Trump struck deal with Putin because he is under pressure before midterm elections, suggests Streeting

Britain will try to build bridges between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky after an explosive row over the US President’s announcement of a deal to buy Russian diesel, defence secretary Wes Streeting has said.

President Trump called for new leadership in Ukraine on Saturday, after President Zelensky lashed out at the plan.

Diesel prices have soared in the US in the wake of Trump’s war with Iran.

In a shock move, President Trump on Friday announced a deal to lift sanctions on Moscow to supply some 300,000 metric tons of diesel to the US and global markets.

Ukraine has condemned the deal as “absolutely terrible” and said it looked like a birthday present for Putin.

Mr Streeting told Sky News that it is “not the first time we've seen these sorts of tensions between Kyiv and Washington. And our approach, our role, our responsibility in this situation is to try and bring our friends back together. What we want to see and what we need to see is unity in the face of Russian aggression and imperialism.”

He also suggested that President Trump was under pressure with looming elections in the US.

He added: “Let’s be candid about this, midterms are coming up. Cost of living is an issue, and no doubt President Trump is feeling the same pressure that lots of leaders are facing in terms of wanting to ease cost of living pressures.”

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