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Podcast | 24 July 2026

The Women Leaders podcast: Security, cooperation, and conflict with Rose Gottemoeller

Russia-West NATO Podcasts Russia Russia-West Relations Ukraine European Security and Russia Senior Associate Fellow YGLN Podcast

We are living in a world of open conflicts existing alongside peaceful life: while life in many parts of Europe and the US is focused on summer holidays, Ukrainian cities are being pounded by Russian missiles, and their soldiers are fighting Russian ones in the Donbas, while missiles are flying across the Middle East and Iran. It is a contradictory and jarring reality, which the various instigators of the violence claim to be necessary and inevitable – notably Vladimir Putin, President of Russia.

In first illegally annexing Crimea in 2014, then mounting a full-scale invasion in 2022, Putin claimed not only that Ukraine was not a legitimate state but rather a part of Russia, but also that it was necessary as part of Russia’s defence against an ever-expanding and threatening NATO. This narrative is rooted in a malignant Russian reading of the end of the Cold War, US and NATO intentions, and Russian dreams of world significance. It is also the subject of a new book by Rose Gottemoeller, former NATO Deputy Secretary General, who joins ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El for today’s episode.

From the current situation in Russia and Ukraine to the intricacies that led to it, this is a great conversation on one of the most important periods of recent history.

This episode was recorded on 22 July 2026

Chapters:

  • What is the START Treaty?
  • Nuclear forces & deterrence rationale
  • The impact of the Ukraine conflict on Russia and global security
  • Putin’s leadership, decision-making, and strategic mindset
  • The future of Russia-US relations and cooperation
  • The importance of international cooperation and stability

Mentions

Book – Security Through Cooperation: Space, Nuclear Weapons, and US-Russia Relations After the Cold War

Rose’s previous Women Leaders episodes:

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Credits

The European Leadership Network itself as an institution holds no formal policy positions. The opinions articulated above represent the views of the authors rather than the European Leadership Network or its members. The ELN aims to encourage debates that will help develop Europe’s capacity to address the pressing foreign, defence, and security policy challenges of our time, to further its charitable purposes.

Image credit: Florence Ferrando

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