Latest Interviews

War in Ukraine: The Economist interviews President Zelensky

Zelensky, Zanny Minton Beddoes

Economist editor-in-chief Jeremy Paxman traveled to Kyiv to interview President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding the war's trajectory, victory conditions, and critical gaps in Western military support. Zelensky asserts that Ukraine will fight until the last city while criticizing insufficient Western sanctions and inconsistent aid from Germany and the United States compared to the consistent backing of the United Kingdom. The President further warns of potential chemical weapon deployments by Russia and argues that a post-war resolution requires a decisive victory rather than compromises that threaten Ukraine's sovereignty.

War in Ukraine: is a peace deal possible?

Ed, Sally, Zany, Arkady

Ongoing negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow remain stalled over the core triad of territorial status, sanctions sequencing, and Crimea's strategic corridor, as Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov lacks final authority to offer concessions without President Vladimir Putin's direct approval. While Ukraine has hardened its stance by rejecting pre-1991 borders and exploring security guarantees akin to Finnish neutrality, Putin's strategy is increasingly driven by domestic consolidation rather than genuine security needs, reflecting a calculated worldview that prioritizes legacy over realistic military outcomes. This strategic deadlock, compounded by Putin's internal miscalculation and the reluctance of his kleptocratic inner circle to risk nuclear escalation, leaves both sides facing a stalemate with no substantive progress toward a comprehensive peace deal.

War in Ukraine: how could this end?

Current Russian military strategy suffers from severe tactical dysfunction and internal instability, evidenced by armored columns lacking infantry support and the recent house arrest of senior FSB officials involved in invasion planning. This dysfunction, driven by Putin's reluctance to admit failure, has escalated domestic risks of preemptive purges within the security apparatus while mounting civilian casualties pressure President Zelensky toward a negotiated settlement. Although the prospect of chemical weapon use or direct NATO confrontation represents the highest war risk since the 1980s, the optimal outcome remains a diplomatic resolution preserving the Zelensky government in exchange for Russian territorial concessions and a NATO neutrality pledge.

Malala: what Ukraine’s invasion means for girls’ education

Zanny Minton Beddoes, Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai addressed global crises in Ukraine, Afghanistan, and other regions, emphasizing that war creates irreversible damage and urging leaders to redefine humanitarian funding to explicitly include education. She highlighted a critical digital gender gap exacerbated by conflict and called for strict international dialogue with the Taliban regarding women's rights, advocating for the release of frozen Afghan reserves to support economic recovery. Ultimately, Yousafzai asserted that quality education is fundamental to peace and stability, demanding that current educational bans in conflict zones be treated as urgent global priorities.

War in Ukraine: how far will Putin go?

Putin

Experts warn that Vladimir Putin, viewing the conflict as an existential war against the West, possesses both the willingness and capability to escalate through battlefield nuclear weapons, sabotage of NATO arms depots, and unfounded chemical weapon allegations. While the Kremlin employs grey zone tactics to erode alliance credibility and seeks a negotiated global sphere of influence with Western leaders, Russia simultaneously faces internal fragility marked by rising anti-Moscow sentiment and domestic instability. This dynamic creates a high-risk environment where Russian paralysis and paranoia could precipitate a direct confrontation with NATO or a destabilizing collapse of the Russian state itself.

War in Ukraine: are sanctions working?

Patrick Foulis, Matthew Valencia

Western nations have deployed unprecedented financial warfare against Russia, freezing $630 billion in central bank assets, severing key banking ties from the SWIFT system, and imposing targeted restrictions on Vladimir Putin's inner circle. These measures triggered immediate economic shockwaves characterized by record inflation, currency collapse, and the total failure of Russia's "Fortress Russia" defense strategy. While Moscow's current retaliation remains limited, strategic assessments indicate these sanctions aim to degrade Russian military capabilities over time rather than achieve immediate deterrence or halt the invasion.

War in Ukraine: Kyiv under attack

Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, Tim Judah

Russian armored convoys advancing on Kyiv face determined civilian resistance and unexpectedly effective Ukrainian army tactics that have sustained morale despite the scale of the offensive. President Volodymyr Zelensky's continued presence in the capital and widespread social media documentation of local defiance have galvanized the population, while tens of thousands of residents have evacuated the city through disrupted rail schedules. Analysts now acknowledge Vladimir Putin's unilateral decision to launch a full-scale invasion, a move initially denied by the international community that has fundamentally altered the conflict's trajectory.

Could Putin really start a nuclear war?

Shashank Joshi

Vladimir Putin has placed Russia's strategic nuclear forces on high alert to deter Western military intervention, a move that Western allies have condemned as reckless yet have chosen not to mirror with reciprocal escalations. While this action signals Russian vulnerability regarding the slower-than-anticipated progress of the Ukrainian campaign, experts assess the risk of deliberate nuclear war as low due to mutual assured destruction, leaving accidental escalation as the primary danger. Consequently, the current geopolitical climate represents the most severe security crisis in a generation, characterized by intense conventional warfare and a critical need to maintain communication channels to prevent unintended conflict.

War in Ukraine: what will happen next?

Shashank, Arkady, Zannie

Experts characterize the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine as Europe's most intense war in a generation, driven by explicit objectives to topple the Kyiv regime and risking nuclear escalation through Vladimir Putin's aggressive rhetoric. While Western nations have implemented sanctions rooted in shared values, analysts warn that perceptions of insufficient deterrence and potential cyber warfare could test NATO's Article 5 thresholds and exploit alliance fissures. The conflict represents a decisive geopolitical moment with downstream consequences likely to redrawing the European map, weakening Baltic defenses, and forcing China to choose between its non-interference principles and its alliance with Moscow.

War in Ukraine: what’s happening in Kyiv?

Richard Ensor

Following Vladimir Putin's declaration of a "special military operation" driven by stated goals of denazification and nuclear threats, Russian forces launched a sudden invasion that has disrupted civilian life in Kyiv and triggered mass evacuations toward Poland. In response, President Zelensky has armed citizens for defense while maintaining order through the National Guard, even as the country braces for prolonged combat and severe Western sanctions. The conflict has already precipitated a growing refugee crisis in neighboring nations and raised concerns among international observers regarding the potential for extensive civilian casualties and urban destruction.

Green building: can mushrooms help?

Oliver Morton

Addressing the construction sector's contribution of 11% to global CO2 emissions, experts are evaluating alternatives to carbon-intensive concrete such as sustainably sourced wood and emerging materials like mycelium. While renewable energy-powered aluminum and flexible architectural designs offer promising pathways for decarbonization, significant barriers remain, including wood price volatility and the structural limitations of biological composites in terrestrial environments. Consequently, achieving global sustainability goals requires distinct strategies for developed nations versus emerging economies, where the informal nature of the industry necessitates government intervention in high-density housing to effectively reduce per-capita greenhouse gas output.

Ukraine and Russia: what is really going on?

Shashank Joshi

By February 2022, Russian forces had surrounded Ukraine from three sides, prompting Western intelligence to assess that Vladimir Putin faces a political dilemma between appearing weak by withdrawing or risking severe consequences by invading. Experts warn that while Ukraine lacks the air defenses to halt a full-scale assault, executing a regime-change campaign would trigger a prolonged war with substantial casualties, severe economic sanctions, and potential destabilization of the Russian regime. The crisis has forced NATO to reaffirm its territorial defense mission with new deployments in Eastern Europe and has tested US credibility regarding alliances in Asia, even as diplomatic efforts remain stalled due to a fundamental lack of clarity regarding Moscow's objectives.

How to make computers less biased

Pa Manjang, Parr, Rochelle Farool, Meredith Broussard, Thomas Adams, Tamara Gilkes-Boer

Uber driver Pa Manjang is suing the company for algorithmic dismissal after an automated facial verification system permanently deactivated his account, sparking broader allegations of racial bias in tech infrastructure. This legal action highlights systemic issues where biased training data and lack of diverse testing have led to discriminatory outcomes in sectors ranging from mortgage lending to medical diagnostics. In response, regulators like the European Union are proposing stricter AI oversight frameworks while industry innovators develop tools to detect embedded bias before algorithms impact fundamental rights.

China and Russia: MI6’s top concerns

Richard Moore, shashank joshi

MI6 Chief Richard Moore signaled a strategic realignment for the intelligence service by publicly prioritizing the challenge of China's rise, particularly its access to global data streams which threatens UK sovereignty and artificial intelligence development. Distinguishing this systemic digital threat from traditional Russian kinetic aggression, Moore outlined a dual-track approach to maintain cooperation on global issues while defending British values against authoritarian influence. Simultaneously, he addressed the Ukraine conflict, asserting that Russia's invasion would incur severe economic costs and that Ukraine is now better positioned to resist than in 2014.

What will China do in 2022?

Ed, Zannie

Xi Jinping is positioning himself for a historic third term by centralizing party power through aggressive regulatory crackdowns on the private sector and strict domestic control, which he sustains amidst rising nationalism despite ongoing human rights controversies. This consolidation coincides with a shift toward international assertiveness and a managed geopolitical standoff with the United States, where deep economic interdependence complicates traditional Cold War narratives. As tensions regarding Taiwan remain high with a significant risk of conflict within the next decade, the strategic dilemma for the Biden administration involves balancing firm security guarantees against the potential for destabilizing Asian alliances.