The World Tonight

Vladimir Putin says there are many details still to be ironed out before he'll back a ceasefire in his war with Ukraine. It's a blow to Donald Trump's peacemaking efforts. Meetings are still going on in Moscow tonight between President Trump's envoy and the Russian leader - we ask where Vladimir Putin's comments leave the prospects for an end to the fighting. Also on the programme: More money is pledged for frontline health services, as the Government scraps the administrative arm of the NHS in England. We ask what difference it could make for patients. We hear about the incresae in non-fatal strangulation - choking - during sex among younger people. We ask what's behind the rise in cases like this. And a guide to tonight's celestial treat - a rare "blood moon" partial lunar eclipse.

Some Labour MPs have voiced concerns about government plans to reduce the number of people claiming benefits. We explore what’s behind the rise in benefits claims and speak to a psychiatrist about the danger of “overdiagnosis”. Vladimir Putin has paid a rare visit to a military outpost in Kursk as Russian forces reclaimed much of the territory held by Ukraine since August last year. A new study has been looking at ways to reduce the risk of oxygen deprivation in newborn babies.

The US says it will restore military and intelligence aid to Kyiv - in exchange for a 30-day pause in the fighting. We have reaction from Ukraine - and ask how Russia will respond. Also tonight: The prime minister has vowed to reform the "indefensible" welfare system. But can he overcome opposition to benefit cuts from his own MPs? And archaeologists think they've solved the mystery of why the world’s largest Iron Age coin hoard was buried in Jersey more than 2,000 years ago.

Fires are still burning on two ships which collided off the East Yorkshire coast. A Portuguese-flagged cargo ship, carrying fifteen containers of highly toxic sodium cyanide, struck an American oil tanker. Thirty-seven crew members from the ships have been brought safely ashore but one crew member remains missing. The American ship was carrying aviation fuel, some of which is pouring into the sea. Also in programme: we assess whether the Government’s new planning legislation can placate residents’ concerns about housing developments and electricity pylons; and as the head of the UK's security industry calls for the word "bouncer" to be kicked out, we'll explore the word's history with Countdown's Susie Dent.

Three Bulgarian nationals have been found guilty of spying for Russia, in what police have described as “one of the largest” foreign intelligence operations in the UK. Vanya Gaberova, 30, Katrin Ivanova, 33, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, were part of a group who travelled Europe carrying out surveillance on journalists, a former politician and a US military base in Germany between 2020 and 2023. We explore how Russia is ramping up its espionage and sabotage campaign in Europe. Neuroscientists working with survivors of the Hamas attack on the Nova music festival in Israel on 7th October 2023 say there are signs that MDMA may provide some protection from trauma. And as the government launches a national toothbrushing campaign, we speak to a headteacher on why it’s needed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he'll meet US officials in Saudi Arabia next week, where he'll discuss peace with Russia. European leaders are scrambling to boost defence spending, while in Washington DC President Trump again questioned the value of NATO. The Pope has released an audio message to well-wishers after three weeks in hospital. And we speak to a photographer whose image of a Canadian goose fending off an attack by an American eagle was seized upon by Canadians as a metaphor for their stand against Donald Trump's bellicose rhetoric.

As Washington confirms it has suspended some intelligence sharing with Kyiv, EU leaders prepare to hold an emergency summit in Brussels. We ask what Europe needs to do to defend itself and Ukraine, while Latvia's defence minister tells us his country could join a 'coalition of the willing' in Ukraine. Also in the programme: the justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has publicly distanced herself from new sentencing guidelines, which say a defendant's faith and ethnicity should be considered when deciding on prison sentences; and rave reviews for a video game that is about managing a museum rather than shooting up enemies or driving fast cars.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine is ready to hold peace negotiations and is prepared to work under US President Donald Trump’s ‘strong leadership’. The announcement comes after the US suspended all military aid to Ukraine. We hear from Republican Congressman Tim Burchett and Ukrainian opposition MP Lesia Vasylenko. Also on the programme: we hear from the doctors treating wounded Gazans in Jordan; and is it acceptable to sip on an alcohol-free beer at work?

US President Trump renewed his criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, calling for him to be "appreciative" of US support and saying Zelensky "better not be right" that the war will continue for a long time. Earlier on Truth Social, Donald Trump wrote that Zelensky, "doesn't want there to be Peace." President Trump also says tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada are definitely coming into force at midnight. We speak to the Premier of British Columbia who says Canada's sovereignty is under threat. And could the film that won Best Picture at the Oscars, Anora, change attitudes towards sex workers?

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky was told to leave the White House early and without signing a minerals deal with the United States after he clashed with US President Trump and Vice-President JD Vance in front of the world's media inside the Oval Office. During the extraordinary spat, a clearly angry Donald Trump told Zelensky he needed to be "thankful" to the United States and accused him of "gambling with World War Three". In this special episode, we get reaction from Washington DC, Ukraine, Britain and Russia.

In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective.

At Donald Trump's first cabinet meeting since returning to office, he confirmed President Zelensky will head to Washington on Friday. We look ahead to Keir Starmer's meeting with President Trump on Thursday and hear from a senior US and senior UK diplomat. Also: a fired federal worker who's worried about the influence of the world's richest man. Why the Merlin of medieval poetry was very different to the white-bearded magician portrayed on screen. And we remember Henry Kelly, the news and entertainment presenter, and former reporter on The World Tonight.

The prime minister has announced billions more for defence spending as he said Britain faces grave new threats. We ask a former head of the army how that money could be spent - and a US Republican whether the prime minister's decision will win over President Trump - who he meets later this week. Ukrainian officials say a deal has been reached between Kyiv and Washington over Ukraine's minerals and other resources. We have the latest. Also on the programme: A baby who was abandoned in a shopping bag in east London last year has taken her first steps. We reflect on the challenges for deserted children with the Olympic medalist Fatima Whitbread, who herself was abandoned as a child. And catching a glimpse of the rare sight of a planetary parade, as seven planets became visible in tonight's sky.

James Coomarasamy reports live from Berlin at a pivotal moment for European security. French President Emmanuel Macron visited Donald Trump in Washington and urged him not to force a peace on Ukraine that would be tantamount to surrender. Meanwhile, after German elections, the Chancellor-in-waiting Freidrich Merz says he'll seek "independence" from the United States, in comments he has since softened. Also on the programme: the man who set a new world record for the fastest marathon while using crutches, though he didn't know it at the time. And has Donald Trump's rapprochement with Russia undermined attempts to seek justice for the invasion and war crimes in Ukraine. On the third anniversary of the invasion, we ask Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk.

There was outrage in Israel when a body handed over on Thursday which Hamas said was that of the Israeli mother Shiri Bibas was later discovered to be that of a Gazan woman. We speak with the father of a recently released Israeli hostage, who knew Mrs Bibas; and to a veteran Palestinian campaigner. Also on the programme: Elon Musk demonstrates his approach to government efficiency - we hear why some Republicans are uneasy about government cuts. We look ahead to Sunday's German elections. And - the place of place in whisky - and why it could be causing a falling out between single malt producers north and south of the border.

The US National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, has again urged President Zelensky to sign a deal for US access to Ukraine's minerals, to pay for support in its war against the Russian invasion. Mr Waltz also said that Ukraine needs to tone down its criticism of the United States. Mr Zelensky angered President Trump after he accused him of living in a bubble of Russian disinformation. Meanwhile, Mr Zelensky has been meeting the US envoy, Keith Kellogg, in Kyiv. Also in the programme: On a day when Israel mourns four hostages, including two children, who've been returned dead, we speak to a woman in London who's awaiting the release of a family friend from captivity in Gaza, And the university that is offering a film course that aims to rehabilitate the reputation of the donkey.

In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said his country won't accept peacekeeping forces from Nato countries in Ukraine under any peace deal, following high-level talks with the US in Saudi Arabia. "Any appearance by armed forces under some other flag does not change anything. It is of course completely unacceptable," he said. Russia and the US said they had agreed to appoint teams to start negotiating the end of the war. A British couple who were travelling through Iran have been arrested and charged with espionage. And as some The White Lotus fans complain about the third series’ opening music, what are the dos and don’ts of rewriting theme tune music?

In his speech at the Munich Security Conference, US Vice-President JD Vance has accused European governments - including the UK's - of retreating from their values and ignoring voter concerns on free speech and migration. We speak to the deputy leader of Germany's anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD) Beatrix von Storch. Also in the programme: The Ukrainian writer Andrey Kurkov on Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine. The number of people who report being the victim of anti-social behaviour is rising - we hear from one of them. Plus a celebration of South Africa's Bantu culture and music with cellist and singer Abel Selaocoe.

US President Donald Trump repeated his pledge to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, and said US and Russian officials would meet at the Munich Security Conference beginning on Friday. Speaking to reporters in the White House, Trump said Ukraine would also be included in the negotiations. The parents of female Israeli hostages released by Hamas have spoken to the BBC about what their loved ones endured. And we hear from the centenarian who refuses to give up her favourite pastime: horse-riding.