Frontline: The War in Ukraine and Global Security

"Once Putin takes a step back, that's it he's done."Putin is facing "internal divisions" after Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov voiced concerns that agreements made with Trump in Alaska had collapsed while Kremlin hardliners push for Russia not to sign any agreement, says Prof. Scott Lucas on Frontline. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“A small number of cheap, AI-guided attack and interceptor drones … can knock down Shahed systems.”Putin’s Shahed systems are being wiped out by innovative Ukrainian and European drone systems, says former Major General Chip Chapman. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“He is wagering the Russian economy in this war, not the army any more.”Putin’s army is “flagging and failing, and getting degraded by the day”, which is consequently dragging down the Russian economy, says the Atlantic Council’s senior fellow, Diane Francis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Why didn’t we do this two or three years ago?”The Kremlin is “rattled” as Europe signs an agreement stating that vessels which change their flag will be deemed flagless and liable to boarding after a Russian oil tanker was found in the Atlantic, says former British Army colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eliot Wilson, former House of Commons clerk and NATO Parliamentary Assembly secretary, now writer on security. He discusses thinning intelligence reaching Putin, the stalled peace talks and Zelensky’s cautious stance. He also covers Western political volatility, Ukraine’s battlefield innovation and contrasts in defence procurement approaches.

“This is existential.”Putin’s insistence that the Donbas be signed over to Russia in peace negotiations highlights his inability to take the “heavily fortified fortress”, says former British diplomat Cormac Smith. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“We’re getting closer to autonomy at the end, so if the Russians try to break the connection between the pilot and the drone, the drone can continue on.”Ukraine is “winning the drone war” as it moves closer to finishing “autonomous drones”, says military historian and professor Phillips O’Brien. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“He’s recognising desperately that he’s not winning on the battlefield.”Putin’s recent attacks on Lviv show his desperation, as his battlefield failures have forced the Russian leader into a “dilemma”, says former US ambassador to Ukraine William B Taylor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russia's failures at Kupiansk will have Putin questioning his generals capability as Trump's more aggressive stance on the world stage could threaten the Kremlin regime, says The Times' Michael Binyon on Frontline. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“This is bread and butter operations for the US coastguard and the US military forces involved, they can do this in their sleep.”US military forces managed to seize the Russian-flagged oil tanker in a “simple takeover”, says former royal marine James Glancy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.