Russia-Ukraine

Inside Ukraine’s last maternity ward in a region surrounded by Russian forces

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 begin the largest prisoner-of-war exchange since the invasion

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.

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy arrives in Turkey for talks with Russia, without Putin

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.

As Russia and Ukraine prepare for possible direct talks, cue President Trump

There are lots of unknowns ahead of potential direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey.

How this teen fled Russian occupation to become an unassuming hero in Ukraine

An 18-year-old from Russian-occupied Luhansk tells NPR how and why he escaped to Kyiv.

Putin declares a 3-day ceasefire for May’s WWII anniversary. Ukraine says why wait?

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.

Trump may abandon Ukraine peace talks ‘within days,’ Rubio warns

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.

Rubio leads a U.S. team for Paris talks as Macron seeks unity on Ukraine

France hosted top diplomats from the U.S., Germany, the U.K. and Ukraine to discuss efforts toward a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

What Russia and Ukraine want out of talks, as Trump speaks to Putin Tuesday

President Trump will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, as the U.S. pursues a ceasefire deal in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy wants U.S. to hit Russia with ‘maximum’ sanctions if it refuses a ceasefire

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.

A Putin aide rejects Trump’s 30-day Ukraine ceasefire proposal

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.

Europe considers a major defense spending package as Trump signals disengagement

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.

3 years on, here’s what to keep an eye on in the Ukraine war — and efforts to end it

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.

Trump says he spoke to Putin about the Ukraine war

President Trump said he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine and other issues, and that they agreed to visit each other's nations and have their teams start negotiations immediately on the conflict.