Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine rocked the foundations of European security. Nearly a year on, this three-part series tells the inside story of how, through a decade of clashes, the West has truggled to deal with him – told by the Presidents and Prime Minister who have traded blows with him.
From the moment Putin attacked Crimea in 2014 to his dramatic intervention in Syria and the use of a deadly nerve agent on British soil, each episode traces how Putin has confounded the West, causing deep divisions in Europe and Nato. Key players including Boris Johnson, Jens Stoltenberg, Francois Hollande, Theresa May and David Cameron tell of their fractious conversations with Putin, from all-night negotiations to phone calls where they recall how Putin blatantly lied to them. In a rare documentary interview, Volodymyr Zelensky tells how he lobbied Nato countries for more support. And we see how, as relations between Russia and the West have spiralled downwards, Putin set his sights on Ukraine and prepared for an invasion that would change the course of history.
