Donald Trump caught the world’s press by surprise last week, announcing a shock diesel deal with Russia after a phone call with Vladimir Putin meant to be about a suspected plague outbreak in Siberia.
In a Truth Social post, the President promised that 300,000 tonnes of highly coveted diesel would immediately enter global markets, with a further 4.5 million mooted for release in time.
Reaction to the deal at home and abroad has been far from enthusiastic. Six senators, four of them Republicans, demanded it be immediately reversed. Volodymyr Zelenskyy branded it a ‘weak decision’, and in the Mail on Sunday, Trump admirer Boris Johnson described the President’s behaviour as ‘sickening’.
With the backlash still coming thick and fast, we ask: is the deal worth it? Will cheaper diesel actually help Republicans at the ballot box? And how do Ukrainians feel about their biggest backer bankrolling their enemy?
To answer these questions, Chris Pleasance is joined by Chief Foreign Correspondent Andy Jehring, just back in London from Ukraine, and White House Correspondent Jon Michael Raasch.
Host: Chris Pleasance
Producer: William Colledge
Executive Producer: Joseph Luke Palmer
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