Ukraine: The Latest

Day 1,156. Today, as Kyiv is hit by the deadliest strikes in almost a year, we examine Donald Trump’s attack on President Zelensky having failed to negotiate the peace deal he said would take him only 24 hours. Then we take a deep dive into the Wagner mercenary group with the author of a new book who says Yevgeny Prigozhin’s outfit is the logical outcome when a country contracts its soul to a pitiless militia. Contributors: Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X. With thanks to Candace Rondeaux (US journalist, public policy analyst, and professor of practice at the School of Politics and Global Studies and a senior fellow with the Center on the Future of War at Arizona State University). @CandaceRondeaux on X. Content Referenced: Candice’s Book, ‘Putin’s Sledgehammer: The Wagner Group and Russia's Collapse into Mercenary Chaos’: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/candace-rondeaux/putins-sledgehammer/9781541703087/?lens=publicaffairs [https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/candace-rondeaux/putins-sledgehammer/9781541703087/?lens=publicaffairs]  Telegraph Ukraine Live Blog: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/24/russia-ukraine-talks-zelensky-putin-war-latest-news/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/24/russia-ukraine-talks-zelensky-putin-war-latest-news/] Trump blames Zelensky for derailing peace talks (The Telegraph): https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/23/trump-blames-zelensky-derailing-london-peace-talks/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/23/trump-blames-zelensky-derailing-london-peace-talks/] Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatest [http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatest] Email: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Day 1,155. Today, we break down the dramatic collapse of Donald Trump’s proposed peace deal for Ukraine. European, Ukrainian, and American officials were scheduled to meet – until everything suddenly unraveled. Is the US stepping back from the negotiation table? Plus, we launch a brand-new segment focusing on Russia’s domestic front and explore how the ongoing war is reshaping Central Asia’s political and economic landscape. Contributors: Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X. Joe Barnes (Brussels Correspondent). @Barnes_Joe on X. James Kilner (Editor of The Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin and The Russia Morning Memo). @jkjourno on X. Content Referenced: James Kilner’s Bulletins - The Russian Memo: https://www.thememo.news/ [https://www.thememo.news/] The Central Asia and South Caucasus Bulletin: https://www.thememo.news/ [https://www.thememo.news/]  Trump to let Putin keep land seized from Ukraine (The Telegraph): https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/22/trumps-plan-to-let-putin-keep-land-seized-from-ukraine/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/22/trumps-plan-to-let-putin-keep-land-seized-from-ukraine/] Foreign ministers postpone Ukraine peace talks in London (The Telegraph): https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/23/russia-ukraine-zelensky-putin-war-ceasefire-latest-news/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/23/russia-ukraine-zelensky-putin-war-ceasefire-latest-news/]  Huge explosion destroys ammunition dump outside Moscow (The Telegraph): https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/22/huge-explosion-destroys-ammunition-dump-outside-moscow/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/22/huge-explosion-destroys-ammunition-dump-outside-moscow/]  Crimean Tatar Mejlis rejects any international recognition of Crimea as Russian (Kyiv Independent): https://kyivindependent.com/crimean-tatar-mejlis-rejects-any-international-recognition-of-crimea-as-russian-chairman-says/?mc_cid=4bb9102bb5&mc_eid=08d0680a95 [https://kyivindependent.com/crimean-tatar-mejlis-rejects-any-international-recognition-of-crimea-as-russian-chairman-says/?mc_cid=4bb9102bb5&mc_eid=08d0680a95]  CNN gets first glimpse of Trump portrait reportedly sent from Putin (CNN): https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/22/world/video/trump-portrait-russia-putin-ldn-digvid [https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/22/world/video/trump-portrait-russia-putin-ldn-digvid] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Day 1,154. Today, we ask how meaningful the weekend’s so-called ‘Easter truce’ really was, look at the new American peace proposals put to Kyiv and its allies – which include major concessions both in territory and sovereignty – then reflect on the legacy of Pope Francis in relation to the war. Later, we hear about a new book investigating Russian spies who spent decades undercover: what does it teach us about modern spycraft? Contributors: Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X. Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X Roland Oliphant (Senior Foreign Correspondent). @RolandOliphant on X. Shaun Walker (Eastern Europe at the Guardian). @shaunwalker7 on X. Content Referenced: Special Ukraine: The Latest on Children: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-childhood-at-war/id1612424182?i=1000704331753 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-childhood-at-war/id1612424182?i=1000704331753]  Special Ukraine: The Latest with Dom’s Panel: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-how-the-west-fights-back/id1612424182?i=1000704022027 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-how-the-west-fights-back/id1612424182?i=1000704022027]  Shaun Walker’s book ‘The Illegals: Russia's Most Audacious Spies and the Plot to Infiltrate the West’: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Illegals-History-Moscows-Audacious-Program/dp/1788167775 [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Illegals-History-Moscows-Audacious-Program/dp/1788167775]  Kremlin ‘satisfied’ with US proposal to ban Ukraine from Nato (The Telegraph): https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/21/kremlin-satisfied-with-us-proposal-to-ban-ukraine-from-nato/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/21/kremlin-satisfied-with-us-proposal-to-ban-ukraine-from-nato/] Kyiv Is On the Clock to Respond to Trump Plan to End Ukraine Conflict (Wall Street Journal): https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/kyiv-is-on-the-clock-to-respond-to-trump-plan-to-end-ukraine-conflict-f3538799 [https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/kyiv-is-on-the-clock-to-respond-to-trump-plan-to-end-ukraine-conflict-f3538799]  Trump Tower Moscow, Rare Earths and Geopolitical Perks: How the Kremlin Plans to Bait Trump Into a Grand Bargain (The Moscow Times): https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/04/21/trump-tower-moscow-rare-earths-and-geopolitical-perks-how-the-kremlin-plans-to-bait-trump-into-a-grand-bargain-a88762 [https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/04/21/trump-tower-moscow-rare-earths-and-geopolitical-perks-how-the-kremlin-plans-to-bait-trump-into-a-grand-bargain-a88762] Ukraine's Catholics express hurt over late Pope's war stance (Reuters): https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraines-catholics-express-hurt-over-late-popes-war-stance-2025-04-21/ [https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraines-catholics-express-hurt-over-late-popes-war-stance-2025-04-21/] Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatest [http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatest] Email: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Today is a public holiday in Britain, so in a special Easter episode, we take you to a grand terrace in West London, where a green door blends into its elegant surroundings. We go behind that door – into a school unlike any other. There, you’ll hear from young Ukrainians who fled their homes within hours of the invasion, and from the teachers and classmates helping them rebuild their lives in a foreign land. Through their voices, we explore what it means to grow up far from home – and how one London school has become both a lifeline and a second home for a generation caught between worlds. Learn more about St Mary's Ukrainian School: https://www.stmarysukrschool.co.uk/ [https://www.stmarysukrschool.co.uk/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Day 1,151. Today, after the unexpected announcement by Vladimir Putin of a 30-hour truce for Easter we assess what it might mean for the war, how likely it is to hold and discuss what comes next. Having rejected Donald Trump’s proposal for an unconditional ceasefire 39 days ago, what does Putin hope to gain by this latest gamble? Francis Dearnley and Dom Nicholls offer their thoughts. Contributors: Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X. Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatest [http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatest] Email: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.