Predicting 2026: Will Ukraine finally get a peace deal?

Predicting 2026: Will Ukraine finally get a peace deal?

Author: Financial Times December 30, 2025 Duration: 9:26

The FT’s Europe editor Ben Hall thought there would be a Ukraine peace deal in 2025. Despite lots of back and forth over ceasefire proposals, an agreement has yet to materialise. The negotiations reveal a lot about the relationship between the west and Russia. Can the countries come to an agreement in 2026?


Mentioned in this podcast:

Forecasting the World in 2025 

Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls for 50-year US security guarantee for Ukraine


Note: The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts 


Today’s FT News Briefing was hosted by Sonja Hutson, and produced by Victoria Craig and Marc Filippino. Our show was mixed by Kelly Garry. Additional help from Gavin Kallmann and David da Silva. The FT’s acting co-head of audio is Topher Forhecz. The show’s theme music is by Metaphor Music.


Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


Start your morning with the essential context for the day ahead. FT News Briefing, directly from the Financial Times newsroom, cuts through the noise to deliver a concise, authoritative overview of the global business and political developments that truly matter. Each episode is a focused, ten-minute digest designed for the time-pressed, offering clarity on complex market movements, geopolitical shifts, and economic policy decisions. You’ll hear the FT’s expert analysis woven into the reporting, providing not just the headlines but the underlying forces at play. This daily podcast serves as an efficient primer, whether you’re commuting or preparing for your first meeting, ensuring you’re informed on the stories that will define conversations in boardrooms and beyond. Released every weekday morning, it’s a reliable filter for the overwhelming flow of information, built on the FT’s legacy of rigorous journalism. Tune in to transform the way you catch up on world events, turning a few minutes into a strategic advantage for your day.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

FT News Briefing
Podcast Episodes
The rocky legal future of Trump’s tariffs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:02
Swiss lawmakers have assured senior UBS executives that they will water down stringent new rules and the Trump administration took its first step in opening the more than $10tn US retirement marketplace to private market…
How Trump's tariffs ripped up the global trade order [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:52
US President Donald Trump has said he wants to ‘take the oil in Iran’ and could seize the export hub of Kharg Island. Uncertainty about what happens next in the war is sending nervousness through global markets. Plus, th…
Untold: Opus Dei, Ep. 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:34
Untold host Antonia Cundy uncovers the cultural and political influence of a controversial Catholic organisation in America. Opus Dei exists to help people get closer to God, but some members say they found other agendas…
Hong Kong woos asset managers with potential tax cuts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:09
The United Arab Emirates has told allies that it would participate in a multinational maritime task force intended to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and Hong Kong is weighing tax cuts for asset managers. Plus, London has e…
Investors try to stay ahead of Trump’s Iran moves [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:58
Iran’s top military leadership dismissed Donald Trump’s claims that the Islamic republic was ready to make a deal, the US president appears to make abrupt policy pivots based on swings in oil prices, and the EU’s trade c…
Gold hasn’t been acting like itself lately [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:57
Meta and OpenAI will be among the first customers of Arm’s long-awaited new AI processor, the haven asset gold hasn’t been looking like its usual self, and Volkswagen is in talks to switch production at one its factories…
Netanyahu’s rivals try to outdo him over Iran [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:08
Sources tell the FT that Pakistan is positioning itself as the lead mediator trying to broker an end to the US’s and Israel’s war against Iran, and the US ambassador to the EU says the bloc must implement its trade deal…
Strait of Hormuz crisis poses fresh threat to global food, energy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:11
The World Food Project warns millions more could be pushed into acute hunger if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. Plus, energy executives meet in Houston as war in Iran rages, and China pitches itself as a “harbour of…
The ‘Armageddon scenario’ for gas markets [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:34
Investors sounded the alarm on Thursday after a major Qatar gas facility took serious damage, and amateur traders are going wild for five-minute bets. Mentioned in this podcast:‘Armageddon scenario’ for gas markets as Qa…
Federal Reserve holds steady as inflation fears mount [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:58
The US has relaxed sanctions on Venezuela’s state-owned oil group Petróleos de Venezuela and the Federal Reserve has stuck with plans to cut rates later this year. Plus, Walmart won patents to give algorithms more sway o…