US marine in Ukraine lauds midterm results

A former marine living in Ukraine despite Russian bombardments says Donald Trump “has lost his pull” in the US – a situation which eases anxiety over weapon supplies to the war torn nation. John Sennett, and his wife had a brush with death last month when they were out walking their dog in Kyiv as a missile landed on a busy thoroughfare just yards away from his apartment. He told Express.co.uk: “It hit around 600 metres (650 yards) from our flat. I was behind schedule today – if I had been walking my dog 15 minutes earlier I would have got hit. Or my wife would have.”The bombs dropped on a “huge pedestrian area” thick with rush hour traffic, leaving several dead. John witnessed authorities covering a car in which there were “obviously bodies”.Following the close call, he knows all too well the importance of continued support from Ukraine’s Western allies, particularly Kyiv’s need for air defences as Russia continues to strike civilian targets.However, there has been concern that a Republican controlled Congress would turn off the faucet of American aid to Ukraine, which has amounted to $18.2 billion since Putin launched his invasion of the country on February 24.Retired US marine John Sennett told Express.co.uk he disagrees. He and his wife were “surprised and quite satisfied” with the results, which he believes will mean continued assistance for Ukraine.John said: “We are actually surprised and quite satisfied with the outcome of the midterm elections. Trump has lost his pull and that’s all we hoped for.”We expect that assistance will continue and that more funding will come during the lame duck session.”The so-called “lame duck” session describes when Congress meets after their successors have been chosen in an election. During these sessions, many congressmen and women will have nothing to lose as they are no longer facing an election.The Biden administration has mulled over pushing through large aid packages while Democrats still control the House and the Senate before a new Congress is sworn in in January.In addition, following the lame duck session, with such a small minority predicted in Congress, presumed leader Kevin McCarthy may not be able to stop Democrats from giving Kyiv more support, even if he wanted to.Previously, presumed Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy warned Biden there would be no “blank check” for Ukraine if Republicans won the midterms. Donald Trump’s hand picked candidates did not do as he had hoped well in the midterm elections. (Image: GETTY) Ukraine has been hit by an intense Russian bombardments in recent months. (Image: GETTY)However, traditionally, Republicans would have jumped at the chance to engage with an adversary or enemy of the United States’ without the risk of putting American boots on the ground.President Ronald Regan, a demi-god in Republican circles, for example, took the fight to the Soviet Union in Afghanistan by providing the Mujahideen assistance when the USSR invaded the country in 1979.It is this type of “old school” Republican which Ukraine-based John Sennett and millions of Ukrainians are banking on to keep supplying Kyiv with the assistance it needs to halt Russian aggression.With several Trump-backed Republicans unable to win their races, it may be that the party is shifting to one whose members have often been seen as foreign policy hawks, a shift back to the ideals of Regan, Bush and other Republican presidents.Several Congressional Republicans may side with their rivals on the issue, and with only a thin margin to block the Democrats’ agenda, aid packages for Ukraine may make it through the House.In the Senate, where Republicans are typically seen as much more establishment type, aid packages have passed easily with many GOP Senators siding with their Democratic colleagues.Mr Sennett added: “Old School Republicans would continue to support Ukraine we think. I am an Independent voter so [I am] not tied to either party. Worked in one of Trump’s casinos in Atlantic City so [I] know the kind of person he is.”READ MORE: Russia ‘weaponising’ Kherson in ‘very irresponsible’ mining tactic President Biden said he was confident aid to Ukraine would continue. (Image: GETTY) Cars destroyed in Kyiv by Russian attacks. (Image: GETTY)US President Joe Biden agreed. At a press conference given yesterday following Election Day, Kevin McCarthy’s “blank check” comments were put to the President.He said: “By the way, we’ve not given Ukraine a blank check. There’s a lot of things that Ukraine wants [that] we didn’t do.”On the topic of continued aid, Biden added: “We want to make sure that there’s a relationship that they’re able to defend themselves and take on what is, purely, the ugliest aggression that’s occurred since World War Two on a massive scale, on the part of Putin, within Ukraine. And there’s so much at stake.”So, I would be surprised if Leader McCarthy even has a majority of his Republican colleagues who say they’re not going to fund the legitimate defensive needs of Ukraine.”The midterm elections may be a boon to Kyiv. If Republican candidates with different views swept the House and cut off aid it could be disastrous for a war that by all accounts Ukraine seems to be winning.However, there are still many high profile Republicans who have called out the President over US assistance to Ukraine.DON’T MISS:Meghan and Harry issued three word warning about relationship by aide [REPORT]Russia confirms withdrawal from ‘city of death’ – wounded abandoned [LIVE]Matt Hancock admits he ‘messed up’ in candid admission [INSIGHT] There have been concerns in Kyiv and Washington that support in Ukraine would wan as a result of a r (Image: GETTY)Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Green Taylor is one of those high profile Republicans and many have speculated that she could challenge McCarthy in his speaker bid or even run as Trump’s running mate in 2024.At a Trump rally days before the election, she said: “Under Republicans, not another penny will go to Ukraine. Our country comes first.”Ukrainians were worried that they would become victims of a “partisan debate” in the US which would see aid halted.We hope that for our sake that we don’t become a victim to the partisan debate that’s unfolding right now in the US. Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, a former Ukrainian deputy prime minister, told POLITICO.She added: “That’s the fear, because we are very much seriously dependent on not only American support, but also on the US leadership in terms of keeping up the common effort of other nations.”While we still don’t know the full results of the US midterm elections, it is possible, or even likely, that Republicans won’t be able to keep their members in line on an issue which speaks to their party’s traditional values.It seems that, at least for the moment, US aid to Ukraine is likely to continue.