Kremlin Says Democrats' Midterm Win Changes Little Because Trump 'Still Controls Foreign Policy,' While Medvedev Predicts a Weakened President and South Africa Cheers, Breitbart Reports
Breitbart's Frances Martel says Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the election a domestic U.S. matter and counted on Trump's peace efforts. Dmitry Medvedev said Trump is now in a more sensitive political climate. South Africa's president expects 'a new era.'
Moscow says the Democratic wave will not change its dealings with Washington, Breitbart reports, while other governments see an opening.
The Kremlin line. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday, according to Russian outlet Tass, "President Trump will continue to exercise his presidential powers, and President Trump will continue to pursue his foreign policy. Everything else, from our point of view, is a domestic matter for the US." Breitbart notes he said the day before that Russia hopes to keep engaging the U.S. on Ukraine, "very soon there will be another round of trilateral negotiations," and that Russia counts on Trump "continuing his peacemaking efforts."
Medvedev's twist. Former President Dmitry Medvedev, now head of Russia's Security Council, also predicted stability, but for a different reason. He said of Trump, "He's an unpredictable guy, but now is not the time for exotic moves. Moreover, the impeachment pendulum will keep swinging no matter what the climate is." He added that Ukraine would "simply ignore the weakened U.S. president." Breitbart says he often threatens dramatic escalation and calls his remarks less official than Peskov's.
The Melania track. Breitbart says First Lady Melania Trump hosted representatives of Russia and Ukraine at the White House on Thursday to build on a limited ceasefire negotiated last week in Oleshky, which allowed humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians. She said, "Let us see Oleshky as a spark in a world of darkness, capable of illuminating the best in humanity." We reported her earlier statement on the ceasefire.
Elsewhere. Breitbart says leftist governments and U.S. adversaries welcomed the results. South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa said a Democratic Congress is "going to introduce a new era in world relations," and hopes for a "coming together of minds" on geopolitics, trade and investment.
Why it matters here. The two Russian voices disagree on why Trump will still hold the reins: Peskov says the office, Medvedev says the political weakness. Neither claim is tested in the report.
What we could not check. We did not see the Tass reports. Breitbart's framing of foreign reaction as mostly leftist and adversarial is its own characterization. It does not give South Africa's full remarks, and we saw no U.S. response.