The British Prime Minister, his wife, and the UK’s second most powerful politician were fined by London's metropolitan police for attending illegal parties in government buildings, breaking their own Covid-19 lockdown rules. This means Boris Johnson is the first sitting British prime minister to be fined for breaking the law. So, what happens to his leadership now? Here to discuss is Johnson’s biographer Sonia Purnell. Also on today's show: Former NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe Sir ...
Apr 12, 2022•58 min
The next phase of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine begins much as the last one did: with a massive military convoy of armored vehicles heading into the fight, this time in eastern Ukraine. President Zelensky has put the onus on America to defend desperate citizens trapped in the war zone. But can the US deliver the heavy weapons Ukraine needs in time to block Russia’s full scale attack? Leon Panetta served as Defense Secretary and CIA Director and joins the show to discuss. Also appearing in ...
Apr 11, 2022•56 min
The death toll from the bombing of a train station in Kramatorsk continues to rise. Officials say it was a deliberate attack on women, children, and the elderly. Nate Mook works with Chef José Andrés at World Central Kitchen and he was in Kramatorsk, picking up supplies near the train station, when the missiles hit. He is Christiane’s first guest. Also on today’s show: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs, Ukra...
Apr 08, 2022•56 min
“Weapons, weapons, and weapons.” That was the Ukrainian Foreign Minister’s stated agenda ahead of today’s meetings with his NATO counterparts in Brussels, as Russia regroups and puts its firepower to the south and east. Ukraine’s military commander says Russian forces are trying to wipe the southern city of Mariupol “off the face of the earth.” Reporter Ben Wedeman has been in Mykolaiv, where he witnessed the devastating impact of constant bombardment. Also on today’s show: Top UN diplomat Marti...
Apr 07, 2022•56 min
As fresh evidence of Russia’s atrocities piles up, besieged residents in Mariupol have no light, no heat, no power – and still Russia’s airstrikes continue. Today, Christiane visited one recently liberated town, Borodianka, which Ukraine says could have a worse death toll than Bucha. Her report is followed by an interview with Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US Ambassador to the UN. Also appearing: Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova, former Commander of US and International Forces in Af...
Apr 06, 2022•57 min
President Zelensky made an impassioned plea to the United Nations Security Council today. Listing the atrocities that took place in the city of Bucha and calling for action, the president went so far as to question whether the Security Council is even fit for purpose. The speech was another reminder to the world of the brutal toll Russia’s invasion is taking on Ukrainians every day. Today's show begins with a special report by correspondent Ivan Watson, who visited a hospital and spoke with badl...
Apr 05, 2022•57 min
A Russian pullback near Kyiv revealed graphic images of horror that are shaking the world, prompting President Biden to label Putin a war criminal. Correspondent Dan Rivers visited the city and heard firsthand distressing accounts of rape and mass executions. His report is followed by an interview with Chile Eboe-Osuji, former president of the International Criminal Court, who weighs on the possible legal steps to hold Russia accountable. Next: Christiane, who's in Kharkiv, visits the site of a ...
Apr 04, 2022•57 min
Christiane once again broadcasts live from the Ukrainian capital. Today's show begins as she interviews two key foreign ministers: Ukraine's Dmytro Kuleba and Germany's Annalena Baerbock. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 01, 2022•56 min
Moscow's military goals in Ukraine have not yet been met — a reality Christiane saw for herself today when she travelled to the outskirts of Kyiv and met with some of the soldiers who halted Russia's momentum in the early days of the war. Following that report you'll hear her exclusive interview with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawieck, who had a warning for Vladimir Putin, and a message for America. Also on today's show: Chef José Andrés, the founder of World Central Kitchen, an organizatio...
Mar 31, 2022•57 min
Today Christiane visits Brovary on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, the subject of ongoing bombardments, while correspondent Fred Pleitgen speaks with residents and troops to find out what they make of Russia's pledge to pull back military operations. Also on today's show: President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff Andriy Yermak, Pentagon Press Secretary Adm. John Kirby, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, Author & Former Marine Elliot Ackerman. To learn more about how CNN ...
Mar 30, 2022•56 min
Christiane is in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, in a nation battered and bloodied, but unbowed. But it’s clear Putin's war is having a devastating impact on civilians, with the mayor of Mariupol saying, “we are in the hands of the occupiers today.” It’s unknown just how many civilians have been killed, but hundreds of thousands have been forced to leave everything behind, as Ivan Watson reports. Also on today's show: Former Russian parliament member Ilya Ponomarev. He was the only Russian politici...
Mar 29, 2022•56 min
It's been a potentially monumental day as Russia says it’s drastically pulling back its assault on Kyiv and Chernihiv. US officials say they see a major strategy shift on the ground, as Moscow appears to be pulling its forces away. Russia’s defense minister this morning said the main tasks of their operation are completed. And Turkey’s foreign minister hailed today’s negotiations in Istanbul as the “most meaningful progress” yet. Joining the show to analyze these myriad developments are former U...
Mar 29, 2022•56 min
Russia’s onslaught on Ukraine has left widespread destruction in some of the country’s major cities. But as Ukrainians fight back, there are fears that Vladimir Putin could escalate the conflict by using even deadlier weapons. In this episode of the Tug of War podcast, Christiane talks about why Vladimir Putin’s strategy isn’t working as well as he had hoped, examines the war crimes allegations leveled against him and breaks down how battlefield losses could backfire in Moscow. To hear future ep...
Mar 27, 2022•25 min
Before Joe Biden left for Poland, he and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a joint task force to wean Europe from its dependence on Russian oil and gas. Christine Lagarde is president of the European Central Bank, and in an exclusive interview with Christiane, she warns the costs to the European and the global economy are rising. Also on today's show: US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith, award-winning Harvard Professor of Constitutional Law Tomiko Brown-Nagin, and act...
Mar 26, 2022•57 min
In Brussels for the emergency NATO summit, President Biden pledged another billion dollars in humanitarian assistance for people impacted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and said the US will take in up to 100,000 refugees fleeing the war. Meantime NATO says it’s beefing up its posture to deal with the crisis and plans to reinforce its WMD defenses. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg talked to Christiane on the ground in Brussels. Also on today's show: Former US Secretary of State Hillary Cl...
Mar 24, 2022•57 min
President Biden is on his way to Brussels for emergency summit meetings with NATO heads of state, the European Union, and the G7. Host and European Council President Charles Michel tells Christiane in an exclusive interview that the tactics to be discussed are designed to impose intelligent sanctions that hurt Russia more than they hurt Europe, and that their ultimate goal is to ensure Putin’s defeat. Also on today's show: Ukrainian Ambassador to the EU Vsevolod Chentsov, Democratic congresswoma...
Mar 23, 2022•57 min
Today's episode begins with Christiane's exclusive interview with Vladimir Putin's chief spokesman Dmitri Peskov, who concedes that Russia has yet to achieve any of its military goals in Ukraine and refuses to deny that Moscow could resort to the use of nuclear weapons. Also on the show: Christo Grozen, the executive director and lead Russia investigator of Bellingcat, an open source investigative organization; and Washington Post Global Opinions writer Jason Rezaian, who once spent 544 days unj...
Mar 22, 2022•57 min
Russia’s relentless attacks have pummeled the southern city of Kherson, and they’ve occupied it for around two weeks. But it's still the only city Moscow controls. Correspondent Nick Paton Walsh got rare access to the front line as Ukrainian forces fight to re-take Kherson, and he brings us his eye-witness report. Also on today's episode: Ukraine's chief diplomatic advisor Igor Zhovkva, former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Evelyn Farkas, and Danish director Jonas Poher Rasmussen. To l...
Mar 21, 2022•57 min
Though Putin's invasion of Ukraine has jolted the west into decisive action, will the American-led liberal world order remain intact? Or will China replace the US as the dominant world power? Christiane seeks answers from American political scientist Francis Fukuyama and former Chinese foreign ministry official Victor Gao. Also appearing in today's episode: photojournalist Lynsey Addario. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choice...
Mar 18, 2022•57 min
Survivors are emerging from the rubble of Mariupol’s theater, which was bombed by Russian planes last night despite clear signs that it was sheltering children. As many as 1,200 people are believed to have been inside. Correspondent Nick Paton Walsh has details of the relentless attacks on this besieged city. Also on today's episode: Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand, Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, US Senator Tim Kaine. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, vi...
Mar 17, 2022•57 min
In her first major TV interview since her live protest on Russian state TV, Marina Ovsyannikova tells Christiane that even her own mother believes the Kremlin’s disinformation and explains how she overcame her fears to act. Also on today's episode: House Democrat Seth Moulton, a former Marine who served four tours in Iraq, reacts to Ukrainian President Zelensky's remarkable speech to Congress Australian mining titan Andrew Forrest, who says now is the time to reject Russia's oil and gas Russian-...
Mar 16, 2022•57 min
Still reverberating around the world is Monday's remarkable moment when an editor of Russia state TV news dashed daringly onto the set, waving a sign in English and Russian: “No war. Stop the war. Do not believe the propaganda. They tell you lies here.” Marina Ovsyannikova was found guilty today of organizing an "unauthorized public event" and fined 30,000 rubles ($280). Her bravery is part of an apparent ramping up of dissent inside Russia. Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar knows all too well wh...
Mar 15, 2022•57 min
Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö has known Vladimir Putin for a decade and is among a handful of world leaders who continue to call the Russian president, trying to stop the war. Christiane speaks with him in London to get a sense of what might be Putin’s endgame. Next, Christiane discusses the growing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine with the UN's emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths. Also in today's episode: Correspondent Jim Sciutto reports on the thousands of foreigners who've answe...
Mar 14, 2022•57 min
Vladimir Putin's propaganda machine is in high gear. The Kremlin is pumping out propaganda that no civilians are being hurt and the war is going according to plan, despite thousands of Russian casualties. And everyday Russians aren’t seeing many of the atrocities being committed in their name. Twisting narratives and silencing independent journalists is an age-old ploy, and tonight Christiane speaks to those on the information frontlines. Tikhon Dzyadko recently had to flee the country after his...
Mar 11, 2022•56 min
The White House is warning Russia may up the ante in Ukraine, and is declassifying intelligence in a bid to deter President Putin from possibly using chemical weapons. US Vice President Kamala Harris is in Poland, using her presence to shore up western support for Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees. Christiane speaks with Poland’s Ambassador in DC. Also joining today's episode: Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges (Ret.), and NY Times magazine editor-in-chief Yevgenia Albats. To learn more about how CNN protects lis...
Mar 10, 2022•57 min
Despite repeated promises, Russia’s so-called humanitarian corridors are not fully working, and Ukraine civilians are bearing the brunt of the artillery attacks on their homes, schools, shops, and hospitals. For more on this, Christiane speaks with the country’s former prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk ... What are Russians being told about the war next door? Christiane speaks with Leonid Volkov, chief of staff to Russia’s jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny ... Also joining the show: Bosnia...
Mar 09, 2022•57 min
Two million refugees have reportedly fled Ukraine, half of them children. They're pouring across borders like Moldova's, where correspondent Ivan Watson files a report on their stories. Meanwhile, the independent Norwegian Refugee Council has announced plans to support 800,000 victims of the conflict both inside and outside Ukraine, and its secretary general Jan Egeland joins the show from Oslo. Russians are also looking for their relatives in Ukraine - but in this case, the soldiers whom Putin ...
Mar 08, 2022•57 min
Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov says they'll call off the invasion if Ukraine accepts being neutral and demilitarized, agrees to the permanent loss of Crimea, and recognizes the separatist pro-Russian regions in the east. Russia's demands come as its forces continue to pound Ukrainian cities. We speak to the mayor of Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Syenkevych. Also joining the show: US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith, Ukrainian novelist Andrey Kurkov, and environmentalist Bill McKibben. To learn more abou...
Mar 07, 2022•56 min
"Stop Russian nuclear terrorism!" Those were the startling words of Ukrainian President Zelensky after Russian forces fired on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog Rafael Grossi spoke with Christiane by phone just before he caught a flight to Iran, amid talks to revive the nuclear deal ... What is Putin's version of reality, and what would a Russian victory look like, for Putin, for Ukraine, and for the world? Attempting to answer those questions is Pulitze...
Mar 04, 2022•57 min
"The worst is yet to come." That's the chilling warning from France, as Russia tries to pound Ukrainian cities into submission. Correspondent Matthew Chance reports on what is now becoming a war against civilians ... With reports emerging that Russia now controls the strategic port city of Kherson, Christiane speaks with a 27-year-old teacher and resident of the city ... The International Criminal Court says it's proceeding with an investigation of the Russian invasion. Prosecutor Karim Khan joi...
Mar 03, 2022•57 min
