Ukrainecast

Trump goes nuclear, Putin goes quiet

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 countries?This week, we’re joined by nuclear physicist and arms control expert, Patricia Lewis, for her assessment of the situation. And, Jamie and Vitaly discuss the Russia TikTokers targeted by authorities for publishing a video in front of a burning fuel depot in Sochi.Today’s episode is presented by Jamie Coomarasamy and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Laurie Kalus and Polly Hope. The technical producer was Dafydd Evans. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham. Email Ukrainecast@bbc.co.uk with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram to +44 330 1239480You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast’s Discord server here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord

Q&A: Trump vs Medvedev, a US defection and revisiting the minerals deal

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 targets in Kyiv on Thursday killing at least eight, and injuring more than 130 others.This week, Lucy and Vitaly are joined by the BBC’s Ukraine correspondent, James Waterhouse, to discuss army infiltration, the American family who defected to Russia, and what happened to that highly publicised minerals deal. Plus, our very own Olga Robinson tells us about BBC Verify’s latest deep-dive into Russian disinformation. Today’s episode is presented by Lucy Hockings and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Laurie Kalus, Julia Webster and Polly Hope. The technical producer was Hannah Montgomery. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham. Email Ukrainecast@bbc.co.uk with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message, voice note, or video via WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram to +44 330 1239480You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast’s Discord server here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord

Can Zelensky recover from nationwide protests?

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 correspondent, Joe Tidy, about an apparent Ukrainian hack on Russia's Aeroflot airline, and the Kremlin's new surveillance-driven alternative to WhatsApp.Today’s episode is presented by Lucy Hockings and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Laurie Kalus, Julia Webster and Polly Hope. The technical producers were Phil Bull and Mike Regaard. The social producer was Joe Wilkinson. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham. Email Ukrainecast@bbc.co.uk with your questions and comments. Or send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram to +44 330 1239480You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast’s Discord server here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord

Q&A: Big protests, brief talks and pressure on Zelensky

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 Doucet and Russia editor Steve Rosenberg, who also react to reports of a potential meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in China. Plus - after representatives from Russia and Ukraine met in Istanbul for the shortest round of peace talks yet - we get Vitaly’s take from Turkey. Today’s episode is presented by Lucy Hockings. The producers were Laurie Kalus, Julia Webster and Polly Hope. The technical producer was Hannah Montgomery. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham. Email Ukrainecast@bbc.co.uk with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram to +44 330 1239480You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast’s Discord server here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord

Secondary tariffs explained: can they hurt Russia?

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 senior writer in Bloomberg’s investigations team, and the author of ‘Punishing Putin: Inside the Global Economic War to Bring Down Russia’. Plus, we discuss how Russia is overhauling the education system for those 1.6 million Ukrainian children living under occupation. Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Laurie Kalus, Polly Hope and Julia Webster. The technical producer was Hannah Montgomery. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham. Email Ukrainecast@bbc.co.uk with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram to +44 330 1239480You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast’s Discord server here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord