Three Years On: Decision makers reflect
Ukrainecast
BBC
4.7 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 24 February 2025
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What was going on in the corridors of power when Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine took place?
A senior US diplomat and UK politician look back on the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion, and look ahead to what happens next.
We hear from Julianne Smith, former US permanent representative to Nato, James Heappey former UK armed forces minister and Dmytro Kuleba, former Ukrainian foreign minister.
Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Ben Carter, Julia Webster, Stuart Denman and Ryan Johnston. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. 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 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:04.8 | Hello, it's 1097 days, exactly three years, since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, |
| 0:12.4 | announced by Vladimir Putin on the 24th of February 2022. |
| 0:19.6 | I made a decision to carry out a special military operation. |
| 0:23.6 | The purpose of this operation is to protect. |
| 0:26.6 | It was a day that will live long in the memories of so many. |
| 0:29.6 | Politicians and diplomats scramble to respond. |
| 0:33.6 | A UN Security Council debate was literally taking place as Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine. |
| 0:40.4 | During the debate, the Ukrainian representative, Sraheika Slicia, lambasted his Russian counterpart, |
| 0:46.2 | Vasili Nibenzia. |
| 0:47.9 | Call Putin, call Lavrov to stop aggression. |
| 0:52.2 | And I welcome the decision of some members of this Council |
| 0:58.0 | to meet as soon as possible to consider the necessary decision |
| 1:03.0 | that would condemn the aggression that you launch on my people. |
| 1:09.0 | There is no purgatory for war criminals. They go straight to hell, |
| 1:13.9 | Ambassador. And as the hours went by, Western leaders threw their support behind Kiev and condemned |
| 1:19.7 | what Russia was doing. We are with you. We're praying for you and your families and we are on your side. |
| 1:26.2 | And if the months ahead are grim and the flame of freedom |
| 1:30.3 | burns low, I know that it will blaze bright again in Ukraine. Putin is the aggressor. Putin chose this war, |
| 1:41.4 | and now he and his country will bear the consequences. |
| 1:51.7 | We now have war in Europe on a scale and of a type with thought belonged to history. |
| 1:57.9 | The following day, President Zelensky of Ukraine posted a defiant video of himself with several top advisors in Kiev. |
... |
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