We are living in a world of open conflicts existing alongside peaceful life: while life in many parts of Europe and the US are focused upon summer holidays, Ukrainian cities are being pounded by Russian missiles and their soldiers are fighting Russian ones in the Donbas, while missiles are flying across the Middle East and Iran. It is a contradictory and jarring reality, which the various instigators of the violence claim to be necessary, and inevitable — notably Vladimir Putin, President of Russia.
In first illegally annexing Crimea in 2014, then mounting a full-scale invasion in 2022, Putin claimed not only that Ukraine was not a legitimate state but rather a part of Russia — but also that it was necessary as part of Russia’s defence against an ever-expanding and threatening NATO. This narrative is rooted in a malignant Russian reading of the end of the Cold War, US and NATO intentions, and Russian dreams of world significance. It is also the subject of a new book by Rose Gottemoeller, former NATO Deputy Secretary General, and the guest of this episode.
From the current situation in Russia and Ukraine, to the intricacies that led to it, this is a great conversation on one of the most important periods of recent history.
This episode was recorded on 22 July 2026
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Book - Security Through Cooperation: Space, Nuclear Weapons, and US-Russia Relations After the Cold War
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