President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin talk, Aug. 15, 2025, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Wes Streeting has claimed Donald Trump’s shocking diesel deal with Vladimir Putin was motivated by electoral pressure ahead of the US midterms.
The US president announced a new deal to import millions of tonnes of Russian diesel and lifting Americans sanctions on Russian fuel exports.
It flies in the face of four and a half years of united action from the west to sanction Russia amid its ongoing invasion of Ukraine and has been condemned by Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “gift to Putin”.
Speaking to Sky News, defence secretary Streeting said it is a “political reality” that Trump is making this deal now, just before American voters head to the ballot box next month.
The electorate are expected to punish Trump’s Republican Party for the rising fuel prices and spiralling cost of living, triggered by Trump’s war in Iran which put a squeeze on global oil supplies.
Asked if the UK knew this deal was happening, Streeting said: “No. Congress only recently passed a bill to strengthen US sanctions against Russia.
“But... let’s be candid about this, [the] midterms are coming up. [The] 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, energy prices.”
He added: “I think it’s just a political reality, isn’t it?
“The cost of living is high on the public’s agenda in this country, elsewhere. And no doubt President Trump wants to respond to that.”
He said the UK “would obviously prefer a stronger approach on sanctions” from the US.
However, he claimed the White House is “highly engaged with Ukraine” and that the UK government’s job is to “keep it that way”.
Streeting said: “We stand with Ukraine. We have done since the beginning of this war.
“To his credit, Boris Johnson was providing support to Ukraine before the war began, anticipating Putin’s imperialist ambitions. And we’ve seen that support carry right through, every government, every prime minister, Labour and Conservative. And that support remains resolute with Andy Burnham.
“In terms of what we’ve seen overnight, in terms of the exchange between President Trump and President Zelenskyy, it’s 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.”
Streeting said it was an “overstatement” to say that this new deal “blows apart” European efforts to put Russia under economic pressure.
However, he added: “It’s not what we want to see. We want to see all of our allies increasing pressure on Russia, including through economic sanctions. And the UK intends to do more in this respect.”
Trump called for Zelenskyy to be replaced as Ukrainian president in an explosive intervention overnight.
It came after Zelenskyy slammed the US diesel deal as a “weak decision”.
Relations between the two leaders appear to have reached a low not seen since February 2025, when Trump told Zelenskyy he had “no cards” in the Ukraine war in a humiliating showdown in the Oval Office.
"I resist the temptation to engage in megaphone diplomacy and instead engage in actual diplomacy."
Wes Streeting is questioned by #SundayMorningWith host @RuthDavidsonPC on the US' plan to livestream the execution of mass killer Nidal Hasan, and its impact on UK-US relations pic.twitter.com/TuajbYSKhA
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