Summary
It seems like an impossible conundrum. Ukraine is valiantly defending itself against the man Boris Johnson called "a blood-stained aggressor" and fighting for survival in a war that is currently deadlocked.
President Zelensky has warned that attempts at talks with The Russian Federation will fail, because Vladimir Putin cannot be trusted. So in the absence of a decisive victory or a negotiated settlement - what happens? James Naughtie investigates how other conflicts have come to a conclusion, in a bid to shed light on a war which has so far defied predictions.
He will talk to key figures who have been in the room as peace deals are ground out - and visit the law makers in Washington DC who are the key source of defence funding for Ukraine. History may have lessons when it comes to a conflict for which there seems no end in sight.
Presented by James Naughtie Produced by Kevin Core
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This was an impregnable fortress. The only way you get out was in a wooden box. |
| 0:05.0 | The controversial maximum security prison impossible to escape from. |
| 0:09.0 | And one of the duties of a political prisoner is the escape. |
| 0:12.0 | The IRA inmates who found a way. of a political prisoner is the escape. |
| 0:12.5 | The IRA inmates who found a way. |
| 0:14.5 | I'm Carlo Gableer and I'll be navigating a path |
| 0:19.5 | through the disturbing inside story of the biggest jailbreak in British and Irish history. |
| 0:25.0 | The narrative that they want is that this is a big achievement by them. |
| 0:28.5 | Escape from the maze, listen first on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:35.0 | BBC Sounds. BBC Sounds, Music Radio Podcasts. |
| 0:39.0 | Hello, this is Seriously, from BBC Radio 4, and I'm Vanessa Casule. |
| 0:46.0 | Each week, this podcast brings you two of the best documentaries the audio world has to offer. |
| 0:52.0 | Next up, something powerful, unique and seriously clever. |
| 1:00.0 | We know freedom will win. |
| 1:05.0 | Victory and nothing less. |
| 1:07.0 | We know Russia will lose. |
| 1:11.0 | Laudemir Zelensky in London, as in Washington, was reassured again and again that there was a will for his country to win. |
| 1:20.0 | We should not sell the Ukrainians short. |
| 1:23.2 | If we do, then particularly Europe |
| 1:26.7 | will have to constantly be looking over its shoulder. |
| 1:31.2 | One of the most powerful voices in the US Senate and a former British ambassador in Ukraine |
| 1:36.8 | echoes the thought. |
... |
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