Q&A: Trump’s UN turnaround, Zelensky’s weapons warning, and Putin assassination plots
Ukrainecast
BBC
4.7 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 25 September 2025
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
There was widespread surprise at the UN General Assembly this week, when Donald Trump appeared to drastically alter his tone on the war in Ukraine. His new insistence that Ukraine could win back all of its territory on the battlefield marks a significant departure from what has become the consensus view among military observers, and President Zelensky welcomed his comments as a "big shift". So, even as Russia dismisses the claims as "erroneous", could this change of rhetoric lead to a policy reset from the United States in its response to the conflict?
This week, Lucy and Vitaly are joined by the BBC's Europe Digital Editor, Paul Kirby, to answer your questions. They discuss whether this is an opportunity for Kyiv to reclaim international attention, after repeated Russian incursions of Nato airspace forced allies to focus on the defence of their own borders.
Today’s episode is presented by Lucy Hockings and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Laurie Kalus and Julia Webster. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The social producer was Gabriel Purcell-Davis. The executive producer was Lewis Vickers. The series producer is Chris Flynn. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham. 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 | It's 1,310 days since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. |
| 0:11.9 | Before leaders convened in New York this week, the UN General Assembly wasn't expected to change much for Kiev. |
| 0:18.3 | But after meeting President Zelensky on the sidelines of the summit, |
| 0:21.8 | Donald Trump appeared to shift his tone on the conflict, saying Russia was fighting aimlessly. |
| 0:27.6 | It's been a terrible war should have ended, and Russia should have stopped it. But they've been |
| 0:34.2 | three and a half years and they've gotten not so far. So we'll see what happens. |
| 0:38.8 | But the other side can fight too, and they've proven that. |
| 0:41.8 | Maybe it's a paper. |
| 0:42.6 | It could be that Russia is a paper tiger. |
| 0:45.5 | Well, then he declared on social media that Kiev could win all of Ukraine back in its original form. |
| 0:51.2 | It's a claim the Kremlin called erroneous. |
| 0:56.7 | A change in U.S. rhetoric has yet to lead to a decisive change in policy, and we then had this familiar Zelensky speech, once again highlighting |
| 1:02.1 | his country's need for advanced weapons. So as NATO scrambles to strengthen its own defenses |
| 1:07.5 | following multiple airspace incursions, will international focus turn back to the front lines in Ukraine? |
| 1:14.2 | Our BBC experts are here to answer that and plenty more on this episode of Ukrainecast. |
| 1:20.0 | Ukraine cast from BBC News. |
| 1:22.6 | Life is not safe in Ukraine, nowhere in Ukraine. |
| 1:25.6 | We've had three years of bloody conflict now. |
| 1:28.5 | We need to get to that lasting peace. We hope we can finish this war this year. President Trump will not allow |
| 1:34.2 | anyone to turn Uncle Sam into Uncle Zucker. Why don't what just enemy? Trump is arrival. |
| 1:39.7 | Ukrainians will pay lives for this decision. You're gambling with World War III. |
| 1:47.5 | Hello, this is Lucy Hawkins in the Ukrainecast studio. |
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