US President Donald Trump has announced a deal to bring Russian diesel into the United States, a move welcomed by the Kremlin. He's accused Ukraine of ignoring his calls to halt strikes on Russian refineries. Ukraine insists it will only stop striking Russian refineries if Moscow ceases attacks on its energy facilities. With Washington and Europe diverging further on Ukraine, how long can European leaders continue their economic and military support for Kyiv?

In this episode:

• Lisa Yasko, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament

• Andrey Kortunov, Russian affairs analyst

• John Lough, Head of Foreign Policy at the New Eurasian Strategies Centre

Host: Rishaad Salamat

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Fighting is intensifying between Yemen's Ansar Allah Houthis and Saudi Arabia. For the first time since a ceasefire in 2022, the Houthis have fired missiles towards the capital, Riyadh. The Iran-backed group says it will respond to any escalation with an escalation of its own. But it also risks dragging the wider region into conflict. What will it take to stop the attacks?

In this episode:

• Nawaf Obaid, Senior Research Fellow at King’s College London and former advisor to the Saudi government
• Muhanad Seloom, Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs
• Ibrahim Jalal, Yemeni affairs analyst who specialises in regional security and armed groups

Host: Rob Matheson

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Unacceptable. That was the immediate reaction from US President Donald Trump to Iran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran says it's still awaiting what it called a "definitive response" from Washington through mediators. But Trump has said Iran needs a deal because, in his words, it's "losing badly." So, is his rejection of the proposal an effort to pressure Tehran for more concessions?

In this episode:

• Abas Aslani, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Middle East Strategic Studies
• Henry Ensher, former US diplomat and former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
• Zeidon Alkinani, Founding Director of the Arab Perspectives Institute

Host: Mohammed Jamjoom

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