Donald Trump has stepped up his verbal attacks on Volodymyr Zelensky, branding him a dictator who could lose his country, after the Ukrainian leader said the US president had been taken in by Russian disinformation. Also in the programme: The Netherlands is to return more than a hundred Benin bronze sculptures to Nigeria, where they were looted by British forces in the nineteenth century; Microsoft has unveiled a chip powered by a new state of matter, which it says shows a quantum computing revolution is only years away; and two months after a failed coup, we hear from supporters of South Korea's impeached and imprisoned president. (Photo credit: Getty Images)
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47:21
Zelensky says Trump is living in a Russian ‘disinformation space’
President Volodymyr Zelensky has hit back at US President Donald Trump's suggestion that Ukraine started the war and that his popularity ratings are low. In forthright comments from a former close US ally, Mr Zelensky said Mr Trump was trapped in a disinformation bubble created by Russia. It comes as he is due to have talks with US envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg. We get the reaction of a Ukrainian MP and hear from the city of Odesa. Also in the programme: Hamas says it’s willing to release all remaining hostages in one go in exchange for a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza; and the discovery of the first ancient Egyptian pharaoh’s tomb in more than a century.(Picture: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky gives a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine on February 19, 2025. Credit: Tetiana Dzhafarova/Pool via REUTERS)
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43:39
US and Russia agree to work on ending the war in Ukraine
Diplomats from Moscow and Washington agree to press ahead with negotiations to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. The talks, which are taking place in Saudi Arabia, are underscored by the absence of any Ukrainian representative. We talk about the latest diplomatic developments and the role of sanctions in the conflict.Also on the programme: we hear from the patients in Nigeria who are affected by cuts in USAID’s HIV care; and Britain’s new National Poetry Centre.(Photo: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attending a press conference after negotiations with US officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Credit: Shutterstock)
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47:28
US-Russia talks in Riyadh on Ukraine war
The US and Russia have met in Saudi Arabia to begin negotiations on ending the Ukraine war. The high level meeting, led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, was the first since Moscow's full-scale invasion three years ago. Also in the programme: Israel pulls out of villages in southern Lebanon as part of its ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah, but leaves some hilltop outposts in a move the UN says violates the deal; and as the first legal challenge to an action by the Trump administration reaches the US Supreme Court - will it shift the limits of the president's powers?(IMAGE: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) and Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov (2-R) attending a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (2-L), US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz (3-L) and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff (L), Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Saudi National Security Advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad Al-Aiban at Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 18 February 2025. / CREDIT: Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
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47:25
European leaders say they are united on security of the continent
Today, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in Riyadh ahead of Russia talks . Simultaneously, European leaders have met in Paris, to discuss Ukraine and defence spending. We hear from Dimiti Trenin a Russian foreign policy expert and former military intelligence officer, on what Russia hopes to achieve from a potential deal. We also hear what role Saudi Arabia is playing in negotiating with the USA on the future of Gaza.Also on the programme: why some scientists have suggested the reintroduction of wolves to the Scottish Highlands to combat climate change and; a new BBC documentary has spent the last nine months following the lives of four young people in Gaza.Image: French President Emmanuel Macron, European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen react following a meeting with European leaders on Ukraine and European security at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, February 17, 2025. (Credit: Abdul Saboor via Reuters)
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