Putin has lost a powerful political advantage in Washington.

Putin has lost a powerful political advantage in Washington. Trump's devastating midterm defeat has handed Democrats control of both chambers of Congress, sharply reducing his room to maneuver. Russian pro-war channels have been conspicuously quiet about the results. Moscow could previously count on relatively little congressional resistance to Trump's pressure on Kyiv. That has changed. Trump remains president, but his ability to advance policies without opposition is substantially weakened.