Far-right leader Marine Le Pen has put in an unexpectedly strong showing and looks set to go head to head with Emmanuel Macron in the second round of France’s presidential election. Gideon talks to the FT’s Anne-Sylvaine Chassany and Bruno Cautrès of Sciences Po about the issues French voters care about and what happens next.Clips: Reuters, HuffPost, France inter www.ft.com/rachman-reviewhttps://play.acast.com/s/therachmanreviewWant to read more?French election polls: the race for the presidencyRightwing presidential candidates’ immigration ‘obsession’ belies reality of modern FranceEmmanuel Macron warns he could lose French election to the far rightFrance votes: Macron’s frontrunner status conceals deep rifts in societySubscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design by Jasiu SigsworthRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gideon talks to Catherine Belton, author of the bestselling book Putin’s People, about who is likely to be influencing the Russian president as he decides whether to step back or press on with the war in Ukraine.Clips: Reuters, BBCWant to read more?Putin’s People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Turned on the WestGermany and Austria plan for gas rationing over payment stand-off with RussiaWar in Ukraine: what explains the calm in global stock markets?Antigua investigates yacht with possible Abramovich tiesSubscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design by Jasiu SigsworthRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Europe has been united by opposition to Putin’s war in Ukraine, but will this new found unity last and will Russia be permanently isolated? Gideon talks to Alexander Stubb, former prime minister of Finland, about how the conflict is reshaping Europe’s alliances with the rest of the world.Clips: British PathéWant to read more? Nato to discuss extending Jens Stoltenberg’s term as secretary-generalBiden heads for Europe with mission to maintain west’s unity in response to RussiaWe should not abandon Russian citizens to a culture of brutalityPutin’s war demands a concerted global economic responseSubscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design by Breen Turner.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ben Hall talks to Rose Gottemoeller, an American diplomat who was deputy secretary-general of Nato from 2016 to 2019, about the kind of deal Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are working towards. Will Ukraine agree to give up its ambitions for Nato membership and pledge neutrality instead? How might the west guarantee its security and could Vladimir Putin tolerate an independent Ukraine?Clips: Sky News, BBC, NBCWant to read more?Ukraine and Russia signal progress in talksHow is Ukraine using western weapons to exploit Russian weaknesses?Life under occupation: how Ukrainians are resisting Russian ruleTracking Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in maps Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Ben Hall. Produced by Fiona Symon and Persis Love. Sound design by Breen TurnerRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How long can the Ukrainians hold out? Will Vladimir Putin be stuck in a never-ending war and how would Russians tolerate that? Might western powers be dragged in? Ben Hall, the FT’s Europe editor, discusses these questions with John Paul Rathbone, defence and security correspondent, and Henry Foy, European diplomatic correspondent and former Moscow bureau chief. Clips: BBC, Nato NewsWant to read more? Ukraine accuses Russia of Mariupol hospital bombing ‘atrocity’Russia’s techies flee country they fear is ‘flying into an abyss’War in Ukraine: will the Baltics become the ‘new West Berlin’?Military briefing: Russian invaders exposed to guerrilla attacksSubscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Ben Hall. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design by Jasiu SigsworthRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Putin’s war in Ukraine is not going to plan, but it’s as yet unclear how the Russian leader will react to these failures. Gideon talks to strategic expert Lawrence Freedman about what the Russian military can realistically achieve and, in particular, how worried Nato should be about Russia’s decision to put its nuclear weapons on standby.Clips: BBC, CNN Want to read more?Another Stalingrad’: assault on Kharkiv shatters ties that once bound two nationsAir power counts for little in Ukraine war as caution prevails on both sidesWest takes Putin’s nuclear weapons threat seriouslyTracking Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in mapsSubscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design by Breen Turner.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russia has confirmed what western powers had long predicted and invaded Ukraine. On the eve of war, Gideon spoke to Sabine Fischer of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, a Russian specialist recently back from Moscow, and to Polina Ivanova, FT correspondent in Kyiv, about the mood in the two capitals.Clips: RT, The White HouseWant to read more?EU hits Putin’s defence minister and chief of staff with sanctionsPutin’s denial of Ukrainian statehood carries dark historical echoesUkraine prepares to impose state of emergency and calls up reserve troopsPutin’s made-for-TV security debate gives him answers he wants to hear on UkraineSubscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design by Breen Turner.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a week of frenetic diplomacy, the Ukraine crisis has yet to be resolved. But it has had a significant impact on reshaping western alliances. Gideon talks to Charles Grant, head of the Centre for European Reform, a London-based think-tank, about the impact of the Russian threat on US ties with Europe, and on Nato and the EU.Clips: The White House, Sky NewsWant to read more?Poland prepares for possible influx of refugees fleeing UkraineTop finance watchdog urges west to ‘think twice’ about Russia sanctionsCan the Minsk accords help de-escalate Russia-Ukraine tensions?Ukraine crisis pushes Russia and China into a closer embraceSubscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design by Breen Turner.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Governments and militias around the world, from Ukraine to Ethiopia, have a new and powerful weapon at their disposal: armed drones. Gideon talks to Ulrike Franke of the European Council on Foreign Relations about how this is changing the balance of power and causing growing concern about civilian casualties.Clips: WSJ, CBS,Sky NewsRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gideon talks to Hungary’s opposition leader Peter Marki-Zay about his chances of overcoming the powerful political machine created by Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party in April's elections.Clips: Fox News, ReutersRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.