Trump’s Deal with Putin, and the Fate of Ukraine
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands after their arrival for a US-Russia summit on Ukraine at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15, 2025. (GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Airdate: Monday, November 2, 2026 at 10 am
In the past month, President Trump has cut a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to import Russian diesel fuel to the US, lifted sanctions on Russia’s energy industry and pressured Ukraine to halt drone strikes on Russian refineries. Critics say it’s an attempt to lower U.S. gas prices ahead of the midterm elections and a betrayal of Ukraine, as the embattled country prepares for a difficult winter. We’ll talk about what Washington’s pivot toward Russia means for Ukraine’s future.
Guests:
- Illia Ponomarenko, journalist and author, “The Land of Tears and Hope: The Ukrainian Story” – Former defense and security reporter, The Kyiv Post; co-founder, The Kyiv Independent. He has covered the war in eastern Ukraine since the conflict’s beginning, as well as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine since 2022
- Simon Shuster, staff writer, Atlantic Magazine – author, “The Showman: Inside the Invasion That Shook the World and Made a Leader of Volodymyr Zelensky”
- Michael McFaul, professor of political science; Director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University; former U.S. Ambassador to Russia