Russia ‘helps Iran smash $500m US base’s battlefield nerve centre’ & Ukraine seals historic 10-year Gulf defence pacts
Ukraine: The Latest
Louisa Wells / Francis Dearnley
4.8 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 30 March 2026
⏱️ 47 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Day 1,495.
Today, as the full extent of the damage from Ukrainian strikes in the Baltic region becomes clearer, we assess the impact on Russia’s oil infrastructure and the wider war economy. We also examine stalled offensives on the ground, with both Russian and Ukrainian forces struggling to make significant gains along the frontline. Then we turn to President Zelensky’s “Gulf Grand Tour”, as he signs defence agreements with Gulf states seeking Ukrainian assistance against Iranian drone threats as Moscow is accused of helping Tehran to destroy one of its most valuable aircraft. And later, we look at a row in Germany after a major defence company claimed Ukrainian drones were “built by housewives”, and ask whether a European Union member state such as Hungary could lose its voting rights amid growing pressure to unlock a €90 billion loan for Kyiv.
Contributors:
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Adelie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X.
James Rothwell (Berlin Correspondent). @JamesERothwell on X.
Joe Barnes (Brussels Correspondent). @Barnes_Joe on X.
NOW IN FULL VIDEO WITH MAPS & BATTLEFIELD FOOTAGE:
Every episode is now available on our YouTube channel shortly after the release of the audio version. You will find it here: https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Francis’s Documentary on Hungary, Russia, and Ukraine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIILzKnFs2o
Zelensky looks to Gulf to protect him from Putin (Joe Barnes in The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/29/zelensky-needs-patriot-missiles-answer-in-gulf/
Orban on the brink – but his rival may spring a surprise on the EU (James Crisp in The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/29/eu-viktor-orban-hungary-election/
How Iran destroyed US base’s $500m battlefield nerve centre (The Telegraph):
Hungarian Journalist Faces Spy Charges After Reports on Election Meddling (New York Times):
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/world/europe/hungary-journalist-election-meddling-espionage.html
Russians dubious as bomb shelters appear 1,000km from Ukraine (Kyiv Independent):
Russian losses in the war with Ukraine: updated (Mediazona and BBC):
https://en.zona.media/article/2026/03/27/casualties_eng-trl
EMAIL US:
Contact the team on ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk . We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many on air and in our newsletter as possible.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | The Telegraph. I'm Francis Dernley and this is Ukraine, the latest. Today, as we learn the true extent of the damage caused by Ukrainian strikes on the Baltic, we look at the stalling offensives by both Russia and Ukraine |
| 0:21.3 | on the ground before turning to President Zelenskyy's Gulf Grand Tour, signing defense agreements |
| 0:26.9 | to assist Middle Eastern countries in the war with Iran. Then we hear about a row in Germany, |
| 0:32.4 | where the CEO of one of its biggest defense companies claims Ukrainian drones are built by housewives, |
| 0:38.1 | and hear whether it's possible for an EU member state, like Hungary, |
| 0:42.6 | to lose its voting rights and thereby unlock the 90 billion euro loan to Kiev. |
| 0:49.1 | Bravery takes you through the most unimaginable hardships to finally reward you with victory. |
| 0:58.8 | The Russian does not want peace. |
| 1:00.6 | First, we're fighting, with our help for the Ukraine, |
| 1:04.1 | also our freedom and our European values. |
| 1:09.3 | If I'm president, I will have that war settled in one day, 24 hours. |
| 1:13.2 | We are with you, not just today or tomorrow, but for a hundred years. |
| 1:18.3 | We can't as European, let's gain the Russia in Ukraine. |
| 1:22.8 | Nobody's going to break us. We're strong. We're Ukrainians. |
| 1:28.7 | It's Monday, the 30th of March, four years and 34 days since the full-scale invasion began. |
| 1:35.2 | And today I'm joined by my co-host, Adley Poghman-Ponte, from Germany, our Berlin correspondent, James Rothwell, and from Belgium, our Brussels correspondent, Joe Barnes. |
| 1:44.8 | But first, |
| 1:50.0 | the major military updates from over the weekend. So let's pick up where we left you last week, |
| 1:54.4 | with Ukraine's long-range strike campaign against Russia's oil export hubs in the Baltic, as they try to scupper Kremlin profits from the war in Iran, with global oil prices now surpassing $116 per barrel. |
| 2:02.9 | Reuters reported last week that in a single attack, 40% oil export capacity for Russia was |
| 2:08.7 | knocked out. Now, we don't know how much of that is still offline, but the region was hit |
| 2:13.5 | four times over five consecutive nights last week, creating smoke plumes that could be seen |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Louisa Wells / Francis Dearnley, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Louisa Wells / Francis Dearnley and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.