Ukrainecast

In today’s episode we do something slightly different. You’ll be familiar with some of the names and voices of the correspondents who’ve covered the Ukraine war for the last three years - James Waterhouse, Lyse Doucet, Sarah Rainsford and more - who regularly appear on this podcast. But you’ll be less familiar with the people doing the work behind the scenes. Today, we hear from one of them. Kate...

An old friend of the podcast, Viktoria Kovalenko, joins us in the studio. Viktoria has experienced the horrors of war first hand. Her husband and elder daughter were killed in front of her when they tried to escape the city of Chernihiv in 2022. Three years on she’s forging a new life with her four-year-old in the UK. She tells us how she’s adapting to life here, what she thinks about Donald Trump...

Where are we with the peace talks on the Ukraine conflict? What’s the situation on the battlefield? And how seriously should we take reports of Chinese nationals fighting for Russia? Vitaly, Lyse and BBC Verify’s Olga Robinson joined up with presenter Leila Nathoo on BBC 5Live to answer these questions and many more. The producers were Peter Karlsen, Julia Webster and Laurie Kalus. The technical p...

President Zelensky says two Chinese citizens have been captured while fighting for Russia in the Donetsk region. But how did they end up in Ukraine and what does this mean for the future of the conflict? General Sir Nick Carter, former chief of the UK's defence staff, is in the studio to discuss this latest development, as well as whether the world order as we know it has changed for good, and if...

Could Putin ever agree to peace? Would an election help Zelensky consolidate power? What’s happened to North Koreans fighting Ukraine? Vitaly is joined by BBC Verify’s Olga Robinson, security correspondent Frank Gardner and Global News Podcast presenter Oliver Conway, to try and answer these questions and more. Today’s episode is presented by Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Ryan Johnston, Be...

On Sunday, NBC reported that Donald Trump was ‘very angry’ with Vladimir Putin over his approach to a ceasefire in Ukraine. So is he changing his mind on the Russian President? Vic and Vit talk to Kurt Volker, Donald Trump’s former special representative for Ukraine about the current state of negotiations, the threat of sanctions and golf diplomacy. They also discuss how Trump’s comments were rece...

What’s President Trump’s next move in the ceasefire negotiations? What would happen if Russia launched a missile from the Black Sea into Ukraine? And what is President Putin up to in the Arctic? James is joined by BBC Verify’s Olga Robinson and diplomatic correspondent James Landale to answer these questions and more. Today’s episode is presented by James Waterhouse. The producers were Ryan Johnst...

The White House says Russia and Ukraine have agreed to ensure safe passage for commercial shipping in the Black Sea and stop military strikes. But could it work? Today we talk to Martin Griffiths, former Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the United Nations. He played a key role in the Black Sea grain deal in 2022 and he gives us an insight on how...

What are Ukraine’s options for getting proper security guarantees? What actually happens when world leaders speak on the phone? And how are the Putin, Trump and Zelensky discussions and negotiations being viewed by ordinary Ukrainians? Those are just a few of your questions that have landed in our inbox and today Lyse, Vitaly and Olga Robinson from BBC Verify joined presenter Matt Chorley to answe...

After a lengthy phone call with Donald Trump, the Kremlin says Vladimir Putin has agreed to a mutual pause on attacks on Russian and Ukrainian energy infrastructure - but stopped far short of accepting a full ceasefire. We get instant reaction from Fiona Hill, who previously served on the National Security Council as an advisor on Russia under President Trump. Today’s episode is presented by Victo...

What’s to stop Russia from escalating the conflict? Who is Steve Witkoff? Can Trump stop Ukraine from joining Nato? These are some of the questions you’ve been sending in - and today, Lyse, Vitaly and Matthew Savill from the Royal United Services Institute think tank, joined presenter Christian Fraser to answer them on the BBC News channel. The producers were Ben Carter and Ryan Johnston. The seri...

Vladimir Putin has said the fighting must end in Ukraine, but that a ceasefire should lead to "enduring peace and remove underlying causes of this crisis." Responding to the Trump administration’s plans to end the war, the Russian president says the idea of a ceasefire is "good and we absolutely support it but there are issues that we need to discuss." So what should we make of his comments? Shash...

Ukraine says it is ready to accept a US proposal for an initial 30-day ceasefire with Russia, in a joint statement. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says “the ball is now in Russia’s court", and he will take the offer to Moscow. Sir Laurie Bristow, former UK ambassador to Moscow joins us to give his reaction and thoughts on what Russia might do next. Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derby...

Is this the week the war changes? On the battlefield, Russian forces are reportedly trying to encircle thousands of Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region, where they recaptured three settlements on Sunday. Meanwhile, talks are taking place on Tuesday between Ukrainians and US officials in Saudi Arabia, at which Kyiv is expected to push for a truce with Russia in the sea and sky. So is this a pote...

The Ukrainecast team join the Global News Podcast to answer listener questions. We discuss Donald Trump’s latest threat, the prospects of peace in Ukraine, and that minerals deal. Today’s episode is presented by Lyse Doucet, James Waterhouse, Vitaly Shevchenko and Jackie Leonard. The producers were Ben Carter and Ryan Johnston. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The assistant editor is Ben Mundy...

President Zelensky says Ukraine is "ready to work under President Trump's strong leadership" to negotiate a peace deal and is ready to sign a minerals deal. His comments come after the US decision to pause military aid. We get reaction from Ukrainian MP Oleksandra Ustinova and ‘Neo’, a soldier currently fighting in Donetsk region. And we speak to Mark Galeotti, Director and CEO of the consultancy...

President Macron has proposed a one-month truce between Russia and Ukraine "in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure." These comments follow a meeting over the weekend in which European leaders tried to deal with the fallout from President Zelensky’s disastrous trip to Washington on Friday. Presenters Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko are joined by Matthew Savill, Director of Milita...

There were unprecedented scenes in the White House this afternoon when President Trump, Vice President JD Vance and President Zelensky clashed in an extraordinary shouting match in front of stunned reporters. Lyse and Vitaly are joined by former UK national security adviser Lord Ricketts to get immediate reaction, and what this all means for the future of Ukraine. The producers were Clare Williams...

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump have been meeting at the White House, with the war in Ukraine top of the agenda. Lyse joins diplomatic correspondent James Landale, Newsnight’s Nick Watt and Newscast presenter James Cook to discuss how the visit has gone.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says a "dangerous new era" is behind his decision to boost defence spending and cut the aid budget. But will it impress President Trump ahead of Sir Keir’s visit to Washington later this week? And could this move help Ukraine? Shashank Joshi from the Economist joins us to discuss this and answer listener questions on rare earth minerals. Today’s episode is presented...

What was going on in the corridors of power when Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine took place? A senior US diplomat and UK politician look back on the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion, and look ahead to what happens next. We hear from Julianne Smith, former US permanent representative to Nato, James Heappey former UK armed forces minister and Dmytro Kuleba, former Ukrainian forei...

Tomorrow marks the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion. Three Ukrainians reflect on how their lives have changed in the last three years, and discuss the prospects for peace in Ukraine. We speak to Vitalii from Lutsk, Anastasiia in Kyiv and Pavlo in Lviv. Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Ben Carter, Julia Webster and Ryan Johnst...

The Ukrainecast team answer listener questions on BBC Radio 5 Live Today’s episode is presented by Lyse Doucet, James Waterhouse, Nick Eardley and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producer was Ryan Johnston. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The assistant editor is Ben Mundy. Email Ukrainecast@bbc.co.uk with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp, Signal or...

The past week has seen international diplomacy turned upside down as the US began talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine. The decision to exclude Ukraine - and Europe - from these talks led to an emergency summit in which European countries sought to establish some influence over the process. But with the US and Ukrainian presidents embroiled in a dispute that led to President Trump calling P...

President Trump has launched a fresh attack on President Zelensky, calling him a "dictator" and saying he has done a "terrible job". Zelensky earlier accused the US president of "living in a disinformation space" created by Russia. Victoria and Vitaly analyse how this diplomatic row is playing out. And Victoria speaks to Russia’s ambassador to the UK, Andrei Kelin. Today’s episode is presented by...