A major incident occurred on Ukraine’s doorstep this week when at least 19 Russian drones entered Polish airspace, four of which were shot down. Despite Russia’s insistence that it had no intention of striking targets inside Poland, this is nonetheless being considered a significant test both of the durability of Nato’s eastern flank, and the resolve of its member states to defend it. To discuss the response to this incursion, Lucy and Vitaly are joined by BBC Verify’s Olga Robinson and security...
Sep 11, 2025•26 min
After a Ukrainian government building was damaged in a Russian strike for the first time, Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House that he was ready to implement new sanctions against Moscow. So, what might ‘phase two’ of a US sanctions package look like, and could it impact the Kremlin’s ability to finance its ongoing invasion? To discuss Washington’s options, we’re joined by Stephanie Baker, a senior writer in Bloomberg’s investigations team and author of ‘Punishing Putin: Inside th...
Sep 09, 2025•30 min
Emmanuel Macron and Sir Keir Starmer have once again convened the so-called ‘Coalition of the Willing’ in Paris to consolidate proposals for post-war security guarantees for Ukraine. But as Europe looks to a hypothetical future, a growing alliance led by China is focused on a new era of global leadership which Xi Jinping says has already arrived. The Chinese president welcomed a host of world leaders this week, with none more notable than Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, who is continuing his...
Sep 04, 2025•28 min
As Vladimir Putin rubs shoulders with Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi in Beijing, the West’s failure to force Russia into peace in Ukraine has rarely been portrayed more starkly. Despite sanctions threats, neither China nor India has shown any sign of curtailing trade with Russia, and in response to Donald Trump’s decision to single out Delhi for additional tariffs over its dealings in Russian energy, Prime Minister Modi appears to be looking elsewhere for diplomatic cover. To discuss how Moscow ca...
Sep 02, 2025•21 min
There have been multiple civilian casualties in Kyiv after sustained Russian airstrikes on the Ukrainian capital overnight. The UK Foreign Office has told Moscow to "stop this senseless killing" and earlier summoned Russia's ambassador in the UK to protest. But will these latest attacks have any bearing on international attempts to broker a peace deal? To examine the fallout, Jamie and Vitaly are joined by Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse and BBC Verify’s Olga Robinson. They also discuss V...
Aug 28, 2025•31 min
As Russia continues to pour cold water on the prospect of an imminent summit between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, efforts to end the war in Ukraine appear to have returned to a familiar holding pattern. Despite the fanfare surrounding key summits in Alaska and Washington, significant divisions remain on key issues from territorial concessions to security guarantees. So, with Trump once again restarting the clock on the deadline for Russian cooperation, what sort of progress can we expe...
Aug 26, 2025•34 min
After headline-grabbing meetings in Alaska and Washington, members of the world’s media are on high alert, as Donald Trump talks up the chances of a summit between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin. So, has a change in tone from the US on security guarantees moved the needle? Is a temporary ceasefire now less likely? And crucially, would a face-to-face encounter with a leader he’s long sought to delegitimise, mark a clear concession from President Putin? This week, the Ukrainecast studio is ...
Aug 21, 2025•32 min
White House talks between Donald Trump and European leaders continued into the night yesterday, with plenty on the agenda including the shape of future security guarantees for Ukraine, and the prospect of a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian president made a noticeable effort to charm his US counterpart, but with disagreements over the need for a ceasefire and the issue of territory seemingly absent from discussions, are we any closer to the end of the war? We’r...
Aug 19, 2025•31 min
The first face to face meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin since the war in Ukraine started is over, with Donald Trump saying “we didn’t get there” on a Ukraine deal, or a ceasefire. The meeting lasted three hours, with the US president insisting progress was made, and Putin saying he is “sincerely interested” in ending the war, but without giving details. The two leaders both addressed the media at the end of the summit, but didn’t take questions. In a special collaboration, Victori...
Aug 16, 2025•31 min
A potentially historic summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin is due to take place in Alaska tomorrow. So, what is really on the agenda? Could Ukraine accept any proposal which sees its territory used as a bargaining chip? And would the US demand robust security guarantees as part of a hypothetical deal? To answer your questions on all that and more, Jamie is joined by Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse, BBC Verify’s Olga Robinson, and Matthew Savill of the Royal United Services Inst...
Aug 14, 2025•33 min
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are due to meet in the US state of Alaska on Friday, in what is arguably the most significant diplomatic development since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Ahead of the summit, the American president confirmed reports that his administration is preparing a peace proposal involving territory swaps, despite Ukraine's insistence that it will not accept any changes to its recognised borders. So, without the buy-in of Volodymyr Zelensky and his European allies,...
Aug 12, 2025•26 min
The US deadline for Russia to agree a ceasefire in Ukraine has expired, but the prospect of new secondary tariffs has been overshadowed by a mooted meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, in what would be their first face-to-face encounter since 2019. President Trump also appeared to confirm reports on Friday that the US is poised to bilaterally agree a ceasefire deal allowing Russia to retain occupied territory. So are we closer than ever to a frozen conflict without a political resolu...
Aug 08, 2025•27 min
Donald Trump has been accused of nuclear posturing, after claiming that he’d ordered two US submarines to move closer to Russia. The announcement followed an escalating social media spat with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, as Washington’s deadline for Vladimir Putin to agree a ceasefire in Ukraine approaches. The Kremlin has broadly played down Trump’s rhetoric, so with US envoy Steve Witkoff due to visit Moscow on Wednesday, how delicate is the diplomatic relationship between the two...
Aug 05, 2025•23 min
On Thursday, Ukraine’s parliament waved through a bill reversing controversial changes to domestic anti-corruption bodies. The near-unanimous vote wiped out any remaining uncertainty over the future of the institutions, after Zelensky had largely caved to pressure following widespread demonstrations last week. Meanwhile - despite a shorter-term deadline set by President Trump for a ceasefire - Russia has continued its aerial campaign on Ukrainian targets, with strikes on more than two dozen targ...
Jul 31, 2025•28 min
After the biggest demonstrations since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Volodymyr Zelensky has largely walked back a controversial overhaul of domestic anti-corruption bodies. But is he still under pressure? Fresh from a reporting trip to Ukraine, we're joined by Lindsey Hilsum, International Editor at Channel 4 News. She discusses the fallout from the protests, the changing nature of warfare, and Donald Trump's latest intervention. Plus - Lucy and Vitaly speak with the BBC's Cyber cor...
Jul 29, 2025•35 min
It has been a bruising week domestically for President Zelensky, as a controversial move to overhaul key anti-corruption bodies saw thousands of Ukrainians take to the streets in the biggest nationwide demonstrations held since Russia’s full-scale invasion. With the EU already raising concerns, could this undermine his recent progress on the diplomatic stage, particularly when it comes to the Trump administration? To discuss the fallout, Lucy is joined by chief international correspondent Lyse D...
Jul 24, 2025•25 min
After Ukraine announced another round of peace talks with Russia, commentators continue to question whether President Trump’s latest threat of secondary tariffs carries enough weight to force Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. So we’re asking how exactly these measures could be rolled out, what the impact would be on international trade, and why the US isn’t opting to introduce further sanctions alongside the EU. To answer all of that, Victoria and Vitaly are joined by Stephanie Baker, a s...
Jul 22, 2025•26 min
Is the Kremlin concerned about Donald Trump’s threat of secondary tariffs in 50 days? Why has President Zelensky overhauled his cabinet? And could other countries follow suit after France reportedly opted out of the NATO purchase of US arms for Ukraine? Lucy and Vitaly attempt to answer all of that and more with the help of Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse and BBC Verify’s Olga Robinson. Today’s episode is presented by Lucy Hockings and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Laurie Kalus an...
Jul 17, 2025•26 min
The White House has played down reports that Donald Trump privately encouraged Volodymyr Zelensky to strike targets deep inside Russia, including Moscow and St Petersburg. That's despite the US president's promise to deliver more weapons to Ukraine via NATO allies, and a new threat of secondary tariffs on countries buying Russian oil and gas. So is his administration's approach to Russia changing? Also, we hear about the more than 250,000 Ukrainians who came to the UK under schemes granting them...
Jul 15, 2025•34 min
Is Donald Trump changing his rhetoric on Ukraine? Has he directed allies in Congress to accelerate a new sanctions package targeting Russia? And could infighting among high-ranking Ukrainian officials prove to be a damaging distraction in their country’s war effort? Lucy and Vitaly answer all that, and consider the delicate diplomatic balance Turkey is attempting to strike during this conflict, alongside the BBC’s Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse. Today’s episode is presented by Lucy Hocki...
Jul 10, 2025•25 min
On Friday, Ukraine’s air force said Russia had launched a record 539 drones and 11 missiles in overnight airstrikes. Kyiv was at the epicentre of the attack, with every district in the capital targeted. We’ve been speaking with two residents of the city, about their experiences - Dasha, who spent the night sheltering at a local metro station, and Oleksiy, who watched his business go up in flames on CCTV. Also, on Monday Russia's Investigative Committee said that Vladimir Putin’s former transport...
Jul 08, 2025•21 min
After the US paused the delivery of some weapons to Ukraine pledged under the Biden administration, how soon will the impact be felt on the front line? As Russia claims full control of Luhansk, what is life like for Ukrainians living in occupied territories? And is Ukraine united behind the Russian opposition movement? Lucy and Vitaly answer all that, and discuss French President Emmanuel Macron’s call with Vladimir Putin, alongside BBC Verify’s Olga Robinson, and our diplomatic correspondent Ja...
Jul 03, 2025•25 min
Last week, a clip of BBC Ukrainian reporter Myroslava Petsa went viral, after President Trump asked a series of questions about her personal story during a press conference at the Nato summit. Myroslava tells us what was going through her mind at that moment, and what it has been like to cover the conflict while her husband fights for Ukraine. We also hear from Matthew Savill at RUSI about the intensification of nightly Russian drone attacks on Ukrainian towns and cities. Can Russia sustain this...
Jul 01, 2025•27 min
The Nato summit in The Hague did get member states to agree on ramping up their defence spending - and seemed to placate Donald Trump. But has this week changed anything for Ukraine? What happened to the prior US “two-week deadline” to agree a ceasefire - and will those sought-after Patriot missiles ever arrive in Kyiv? Jamie Coomarasamy and Vitaly Shevchenko answer all that, and discuss the knotty details of prosecuting alleged war crimes with BBC Verify’s Olga Robinson and the Ukraine correspo...
Jun 26, 2025•25 min
As Nato leaders gather in the Hague, all eyes are on one man - President Trump. Member states have largely complied with his demand that they spend more on collective defence. But as Russia’s full-scale invasion continues, will his focus at this summit extend to Ukraine, or is he preoccupied with events in the Middle East? For an insider perspective, we’re joined by the former US Permanent Representative to Nato, Julianne Smith. And two of our listeners from Nato’s newest members - Finland and S...
Jun 24, 2025•33 min
As oil prices rise, is escalation in the Middle East between Israel and Iran a positive development for Russia? How successful has Ukraine been in downing Russia’s fibre optic drone capacity? And is the Kremlin really intent on extending its invasion beyond Nato borders? Lucy and Vitaly answer all that, and discuss the impact of the latest western sanctions with BBC Verify’s Olga Robinson and Matthew Savill of the Royal United Services Institute. The producers were Laurie Kalus and Polly Hope. T...
Jun 19, 2025•23 min
As the confrontation between Iran and Israel deepens, could Russia could reap the benefits of rising oil prices - or have the chance to act as a mediator? And what consequences could this crisis have for Ukraine? Also, what’s it like to join the Ukrainian armed forces? We catch up with friend of the pod Volodymyr, who recently volunteered for a drone unit and is going through basic training. Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producer was Polly Hope an...
Jun 17, 2025•24 min
How are Russian POWs treated in Ukrainian captivity? Is Kyiv’s claim that Russia has suffered more than 1 million casualties during the war accurate? And during WW2 Britain used flat-pack bomb shelters - could they also now work in Ukraine? These are just some of the questions you’ve been sending in to the Ukrainecast team. Jamie and Vitaly are joined by Olga Robinson from BBC Verify and Olga Ivshina from BBC Russian to answer them. Today’s episode is presented by Jamie Coomarasamy and Vitaly Sh...
Jun 12, 2025•25 min
Bringing soldiers back home is one of the few areas where Russia and Ukraine have made progress together in recent months, and another large scale prisoner swap started this week. We talk to Anastasia - the wife of a Ukrainian soldier held captive since 2022, and released in May. But his new found freedom came against a backdrop of continuing Russian attacks on cities across Ukraine. We talk about whether we are seeing the retaliation for operation 'Spider Web'. Today’s episode is presented by V...
Jun 10, 2025•25 min
What do the Spider Web drone attacks tell us about Ukraine’s tactics inside Russia going forward? Could the West limit Russian oil revenues by confiscating its 'shadow fleet'? And are we any closer to seeing high-precision laser weapons on the battlefield? We answer all that and discuss what the implications could be for Ukraine after Poland elected a new conservative president, with the BBC's chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet and diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams. Today’s episode ...
Jun 05, 2025•23 min
