“Seismic shift”: the world reacts to the results of the US midterm elections | News 2026 US midterm elections

In the United States, Democrats scored a major victory in the midterm elections, taking control of both houses of Congress, a scathing criticism of President Donald Trump and his Republican Party.

The results are being watched closely outside the United States, as foreign leaders consider how the new political reality in Washington could affect American foreign policy – from the conflict with Iran to the Russia-Ukraine war and trade relations.

Trump himself acknowledged that the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran likely had an impact on his party’s poor electoral performance, saying voters were probably not prepared “for the short-term consequences of the price of gasoline.”

Here are the latest reactions from world leaders, as the scale of the Democratic victory continues to sink in:

European Union

European Parliament Vice President Christel Schaldemose said the U.S. results made her “cautiously optimistic about Europe.”

“Not because everything is changing now for the better, but because it could benefit support for Ukraine, the green transition and relations with the rest of the world,” Schaldemose said in an article on X.

“But the EU must continue to strengthen itself and stand on its own two feet. This is not up for debate,” she added.

Iran

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is also the chief negotiator in negotiations with the United States, said voters had rejected the conflict.

“Americans have said NO TO WAR, and we support that message,” Ghalibaf wrote in an article on X.

“If the US government betrays its public commitment to serving international payers and blackmailers, it will learn that our NO comes with a nightmare,” he added.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, meanwhile, said partisan changes in Washington would not change the United States’ “hostility” toward Tehran.

“If there are still those who harbor any hope that the behavior of the hegemonic system could change through party or factional changes, or who believe that making concessions to the United States could persuade them to abandon their hostility toward the Iranian people, they are gravely mistaken,” Khamenei said in a statement shared by Iranian state media.

Israel

There was no immediate reaction from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a Trump ally whose coalition lost its own majority in the Israeli Parliament in last week’s election.

However, opponent Yair Golan, whose party is part of a coalition seeking to replace Netanyahu, said the US vote reveals “how toxic Netanyahu has become” among US Democrats and Republicans.

He warned that if Netanyahu and his far-right government remained in power, Israel would be on a “path to international sanctions, global isolation and confrontation with the United States – our most important friend and ally.”

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid, who is also part of the anti-Netanyahu coalition, said the US vote effectively ruled out “any possibility of a unity government led by Netanyahu.”

United Kingdom

Health Minister James Frith stressed that the UK would maintain strong and stable ties with Washington despite an apparent “seismic shift in American domestic politics”.

“Changes in the direction of power in the United States are frequent,” Frith told British media. “But the pillar of the relationship with the UK Government, as our closest ally, is unwavering and immutable. »

“So I don’t expect this to change the nature of the relationship at all; it remains very strong,” he added.

France

Finance Minister Roland Lescure said France would wait to see if Trump, who remains in charge of U.S. foreign policy, adjusts his approach.

“Either he decides to rise above the fray – recognizing that changes are necessary, particularly with regard to gasoline prices, which directly affect people – and, I might add, he tones down his international engagement, or he does not,” Lescure told French television. “Frankly, this is something we will have to monitor in the coming days.”

Spain

Left-wing Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the landslide victory for US Democrats was emblematic of the “collapse” of the global far right.

“It happened in Brazil. It just happened in the United States. And it will happen soon in Spain,” said Sanchez, whose own prime ministership is at stake in snap elections he called for Nov. 29.

Sanchez said American voters had rejected policies that “only make people poorer,” as well as hatred, sexism, climate change denial and “elite privilege.”

Greece

Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said U.S.-Greek relations would not be affected by the election results.

“Greek-American relations will remain strong,” he told local media. “The United States is our strategic ally, and this will continue for major projects and all major agreements. Nothing will be affected by this outcome. It is obvious that we respect every outcome. The conclusions are clear.”

Russia

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov stressed the need to wait for the final results of the US elections to be known, but noted that the leaders of the US Democratic Party had a “distinctly negative” approach to relations with Moscow.

Russia’s position on Ukraine and broader foreign policy “is not based on short-term considerations and, of course, does not depend on fluctuations in the political barometer in other countries,” Ryabkov was quoted as saying by Russian state media.

“We will continue our work in accordance with the directives of the President of the Russian Federation,” he added.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow hoped the U.S. midterm results would not impact Trump’s “peacemaking efforts.”

China

Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said Beijing would continue its “constructive strategic relations” with the United States, emphasizing that the U.S. election is an “internal affair.”

“China is willing to work with the United States to safeguard and implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, strengthen communication, properly handle differences and expand cooperation, build a constructive strategic relationship based on respect and equality,” Mao told reporters in Beijing.

Japan

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said that regardless of the outcome of the U.S. vote, “the Japan-U.S. alliance is the cornerstone of Japan’s foreign and security policy.”

“As the international situation becomes turbulent and increasingly uncertain, a strong Japan-US alliance is essential to maximize Japan’s national interests and for the peace and stability of the international community,” Kihara said at a press briefing.

South Africa

⁠President Cyril Ramaphosa, who clashed with Trump over the US president’s promotion of debunked claims of white genocide in South Africa, said the election marked “a new era in global relations”.

“We saw that the Democrats took control of the Senate and the House, and the American people spoke up,” Ramaphosa told reporters.