Putin Panicking Ahead Of U.S. Elections Congressman Whitesides

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) He wrote this in an opinion column for The Hil on Monday, Ukrinform reports.

According to the congressman, Trump and Putin understand that the results of the November 3 midterm elections could deprive the White House of its current influence over Ukraine policy. Democrats are expected to regain control of at least the House of Representatives.

“Knowing their political leverage is about to expire, Trump and Putin are racing to lock Ukraine into a bad deal before a newly elected, pro-Ukraine Congress arrives in January to stop them,” Whitesides believes.

He links the increased pressure on Kyiv to Moscow's desire to protect its energy infrastructure from Ukrainian long-range strikes.

On October 9, Trump reached an agreement with Putin to return sanctioned Russian diesel fuel to the U.S. and global markets, while at the same time demanding that Ukraine stop drone strikes on Russian oil refineries, Whitesides recalled.

In his view, this demonstrates the effectiveness of Ukraine's campaign against Russia's oil refining industry and the problems it has caused for the Kremlin.

“Putin is unable to stop the drones with his own air defenses, which have proven capable of reaching even Moscow. So, he has enlisted the American president to act as a shield for Russia's energy sector, single-handedly giving the Kremlin a fresh revenue stream in the midst of a war,” the congressman said.

According to Whitesides, the administration has moved from threats to practical action, failing to provide Ukraine with warnings about Russian ballistic missiles and also asking the Pentagon to impose speed restrictions on Starshield military satellite communications terminals.

The congressman also sees attempts to pressure European countries into transferring billions of dollars in frozen Russian assets to Washington's control as another avenue of pressure, allegedly to revive peace negotiations.

He believes that a Democratic victory in the House elections, and even more so in both chambers of Congress, could change the situation. The new legislature would have the ability to enshrine intelligence-sharing with Ukraine in law, secure permanent access to Starshield, approve multiyear military assistance, and preserve frozen Russian sovereign assets.

The congressman also recalled that a bipartisan group of senators, including Republicans Mitch McConnell and John Cornyn, is already calling on Trump to cancel the agreement concerning Russian diesel fuel.

Whitesides links the Kremlin's rush to Russia's economic problems, including high interest rates and a severe labor shortage. In his view, Putin wants to weaken Ukraine before the results of the U.S. elections limit Trump's ability to influence the situation.

However,“Ukrainians are not going to trade away their survival to rescue Trump and Putin from their respective political calendars,” the congressman stressed.

Read also: Trump says peace deal between Ukraine and Russia getting close

He called on Kyiv and its European allies to remain steadfast through the end of the year, continue to counter Russian aggression, and prevent the unfreezing of Russian assets.

The U.S. congressional midterm elections will conclude on Tuesday, November 3. Americans will elect all 435 members of the House of Representatives and 35 senators, as well as governors in a number of states.

As reported by Ukrinform, the US is preparing for a possible investigation into President Donald Trump's agreements with Vladimir Putin regarding Russian diesel operations.

Photo: The White House

MENAFN03112026000193011044ID1111905944