is the director general of the wto, ngozi okonjo iweala. will rising geopolitical tensions lead to the weaponisation of trade? ngozi okonjo iweala, welcome to hardtalk. thank you, stephen. now, you are one of the world s key advocates of ever freer trade, more globalisation. what s it like to be doing yourjob when the political tide across the world is running against you? the wto s purpose, the world trade organization, is. its purpose is to enhance living standards, to help create employment and to support sustainable development. there could be nothing more worthy than that. so, it s supposed to deliver for people. and that s what i want people to know about it, therefore. nobody could quarrel with those objectives and that sentiment, but the truth is you are a membership organisation with 160 plus members. you have clearly key members like the united states and china, and you can only work if there is an element of trust, of co operation, of a desire for common objectives
tonight with the context, brian taylor, political commentatorfor the herald, and leigh ann caldwell, political reporter for the washington post. welcome to the programme. there s been an evolution in the way the west views this war in ukraine, an evolution in the arms which nato countries are supplying first it was shoulder held stingers, then the hymars, next came the patriot missile systems, now it s a conversation over tanks. the red lines have shifted with the evolving nature of the war. in recent months, the allies have come to the opinion that a year long stalemate in ukraine is in no one s favour except russia s. so what would it take to allow ukraine to win rather than just avoid losing? what would ukraine require in order to punch through the russian defences in towns like bakhmut and soledar, from where the bbc s andrew harding reports. we are in an area where russian and ukrainian infantry now appear to be fighting at close quarters. clambering through the remain
tonight with the context, brian taylor, political commentatorfor the herald, and leigh ann caldwell, political reporter for the washington post. welcome to the programme. there s been an evolution in the way the west views this war in ukraine, an evolution in the arms which nato countries are supplying first it was shoulder held stingers, then the hymars, next came the patriot missile systems, now it s a conversation over tanks. the red lines have shifted with the evolving nature of the war. in recent months, the allies have come to the opinion that a year long stalemate in ukraine is in no one s favour except russia s. so what would it take to allow ukraine to win rather than just avoid losing? what would ukraine require in order to punch through the russian defences in towns like bakhmut and soledar, from where the bbc s