Putin, Trump and the New Cold War
Vladimir Putin is a paradox. In the early years of his presidency, he appeared to commit himself to friendship with the West, suggesting Russia could join the European Union or even NATO. But the Putin of those years is now unrecognisable, an autocratic nationalist dedicated to repression at home and anti-Western militarism. So, what happened? Was he lying from the start? Or, if was he sincere, what was it that made him change his mind? Martin Sixsmith examines these questions in the context of Russia’s history and asks if the West must shoulder some of the blame.
224th Lecture Series Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow
Date: Wednesday 26 November 2025
Time: 19:30 - 21:00
Venue: Charles Wilson Building, Lecture Theatre 201
Category: Public lectures
Speaker: Martin Sixsmith
In the 1980s and 90s, Martin Sixsmith was the BBC’s correspondent in Moscow, Washington, Brussels and Warsaw, covering the presidencies of Mikhail Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin, George Bush and Bill Clinton and witnessing at first hand the end of the Cold War. Between 1997 and 2002 he worked for the British Government as Director of Communications and Press Secretary to several cabinet ministers. He is now an author, presenter and journalist.
Martin was a consultant on the BBC2 political sitcom The Thick of It and the 2010 movie In the Loop. In 2013, his book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee was adapted into the film Philomena, starring Judi Dench, with Steve Coogan in the role of Martin Sixsmith. It was nominated for four Oscars. In 2014 he presented the BBC’s 25-part history of psychology and psychiatry. His non-fiction books include My Sins Go With Me, a story of bravery and treachery in the Dutch Resistance; Ayesha’s Gift, the story of a young woman’s search to discover the truth after her father is murdered in Pakistan; Moscow Coup; The War of Nerves – Inside the Cold War Mind; and in 2024, Putin and the Return of History. Martin is currently working on a book about the alarming similarities between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, and a musical version of Philomena.