NPR visits a hospital in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, in a town where many residents have fled but some young couples are holding on and hoping to raise their children one day in peace.
Ukraine and Russia have begun the exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war, the largest such swap since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
President Trump is working the phones on Monday, holding calls with the leaders of Russia, Ukraine and other European countries as he continues efforts to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Turkey for direct talks with Russia. But the Kremlin sent a lower-level delegation that doesn't include President Vladimir Putin.
Russia declared a three-day ceasefire in Ukraine starting May 8 for the anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany. Ukraine called for an immediate, 30-day truce instead.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that the U.S. would walk away from efforts to broker a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine if progress isn't made within days.
Ukraine's president said he hopes the U.S. applies "maximum additional sanctions" on Russia if it refuses to accept a 30-day ceasefire, describing the Russian leader's "bravado" as a stalling tactic.
As U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff enters talks in Moscow on a Trump administration proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine, an adviser to the Russian president rejected the idea.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed an $840 billion plan to build up the bloc's defense, as President Trump pauses military aid to Ukraine.
Thousands of civilians have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. Amid a stark shift in U.S. policy, Ukrainians want the war to end — but not on Russia's terms.
Several NATO allies stressed that Ukraine and Europe must not be cut out of any peace talks, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied that the U.S. is betraying Ukraine.
