Ukraine: Could There Be War?
The Briefing Room
BBC
4.8 • 731 Ratings
🗓️ 16 December 2021
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Russian troops are amassed close to the Ukrainian border - could this mean war, or is something else going on?
Tensions between Ukraine and Russia aren't new, particularly since the annexation of the Crimea in 2014 and fighting with separatists, backed by Russia, in eastern Ukraine.
The West has warned Russia of dire consequences if it invades Ukraine. Russia says it is not planning to and has the right to put its troops anywhere within its territory. So what is going on?
What does President Putin want and what can NATO and the West do?
Joining David Aaronovitch in The Briefing Room are:
Sarah Rainsford, BBC Moscow Correspondent
Anton Barbashin, political analyst and editorial director of Riddle Russia
Dr. Leslie Vinjamuri, Associate Professor of International Relations, School of Oriental and African Studies, also director of the US Programme at Chatham House
Orysia Lutsevych, Research Fellow and manager of the Ukraine Forum, Russia and Eurasia Programme, Chatham House
Dr Liana Fix, Russia expert, Körber Foundation, Berlin
Programme producers: John Murphy, Kirsteen Knight and Chris Flynn Studio mix by James Beard Programme Editor: Richard Vadon
Image: Ukranian servicemen on a front line near Svetlodarsk. Credit: EPA/Anatoli Stepanov
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:05.7 | Welcome to the briefing room with me, David Aronovich. It does what it says on its cyber door. |
| 0:11.4 | You and I get briefed by the top experts on one of the big issues. And this week, the big issue is, |
| 0:17.6 | will Russia invade Ukraine? |
| 0:28.6 | Tens of thousands of Russian troops amassed close to the Ukrainian frontier, and Ukraine's forces be on high alert and not happy harbingers. The West is worried about a potential invasion, |
| 0:35.8 | the Russian response is not deeply reassuring. |
| 0:39.2 | So what's going to happen on the Ukrainian border and how alarmed should we be about it? |
| 0:44.9 | Step into the briefing room and together we'll find out. |
| 0:50.4 | Let's go back to the start. This is far from the first time there's been tension over Ukraine. |
| 0:56.5 | Sarah Rainsford, who is the BBC's Moscow correspondent, but was expelled earlier this year, is in the briefing room. |
| 1:02.9 | Sarah Rainsford, let's briefly talk about history here. |
| 1:05.9 | What is the big picture of Russia-Ukrainian relationships? Well, in the very biggest picture, of course, |
| 1:14.2 | Ukraine was part for decades of the Soviet Union. It had been an independent state very briefly |
| 1:20.1 | after 1918, but it was then absorbed into the USSR. It declared its independence in |
| 1:26.7 | 1991, August 1991, after a coup attempt in |
| 1:30.6 | Moscow, and eventually became fully independent at the end of 1991 as the USSR fell apart. |
| 1:37.4 | But there's been a long history since then even of Russian involvement in Ukraine and certainly |
| 1:42.2 | Russian interest in what happens in Ukraine. |
| 1:45.5 | And most notably in 2004 with the Orange Revolution there when there were mass protests over a pro-Russian candidate who won. |
| 1:54.4 | And then in 2014, of course, when that same man, Vyzy Yanukovych was ousted from office after he refused to turn Ukraine towards the West by signing |
| 2:02.8 | an agreement with the European Union. Now, in that 2014, that was the year that Russia annexed |
| 2:08.9 | Crimea from Ukraine and backed the rebels in the east. And that's seven years ago. Why do you think |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.