Russia State Media Bemoans Trump’s Midterm Disaster: ‘Very Painful’ - Newsweek
Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov has said President Donald Trump "lost everything" in the U.S. mid-term elections following results that were "really painful."
Solovyov, who has received state awards for his broadcasting from Russian President Vladimir Putin, weighed in on the elections which delivered the Democrats at least 54 seats in the Senate and 240 seats in the House of Representatives.
Trump has faced scrutiny over his ties with Putin, and Solovyov has been among Russian propagandists who have voiced how the U.S. president serves Moscow's interests.
In a segment on his radio show Full Contact, posted by Kremlin watcher Julia Davis of the Russia Media Monitor, Solovyov reflected on what the mid-terms might mean for Moscow's ties with Washington and the Ukraine war.
"Trumpushka failed," Solovyov said expressing the diminutive term for the U.S. president he often uses on his nightly television shows. "This is painful for Trump to an unimaginable degree."
During a year in which he launched strikes on Iran that choked off the Strait of Hormuz, Trump had urged Ukraine to pause attacks on Russian oil facilities to ease pressure on rising fuel prices, a sensitive electoral issue.
Solovyov suggested Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had contributed to spiking prices with such strikes and that he would be delighted with Tuesday's results.
"Zelensky is rejoicing, he exacted his revenge against Trump and he won," Solovyov said.
"He is triumphant, his people have come to power," Solovyov added, referring to how a Democrat-led Congress could mean stronger U.S. support for Kyiv.
"He got his revenge for the humiliation at the Oval Office," he said, referring to the infamous argument between the Ukrainian president and his U.S. counterpart in 2025.
By not considering the impact on pump prices for Americans, Solovyov believed Trump "made a colossal mistake with Iran."
In recent weeks, Russian media has welcomed Trump's criticism of Zelensky and his easing of sanctions on diesel but noted that a deal on Ukraine favorable to Moscow has still not been struck.
Solovyov concluded that Trump will have a difficult final two years of his term.
Any negotiations with Moscow will be tricky because he will not have the backing of Congress and "he won't be able to keep a single obligation," he said.
Russian state newspapers also gave their mid-term election post-mortems, describing the result as a disaster for Trump and raising concerns that it could derail cooperation between Moscow and Washington.
The government mouthpiece Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported that Trump's appearance at campaign rallies hindered rather than helped GOP candidates.
It said in an op-ed headlined "Apocalypse Today" that Americans had delivered a vote of no confidence in Trump and predicted that he could face investigations on charges of corruption and enrichment.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta called the election a "total defeat" for Trump that will limit his foreign policy options.
Before lawmakers are sworn in on January 3, it said "there is a good chance there are only two months left to conclude what Trump calls a deal with Russia."
Meanwhile, an article in the business paper RBK headlined "Veto instead of MAGA" said that GOP losses cast doubt on the Trump administration's ability to settle the Ukraine war.
It noted that there have been months of increased contacts between Moscow and Washington that have included talks between Russian officials and Trump's envoys.
However, it said "the ability to negotiate is not the same as the ability to implement their results without hindrance.
"The loss of control of Congress could have a particularly serious impact on the prospects for U.S.-Russian economic cooperation and the easing of sanctions against Moscow." "The transition of Congress under the control of the Democrats may create new political obstacles to the implementation of possible agreements," it added.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Matthew Robinson and Tony Phillips.
