Could Ukraine lose ground in Kursk?
Ukrainecast
BBC
4.7 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 10 March 2025
⏱️ 22 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Is this the week the war changes?
On the battlefield, Russian forces are reportedly trying to encircle thousands of Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region, where they recaptured three settlements on Sunday.
Meanwhile, talks are taking place on Tuesday between Ukrainians and US officials in Saudi Arabia, at which Kyiv is expected to push for a truce with Russia in the sea and sky.
So is this a potentially pivotal moment in the war in Ukraine? Lyse and James are joined by Karolina Hird from the Institute for the Study of War think-tank in Washington.
Today’s episode is presented by Lyse Doucet and James Waterhouse. The producers were Ryan Johnston, Anna Chornous and Ben Carter. The technical producer was Dafydd Evans. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The assistant editor is Ben Mundy. 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
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, Ukrainecasters. Thank you very much for listening to this latest episode of our podcast. |
| 0:06.3 | You've probably noticed we've been doing a lot more episodes recently and we'll keep trying to do them, of course, as and when a big story breaks. |
| 0:13.5 | We really appreciate you listening. We really appreciate you getting in touch. And we are here for as long as it takes. Thank you so much. |
| 0:22.4 | BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. It's 1,111 days since Russia began its full-scale invasion |
| 0:31.9 | of Ukraine. Over the weekend, an intensification of attacks from Russia on Ukraine. At least 25 people are dead, |
| 0:40.7 | according to Ukrainian officials, and have a listen to this. Multiple explosions hammering |
| 0:51.8 | a residential area of Dobropilia in Donesk. |
| 0:56.3 | Eleven people were killed. |
| 0:57.7 | And James, really good to have you joining us. |
| 1:01.6 | Even more has happened over the weekend and a real dread about what's to come in the days ahead. |
| 1:09.6 | Yes, Lees. |
| 1:10.5 | I think if we consider that we are now embarking |
| 1:13.1 | on a complicated negotiation peace process for Ukraine, it is not starting from a position of strength. |
| 1:21.8 | America hasn't just paused its military aid. It paused its intelligence sharing too, although Donald Trump's just said that |
| 1:29.2 | has been restored. But not just that. Ukrainian troops are seemingly being surrounded in |
| 1:36.4 | Russia's Western Kursk region. It's a place where they launched a surprise attack. Last summer, |
| 1:41.3 | they were hoping to keep hold of this seized territory to leverage, uses a bargaining chip in any kind of ceasefire, and it looks like there could be a withdrawal once more. We've seen the head of the armed forces here describe it as a move to more advantageous positions, and I can tell you, every time that phrase is uttered by a senior officer on both sides, it often always |
| 2:02.4 | means a chaotic retreat. So now our eyes and ears turn to what happens in Saudi Arabia and what |
| 2:09.7 | Ukraine can salvage from a White House, which has been hostile, really, to this point. |
| 2:17.3 | Critical talks on critical minerals and more. |
| 2:21.2 | So much to discuss in this episode of Ukrainecast. |
| 2:25.7 | Ukraine cast from BBC News. |
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