Trump ‘pulls the rug’ on Ukraine, nine days of diesel, Houthis hit Saudi – with Larry Johnson

Olga and Tara welcome Larry Johnson, former CIA officer, to break down the US-Russia diesel deal and what it means for Ukraine, the tension between the CIA and Trump, the roots of the Houthi-Saudi conflict, and how political fragmentation in the US and Europe could shape what comes next.

Is the US-Russia diesel deal as significant as it sounds? Johnson argues it is a very good deal for Russia – and a meaningless one for the US. Why does he point to a first shipment of 2.7 million barrels – against 3.5 million barrels of daily US consumption? Did the deal violate laws Trump himself signed? And can it hold if, as Johnson claims, the CIA is a “wild card” pursuing its own agenda?

Can Washington really pressure Kiev? What would a halt to satellite data or a Starlink shutdown change on the battlefield? Why does Johnson say Russia refuses a ceasefire, and what does he believe changed in Russia’s approach after the Starobelsk college attack?

What does Johnson mean when he calls Europe the “canary in the mineshaft”? Could Riyadh use its Treasury holdings to pull the US into its conflict with the Houthis? And with Trump caught in the Iran conflict before the midterms, does Johnson’s reading of US politics hold up?