How Ukraine's Defence Industry Can Outlast Washington's Political Cycles

Democrats won control of both chambers of the U.S. Congress in the midterm elections, opening a new phase of congressional resistance to President Donald Trump. In an opinion column on the war-time situation in Ukraine, author David Zaikin argues that Kyiv should use this moment to build support that does not depend on a single American party.

Congress and the executive

The author notes that voters were driven mainly by inflation, the cost of living and economic insecurity rather than by enthusiasm for Democrats. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has voiced hope for more U.S. support. A Democratic Congress has more influence over appropriations, committee leadership, hearings and oversight of the Pentagon, but foreign policy is carried out by the executive branch. The $400 million in military aid for Ukraine, which Congress approved months before it was actually disbursed, illustrates the gap.

A bipartisan line

Zaikin recalls September 2024, when Zelenskyy visited the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Pennsylvania accompanied only by Democratic representatives. House Speaker Mike Johnson described the visit as resembling a partisan campaign event and demanded that Ukraine recall Ambassador Oksana Markarova. The author argues that both parties include Ukraine's supporters, so the aim should be a broader consensus rather than closeness to the Democrats.

Defence industry and the U.S. market

Ukraine's defence sector produced roughly $12 billion in 2025, up from about $1 billion in 2022, yet attracted only around $105 million in foreign investment. The author sees limited market access as the key obstacle. The Pentagon's Drone Dominance programme aims to quickly buy large numbers of inexpensive, NDAA-compliant drones. Participants must demonstrate compliant supply chains, certifications, production capacity, working capital and ties with American industry.

Zaikin urges Kyiv to create a faster route into U.S. procurement and to welcome American capital through joint ventures. In his view, success will be measured by whether, by the next U.S. election, Ukrainian defence technology is valuable enough that supporting it is also a domestic American industry interest.