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BBC finds Ukrainian hopes and European doubts after US midterms

Correspondents in Kyiv and Jerusalem examine the consequences abroad, while Katty Kay warns that European concerns about US isolationism persist.

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BBC News Story of November 5, 2026Trari Newsroom

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What do the US election results mean for the world? | BBC News

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1:18Trump argues Republicans would have won with him on the ballot and defends the Iran war despite higher petrol prices.
2:42Ros Atkins breaks down James Talarico's Texas Senate victory over Ken Paxton.
5:18Sumi Somaskanda connects dissatisfaction in Kansas with farmers' high fertiliser and fuel costs.
6:50Sameer Hashmi says Iran interprets the result as a victory, while Israel weighs its consequences.
7:26James Waterhouse describes Ukrainian hopes for stronger congressional support; Katty Kay follows with continuing European concerns about US isolationism.
9:22Sarah Smith contrasts Vance's blame of the war with Trump's defence of it.

A Democratic Congress could offer Ukraine stronger support, but it has not dispelled European doubts about America's direction, according to BBC News's analysis of the US midterm results.

The report moves beyond the election map with dispatches from Kyiv and Jerusalem, distinguishing hopes for a changed Congress from expectations about Donald Trump's foreign policy.

In Kyiv, James Waterhouse describes a cautious welcome for the result: "They are welcoming of what could be, potentially, a stronger and more supportive Congress." His wording leaves an important distinction intact: the election has created a possibility, not delivered a change in support.

Sameer Hashmi, reporting from Jerusalem, says Iran views the outcome as a significant victory and a referendum on the war, while Israel faces concerns about the consequences. From London, Katty Kay describes enduring European unease about US isolationism, regardless of which party controls Congress.

The programme connects those international questions to economic dissatisfaction at home. Sumi Somaskanda's Kansas reporting highlights farmers' high fertiliser and fuel costs, alongside Adam Hamilton's Democratic Senate victory. Ros Atkins explains James Talarico's Texas win over Ken Paxton.

Trump acknowledges that the Iran war pushed up petrol prices but defends his decision, saying: "I'd have to do it again because long-term, it's the only answer. You can't let Iran have an open way."

Sarah Smith closes with a disagreement within the administration. She points to JD Vance's social media post blaming the war for the defeat, contrasting his diagnosis with Trump's continued defence of it.