The Interview3 Aug 2025

Petr Pavel, Czech President: Russia cannot stand economic pressure

Maria Jevstafjeva speaks to Czech President, Petr Pavel about ending the war between Ukraine and Russia. Mr. Pavel was elected to the role in 2023, having retired from a military career that began with serving in the military of communist Czechoslovakia during the Cold War in the 1980s and ended three decades later after chairing Nato’s Military Committee.

The first military officer from the former Eastern Bloc to hold the post, he oversaw the Alliance's responses to a number of crises - including the fallout from Russia’s 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine.

As Russia’s war on Ukraine continues into its third year, Western leaders are renewing efforts to bring an end to the bloodshed and implement a ceasefire. Mr. Pavel, who was elected on a platform of closer ties with the EU and Nato, believes the only way to do this is by getting Putin to the negotiating table - even if that means allowing Russia to occupy parts of Ukraine, but without recognising Moscow’s claim to them.

The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presenter: Maria Jevstafjeva Producers: Ben Cooper and Tatiana Preobrazhenskaya Editor: Nick Holland

Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.

(Image: Petr Pavel. Credit: Martin Divíšek/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(1945)

Sumant Sinha: Green tech to triumph over drilling

Leanna Byrne speaks to Sumant Sinha, the founder of ReNew, one of India's largest renewable energy companies about why he thinks green and clean energy will win out.Sinha began his career in finance, ...

30 Juli 23min

Gayton McKenzie, South African minister: Immigration unrest

“This is a legitimate concern of South Africans, where there’s illegal foreigners, people with no paperwork. No country in the world allows that to happen. Why should we? Our message is very simple. W...

28 Juli 23min

Rohan Kanawade, film director: My parents accepted my sexuality

‘Their love was so innocent, so sweet, so organic and we just wanted them to end up together because even they knew that some of the queer films always end in tragedy and they were worried that someth...

26 Juli 23min

Rafael Grossi, IAEA: Nuclear back on the table?

“Due to geopolitical divides, countries are having second thoughts about non-proliferation or their non-proliferation obligations, in the sense that many countries were relying or are still relying on...

23 Juli 22min

Amy Wallace, writer: We all need to speak up

“We all need to be speaking up about it. Not just the survivors. And we put so much burden on the people who've actually suffered the most, the most vulnerable among us.”Naga Munchetty speaks to Amy W...

21 Juli 23min

Maggie Haberman, US journalist: Trump tests limits

“One of the things that’s fascinating about him simply as a historical study is the recognition that shamelessness is a superpower, and he refuses to be shamed in almost any action that he takes. He a...

19 Juli 23min

Christopher Nolan, director: We need to take risks

“The biggest risk in motion pictures is to not take a risk. You have to be putting it out there and offering people something new, and that's what will get them out of their houses.”Katie Razzall spea...

16 Juli 23min

Jim Continenza, Kodak CEO: Reinventing a brand

“We were losing about $160 million a year. We burned through our cash and we had to make some changes. I don’t mean a financial restructuring. I mean transformation of the business. It’s a skill and a...

14 Juli 22min