Russia panicking as Moscow predicts midterms drubbing for Donald Trump - 'Bad for us'

Russian media has warned that Donald Trump could take a beating in US midterms next year, adding this would be bad for Moscow. The US midterm elections are due to get underway next year, and while little thought may have been given to the elections more than 12 months away from kicking off in the US or UK, in Russia, their attention has already been turned.

Russian news outlet Komsomolskaya Pravda wrote in today's print: "A year from now, there will be elections in America that could undermine Donald Trump's power and hurt Russia. If the Democratic Party regains control over one of the chambers of Congress. That is a problem for Trump. His opponents will get the chance to block his bills.

"For example, to prevent sanctions from being taken off our country (Russia) and to create problems for his budget plans by including support for Ukraine. And if the whole congress turns Democrat, the game's over."

The Russian paper even goes so far as to give the American President some advice on how to improve his popularity at the polls, and unsurprisingly, from the Russian gaze, it involves "sorting out" Ukraine.

The paper adds: "He needs a major success that would convince the doubters. For example, sorting out Ukraine, taking Russia's interests into account, otherwise the conflict won't end."

In what feels like a flashback to the Cold War, Nuclear tests were also raised, with the outlet recommending that Trump cancel his newly resumed testing "as a sign of goodwill that everyone will respond to."

The rhetoric may suggest that Moscow thinks time is running out to bank some concessions when it comes to negotiating an end to the Ukraine War, with the Kremlin seemingly holding firm that Trump will begin to sway to the Russian argument and agree to their terms.

According to the BBC's Steve Rosenberg, another Russian outlet, Izvestia, is reporting that these talks are on hold, but claims that doesn't mean they are over. It adds: "Most likely Donald Trump and his entourage have not yet fully understood the depth of the conflict and its root causes."

However, all this comes in the backdrop of a tanking Russian economy, with the papers also reporting 0% growth during the last quarter for its economy, with the fuel price on the up and even the everyday cost of a coffee increasing by 15% in the last month.

Moscow's predictions may seemingly be correct, with yesterday Forbes reporting Trump's lowest second-term approval rating with Morning Consult's poll dropping him to a -10 net rating.