MEXICO CITY, November 5. /TASS/. A shift in the balance of power in the US Congress following the midterm elections is unlikely to prompt a change in the European Union’s militaristic and anti-Russian policy, which remains subordinate to Washington’s interests, Mauricio Estevez, a political scientist and researcher at the Autonomous Metropolitan University (UAM) in Mexico City, told TASS.

"In Europe, we will see no radical shift. The United States has structured its relations with European leaders in such a way that they remain aligned with Washington’s interests, regardless of whether Trump and the Republicans control both houses of Congress. Talk of the European Union’s ‘strategic autonomy’ remains little more than rhetoric, while plans to expand the military sector serve only to fuel European militarism directed against Russia, without any genuine move away from Washington," he said.

According to Estevez, the EU’s ruling elites have firmly committed themselves to rearmament and increasing military spending to 5% of GDP under NATO’s framework, a course he said comes at the expense of their own citizens.

"Europe’s leaders have abandoned their social contract, cutting investment in healthcare, education and infrastructure. This is already producing serious domestic consequences, ranging from railway accidents caused by inadequate maintenance and the eviction of elderly residents from their homes in Spain to an education crisis in France and widespread protests by young people against military conscription in Germany," the political scientist added.

Turning to Ukraine, Estevez said the European "coalition of the willing" would maintain its militaristic stance, while the media attention surrounding the US elections could temporarily distract from developments on the ground.

"Reports of widespread corruption within Vladimir Zelensky’s inner circle, the existence of secret prisons and the practice of so-called ‘forced mobilization’ undermine the narrative of Ukraine as a supposedly democratic government. However, with the US elections dominating the news agenda, these issues, along with Kiev’s alleged terrorist attacks against the population of Donbass and other Russian regions, may be pushed into the background for several weeks," Estevez concluded.