VOA Today's Focus (October 10, 2026) Trump and Putin Talk, Russia to Supply Diesel to the United States

This episode of VOA Today's Focus mainly reports on Trump's phone call with Putin reaching an agreement for Russia to supply diesel to the United States; Trump hosting a Columbus Day celebration at the White House; scholars analyzing the US-China summit and trends in arms sales to Taiwan; former UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay winning the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize and the controversy it sparked; the Cold War Museum exhibiting a model of Mao Zedong's left ear created by the CIA; and Trump appointing Zakaria as the new White House Press Secretary, among other topics.

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Welcome to the October 10th edition of VOA Today's Focus. I am Huang Yaoyi, broadcasting live from Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Today's Focus brings you the latest developments in the U.S. and around the world in 15 minutes every day. We broadcast live on platforms including YouTube, Facebook, and X, and you can also listen via radio. Here are today's headline news. President Trump and Putin spoke on the phone and reached a consensus that Russia will provide diesel to the United States. U.S. President Trump hosted a Columbus Day celebration at the White House and praised the achievements of Italians. Navi Pillay, who once urged China to reveal the truth about June Fourth and served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and a judge at the International Court of Justice, has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

President Trump stated on Truth Social on October 9 that he had a phone call with Russian President Putin, temporarily lifting sanctions on Russian diesel, and that the U.S. will purchase diesel from Russia. Trump's post said, "I just had a very successful conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Both sides reached an agreement that Russia will immediately supply over 300,000 tons of diesel to the U.S. and global markets, another 500,000 tons in November, followed by 1 million tons. In addition, depending on the status of its diesel refineries, Russia will deliver another 3 million tons of diesel in a short period." Trump stated that due to the U.S.'s full control over the Strait of Hormuz, combined with this major positive news regarding Russian energy, diesel prices in the U.S. and worldwide will drop significantly. The U.S. Department of the Treasury subsequently released information stating that, per President Trump's instructions, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) immediately issued a temporary general license allowing the supply of Russian diesel to the global market. Dmitriev, President Putin's special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, posted on X that energy and economic cooperation between Russia and the U.S. will continue to advance for the benefit of the global market and the world. Ukrainian President Zelensky responded to this announcement on X, saying that relaxing sanctions without a clear and lasting de-escalation agreement with Russia is clearly a sign of weakness. He warned that allowing Russia to sell petroleum products is tantamount to investing in a war that should be ended rather than prolonged.

Monday, October 12, will be Columbus Day, and U.S. President Trump held a celebration at the White House on the 9th, praising the achievements of Italian Americans. Below is a television report from Voice of America. On Friday, October 9, in the East Room of the White House, surrounded by many Italian Americans, President Trump praised the Italian-born Christopher Columbus as a hero. In 1492, Christopher Columbus led about 90 people on one of the most daring voyages in Earth's history, sailing into the unknown world with a map considered accurate at the time, though he truly did not know whether these maps would work. When Columbus's crew begged him to turn back because the journey ahead was too perilous, the seas were rough, and the ships could hardly endure, he insisted on continuing forward and discovered the New World, ultimately contributing to the birth of the United States of America, the most remarkable nation in history. Some U.S. cities have changed Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day, and President Trump criticized such practices, demanding that previously removed statues of Columbus be returned to their original places. Tenor Christopher Macchio performed one of President Trump's favorite songs on site, the aria Nessun Dorma from the opera Turandot.

The U.S.-China leaders' summit has concluded. Although the Taiwan issue was not a publicly emphasized focus of the talks, the progress of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and trends in U.S.-Taiwan military cooperation have nonetheless attracted outside attention. How are think tank scholars and experts in Washington analyzing the impact of the Trump-Xi meeting on U.S.-Taiwan relations? Below is a reporting interview from Washington by VOA reporter Li Yihua. The U.S.-China leaders' summit has concluded; although the summit outcomes announced by both sides did not mention Taiwan, and President Trump stated that he and Xi Jinping did not spend much time discussing the Taiwan issue, whether U.S. policy toward Taiwan will change after the Trump-Xi meeting still receives attention from all sectors. Multiple American scholars studying Taiwan issues believe that, for now, the summit has not changed the security situation surrounding Taiwan, and the U.S. security commitment to Taiwan has not shown significant changes. I believe the security environment surrounding Taiwan remains very solid, the United States maintains key advantages in underwater combat capabilities, and also possesses key advantages in naval system combat capabilities and air defense capabilities. I believe these practical realities have not changed, and I also believe there is no need to exaggerate the impact that political meetings might have on U.S. Taiwan policy.

Another focus is whether the Washington municipal government will approve a total of $14 billion in arms sales to Taiwan. Some analysts believe the arms sales might be delayed until the end of the year, or might be split into multiple smaller packages approved in batches, and it might not be until the new year, namely 2027, that the $14 billion arms sales package is seen. I think this arms sale likely may not appear as a single $14 billion packaged deal, but might be divided into several batches—for example, advancing successively in amounts of $4 billion, $4 billion, and $6 billion—rather than a one-time approval of $14 billion. I believe this arms sale is most likely to be split into several parts and approved successively over the next year or so without drawing too much attention, and I think there is no problem with that at all. As for whether the progress of arms sales to Taiwan reflects a shift in Washington's policy toward Taiwan, multiple scholars believe that although the Trump administration is adjusting its strategy toward China, Taiwan should not become a bargaining chip in U.S.-China negotiations, and even if arms sales are delayed or adjusted in approach, a fundamental shift in U.S. policy toward Taiwan is unlikely.

Navanethem Pillay, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and judge at the International Court of Justice, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on October 9. The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised her contributions to the field of international law. In 2014, on the 25th anniversary of the June Fourth (Tiananmen) crackdown, Pillay urged China to release detained activists, ease restrictions on discussions surrounding the 1989 Tiananmen protests, and expressed concern over the situation of Liu Xiaobo and Tibet. Below is a television report from Voice of America. Born in South Africa, Pillay defended Nelson Mandela and other anti-apartheid leaders during the era of white minority rule in the country. Now 85 years old, Pillay also served as a judge on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which investigated the 1994 genocide of over 500,000 Rwandans. She currently serves as a judge at the International Court of Justice, presiding over the genocide case against Myanmar. The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to someone who has paved the way for a more robust global legal order with extraordinary courage and integrity. This year's laureate has played a pivotal role in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide are prosecuted. The Norwegian Nobel Committee decided to award the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to Navanethem Pillay in recognition of her efforts to promote peace and international law.

US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that the Norwegian Nobel Committee has suffered irreparable disgrace, stating that Pillay is an unabashed hater of the US and Israel who, during her tenure, praised terrorists and rewarded Hamas. Additionally, the US imposed new sanctions on Friday against the International Criminal Court, an institution where Pillay has served. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the current administration believes the ICC has become politicized. The Nobel Committee praised Pillay's work as a judge, noting that history shows a world lacking the rule of law is unjust, unwise, and inhumane. Judges guard the thin line between order and chaos and deserve our highest praise; yet today, these judges are facing sanctions and their institutions are under attack. We need individuals with courage, vision, and steadfast will, qualities that Navanethem Pillay displayed throughout her judicial tenure. Recently, Pillay chaired a UN Human Rights Council panel that accused Israel's actions against Palestinians in Gaza of constituting genocide, an allegation Israel has denied. Which genocidal regime would provide 1 million doses of the polio vaccine to the enemy population, and which genocidal regime would facilitate the delivery of 2 million tons of food to Gaza, equivalent to one ton per person? Accusing Israel of genocide is the biggest lie of this century. Pillay was attending a forum in Nuremberg, Germany, when she learned she had won the award, stating first that applause in this setting means a great deal to her—truly very important—knowing that if the public does not recognize that you are deserving, winning an award has little meaning. For this reason, she cherishes today's applause all the more and thanks everyone very much. However, as a lawyer and judge, she still wanted to verify the information, noting that this year's prize money is approximately USD 1.2 million.

The FBI arrested 34-year-old Zhang Wanying this week, charging him with monitoring the life of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te's son in Los Angeles on behalf of the Chinese government. More than 70 years ago, U.S. intelligence officers also had surveillance missions targeting Chinese leaders; given the technological limitations of the time, their target was Mao Zedong's ear. The Cold War Museum near Washington, D.C., houses an enlarged replica of Mao Zedong's left ear created by the CIA. Why did the CIA study Mao Zedong's ear? We asked VOA reporter Liu Enming to take us to the Cold War Museum to find out. This was originally produced by the Central Intelligence Agency to allow CIA personnel responsible for monitoring Mao Zedong to distinguish whether it was him or a body double when he appeared in public to give speeches, attend receptions, or get out of a car to leave a building. They could use this to tell if it was him or a double; earlobes are like fingerprints, unique to every individual. Therefore, they created a model of his left ear to distinguish him from his body doubles. This plaster, enlarged model of Mao Zedong's left ear is part of the collection at the Cold War Museum in Vint Hill, Virginia. Photos of Mao Zedong at ages 43 and 56 are displayed on either side of the model for comparison. The museum's founder, historian Francis Gary Powers Jr., stated that Mao Zedong had at least one body double, and the museum noted that the model of Mao Zedong's left ear combined with imagery intelligence is unique. Before the advent of computerized digital facial recognition technology, such work had to be done entirely by hand. This model was donated to the Cold War Museum by the family of a former intelligence officer, Dino Brugioni, after his death. This plaster ear mold once belonged to a Mr. Dino Brugioni, who was a senior imagery analyst at the National Photographic Interpretation Center at the Washington Navy Yard. He also collaborated with the CIA on several projects, primarily involving high-altitude reconnaissance imagery analysis. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, it was he who briefed President Kennedy on the U-2 reconnaissance photos taken between October 15 and October 28, 1962. Powers joked that the CIA might have ear models of other Chinese leaders, and Vashville also said they are still looking for the body double's ear model. We are still looking for his decoy parts; it would be great if we could complete the full set of Mao Zedong's ears.

U.S. President Trump announced on Friday the appointment of Karoline Leavitt's successor, Zachariah, a communications consultant for the Truth Social media platform, as the new White House Press Secretary. Karoline Leavitt left the position in August of this year. As for this Zachariah, he has previously appeared on conservative media outlets such as Fox News and Newsmax. Alright, that is all for today's VOA Focus. Thank you for watching today's program. I am Huang Yaoyi, and we will see you next week.