Episode description

This week a very public spat erupted between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian president Vlodomoyr Zelensky after Washington took the unprecedented step of starting peace negotiation talks with Moscow - but without Kyiv. 

After Zelensky accused Trump of disinformation, Trump retorted by branding Zelensky a dictator, something that has been roundly condemned by European leaders. 

So why has Trump turned against Zelensky, what is behind his embrace of Russia and is his view shared by Americans?

Plus: How do you end a war? Do they always end in negotiations, as the cliche goes? And is there a fair way to do it - particularly if neither side has been militarily defeated?

Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman, the Emeritus Professor of War Studies at King's College London, looks to history to discuss all these questions and more.

Contact us with feedback or ideas:

battlelines@telegraph.co.uk 

@venetiarainey

@RolandOliphant

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