Episode Details

President Donald Trump has turned up the pressure on Ukraine, calling for Volodymyr Zelensky to be replaced as president and urging Kyiv to halt its attacks on Russian oil refineries. The intervention raises fresh questions about Washington’s commitment to Ukraine and the direction of Trump’s strategy towards Moscow.

The timing is striking. The Trump administration has also reached an agreement allowing Russia to supply hundreds of thousands of tonnes of diesel fuel to the United States. The deal represents a significant shift in policy towards Moscow, potentially easing pressure on Russia over its war in Ukraine as the White House seeks to contain fuel prices ahead of next month’s US midterm elections.

Meanwhile, Iran is looking to regain the initiative in its confrontation with Washington. Having faced a blockade of its ports and growing pressure over the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran is seeking to reassert its influence. This week, Iran and its Houthi allies in Yemen launched separate attacks on Persian Gulf oil producers, sending oil prices sharply higher and renewing concerns about the security of the region’s energy supplies.

And in a very different controversy, what are we to make of the Trump administration’s proposal to livestream the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the convicted Fort Hood shooter?

Tom Switzer discusses these developments with two guests whose perspectives on American power and the Ukraine war promise a lively conversation.

John Mearsheimer is a professor of political science at the University of Chicago and the author of The Tragedy of Great Power Politics.

Aaron Maté is a Canadian journalist and writer who hosts Pushback with Aaron Maté on The Grayzone. His latest book is Their Blood, Our Bullets: The Hidden Story of the US-Russia War for Ukraine.

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Tom Switzer is a journalist and broadcaster who has been a prolific commentator on politics and international affairs. His writing and commentary have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times (international), The Australian, and across ABC and News24 (formerly Sky News), where he has been a regular presenter and panellist. For 30 years, since 1995, he has worked at the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute, the Australian Financial Review, The Australian, the London-based Spectator magazine, and the Sydney-based Centre for Independent Studies, which he headed from 2017 to 2025. He is the host of Switzerland, a long-form interview series exploring global politics, modern history, and the ideas shaping the world.