Galway Talks with John Morley Monday October 12

Can I ask you separately about the geopolitical situation? What do you make of the comments from US President Donald Trump calling for Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to be replaced as leader, while at the same time entering into a deal with Moscow for millions of tonnes of Russian diesel to be released onto the world market?

I have to say I'm appalled by the comments of the President of the United States over the course of the weekend.

In the first instance, with regard to his comments on the removal of President Zelensky in the first instance, I think it's highly unhelpful.

And he also knows this.

In the context of what's been going on over the course of the last three years, since Russia invaded, to come in at this point and start trying to destabilize the situation is not helpful at all.

But the core issue here is his decision, his U-turn yet again, to decide he's going to go back at this point to Russia to buy the diesel and to effectively support the killing machine that's causing the problem in Ukraine, that started the war and is continuing to cause the problem.

I'm heartened this morning with news from the United States that this decision is going to be challenged at Congress level.

and that there may well not be the political mandate there that he thinks there is to get this across the line.

I hope that turns out to be the case because he must realise that by going in and buying, purchasing large volumes of diesel and sending money into Russia, he's effectively payrolling the slaughter of innocent people.

And that will continue over the coming months if such a deal is put in place.

So it's been a bad weekend for the geopolitical model.

I know sometimes with President Trump, we're told to wait for 48 hours to see if anything emerges.

So I put my faith in the American political system and what's left of it, that they will be able to turn around this decision.

Because if it goes ahead, it is potentially disastrous.

Well, so much for sanctions on Russia if it goes ahead.

Well, it's a total joke.

I mean, on one hand, we have the European Commission again today meeting to increase sanctions even further.

while our former allies and friends in the West are going the other way and supporting the Russian regime.

I honestly, when you listen to American politicians who come to Brussels from time to time as well and in the media, I get no sense that there's actually support for this.

It seems to me that President Trump sometimes listens to the last person who's in the Oval Office when it comes to suggesting ways he can deal with fuel issues and prices and costs.

The bottom line is, on this, that this policy is fraught with difficulty and it will lead to further bloodshed.

It will lead to further funding of the war machine, as I say, that's in place in Ukraine.

And I think, and I hope that the American political system will sit up and say that he's gone too far on this and that he must be stopped.

Certainly the Congress are going to make an effort I think in the next 24 hours to actually reverse this decision and I would welcome that.

Do you fear more pain in people's pockets here when it comes to fuel prices considering the escalation we're seeing in the Arabian Peninsula with one person killed and 11 others wounded in a fresh attack at Riyadh International Airport which the Houthis, which are Iranian-aligned Houthis, they've claimed responsibility for?