ukraine.

German politicians have welcomed the defeat of the Republicans in the US midterms across party lines. more

Iranian government officials welcomed the defeat of US President Trump and his Republicans in the midterm elections. The US citizens said "no to war," Iran's parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on the online service X. "And we support this message." Ghalibaf attributed the vote to reasons of conscience and the increased cost of living in the United States.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Moschtaba Khamenei, said anyone who hoped "that the behavior of the hegemonic system could change through partisan or factional shifts" was wrong. Anyone who believes "that concessions to the United States will dissuade it from hostilities against the Iranian nation" is "deeply mistaken."

The Chinese government refrained from making any public assessment of the election results. “The midterm elections are an internal matter for the United States,” said a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman in Beijing. China is "willing to continue working with the US to preserve and implement the important consensus reached by the two leaders."

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The EU's reactions ranged from cautiously optimistic to euphoric. The chairman of the EU Trade Committee, Bernd Lange, didn't even try to hide his joy: "Congratulations to the Democrats! This is a cracking reminder for Donald Trump," the SPD MEP wrote early in the morning. Others expressed more caution, such as EU Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, who is also responsible for trade relations: "It's all still very fresh. We will fight hard to ensure that we have progress on steel products."

After the triumph of the US Democrats, EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas is now relying on pro-Ukrainian signals from the Capitol. Kallas said in Brussels that she hopes that the "new Congress" will "continue to support Ukraine and also put more pressure on Russia." Europe and the USA are “much stronger together” when it comes to pushing Moscow to end the war, Kallas emphasized.

The FDP MEP Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann warned that no one in Europe should sit back now. The continent must be able to defend itself and confidently represent its interests. The election result was a good sign, he explained that he wasn't doing his European homework.

Christian Feld, ARD Brussels, on international reactions to US midterms tagesschau, Das Erste, November 4th, 2026 • 3:00 p.m. London: Fight against high costs of living British Prime Minister Andy Burnham classified the Democrats' success in the USA as a call to fight against high costs of living. With Trump accepting his Republicans' defeat, "the world has an opportunity to unite around the problem that affects us all, and that is the cost of living," Burnham said. However, he emphasized that prices would not fall as long as the Iran war continued.

Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez sees the US election result as a message for the election campaign in his country. “The ultra-right wave, on which (Alberto Núñez) Feijóo and (Santiago) Abascal also want to surf, is no longer growing: it is falling apart,” wrote Sánchez, referring to the leaders of the conservative PP party and the ultra-right Vox, who want to replace his Socialists in the parliamentary elections at the end of November.

Follow the developments of the midterms here in the live blog. more

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his hope for "a new era in international relations." Relations between the USA and South Africa have deteriorated significantly since Trump's return to the White House. Last year, US President Trump even confronted Ramaphosa with accusations of “genocide” against white South Africans.

With information from Sabrina Fritz, ARD Brussels

This topic in the program: The First | daily news | November 4, 2026 | 3:00 p.m