Global News Podcast Couples looking for surrogates still going to Ukraine
31 snips
May 7, 2026 
Sofia Bettiza, BBC global health reporter, reports from Kyiv on Ukraine’s wartime surrogacy trade, abandoned babies and a proposed ban on foreign parents. Jeremy Bowen, BBC International Editor, follows the rumoured US-Iran deal and its political stakes. Helen Briggs, BBC science correspondent, explores a giant Alaska megatsunami linked to glacier melt. There is also a robot Buddhist monk.
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Why Couples Still Pursue Surrogacy In Wartime Ukraine
- Foreign couples still travel to wartime Kyiv for surrogacy because Ukraine remains cheaper and legally accessible than many countries.
- A London couple said they heard explosions, drones and tremors, but still called the risk worth it to bring home their son.
Abandoned Babies Are Driving Ukraine Surrogacy Backlash
- Ukraine's surrogacy debate now centers on abandoned children and trafficking fears, not only wartime disruption.
- Sofia Bettiza found babies left for months, one disabled child never collected, and a health official said surrogacy can enable child trafficking.
Why Trump Pushes A Fast Iran Deal
- Jeremy Bowen says Donald Trump wants a fast Iran deal mainly to escape a self-inflicted, unpopular war while claiming victory.
- He argues Tehran's regime prizes resistance over relief, making threats and demands for capitulation strategically unrealistic.
