UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Washington to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump. On the streets of Moscow, many Russians welcome what they see as a thaw in relations with Washington. Explosions killed several people and wounded dozens at a rally held by M23 rebels in the eastern Congo city of Bukavu on Thursday. A look at the impact of cuts to the U.S. federal government; plus; the G20 summit in South Africa.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to visit Donald Trump in Washington on Friday to discuss, and perhaps sign, a deal on rare-earth minerals. Despite rising uncertainty over waning U.S. support, growing existential questions, and Russian advances polls find Ukrainians remain generally optimistic. A recent study shows that 1 in 100 Americans sell their home after a neighbor with opposing political views moves in.

The United States and Ukraine are reportedly close to signing an agreement giving American companies access to rare earth minerals inside Ukraine in exchange for security assistance and American investment in Ukraine. The increasing Israeli military presence in the West Bank. The White House wants to narrow the field of journalists who can cover the president. Friedrich Merz, who will likely be the next chancellor of Germany, has warned that the United States "does not care much" about the fate of Europe. Freezes in federal funding are impacting the U.S. agricultural industry. Plus, a visit to a unique radio station in Washington, D.C.

Ambassadors squabble over competing resolutions at the U.N. Monday mark the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron visits President Donald Trump in Washington. How are Americans feeling about the economy now that Trump has been in office for a month? Plus, the prime minister of the DRC spoke to a meeting of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday about the violence in her country’s east.

Monday marks three years since Russia invaded Ukraine as tensions still swirl around peace talks and American demands for access to Ukrainian rare earth minerals in exchange for military assistance – but no security guarantee. Israel pauses hostage and prisoner transfers, saying Hamas is making a spectacle out them by making hostages participate in a ceremony. Pope Francis remains in critical condition. The mayor of New York City faces legal pressure, German election results, and a look at the M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

VOA speaks with Washington’s former ambassador to Kyiv about the recent tension in the relationship and the way forward to a peace plan. Ukrainians react to President Trump’s disparaging statements about President Zelenskyy. An update on the fragile peace between Israel and Hamas. The Conservative Political Action Conference is underway in the United States, and Germany prepares for an election.

U.S. President Donald Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a dictator in a social media post on Wednesday, this after implying he was responsible for the war a day earlier. Russian disinformation is prevalent in Africa’s Sahel region and may be one factor in France’s departure. Inflation in the United States increased in January as prices of food, gasoline and housing, among others, continued to rise. Plus, a look at the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria.

Envoys from the United States and Russia met in Saudi Arabia to discuss, among other things, planning for peace talks in the Russia-Ukraine war; however, Ukraine was not invited to the meeting. The African Union reacts to potential cuts in U.S. aid and the ongoing violence in Sudan and the DRC. Plus, activists in Uganda are calling on the government to release a jailed opposition leader.

There’s been a plane crash in Toronto. European leaders hold a crisis meeting in Paris to discuss security concerns about an aggressive Russia and declining support from Washington. American senators are in Jerusalem to discuss Gaza. China is critical of new U.S. policy towards Taiwan, and an American icon turns 50.

In a stunning speech at the Munich Security Conference, U.S. Vice President JD Vance barely spoke of Russia and Ukraine, and instead admonished European allies, arguing that their governments are censoring far-right speech and failing to control migration. His remarks came amid allies' alarm over President Donald Trump’s decision to begin peace talks with Russia. Ukraine eyes its reserves of rare earth minerals and what role they may play in a future security agreement. In the Middle East, Hamas has released hostages and Israel freed prisoners as part of the fragile ceasefire deal. Should the Federal Emergency Management Agency be eliminated? Plus, at least 18 people killed in a stampede at a train station in India.