Donald Trump has announced that talks to end the war in Ukraine will start immediately. The US President had 'a lengthy and highly productive' phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, followed by a call to Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky. We hear from a former NATO Deputy Secretary General and a Ukrainian MP about the path going forward. Also in our programme: is the United States in the midst of a constitutional crisis? And we hear about a historic raid targetting the Sicilian mafia. (Photo: US President Trump Welcomes Released Russian Prisoner Mark Fogel. Credit: Shutterstock)
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Hello and welcome to NewsHour.
It's coming to you live from the BBC World Service Studios in central London.
I'm Tim Franks
and we're beginning with the latest neck wrenching change of scenery from the Trump administration.
This time it's over the war in Ukraine.
President Trump has said
that negotiations to end the conflict will start immediately after what he described as a lengthy and highly productive phone call with President Putin.
Indeed, within the last few minutes, he said that phone call lasted more than an hour.
The White House Press Secretary, Caroline Leavitt, told reporters that the president had followed his call to Vladimir Putin by one to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy,
and that diplomatic work would start in just two days when the US Secretary of State visits a major west security conference in Germany.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the delegation.
I am hopeful that the results of that meeting will be positive.
It is time to stop this ridiculous war where there has been massive