Four Corners: July 3

Monday’s Four Corners sees “Putin and the Presidents” a report from PBS Frontline.

A week after the Wagner rebellion exposed cracks in Russian President Valdimir Putin’s power, Four Corners investigates his decades long clashes with American presidents.

Drawing on in-depth conversations with insiders from five U.S. presidential administrations, former U.S. intelligence leaders, diplomats, Russian politicians, authors and journalists, the documentary reveals how the miscalculations and missteps of multiple American presidents over two decades paved the way for Putin’s attack on Ukraine – as seen through the eyes of people who were in the room.

From acclaimed Frontline filmmaker Michael Kirk and his award-winning team, Putin and the Presidents traces how, prior to launching the war on Ukraine, Putin tested the waters by provoking and defying American presidents for 20 years — cyberattacking Estonia, invading Georgia, seizing Crimea, and interfering in a U.S. presidential election.

The report provides unique insight into the icy relationship between Putin and current U.S. President Joe Biden, and into the evolution of Putin’s grievances with the U.S. and the West.

As the war on Ukraine continues, Putin and the Presidents gives essential context for this historic moment.

Monday 3rd July at 8.30pm on ABC.