UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says a "dangerous new era" is behind his decision to boost defence spending and cut the aid budget.

But will it impress President Trump ahead of Sir Keir’s visit to Washington later this week? And could this move help Ukraine?

Shashank Joshi from the Economist joins us to discuss this and answer listener questions on rare earth minerals.

Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko.

You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast’s Discord server here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord

What was going on in the corridors of power when Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine took place?

A senior US diplomat and UK politician look back on the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion, and look ahead to what happens next.

We hear from Julianne Smith, former US permanent representative to Nato, James Heappey former UK armed forces minister and Dmytro Kuleba, former Ukrainian foreign minister.

Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko.

You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast’s Discord server here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord

Tomorrow marks the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion.

Three Ukrainians reflect on how their lives have changed in the last three years, and discuss the prospects for peace in Ukraine.

We speak to Vitalii from Lutsk, Anastasiia in Kyiv and Pavlo in Lviv.

Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko.

You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast’s Discord server here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord

The Ukrainecast team answer listener questions on BBC Radio 5 Live

Today’s episode is presented by Lyse Doucet, James Waterhouse, Nick Eardley and Vitaly Shevchenko.

You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast’s Discord server here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord

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 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.

President Trump has launched a fresh attack on President Zelensky, calling him a "dictator" and saying he has done a "terrible job".

Zelensky earlier accused the US president of "living in a disinformation space" created by Russia.

Victoria and Vitaly analyse how this diplomatic row is playing out.

And Victoria speaks to Russia’s ambassador to the UK, Andrei Kelin.

Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko.

You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast’s Discord server here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord

The US and Russia have been holding high-level talks in Saudi Arabia for the first time in years.

General Sir Richard Shirreff, a former Nato commander, is in the studio to give his reaction.

And Steve Rosenberg, BBC Russia editor, joins us to explain why the Kremlin is “cockahoop” about the news.

Today’s episode, recorded on Tuesday afternoon, is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko.

You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast’s Discord server here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord

European leaders have met in Paris for an emergency summit on the war in Ukraine.

Leaving the meeting, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called discussions on sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine "premature" and "inappropriate". Earlier UK PM Keir Starmer said he was ready to send such troops from the UK if and when the war ends.

So could we see European boots on the ground in Ukraine? Matthew Savill, from RUSI, is in the studio to discuss whether it’s possible, and what this might look like.

We also look ahead to the meeting tomorrow between Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Saudi Arabia with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko.

You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast’s Discord server here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord

The Ukrainian president and US vice-president have been meeting at the Munich Security Conference. Vitaly and James chew over what was discussed, and what it all means for the future of Ukraine.

Today’s episode is presented by Vitaly Shevchenko and James Landale.

You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast’s Discord server here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord

What’s been the reaction in Ukraine to President Trump’s plans to end the war, following his phone calls with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky? We hear from Kyiv mum Iryna and 27 year old account manager Andrew.

And we assess what role Europe could play going forward, following a busy day of diplomacy at a Nato defence chiefs summit in Brussels.

Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko.