Britainupdated 1h ago3 min read
Wes Streeting Says UK Will Bring Trump And Zelensky Back Together Over Russian Diesel Deal
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UK does not support the Trump-Putin diesel deal. UK will seek to reunite Trump and Zelensky after the diesel row.
Streeting seeks unity
Defence secretary Wes Streeting said Britain would try to build bridges between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky after Trump announced a deal to buy Russian diesel, and Streeting told Sky News that the UK wanted “unity in the face of Russian aggression and imperialism.” Streeting said the UK would act as a peacebroker between Kyiv and Washington, and he told BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House that the agreement had been done “in the context of the US president facing elections in November.” Streeting also said the UK would continue to impose its “toughest sanctions regime ever” on Russia, while he argued the US and other allies should focus on increasing pressure on Russia to shorten the war and secure Ukraine’s freedom.
Streeting said the UK did not “seek conflict with Russia” but added that “Strength is the best form of deterrence,” as he discussed defence planning around a possible Russian attack on Nato by 2030. The BBC reported that Streeting said the UK was “fortunate to have someone of his calibre, his courage and his integrity leading their war effort,” referring to Zelensky.
Diesel deal sparks backlash
Trump told reporters outside the White House that Zelensky “wants to make problems for the world” by continuing to authorise attacks on Russian refineries, and Trump said “He'd better damn well stop,” before suggesting Ukraine should “get a new leader who can make a deal.” Zelensky condemned the diesel agreement as “absolutely terrible” and said it looked like a birthday present for Putin, and the BBC reported Streeting said the UK did not support Trump’s deal with Vladimir Putin. Streeting told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that the diesel deal “sends out all the wrong messages,” and he argued that if you want a peaceful world you do not do that sort of deal.
Andrew Griffith criticised the diesel deal on the BBC, saying Trump was “wrong” to call for Zelensky to go, and he added that “The US is our closest ally but even close allies can disagree.” Streeting also told the BBC that it was “not the first time we've seen these sorts of tensions between Kyiv and Washington,” and he said the UK’s role was to try to bring friends back together again.
Pressure, spending, and risk
Streeting said the UK had to plan its defence spending on the basis that there could be a Russian attack on Nato by 2030, and he said the government would set out a path to increase spending to 3.5% of national income by 2035 at next year’s Spending Review. Streeting said the coming Budget would “plug” a £4.7bn funding gap to pay for the Defence Investment Plan, and he said he would “always push for more defence spending” while refusing to set out a spending commitment without showing how it would be paid for. Streeting said that if the chancellor sat on the programme and said “3% in 2030” without saying how it would be paid for, “the markets would price in that risk and the cost of borrowing would go up.”
The BBC reported that Streeting said the UK was “fortunate to have someone of his calibre, his courage and his integrity leading their war effort,” while it also reported that Streeting argued responsibility for the war “lies squarely and solely with President Putin and his imperialist ambitions.” The Independent reported that Andy Burnham was due to meet Zelensky in person in the coming days after the PM spoke to the Ukrainian leader and “reiterated his complete solidarity” with Ukraine.