Ukraine ‘vaporises’ Russian helicopters mid-flight behind enemy lines & Putin proposes ‘brief’ ceasefire in Trump call
Ukraine: The Latest
Louisa Wells / Francis Dearnley
4.8 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 30 April 2026
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Day 1,526.
Today, as President Putin once again dangles a ceasefire in front of President Trump to avoid any risk of disruption to his Victory Day commemorations, he discuss reports that US president might be considering pulling American forces out of Germany while, at the same, the Pentagon finally unlocks a $400 million military aid package. We also bring you the latest on Ukraine’s strike campaign and how it’s turned one of Russia’s strengths – its size – into a weakness, before hearing from a Ukrainian Olympian diver about the decision by World Aquatics to permit Russian athletics to compete under the Russian flag once more.
Contributors:
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
With thanks to Telegraph reporters Lily Shanagher and Alisa Butterwick, plus Ukrainian Olympic diver Oleksiy Sereda.
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:
Ukrainian drones destroy £18m Russian helicopters behind enemy lines (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/30/ukrainian-drones-destroy-18m-russian-helicopters/
Trump threatens to pull troops out of Germany (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/04/29/trump-germany-troops-friedrich-merz/
Putin’s ‘altar boy’ is finally in Ukraine’s sights (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/30/putin-altar-boy-finally-in-ukraine-sights/
Japanese drone maker doubles down on Ukraine as Tokyo eases arms rules (The Kyiv Independent):
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.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Ukraine ‘vaporises’ Russian helicopters mid-flight behind enemy lines
- Putin proposes ‘brief’ ceasefire in Trump call
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The Telegraph. |
| 0:09.3 | I'm Francis Dernley and this is Ukraine, the latest. |
| 0:13.5 | Today, as President Putin once again dangles a ceasefire in front of President Trump |
| 0:18.1 | to avoid any risk of disruption to his Victory Day commemorations. |
| 0:22.3 | We discuss reports that the US president might be considering pulling American forces out of |
| 0:27.4 | Germany, while at the same time, the Pentagon finally unlocks a $400 million military aid package |
| 0:34.7 | for Kiev. Then we bring you the latest on Ukraine's strike campaign |
| 0:38.5 | and how it's turned one of Russia's strengths, its size, into a weakness, |
| 0:43.4 | before hearing from a Ukrainian Olympian diver |
| 0:46.0 | about the decision by World Aquatics to permit Russian athletes |
| 0:49.3 | to compete under their national flag. |
| 0:52.6 | Bravery takes you through the most unimaginable hardships to finally reward you with victory. |
| 1:02.3 | The Russians is not one feat. |
| 1:04.2 | First, we're fighting, with our help for the Ukraine, |
| 1:07.6 | also our freedom and our European |
| 1:11.6 | Writers. |
| 1:12.6 | If I'm president, I will have that war settled in one day, 24 hours. |
| 1:16.6 | We are with you, not just today or tomorrow, but for a hundred years. |
| 1:21.6 | We can't, as European, let's gain the Russia in Ukraine. |
| 1:25.6 | Nobody's going to break us. We're strong. We're Ukraine is. |
| 1:32.2 | It's Thursday, the 30th of April, four years and 65 days since the full-scale invasion began. |
| 1:38.3 | And today, I'm joined by my fellow telegraph journalist, Lily Shanaha, and Alisa Butterwick. |
... |
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