The past week has seen international diplomacy turned upside down as the US began talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine. The decision to exclude Ukraine - and Europe - from these talks led to an emergency summit in which European countries sought to establish some influence over the process.

But with the US and Ukrainian presidents embroiled in a dispute that led to President Trump calling President Zelensky a “dictator”, is their relationship beyond repair? And will Ukraine have any say over the terms of a peace deal?

Newscast, Americast and Ukrainecast gathered in the studio for a special collaboration to unpack the enormous shift in international politics that’s unfolding.

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New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bit.ly/3ENLcS1

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren and Anna Harris. The technical producer was Michael Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, we discuss Germany’s upcoming elections.

With concerns about immigration and the economy dominating, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) could increase their seat share in the Bundestag. But can they get power?

Adam speaks to BBC Europe editor, Katya Adler, and German historian and author, Katja Hoyer.

And, Ukrainian President Zelensky and the US Chief Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg are holding talks in Kyiv, but a scheduled press conference with the two of them was cancelled. Mark Urban, former Newsnight diplomatic and defence editor looks at why.

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New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bit.ly/3ENLcS1

Today, we look at what looks like an increasingly hostile relationship between President Trump and President Zelensky.

In a press conference on Monday evening, US President Donald Trump has appeared to accuse Ukraine of being responsible for the war with Russia. In response President Zelensky has accused Trump of living in “disinformation space”.

Adam is joined in the studio by the former armed forces minister, and Conservative MP, James Heappey for an in depth interview on the state of the negotiations, and how we got here.

Plus, the Treasury has warned of a “bumpy” road to lower inflation after an unexpected jump to 3%. Adam and Alex speak to Claer Barret, Consumer Editor of the Financial Times and host of the Money Clinic podcast.

You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.

New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bit.ly/3ENLcS1

Today, Russia and the US hold peace talks in Saudi Arabia, but a noticeable absentee was any representative of Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergi Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio have agreed to appoint teams to start negotiating the end of the war in Ukraine after talks in Saudi Arabia. Speaking after, Lavrov said his country wouldn’t accept peacekeeping forces from Nato countries in Ukraine.

Are relations between Russia and the US thawing? And are we on the brink of a deal? We speak to the BBC world affairs editor, John Simpson.

And, President Trump has said he wants access to Ukraine’s rare minerals. But what exactly are they? We speak to Dr Julie Klinger, author of Rare Earth Frontiers: From Terrestrial Subsoils to Lunar Landscapes.

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Today, we ask what a peace deal for Ukraine might look like, as European leaders gather in Paris for an emergency summit.

Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK was "ready and willing to put troops on the ground", while President Trump is expected to be meeting President Putin in Saudi Arabia “very soon”.

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Today, Victoria and Paddy are joined by Newsnight political editor Nicholas Watt to discuss the latest developments between the UK, US and EU. The UK government has set out a road map to increase defence spending from 2.3% to 2.5% of GDP, as Starmer seeks to build a “bridge” between Trump and Europe. An emergency summit is being planned by Europe‘s leaders, as the US and Russia prepare for separate peace talks in Saudi Arabia next week.

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Today, Paddy and Adam are joined by Lyse Doucet to discuss developments on the global stage at the Munich Security Conference. JD Vance shocked delegates with an attack on Europe and the UK, who he accused of neglecting their values and ignoring the issue of migration and free speech.

Plus, Hamas has released three Israeli hostages in return for over 300 Palestinian prisoners as the Gaza ceasefire holds in the balance.

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Adam Fleming, Chris Mason, Caitríona Perry and James Landale discuss if the war in Ukraine might be about to end. And, what Donald Trump’s intervention means for Ukraine, Russia, and the rest of Europe.

And the UK economy unexpectedly grew in the final months of 2024 but the figures also indicated living standards last year were slightly lower than in 2023 on average.

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You can join our Newscast online community here: https://discord.gg/NbuxWnmY

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren and Anna Harris. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, we look at President Donald Trump’s claim that there’s a “good possibility” that the Ukraine war could be about to end.

He spoke to Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during separate phone calls. Chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet and Russia editor Steve Rosenberg talk through what we know.

Chris is on to talk about stories regarding the Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s CV, and her expenses when she was working for a bank in a previous job.

And, the CEO of BBC News Deborah Turness is warning about the “threat” AI poses to people using it to access news.

You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.

You can join our Newscast online community here: https://tinyurl.com/newscastcommunityhere

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Chris Flynn with Shiler Mahmoudi. The technical producer was Ben Andrews. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, we look at a BBC investigation which has revealed that MI5 lied three times in court to protect one of its own violent, neo-Nazi agents.

As it was defending its handling of their agent who had attacked his girlfriend with a machete, MI5 lied to three courts when they said they had stuck to its policy of not confirming or denying their agents’ identities. They had actually given information about this agent to BBC investigations correspondent Daniel De Simone as they tried to persuade him not to continue his investigation. MI5 has apologised to the BBC and all three courts.

Adam is joined by Daniel who explains the details of his investigation.

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Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Chris Flynn with Shiler Mahmoudi and Adam Chowdhury. The technical producer was Philip Bull. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.