As we've been reporting, Donald Trump's phone calls with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia's Vladimir Putin could spark the beginning of the end for the war in Ukraine.

All three parties agreed that they want the grinding fighting to come to an end, but as the BBC's Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse reports, the road to peace for Ukraine will not be smooth.

We'll continue to cover developments here, but for an idea of what it all means, the BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner joins Victoria Derbyshire on today's Ukrainecast - available now on BBC Sounds.

The road to a 'just peace' for Ukraine will not be smoothpublished at 19:52 Greenwich Mean Time

19:52 GMT

James Waterhouse
Ukraine correspondent

Image source, EPA

Pete Hegseth's speech at the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels was a body blow for Kyiv.

While it has long been known this was a US administration less sympathetic than its predecessor, every utterance from America’s new defence secretary will have only pleased Moscow.

The denial of Nato membership, a view that Ukraine can’t win, ambiguity over how a frozen front line would be policed in the future – all of these add up to a tangible Russian return for 11 years of aggression towards Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has always argued that there “can be no talks on Ukraine, without Ukraine,” and yet an apparent phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin has proved otherwise.

Western help – and the Ukrainian forces who benefitted from it – are why Kyiv didn’t fall within days, as was expected by some.

But the road to a "just peace" as President Zelensky puts it, is neither going to be straight or smooth for Ukraine.

The BBC's defence correspondent, Jonathan Beale, reports from Nato's headquarters, following a call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, during which the pair agreed to start negotiations to end the war in Ukraine "immediately".

"It's a bitter blow" for Kyiv, he says. You can watch his dispatch in full below:

Russia scores a diplomatic victorypublished at 19:12 Greenwich Mean Time

19:12 GMT

Steve Rosenberg
Russia editor

A single phone call will not magically end the war in Ukraine.

Talks will start. When and how they’ll conclude isn’t clear.

But Moscow has already scored a diplomatic victory just by the fact of this telephone conversation.

Think back three years. Vladimir Putin’s decision to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine turned him into a pariah. Russia was hit by thousands of international sanctions. Later the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Kremlin leader. President Biden condemned his Russian counterpart as a "murderous dictator" and a "pure thug".

Fast forward to today. The language from the White House has changed. So has the approach to Russia. President Trump says he wants to “work together, very closely” with President Putin to end the war in Ukraine. He hopes they’ll be “visiting each other’s nations”.

In many ways, Vladimir Putin has got what he wants: the chance to negotiate directly with the United States on Ukraine and the opportunity put himself on the top table of international politics, despite the last three years of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Image source, Getty Images

We've just been bringing you comments from US President Donald Trump, but let's turn back to what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has to say.

As a reminder, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, Kyiv has been defending its territory with the support of Western allies. Under former president Joe Biden's administration, Washington was clear on its support for Ukraine and its fight against Moscow.

In remarks after the phone call with Trump, Zelensky says that "together with the US we are charting our next steps to stop Russian aggression and ensure a lasting, reliable peace".

"As President Trump said, let's get it done," he adds.

Zelensky says the pair agreed to maintain further contact and plan upcoming meetings.

Positives in this fast-moving situation come at Ukraine's expensepublished at 18:40 Greenwich Mean Time

18:40 GMT

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Things are moving very fast when it comes to efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Unfortunately for Kyiv, it is not in the driving seat.

The news that the two leaders of the two most heavily armed nuclear nations - Russia and the US - have held a seemingly constructive and cordial 90-minute phone call is, at face value, a welcome step towards a more peaceful world.

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin clearly have a good working relationship, in marked contrast to the previous occupant of the White House, Joe Biden.

So for now, the temperature has been lowered.

But this positive move may well come at Ukraine’s expense.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth laid it out in crystal clear terms where the US stands on peace for Ukraine, in words that will no doubt be welcomed by Moscow.

No US troops for Ukraine in any future security arrangement, no realistic possibility of returning to its pre-2014 borders (when Russia occupied and annexed Crimea and backed insurgents in the Donbas), and no likelihood of Ukraine joining Nato.

These were all clearly stated goals made by President Volodymyr Zelensky and his government - and they come on top of a dire situation on the battlefield where Russia’s superior numbers are enabling it to slowly push deeper into Ukrainian territory.

• Read on here

Donald Trump has posted on social media about the call he had earlier with Ukraine's president, saying that both Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin want peace.

Trump adds that he and Zelensky discussed a variety of topics related to the ongoing war in Ukraine, which began after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The conversation followed an earlier phone call Trump had with the Russian president, in which the pair agreed for peace talks to begin immediately.

The US president adds a meeting with Zelensky is being set up on Friday in Munich, Germany, which will be led by the Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

"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, and totally unnecessary, DEATH and DESTRUCTION. God bless the people of Russia and Ukraine!"

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Bernd Debusmann Jr/BBC News

The press briefing here at the White House has begun - and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clearly sees today, and the last several days, as positive for Trump.

At the beginning of her comments, she conveys Trump's assertion that he held "very good" calls with both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, which she says are necessary steps to end the "ridiculous" war that has led to "massive and totally unnecessary" death and destruction in Ukraine.

She also runs through a list of Trump's other accomplishments in what she terms a "very newsy" day - including securing the release of Marc Fogel from Russia, his Doge-focused executive order and proposing tariffs on aluminium and steel.

As usual, she also highlights some of the undocumented migrants detained as part of the administration's detention drive.

We can now bring you a bit more from US President Donald Trump's phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zelensky says the pair discussed preparation of a new document on security, economic cooperation and resource partnership.

According to the Ukrainian leader, the pair talked about opportunities to achieve peace and discussed their readiness to work together at the team level.

"No one wants peace more than Ukraine," Zelensky adds in a post on X.

Image source, Getty Images

We're starting to hear more from Ukraine's allies about the phone call between Trump and Putin:

• Speaking in Paris, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says it was good that Putin is prepared to negotiate and that Europe would be united
• French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot says Europe would offer security guarantees for Ukraine if Nato membership isn't provided to Kyiv imminently

Trump-Putin phone call a cold shower for Ukraine and Nato ambitionspublished at 18:07 Greenwich Mean Time

18:07 GMT

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have a rapport, they have a personal relationship.

In some ways this is quite troubling, because during Trump's first term in office he very publicly said he preferred to listen to Putin rather than his own intelligence agencies - which was a real shock to the intelligence community in the US.

But the fact that these two leaders do have something to talk about I think is quite promising.

You've got to remember what Trump's priorities are. For him, it's about securing the southern border, it's about trade, it's about China - he's not that interested in Europe.

His big message, going back to what his defence secretary has been saying to Nato partners in Europe is 'Ukraine is your problem, this is Europe, you sort it out, you spend more on defence'.

Britain has been agonising over whether it raises defence spending from 2.3 to 2.5% of GDP - but Trump's thrown all of that out of the window and demanded 5% is spent, when America doesn't even spend that. It's unaffordable for most European nations.

But you've got big countries like Spain and Italy spending less than the mandated 2%, and the US is asking why should the American taxpayer have to shoulder that burden if you're not prepared to pay for your own defence?

So this today has been a bit of a cold shower for both Ukraine and Nato.

Image source, Getty Images

We're seeing a lot of European reaction to US President Donald Trump's announcement that he had a "lengthy and productive" phone call with Russia's President Vladimir Putin, in which the pair agreed to begin immediate negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

Poland's foreign minister says the country will continue to support Ukraine before any potential talks with Russia, according to Reuters news agency reporting.

Radoslaw Sikorski also emphasised that continuing cooperation with the US administration remains important.

Asked about Trump's statement in front of reporters at a meeting of Ukraine's allies in Paris, Sikorski says he wants to hear more before commenting.

Pushed about US support for Ukraine, Sikorski says he understands Defense Secretary Pete Hesgeth is coming to Poland and he will "discuss this issue" with him.

Meanwhile, his Spanish counterpart, José Manuel Albares, says nothing should be decided on Ukraine, without Ukraine and Europe.

Albares says "we need a just peace for everyone" - and that a war of aggression cannot be allowed to succeed.

Volodymyr Zelensky has just concluded an hour-long call with US President Donald Trump, according to a statement from the Ukrainian president's office.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he hopes to finalise economic agreements with the US at the Munich Security Conference, an international security conference taking place this weekend, AFP reported.

Zelensky made the comments at a press conference with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Kyiv that the agreements would ensure continued US support for Ukraine.

"I told the secretary that I, for my part, will do everything to ensure that our team of government officials works over the next two days so that we have the opportunity to finalise some agreements in Munich," he adds.

Trump and Putin spoke for almost an hour and a half, a Kremlin spokesperson has said according to reporting from the state-owned TASS news agency.

The Reuters news agency reports this is the first known direct contact between Putin and a US president since before Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The Middle East, bilateral relations, Ukraine and a prisoner exchange between Washington and Moscow were all discussed, TASS reports.

"The Russian president invited the US president to visit Moscow and expressed his readiness to receive American officials in Russia in those areas of mutual interest, including, of course, the topic of the Ukrainian settlement," Reuters reports spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying.

"Putin and Trump also agreed to continue personal contacts, including arranging a face-to-face meeting."

Image source, Reuters

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is in Ukraine's capital Kyiv today, where he met with President Volodmyr Zelensky.

The two discussed a possible deal in which Ukraine would sell the US rare earth minerals in return for military support, as well as Russia's ongoing invasion of the country.

Zelensky said he hoped an agreement could be reached at the Munich Security Conference which begins on Friday, where he is also expected to meet Vice President JD Vance.

Trump announced Bessent's visit yesterday on his Truth Social platform, saying: "This War MUST and WILL END SOON — Too much Death and Destruction. The U.S. has spent BILLIONS of Dollars Globally, with little to show."

Just now, Donald Trump says he had a "lengthy and highly productive" phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which led to the pair agreeing that negotiations to end the war in Ukraine would begin "immediately".

In a post on his Truth Social platform, the US president says they both agreed that "we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine".

He explains the pair agreed to work together closely, including mutual visits to their respective nations.

"We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Volodymyr Zelensky, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now," Trump adds.

He also explains that he has instructed a team, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to lead the negotiations.

Image source, Getty Images

As Trump prepared to sign the new executive order giving more powers to the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), its leader, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, appeared alongside the US president with one of his 12 children.

The world's richest man took questions from reporters in the Oval Office, denying he was leading a "hostile takeover" of the government following criticism from Democratic lawmakers and others over his drastic cost-cutting measures.

For instance, Doge has been blocked by a federal judge from accessing treasury records, to ensure the agency does not act outside its scope by interfering with funding signed off by Congress.

Despite this, Musk described sweeping government cuts as "common sense" measures that are "not draconian or radical".

"The people voted for major government reform and that's what the people are going to get," he said. "That's what democracy is all about."

Critics of Doge have pointed to potential conflicts of interest given Musk’s many business interests - and some Democrats have accused him of personally benefitting from some of the changes he is trying to push through.

"I fully expect to be scrutinised," he responded, when asked about this. "It's not like I think I can get away with something."

• There's more in our news piece on how Musk also admitted "some of the things I say will be incorrect" after making a false claim about millions of dollars worth of condoms being sent to Gaza

Image source, Getty Images

We're hearing that Tulsi Gabbard has just been confirmed by the Senate as the new director of national intelligence.

Gabbard will now oversee 18 US intelligence agencies, including the CIA and FBI, as well as serving as a close adviser to the president.

She was voted in by a margin of 52 to 48. Among the no votes was Republican former Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell.

Gabbard overcame criticism over her previous remarks about Russia's war in Ukraine to be voted into the role - she had been accused of repeating Russian propaganda justifying Putin's invasion, which she denied.

Concerns had also been raised by US security officials that Gabbard - who fiercely opposes America's involvement in foreign wars - could negatively affect international intelligence co-operation.

Although Trump's pick for the role during his presidential campaign, Gabbard only recently joined the Republican party, having formerly acted as a Democratic congresswoman until 2022.

You can read more on the background of America's new intelligence director in our profile piece.

Though today's hearing on the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) is being led by Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, several Democratic lawmakers have weighed in to attack Elon Musk's plans for Doge and the executive orders Trump has implemented since taking office.

"We should in no way be cooperating with House Republicans who want to shut down the Department of Education and destroy Medicare and Medicaid," Democrat Robert Garcia says during the hearing.

Garcia says Musk is sending his "unqualified staff", including "teenage staffers", to make drastic cuts across the government. He says Musk and his companies stand to benefit from the cuts he's making.

Garcia is quickly countered by Republican Representative William Timmons, who claims Musk is the richest man in the world because "he succeeds at his endeavours". That's why Trump appointed him to lead Doge, Timmons says.