Q&A: Another deadline, Zelensky's reshuffle, and France snubs Trump?
Ukrainecast
BBC
4.7 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 17 July 2025
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Is the Kremlin concerned about Donald Trump’s threat of secondary tariffs in 50 days? Why has President Zelensky overhauled his cabinet? And could other countries follow suit after France reportedly opted out of the NATO purchase of US arms for Ukraine?
Lucy and Vitaly attempt to answer all of that and more with the help of Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse and BBC Verify’s Olga Robinson.
Today’s episode is presented by Lucy Hockings and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Laurie Kalus and Polly Hope. The social producer was Sophie Millward. The technical producer was Dafydd Evans. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The assistant editor is Bridget Harney. 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 | American politics can sometimes feel like a different language. |
| 0:05.0 | But our podcast can help you translate. |
| 0:07.3 | Make sense of what's happening in the US, with new podcast episodes arriving throughout the week. |
| 0:12.1 | AmeriCast, listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:16.2 | BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:20.2 | It's 1,240 days since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. |
| 0:25.7 | And this week delivered the strongest signs yet that Donald Trump has run out of patience with Vladimir Putin. |
| 0:31.9 | First, the promise to sell more weapons to Ukraine via NATO allies. |
| 0:35.9 | Then a new 50-day deadline for peace, reinforced by the threat |
| 0:40.0 | of secondary tariffs that target countries dealing in Russian oil and gas. And finally, we had |
| 0:45.8 | reports and they were sourced on multiple media outlets of a private call in which Donald |
| 0:50.6 | Trump asked President Zelensky if he had the capacity to strike Moscow. |
| 0:55.7 | So will all of this force Russia to the negotiating table, |
| 0:58.7 | or is the Kremlin safe in the knowledge it has weeks more to wage its war without meaningful consequences? |
| 1:04.9 | We'll attempt to answer that and plenty more on Ukraine cast. |
| 1:08.8 | Ukraine costs from babysitting. Life is not safe in Ukraine, nowhere in Ukraine. Ukraine cast from BBC News. |
| 1:11.5 | Life is not safe in Ukraine. |
| 1:13.5 | Nor are in Ukraine. |
| 1:14.4 | We've had three years of bloody conflict now. |
| 1:16.4 | We need to get to that lasting peace. |
| 1:18.5 | We hope we can finish this war this year. |
| 1:21.6 | President Trump will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into Uncle Sucker. |
... |
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