FlexiLingo
Trump's recent moves seem to pit the US squarely on the side of Russia rather than Ukraine. This episode was produced by Kelli Wessinger and Denise Guerra, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fact checked by Gabriel Dunatov, engineered by Bridger Dunnagan and David Tatasciore, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram. US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15, 2025. Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP via Getty Images. Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their...
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B2 · Upper-intermediate
Comfortable if you already follow TV news
- 84% of the words are B1 or easier.
- 165 words a minute: natural, fairly fast speech.
- 108 harder words (B2 and up) in the whole episode.
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from Vox since Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022.
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Is this episode right for you?
B2 · Upper-intermediate
Comfortable if you already follow TV news
- 84% of the words are B1 or easier.
- 165 words a minute: natural, fairly fast speech.
- 108 harder words (B2 and up) in the whole episode.
Transcript
The opening of the episode. The whole transcript is in the player.
harder words (B2+)
We've asked many questions about the war between Ukraine and Russia on Today Explained from Vox since Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022. Back then, we asked why Ukraine essentially had to fight Russia alone. We asked what it is about the Ukrainians fighting this war alone that has made surrender impossible.
We asked if Ukraine was winning, if Russia was winning, as well as whether the war was unwinnable and if this for Vladimir Putin was some kind of holy war. We've asked about cyber war, mercenaries, sanctions and exports. We've asked about tanks and drones and javelin missiles and funding.
We've asked how this war could end even though there's still no end in sight. But today we're going to ask a new question. Is President Trump abandoning Ukraine? With Lu Xiezia, today explained.
That was the opening. The rest of the episode (22 min) is in the player: every word clickable, with translation, saved words and flashcards.
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