US President Donald Trump has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to release 300,000 tonnes of diesel immediately "to the American and global marketplace".
As the price of diesel and oil have skyrocketed in recent weeks, US President Donald Trump has made a deal with Russia to relieve the pressure on American pumps.
President Trump shared with reporters last night: "I think you heard about the oil deal with Russia. That is a big deal. That is massive amounts of oil coming into our country. And I want to thank President Putin, to be honest with you.
"We have massive amounts of oil coming into our country, and it's diesel, which is what we want. So, thank you."
One reporter mentioned how Ukrainian President Zelensky said that President Trump was "weak" because of the deal, to which he simply replied: "Okay."
He continued: "We need oil for the world, and this is diesel, which is what we need. So, we're very happy to get it. Look, we need it. Oil prices are already dropping like a rock."
Considering the oil and diesel prices are so high is due to Trump's war with Iran, many are seeing this move as a way of bringing favour to the Republicans ahead of the Midterm elections this November.
Speaking on this assumption with The Pat Kenny Show was Donnacha Ó Beacháin, professor of politics at DCU and author of Unfinished Empire, who explained why President Trump is "obsessed" with oil and diesel prices.
He shared: "It is about the midterms. The midterms are going to take place on the 3rd of November, so that's just over four weeks away.
"Trump is obsessed with the price of oil and diesel because it was one of his main targets against the Biden administration, that inflation was out of control, that the price of the petrol pump was going up. So, this is particularly damaging to him.
"And it's, of course, a self-inflicted wound because the price of oil and diesel has skyrocketed because of Trump's war of choice against Iran.
"So, this is a boomerang effect, but essentially it's Ukraine that's going to suffer as a result of him trying to bail himself out in his administration."
Mr Kenny asked how this move will go down with Republicans and Democrats alike, and Mr Ó Beacháin believes it could do well with his "core support base".
He continued: "I think this may do well with his core support base. They don't ultimately care so much about Ukraine. This, after all, is a country for most of them that they've never visited, that they are unlikely to visit. They do understand, though, the price of gas.
"Therefore, I think that whereas Democrats, of course, have come out opposing this, some Republicans [too] have criticised the move, but I don't think it will do him necessarily any damage politically, whereas otherwise he wouldn't be doing it."
