now on bbc news, it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. today, i'm in paris as france gears up for a presidential election in the spring which will test the level of anger and frustration in this country. the incumbent, emmanuel macron, looks pretty much certain to be a candidate and he's well—placed to make it into the second round run—off. who willjoin him there? well, my guest today is the long—time dominant figure in far—right politics, marine le pen. this will be her third bid for the presidency. in recent years, she's tried to detoxify her political brand, but has the strategy worked? marine le pen, welcome to hardtalk. it's a pleasure to be here. i'm looking at your political campaign. i'm thinking that every campaign needs momentum. and, right now, you seem to be lacking political momentum. why is that? but you have been dealt several very severe political blows in recent days. perhaps the worst of all was when your own family — your niece, marion marechal, she declared that she could not support you, she was actually goi

now on bbc news, hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. vladimir putin regards nato, the us, and its western allies as hostile actors, posing a threat to russia's security, and the russian president is adept at exploiting weakness in his adversaries. so he surely welcomes discord over the ukraine crisis in western capitals. my guest is us congressman michael mccaul, an influential republican voice on foreign affairs. with the us facing huge strategic challenges notjust from russia, but china and iran, too, how damaging is the depth of division in washington? congressman michael mccaul in washington, dc, welcome to hardtalk. congressman michael mccaul in washington, dc, welcome to hardtalk. 0h, stephen, thanks for having me. it's a pleasure, congressman. now, you get classified intelligence briefings on a very regular basis from the white house. give me your reading of the current situation in ukraine. i'd describe it as a noose being tied around the neck of ukraine by putin and the russians. 100,000 troops, about 70% combat—ready right n

i am stephen sackur. russia's invasion of ukraine is under way. it is an assault on the sovereignty of a european nation. the cost in blood and treasure is sure to be high. this war is a choice vladimir putin's choice. why did he make it, and why now? my guest is leonid volkov, one of the most prominent figures in russia's opposition movement led by the imprisoned alexei navalny. is putin waging war from a position of strength? leonid volkov in california, welcome to hardtalk. hello. good morning. yes. now, mrvolkov, we arejoining you in california because you are a political exile. you're a wanted man in russia, a leading figure in the anti—putin movement. i just wonder how you feel watching russian forces cross that border and invade ukraine. i feel terrible. ifeel ashamed. i feel very bad because, i mean, this is something that will have terrible consequences for my country, for russia, for ukraine, clearly. and i'm afraid also for the whole world. vladimir putin isa warcriminal. we were talking about it for many years. we were trying to expl

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. vladimir putin knows how to probe for weakness in the west. with his troop build—up on the ukrainian border he is testing the unity of nato — in particular, he's putting pressure on europe's eastern flank. how will nations once in the soviet orbit respond? well, my guest is kiril petkov, prime minister of bulgaria, which moscow says must not host a nato military presence. now, this is a big test for a new prime minister in the eu's poorest country. is bulgaria ready to stand up to russia? prime minister kiril petkov, in sofia, welcome to hardtalk. hi, stephen. it's good to be with you. it's great to have you on the show, prime minister. ijust referred to vladimir putin probing for weaknesses in nato. do you think bulgaria is a weak link in nato? not at all, not at all. we have made a very clear position that we are a strong voice in nato and in the european union, and what you see from bulgaria is a very predictable member of nato, and i don't think the word weakness should be ass

now on bbc news it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. of all the front lines in the so—called culture wars, none has stirred up more vitriol and bad blood than the argument over sex, gender and identity. how should society regard people who transition away from the biological sexual category they're born into? and what represents the truth of who we are — biology, or self—identity? well, my guest is kathleen stock, a british academic, whose work has generated a storm of controversy and led to her resignation from her university post. why has this issue become a battleground? kathleen stock, welcome to hardtalk. hello. i want to begin, if i may, by asking you about what happened to you last year. after 18 years at the university of sussex, you walked away from your academic post. now, ijust wonder, having had a few months to reflect on it, whether you are still sure you did the right thing. yes, i'm still sure i did the right thing, because the situation was pretty intolerable for me. at the time, there was this big campaign against

stephen sackur, bbc news, paris. you can watch stephen's full interview with marine le pen on hardtalk on bbc news and bbc world news on monday. check out our website for the schedule where you are. in 1987 the avant—garde composer john cage wrote a piece of keyboard music called 0rgan — aslsp, and left an unusual instruction — it is to be played aslsp — as slow as possible. a group of enthusiasts in germany took him at his word, as gail maclellan reports. wait for it... weight. weight... actually, there is no rush, we have been waiting for much more than a yearfor this g sharp been waiting for much more than a year for this g sharp note to change. the tees byjohn cage is called organ to play as low as possible. and a group of artists with time on their hands in germany decided to dojust with time on their hands in germany decided to do just that. the performance began in 2001 in a venue and with an organ especially renovated for the project. translation: renovated for the pro'ect. tuna/momfi renovated for t

i'm stephen sackur. much of the world is now transitioning from locking down to living with covid—19, and that means that, in cities like london, cultural life is returning, performers are back on stage, audiences can gather to enjoy them. my guest today is the world—renowned hungarian conductor and composer, ivan fischer, known for his innovative style. it has been a tough couple of years, so how easy is it to find the magic in music—making? ivan fischer, welcome to hardtalk. lovely to be here. it's great to have you here in london. let me ask you, how different has it been making music in the time of covid? covid had positive and negative effects on our life. the problem was that there is no audience and actually we make music for people. this is actually easy for musicians to forget. some musicians make music to impress other musicians, and we always, i remind them, "we play for the audiences, we play for the listeners." and this is what we didn't have. that was terrible. now the good thing is t

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. early last year american democracy came under attack from within. supporters of defeated president donald trump stormed the us capitol and provoked deadly violence. my guest today is democratic congressman jamie raskin, a key player in the subsequent impeachment of donald trump and the congressional investigation

i'm stephen sackur. colombians will elect a new president this year. amid a crowded field, one candidate has reason to view the coming campaign with mixed emotions. my guest today, ingrid betancourt, was running for president 20 years ago when she was captured by farc guerrillas and held captive in thejungle for more than six years. colombia's guerrilla war is over, and now she's running again, promising a war on corruption. she says she'll finish what she started. is that possible? ingrid betancourt in bogota, welcome to hardtalk. thank you for having me, stephen. it's really, really a pleasure after so many years. yeah, it is, many years since we last spoke, and that, of course, was when you got out ofjungle captivity in 2008. but i want to begin by taking you back a full 20 years to your running for the presidency in 2002. that, of course, was the campaign during which you were taken and held captive by farc guerrillas. it seems extraordinary that you've decided to run again. are you simply revising your own personal trauma by doing so? i think it's

i'm stephen sackur. russia's invasion of ukraine is under way. it is an assault on the sovereignty of a european nation. the cost in blood and treasure is sure to be high. this war is a choice, vladimir putin's choice. why did he make it? and why now? my guest is leonid volkov, one of the most prominent figures in russia's opposition movement led by the imprisoned alexei navalny. is putin waging war from a position of strength? leonid volkov in california, welcome to hardtalk. hello. good morning. yes. now, mrvolkov, we arejoining you in california because you are a political exile. you're a wanted man in russia, a leading figure in the anti—putin movement. i just wonder how you feel watching russian forces cross that border and invade ukraine. i feel terrible. ifeel ashamed. i feel very bad because, i mean, this is something that will have terrible consequences for my country, for russia, for ukraine, clearly. and i'm afraid also for the whole world. vladimir putin isa warcriminal. we were talking about it for many years. we were trying to exp

i'm stephen sackur. russia and ukraine have powerful ties of geography, history and energy. and when it comes to the geopolitics of the current crisis, energy is a key factor. ukraine has long profited from being the middleman for russian gas exports into europe. moscow is in the business of changing that reality. my guest today is yuriy vitrenko, ceo of ukraine's biggest energy company, naftogaz. as kyiv and moscow face—off, where does the economic leverage lie? yuriy vitrenko, welcome to hardtalk. hello. what is it like trying to run one of ukraine's biggest, most important businesses in this current climate of crisis? under current circumstances, of course, it's a very hot seat because i have to do a lot of geopolitics, and sometimes it looks like a military exercise, rather than just running a company, because we are on the front line. many of ukraine's key fossil fuel assets are in the donbas region. that, i imagine, is a profound problem in itself. also, you have this very complicated relationship with russia when it comes to transhipment of fossil fuels. on both tho

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. vladimir putin regards nato, the us, and its western allies as hostile actors, posing a threat to russia's security, and the russian president is adept at exploiting weakness in his adversaries. so he surely welcomes discord over the ukraine crisis in western capitals. my guest is us congressman michael mccaul, an influential republican voice on foreign affairs, with the us facing

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. russia and ukraine have powerful ties of geography, history and energy. and when it comes to the geopolitics of the current crisis, energy is a key factor. ukraine has long profited from being the middleman for russian gas exports into europe. moscow is in the business of changing that reality.

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. today i'm in paris as france gears up for a presidential election in the spring which will test the level of anger and frustration in this country. the incumbent, emmanuel macron looks pretty much certain to be a candidate and he's well—placed to make it into the second round runoff. who willjoin him there? well, my guest today is the long—time

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. russian forces continue to gather close to ukraine's eastern and northern borders, and still the world waits to see what vladimir putin's endgame is. if the goal is to wring security concessions out of the us and its nato partners, does he have any chance of success? well, my guest is gabrielius landsbergis, foreign minister of lithuania, on the front line of nato—russia tensions. why is this small baltic state making so much noise as the superpowers square up? gabrielius landsbergis in vilnius, welcome to hardtalk. hello, good evening. it's nice to have you on the show, foreign minister. just a few days ago, you said of ukraine, you said, "we are convinced that a real war is a likely possibility." the diplomacy is still continuing. are you now dialling down your rhetoric about war? well, our observations about war is from what we see on the ground. the troops are still gathering, and not only on ukrainian border, but also in belarus. and apart from troops, there are equipment, arma

now on bbc news, it's hardtalk with stephen sackur.

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. russian forces continue to gather close to ukraine's eastern and northern borders, and still the world waits to see what vladimir putin's endgame is. if the goal is to wring security concessions out of the us and its nato partners, does he have any chance of success? well, my guest is gabrielius landsbergis, foreign minister of lithuania, on the front line of nato—russia tensions.

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. early last year american democracy came under attack from within. supporters of defeated president donald trump stormed the us capitol and provoked deadly violence. my guest today is democratic congressman jamie raskin, a key player in the subsequent impeachment of donald trump and the congressional investigation into that january six assault. all this as congressman raskin has faced up to personal tragedy. what happened when the pillars of personal and political life came crashing down all at once? congressmanjamie raskin, welcome to hardtalk. thank you so much for having me. it is a real pleasure, congressman. you have chosen to share with the public the worst experience of your life, frankly the worst experience anybody can imagine, that is the loss of your son. why did you decide to do that? well, ifelt like i didn't really have a choice. i was drowning in grief and agony and tommy was a remarkable young man who had great moral and political passion in his life. he grew increasing

i'm stephen sackur. much of the world is now transitioning from locking down to living with covid—19, and that means that, in cities like london, cultural life is returning, performers are back on stage, audiences can gather to enjoy them. my guest today is the world—renowned hungarian conductor and composer, ivan fischer, known for his innovative style.

i'm stephen sackur. colombians will elect a new president this year. amid a crowded field, one candidate has reason to view the coming campaign with mixed emotions. my guest today, ingrid betancourt was running for president 20 years ago when she was captured by farc guerrillas and held captive in the jungle for more than six years.

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. russia and ukraine have powerful ties on history and energy. when it comes to the geopolitics energy is a key factor. ukraine has long profited from being the middleman for russian gas export into europe. moscow is in the business of changing that reality. my guest today yuripacheco that reality. my guest today yuri pacheco ceo of ukraine's biggest company natural gas. as kyiv and moscow face—off where does the economic leverage live? welcome to hardtalk. hello. what is it — welcome to hardtalk. hello. what is it like _ welcome to hardtalk. hello. what is it like trying - welcome to hardtalk. hello. what is it like trying to - welcome to hardtalk. hello. what is it like trying to run l what is it like trying to run one of ukraine's biggest, most important businesses in this current climate of crisis? under current circumstances of course it's a very hot seat because i have to do a lot of geopolitics and sometimes it looks like a military exercise rather than just running a country

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. of all the front lines in the so—called culture wars, none has stirred up more vitriol and bad blood than the argument over sex, gender and identity. how should society regard people who transition away from the biological sexual category they're born into? and what represents the truth of who we are — biology, or self—identity? well, my guest is kathleen stock, a british academic,

i'm stephen sackur. russia's invasion of ukraine is under way. it is an assault on the sovereignty of a european nation. the cost in blood and treasure is sure to be high. this war is a choice, vladimir putin's choice. why did he make it? and why now? my guest is leonid volkov, one of the most prominent figures in russia's opposition movement led by the

i'm stephen sackur. black and white americans have always had vastly different experiences within their country's justice system. you see it in so many different data sets, from police violence to incarceration to sentencing. it's impossible to understand without reference to america's history of institutionalised racism. understanding it is one thing, the real challenge is how to change it.

i'm stephen sackur. black and white americans have always had vastly different experiences within their country's justice system. you see it in so many different data sets, from police violence to incarceration to sentencing. it's impossible to understand without reference to america's history of institutionalised racism. understanding it is one thing, the real challenge is how to change it. my guest is bryan stevenson, civil rights lawyer and founder of the equaljustice initiative. will equality ever be more than a dream? bryan stevenson in montgomery, alabama, welcome to hardtalk. it's great to be with you. it's a pleasure to have you. bryan, i think i'm right in saying that you yourself were brought up, raised, at the tail end of segregation. that is a reality that you experienced. we now live in the era of deeply polarised politics in the united states, but also of black lives matter. as a civil rights lawyer and advocate, do you feel america is travelling in the right direction? well, we've made som

i'm stephen sackur. the golden age of the explorer is inextricably linked with the golden age of empire. people inspired to travel where none had travelled before, charting territory and encountering peoples who were subsequently often subjugated and exploited. well, my guest is one of the world's great modern—day explorers. but robin hanbury—tenison�*s motivation was never conquest. instead, he committed himself to the protection of indigenous peoples and their lands. have his efforts made a difference? robin hanbury—tenison, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. let's start with this word explorer. do you think it's past its sell—by date, now that all of our planet is surveyed, satellite—tracked, we map it, we know it? is exploration a thing of the past? absolutely not. the word is grossly overused by all sorts of people. i mean, windows explorer, for a start. it's all over the media all of the time, all sorts of people are calling themselves explorers. but for me, explorers, partly in the old vi