About this episode
The episode discusses the possibility of Ukraine holding elections during wartime and explores related geopolitical issues.
After a week in which Donald Trump called European leaders "weak" and questioned Ukraine's commitment to democracy, we look at whether his views are becoming more aligned with the Kremlin's. And as America pushes for a Christmas truce, the team discuss Europe's chances of getting the US president more on side. To answer your questions, Jamie and Vitaly are joined by BBC Verify's Olga Robinson and Russia editor Steve Rosenberg. Could Ukraine really hold wartime elections? Have any western assets been frozen by Moscow? And will Russia ever pay reparations for its invasion? Today’s episode is presented by Jamie Coomarasamy and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Laurie Kalus and Julia Webster. The technical producer was Philip Bull. The series producer is Chris Flynn. 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 1239480 You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast’s Discord server here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord
People in this episode
Hosts: Jamie Coomarasamy, Vitaly Shevchenko
Guests: Olga Robinson, Steve Rosenberg
Topics covered
- wartime elections
- Ukraine
- US foreign policy
- Russia
- democracy
- reparations
Keywords
- Ukraine
- elections
- Donald Trump
- democracy
- Russia
- reparations
- US foreign policy
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: BBC Verify, BBC News
Places: Ukraine, America, Europe, Moscow, Russia
More episodes of Ukrainecast
- A Moscow car bomb and Putin’s telethon · December 23, 2025 · 32 min
- Q&A: Is this Europe’s last chance to bankroll Ukraine? · December 18, 2025 · 26 min
- Will Russia accept US-Ukraine peace proposals? · December 16, 2025 · 28 min
- What does the new US security strategy mean for Ukraine? · December 9, 2025 · 30 min
- Q&A: Zelensky is afraid, Russian billionaires and Europe’s strongest army · December 4, 2025 · 27 min
- Zelensky has lost his right-hand man, what now? · December 2, 2025 · 24 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Ukrainecast podcast page.