November 11, 2026 | Washington and Kyiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he hopes the new Democratic Congress in Washington will bring Kyiv more help — and a Ukraine aid package worth about $15 billion is already being prepared to test that hope.

Speaking to German broadcaster ZDF on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said the Democratic gains in the November 3 midterm elections could work to Ukraine’s advantage, after American voters handed control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives to the Democratic Party.

“I am also grateful to the Republicans, but the Democrats speak very clearly about supporting Ukraine and providing assistance to Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. “They speak about renewing the connection between the United States and Europe… Therefore, there is hope that a balance of power will emerge, and that we will receive more support.”

The new Congress does not take its seats until January, so nothing can pass yet. But the first figure being discussed in Washington is $15 billion — and the debate over it has already begun.

What Did Zelenskyy Say About the New Congress?

Zelenskyy was careful to thank both parties, but his message was plain: he expects the Democrats to be clearer and faster on Ukraine. He said more American aid could change the calculation in Moscow.

“If Congress now speaks of strong financial support or military assistance, as Europe is doing and demonstrating today, then that will be something positive that will have an impact on Putin,” he told ZDF.

Zelenskyy has worked hard to repair a rocky relationship with President Donald Trump since an Oval Office meeting in February 2025, at which Trump accused his Ukrainian counterpart of being “ungrateful” for Washington’s aid. Since then, Kyiv has tried to keep the conversation with the White House constructive even as American support has thinned.

That effort now runs alongside a second track: the US-mediated talks with Russia in Abu Dhabi, where Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner lead the American side. Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that he has had detailed conversations with both men, and wrote on X that “the negotiations must move forward at full throttle to bring this war to an end as quickly as possible. Ukraine is ready to take the necessary steps.”

What Is in the $15 Billion Ukraine Aid Package?

According to the Financial Times, congressional Democrats are discussing a new Ukraine aid package worth about $15 billion. The report, published on November 7 and based on Democratic representatives and a House Foreign Affairs Committee aide, says the package is being prepared for the lame-duck session before the new Congress takes office in January.

The priorities are energy support to help Ukraine survive the winter as Russia attacks its power and heating systems, more interceptor missiles for Ukraine’s air defences, continued intelligence sharing with Kyiv, tougher sanctions on Russia, and tighter oversight of the Starlink satellite service the Ukrainian military relies on.

The likely vehicle is the annual National Defense Authorization Act, the defence policy bill that must pass before the current Congress ends. Democrats also plan to amend the Russia sanctions legislation named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham, which mandates financial sanctions on Russia’s defence and energy sectors.

But the plan is not law, and it may never become one. No bill has been introduced, no sponsors have been named, and the final size and contents are still under negotiation. Even if both chambers pass it, President Trump could veto it — and Democrats do not hold the two-thirds majorities in both chambers that overriding a veto would require.

Why Does Ukraine Need the Aid Before Winter?

Russia has intensified its campaign against Ukraine’s energy system just as winter approaches. On November 3, Russia launched its largest attack of the year on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure: 289 drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles against power plants and substations in ten regions. A second wave on November 6 and 7 brought 36 ballistic missiles and 172 drones, by Zelenskyy’s count. In total, Russia fired more than 3,000 drones and 115 missiles at Ukraine in seven days, the heaviest air campaign of the year.

That is why energy assistance sits at the top of the Democrats’ list. A Democratic committee aide told the Financial Times that energy support “takes a really high place on our priority list”. Interceptor missiles are almost as urgent: Ukraine has accused Washington of delaying deliveries, and outgoing Democratic Senator Richard Durbin has called on the incoming Congress to help Kyiv restock its air defences and make sure bipartisan appropriated funds “are finally delivered instead of being delayed”.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said on November 7 that he would introduce legislation supporting Ukraine, called on Washington to assign new negotiators to the peace talks, and urged Congress to impose public interest controls on Starlink and Starshield.

What Happened at the Abu Dhabi Talks?

The diplomacy is moving faster than the legislation. On Tuesday, November 10, Ukrainian, Russian and American delegations met in Abu Dhabi for the first US-mediated talks since February. The session ran for four hours and, according to Le Monde, produced little tangible progress — though Zelenskyy still welcomed the fact that the meeting took place at all.

Reuters reported that Zelenskyy said on Tuesday he was “very happy” with the messages he was getting from the US envoys about moving towards a resolution of the more than four-and-a-half-year-old war. The agenda, he said, included formulating a new security architecture for Europe, an idea raised earlier in the day by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

The talks continue on Wednesday, with European representatives from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, NATO and the European Commission present in Abu Dhabi, though not yet in the room with Russia. The Europeans are pressing for a united approach before the European Political Community meets in Dublin on November 12.

What Do Europe’s Leaders Think?

European officials have welcomed the Democratic victory — but with very different degrees of optimism. Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, said she hoped the new Congress would “continue supporting Ukraine and also putting more pressure on Russia”. “Europe as well as US, we are much stronger together,” she said.

In Germany, leaders were divided. Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed scepticism on Wednesday that Trump would change course despite the Democrats’ sweeping victory. “Quite frankly, over the last two years, Trump has largely governed by bypassing Congress. Why should that be any different now?” Merz said at an event in Berlin.

His foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, was more hopeful. He said the “very clear” Democratic victory could create “a new opportunity to launch a fresh initiative” to end the wars in Ukraine and Iran, and that he was “quite optimistic” that aid to Ukraine, which has been slashed under Trump, would get “more discussion” from US lawmakers of both parties.

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia hoped Trump “will continue his peacemaking efforts”, regardless of the election result.

What Could Stop the Ukraine Aid Package?

The obstacles are considerable. In recent weeks, Trump has made several moves favourable to Russia, including a deal to import Russian diesel. Last month, he waived sanctions on Russia that Congress had overwhelmingly approved as part of legislation supporting Ukraine.

The new Congress does not sit until January, and until then Trump has a free hand on foreign policy. The lame-duck session offers one opening — the defence bill — but any Ukraine provisions attached to it would need Republican support to pass, and would still face a possible presidential veto.

The Democrats’ first test, then, is not in January but in the coming weeks: whether they can get any part of the $15 billion Ukraine aid package into the defence bill before the current Congress ends.

What to Watch

• Whether Democrats introduce the Ukraine aid package as an amendment to the defence bill in the lame-duck session, and what figure survives negotiation.
• The second day of the Abu Dhabi talks, and whether the trilateral session with Russia produces anything beyond the opening meeting.
• Whether the White House responds to Zelenskyy’s comments, and whether interceptor missile deliveries to Kyiv speed up.
• How Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid develop as winter sets in, and whether European leaders agree a joint approach at the Dublin meeting on November 12.
• What the new Congress signals on sanctions, after Trump waived the measures Congress had overwhelmingly approved.

Sources and Verification

1. Al Jazeera, 11 November 2026 — Zelenskyy hopes Democratic Congress will bring more US help for Ukraine; ZDF interview quotes, Democratic gains in both chambers, Kallas, Merz and Wadephul reactions, Trump sanctions waiver and diesel deal, Abu Dhabi talks on November 10 and 11.
2. Financial Times, 7 November 2026 (via reporting summaries) — Congressional Democrats discussing a security assistance package for Ukraine worth about $15 billion; House Foreign Affairs Committee aide; NDAA as likely vehicle; energy support, interceptor missiles, intelligence sharing, Starlink oversight, tougher Russia sanctions; Graham sanctions bill amendment; veto would need two-thirds majorities to override.
3. Reuters, 10 November 2026 — Zelenskyy says he is pleased with messages from US envoys on diplomatic efforts to end the war; Abu Dhabi talks the first three-sided discussions since February; new European security architecture on the agenda.
4. Le Monde, 11 November 2026 — Russia-Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi make little progress; four hours of discussion on November 10 with no tangible results; Witkoff and Kushner leading the US side; European Political Community to meet in Dublin on November 12.
5. Associated Press (via reporting, 11 November 2026) — Outgoing Senator Richard Durbin calls on the incoming Congress not to give up on Ukraine and to help restock its air defences; Blumenthal to introduce Ukraine support legislation on November 7.
6. Adriatico Crisis Tracker weekly review, 10 November 2026 — Russia fired more than 3,000 drones and 115 missiles at Ukraine in seven days; November 3 attack the largest of the year on the energy system; Abu Dhabi talks opened November 10 with European officials on site.

Bottom line: Zelenskyy has placed his hope in a Congress that does not sit until January, and in a $15 billion Ukraine aid package that does not yet exist as a bill. The Democrats have the opening; whether they can turn it into aid before winter — and past a president who has been waiving sanctions and striking deals with Moscow — is the test that will decide whether Kyiv’s hope was well placed.