Ukraine: The Latest

Day 1,135.Today, as the White House suspends sanctions in order to get one of Putin’s chief aides into the US, we hear how a Kremlin mouthpiece fell for an April Fool’s joke about the Royal Navy, and we go live to NATO HQ in Brussels. Later, we hear from a new Ukraine exhibition at Britain’s tank museum.Contributors:Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.Joe Barnes (Brussels Correspondent). @Barnes_Joe on X.Hamish De Bretton-Gordon (Former British Army Tank Commander). @HamishDBG on XNOW AVAILABLE IN NEW LANGUAGES:The Telegraph has launched translated versions of Ukraine: The Latest in Ukrainian and Russian, making its reporting accessible to audiences on both sides of the battle lines and across the wider region, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. Just search Україна: Останні Новини (Ukr) and Украина: Последние Новости (Ru) on your on your preferred podcast app to find them, or click the links below.Listen here: https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatestLearn more about the tech: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/02/24/ukraine-the-latest-podcast-russian-ukrainian-ai-translation/Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk

Day 1,134.Today, as Moscow resumes its bombardments on Ukraine, we discuss reports that it is dawning on Donald Trump’s administration that a swift ceasefire deal is not going to happen without action against the Russian economy. Then we return to that very subject, and ask: how much leverage does the White House have on sanctions, and is it declining?Contributors:Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on XDominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.Stephanie Baker (Senior writer at Bloomberg and sanctions expert). @StephaniBaker on X.Content Referenced:Trump officials eye a longer road to Ukraine peace as frustration mounts (Reuters):https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-officials-eye-longer-road-ukraine-peace-frustration-mounts-2025-04-01/US officials object to European push to buy weapons locally (Reuters):https://www.reuters.com/world/us-officials-object-european-push-buy-weapons-locally-2025-04-02/ China debates whether Trump is a revolutionary, or just rude (The Economist):https://www.economist.com/international/2025/04/01/china-debates-whether-trump-is-a-revolutionary-or-just-rudeOur sister podcast Battle Lines, covering wider global affairs: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/battle-lines/Stephanie Baker’s book, Punishing Putin: Inside the Economic War to Bring Down Russia:https://stephaniebakerwriter.com/punishing-putinNOW AVAILABLE IN NEW LANGUAGES:The Telegraph has launched translated versions of Ukraine: The Latest in Ukrainian and Russian, making its reporting accessible to audiences on both sides of the battle lines and across the wider region, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. Just search Україна: Останні Новини (Ukr) and Украина: Последние Новости (Ru) on your on your preferred podcast app to find them, or click the links below.Listen here: https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatestLearn more about the tech: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/02/24/ukraine-the-latest-podcast-russian-ukrainian-ai-translation/Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk

Day 1,133.Today, further to news from the battlefront and beyond, we look at Putin's decision to mobilise a record number of men, and what it means for the prospects of a meaningful ceasefire. Then, in a special interview, Francis Dearnley talks to one of the men involved in some of the most important decisions made by the Biden administration relating to the war. What did they get right, and what did they get wrong?Contributors:Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.Ambassador Michael Carpenter (Former Senior Director for Europe of the The United States National Security Council). @mikercarpenter on X.Content Referenced:Putin drafts 160,000 men into Russian army despite peace talks (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/03/31/russia-ukraine-zelensky-putin-war-ceasefire-deal-latest/ Ukraine says mineral talks still alive despite Trump anger (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/01/russia-ukraine-zelensky-putin-war-ceasefire-latest-news/China depicts Taiwan’s president as cartoon parasite as military exercises begin (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/01/china-taiwan-president-cartoon-parasite-military-exercises/ NOW AVAILABLE IN NEW LANGUAGES:The Telegraph has launched translated versions of Ukraine: The Latest in Ukrainian and Russian, making its reporting accessible to audiences on both sides of the battle lines and across the wider region, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. Just search Україна: Останні Новини (Ukr) and Украина: Последние Новости (Ru) on your on your preferred podcast app to find them, or click the links below.Listen here: https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatestLearn more about the tech: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/02/24/ukraine-the-latest-podcast-russian-ukrainian-ai-translation/Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk

Day 1,132.Today, as reports surface of Russian attempts to get behind Ukrainian lines in the Donbas by going underground, we assess the impact of Donald Trump’s supposed loss of patience with both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, asking how much of the rage is concocted, and we hear more about the experience of women who endured torture at the hands of the Russians. Contributors:Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on XFrancis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.David Blair (Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator). @davidblairdt on X.Verity Bowman (Journalist). @VerityBowman on X.Content Referenced:Dom’s Panel at Oxford Literary Festival:https://oxfordliteraryfestival.org/literature-events/2025/april-02/the-russian-threat-why-it-has-grown-and-how-to-fight-backThese Ukrainian women survived Putin’s prisons – now they’re taking revenge (Verity Bowman in The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/terror-and-security/ukraine-female-prisoners-of-war-russia-putin-prisons/ The Secret History of the War in Ukraine (New York Times):https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/03/29/world/europe/us-ukraine-military-war-wiesbaden.htmlHow British commandos helped bring the CIA into the heart of the Ukraine war (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/03/31/british-commandos-cia-ukraine-war-zelensky-putin-russia/ European military powers work on 5-10 year plan to replace US in Nato (Financial Times):https://tinyurl.com/bd82v98r The time has come to punish Orbán, Germany’s next government says:https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-next-coalition-vows-punish-hungary-viktor-orban-friedrich-merz/ Secret Pentagon memo on China, homeland has Heritage fingerprints (Washington Post):https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/03/29/secret-pentagon-memo-hegseth-heritage-foundation-china/ The time has come to punish Orbán, Germany’s next government says (POLITICO):https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-next-coalition-vows-punish-hungary-viktor-orban-friedrich-merz/Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk

Day 1,129.Today, amid reports of precision strikes on Russia’s Belgorod region – the site of Ukraine’s latest incursion – we discuss news from the Paris defence summit, Trump’s new minerals deal proposal, and hear the latest acts of resistance in the occupied territories. Later, we discuss the lessons from the Napoleonic era for ceasefires and peace treaties.Contributors:Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.Dr. Jade McGlynn (War Studies Department of King's College). @DrJadeMcGlynn on X.With thanks to Thomas Clausen (Historian). @DrThomasClausen on X.Content Referenced:Revealed: Trump’s plan to force Ukraine to restore Putin’s gas empire (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/03/27/revealed-trump-plan-force-ukraine-restore-putin-gas-empire/Ukrainian forces destroy strategic bridges in Russian Belgorod Oblast (Euromaiden Press):https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/03/28/ukrainian-forces-destroy-strategic-bridges-in-russian-belgorod-oblast/ Trump reverses termination of program tracking mass child abductions in Ukraine (Washington Post):https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/03/27/trump-ukraine-russia-child-abductions/ He Fought for Ukraine. Now Morocco is Punishing Him (Kyiv Post):https://www.kyivpost.com/post/49104Ukrainian lions - now in Kent!https://x.com/ZaluzhnyiUA/status/1904867664826167686 NOW AVAILABLE IN NEW LANGUAGES:The Telegraph has launched translated versions of Ukraine: The Latest in Ukrainian and Russian, making its reporting accessible to audiences on both sides of the battle lines and across the wider region, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. Just search Україна: Останні Новини (Ukr) and Украина: Последние Новости (Ru) on your on your preferred podcast app to find them, or click the links below.Listen here: https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatestLearn more about the tech: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/02/24/ukraine-the-latest-podcast-russian-ukrainian-ai-translation/Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk

Day 1,127.Today, as the White House’s Signal data breach controversy unfolds, we examine the details of the alleged Black Sea ceasefire deal, which has sparked differing interpretations from Ukraine and Russia. We also explore the possibility of a secret agreement between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Contributors:Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.Hamish de Bretton-Gordon (Chemical Weapons Expert and Former Tank Commander). @HamishDBG on X.Content Referenced:Briefings & Statements (The White House):https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/ Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump’s Advisers Shared on Signal (The Atlantic):https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/03/signal-group-chat-attack-plans-hegseth-goldberg/682176/Putin is beaten in the Black Sea. Of course he wants a ceasefire there (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03/25/putin-defeated-black-sea-ceasefire-naval-victory-ukraine/ Europe’s War in Ukraine (Jack Watling in Foreign Affairs):https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/europes-war-ukraine EU ethical rules blocking £100bn defence spending boom (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/03/24/eu-ethical-rules-blocking-100bn-from-defence-industry/How Europe can hurt Russia’s economy (The Economist):https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/03/24/how-europe-can-hurt-russias-economyLukoil Profits Drop Nearly 30% (The Moscow Times):https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/03/26/lukoil-profits-drop-nearly-30-in-2024-amid-asset-losses-higher-taxes-a88485 Inside Russia’s Gazprom (The Financial Times):https://www.ft.com/content/5da44f55-d28a-4965-b7a5-bf014d685036?shareType=nongift Oleg Gordievsky: the loneliest and bravest man I ever met (The Times):https://www.thetimes.com/world/europe/article/oleg-gordievsky-kgb-double-agent-8cxbpkctk Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk

Day 1,126.Today, following the latest updates from the battlefront, we look at the extraordinary security breach that saw a journalist invited into a secret chat group for Donald Trump’s war cabinet, and then hear about the mood of Ukrainian soldiers at the front. Contributors:Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.Gareth Corfield (Transport Correspondent). @GazTheJourno on X.Verity Bowman (Foreign Correspondent). @VerityBowman on X.Content Referenced:The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans (The Atlantic):https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/03/trump-administration-accidentally-texted-me-its-war-plans/682151/Francis’s Video Interview on Silicon Curtain:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25uu4_YHgPQ&t=586s Verity’s Telegraph Pieces:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/v/va-ve/verity-bowman/ Trump cabinet complained about ‘free-loading Europe’ in top secret group chat (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2025/03/24/trump-cabinet-complained-free-loading-europe-secret-chat/Zelensky on Trump, Putin, and the Endgame in Ukraine (TIME):https://time.com/7270880/zelensky-trump-putin-ukraine-endgame-interview/What the Kremlin Wants in New Talks with the U.S. on Ukraine (The Moscow Times):https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/03/23/playing-for-time-what-the-kremlin-wants-in-new-talks-with-the-us-on-ukraine-a88445 NOW AVAILABLE IN NEW LANGUAGES:The Telegraph has launched translated versions of Ukraine: The Latest in Ukrainian and Russian, making its reporting accessible to audiences on both sides of the battle lines and across the wider region, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. Just search Україна: Останні Новини (Ukr) and Украина: Последние Новости (Ru) on your on your preferred podcast app to find them, or click the links below.Listen here: https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatestLearn more about the tech: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/02/24/ukraine-the-latest-podcast-russian-ukrainian-ai-translation/Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk

Day 1,125.Today, amid ongoing US-mediated proximity talks in Saudi Arabia between Ukraine and Russia, we discuss the remarks of US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to Tucker Carlson, and what they tell us about the mentality of Donald Trump’s administration. Plus we interview the author of a new United Nations report shedding light on alarming 'widespread and systematic' war crimes committed against civilians.Contributors:Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.With thanks to Pablo de Greiff (Colombian academic and human rights activist, and Commissioner of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine to United Nations Security Council). War Crimes Report by the United Nations:https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/03/ukraine-enforced-disappearances-committed-russian-authorities-amount-crimes Telegraph Ukraine Live Blog:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/03/24/russia-ukraine-zelensky-putin-ceasefire-war-latest-news/ NOW AVAILABLE IN NEW LANGUAGES:The Telegraph has launched translated versions of Ukraine: The Latest in Ukrainian and Russian, making its reporting accessible to audiences on both sides of the battle lines and across the wider region, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. Just search Україна: Останні Новини (Ukr) and Украина: Последние Новости (Ru) on your on your preferred podcast app to find them, or click the links below.Listen here: https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatestLearn more about the tech: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/02/24/ukraine-the-latest-podcast-russian-ukrainian-ai-translation/Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk