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narrator: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... brett: you know as somebody coming out of college, it can be very nerve wracking, not knowing what to expect, whether you'll like your job or not, whether you'll make friends, whether you'll fit in, and here i feel like it's so welcoming and such an inclusive place to work, you just feel like you're valued. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation, the judy and peter blum kovler foundation, upholding freedom by strengthening democracies at home and abroad. announcer: and now, bbc news. ♪ >> caitríona perry in washington, bbc world news america. presidents trade insults. mr. zelenskyy saying mr. trump

was living in a russian disinformation space. vladimir putin said he would meet donald trump with pleasure one day. families asked for answers about their loved ones as the second phase of a cease-fire is worked out. growing war of words. president trump slammed president zelenskyy calling him a dictator without elections and that he better move fast or he won't have a country left.

president zelenskyy said the world faces a choice to be with putin or with peace. he said he was counting on unity from europe and pragmatism from the u.s. he suggested president trump was living in disinformation fed by russian propaganda. tensions arising between the leaders after meeting between u.s. and russian leaders in riyadh that excluded ukraine. president trump's comments sparked mixed reactions on capitol hill. >> outrageous. the president says things that

are false. what's hurtful is the sacrifice of the ukrainian people we know has taken place. thousands have died defending their country and for the president to argue they were somehow the aggressor is disgraceful. >> i don't want to get between a dog and a fire hydrant. i think they are both good men and want the same thing. caitríona: president trump's comments were met with international criticism. keir starmer called president zelenskyy to express his support. he said it was perfectly reasonable to suspend elections during wartime as great britain did during world war ii.

he said it was wrong and dangerous for president trump to call him a dictator. our ukraine correspondent. >> extraordinary allegation from ukraine's once biggest ally. >> i have the power to end this war. you have been there for three years. you should have never started it. you could have made a deal. >> an unprecedented response from president zelenskyy. >> unfortunate president trump, with great respect for him as the leader of the american people, who constantly support us, unfortunately lives in this disinformation space. >> trump double down. "he is very low in ukrainian polls."

the described the leader as a dictator without elections. what president zelenskyy is not is a dictator. elections have been legally suspended here because of the invasion. washington claims it is negotiating an end to the war with russia. vladimir putin is enjoying a rekindling of relations. >> impossible to solve many issues including the ukrainian crisis without increasing the level of trust between russia and the u.s. >> away from the politics, ukraine's capital is just trying to get on. russian tanks were expected to be in kyiv on that morning three years ago in the fact they stopped were something the ukrainian people were proud of.

ukraine could still lose this war. like any city, you need to scratch beneath the surface. >> if trump doesn't want to be with us or support ukraine, essentially he is betraying his voters, america and its ideals, the very ideals we are defending here. >> for ukraine, everything will be all right. our guys are not fighting in maine. -- in vain. we are optimistic and hopeful. >> we will win but we will not feel joy. my brother and cousin were killed. it is the same for nearly every family. >> a reminder of the sacrifice ukraine made to withstand russian aggression. the last 24 hours has put it at risk of being for nothing. caitríona: in russia, putin

delivered a verdict on the tuesday talks between the u.s. and russia saying he rated them highly. he said the purpose of the meeting had been to increased trust -- to increase trust. here's a little of what he said. >> yes, i rate them highly. there are results. we agreed to resume diplomatic agencies. the constant expulsion from washington and moscow does not lead to good. this is not what diplomatic missions are created for. caitríona: he added the u.s. and europe have themselves to blame for any deterioration in their

relationship. emmanuel macron is hosting an emergency meeting with european leaders. 15 countries are taking part with most joining on video link. the prime minister keir starmer is expected to host another meeting after he travels to d.c. to speak with president trump. russia's ambassador to the u.k. said president zelenskyy should hold elections to secure his legitimacy. >> could one of his demands be that president zelenskyy stands down and elections are held in ukraine? >> no one has said that. we believe since his legitimacy has come to an end, he should have elections. we do not see how we can negotiate with him. if he failed to put his

signature on the agreement, he would not be elected as president. we can go into negotiations with him if there is no other way. for us, the value of such negotiations is not 100% necessary. caitríona: earlier i spoke with a former advisor to president zelenskyy. new see donald trump -- when you see donald trump describing president zelenskyy as a dictator, zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a country left -- what goes through your mind? >> there were many messages in that. they have to be taken apart. judged separately. lots of emotions. that's not great for a leader of

the most powerful nation in the world. president zelenskyy is also emotional on many occasions. i would like to see less emotions. all of us agree time is running out for ukraine. we are stretched for resources. our men are dying. the dynamic on the front line has not been in our favor for some time. no secret. that's what we need to focus on. the free world needs to unite and concentrate efforts to make sure we can get a settlement acceptable to ukraine and the people of ukraine as well as all sides involved with security guarantees. caitríona: president zelenskyy said donald trump was living in a russian difference or mission -- in a russian disinformation bubble. is this exchange helpful to getting peace for ukraine?

>> that's another emotional statement. i don't believe it is helpful to anyone involved, ukraine or the u.s. we shouldn't be accusing, attacking each other. we are allies and have been through three years of a full-scale invasion of ukraine. we need to focus on common interests. i don't think it is helpful for me to comment on this. i don't think president zelenskyy is a dictator. it's the nuances of martial law that prohibit us from having elections. having elections during wartime is extremely difficult. everyone knows that. there are many reasons for that. it's not clear how the army would vote or how russia would try to sabotage or derail the election. how we would organize a real campaign with participation. there are many questions that are fundamental during wartime.

it is not clear whether president trump is under any's way of russia's disinformation campaign. i wouldn't engage in that. we need to focus on common interests. caitríona: this week, senior u.s. officials meeting senior russian officials in saudi arabia without ukraine or eu there, the u.s. seeming to take off the table key ukrainian demands like nato membership, a return to the pre-2014 borders, how should ukraine be approaching that? >> unfortunate, disenchanting, disappointing for any ukrainian to see two big powers, the u.s., the greatest power and our greatest ally, conducting negotiations without ukraine of the table, discussions around the future and destiny of ukraine. that is clearly not pleasant to any ukrainian. it is the reality. we have to deal with it.

we are in a bad place. we could have negotiated earlier. president trump might be right when he says that but we are where we are. if this approach will be successful in securing a deal, while we have security guarantees that are tangible and respected by everybody, that would allow ukraine to develop economically, by all means, let's try any approach that will help. whether this is the right approach or if it will deliver a result, i am not sure. caitríona: should president zelenskyy go to washington as soon as he can and meet president trump in person? >> i hope there is something to discuss. he should do whatever is necessary to secure a settlement good for ukraine. it will probably involve going to washington. caitríona: would you like to see

a peacekeeping force in ukraine be it under u.n. banner or coalition of european neighbors? >> that would be helpful. it would make security guarantees tangible, real. otherwise, there is little credibility to them if there are no troops on the ground besides ukraine. these are details subject to debate and can be discussed with partners. it would add certainty to any settlement, any peace agreement, security guarantee we would receive. caitríona: let's go live to kyiv , we can speak to our international editor. this war of words, what does it mean for the conflict? >> it looks as if president

trump has changed sides. he is repeating talking points the kremlin has been putting out for years particularly about his legitimacy as president. trump called him a dictator. it is important to say this, trump's statement is laden with falsehoods, exaggerations, lies. take your pick how you describe them. caitríona: eu leaders rallying around ukraine. what is their role here? jeremy: they have to come up with an answer to the things trump is doing. he has thrown them off balance. a week since that call with president putin, that took all his allies by surprise, and in

that, relations have fractured between zelenskyy and trump on a personal level but more widely because he is the president of the u.s. you have to listen to what he says. there has been serious damage done to relations with europe, underpinning the mutual security since 1945. widely speaking, away from this war, the questions have to be raised now. he hasn't said he won't but the nato treaty is underpinned by article five which is all for one and one for all, if one country is attacked, it is like attacking all of them. with trump in this mood, would he order america's commitments under article five? we don't know. right now lots of people are asking the question. caitríona: the british prime minister will be in washington

next week, potentially also emmanuel macron. how important is the visit and the agenda and what he says to president trump? jeremy: it is important. there have to be feelers across the atlantic. on the european side, they are hoping to find a way to talk trump round. this evening keir starmer has been speaking to president zelenskyy. he described him as the democratically elected leader of the country and defended the fact ukraine has not had elections saying britain did not have elections during world war ii. this is a serious crisis between europe, america. between ukraine and america. the european problem is they cannot agree on the best way to deal with it. when it comes to military support for ukrainians, they

don't have the wherewithal. they are in a tough place. caitríona: thank you. the families of israeli hostages held in gaza are demanding clarity from the prime minister on the second phase with hamas. hamas says it is willing to release the hostages in one go but families say the lack of a timetable poses a clear danger. the second phase is meant to involve the freeing of all remaining hostages. israel says it will begin this week. qatar's chief mediator. the emir flew to the country, iran is the chief backer of hamas and hezbollah. he said he would stress the need

to adhere to the cease-fire deal. >> hamas said it would be willing to hand over in one single swap the hostages in the second phase of the cease-fire. it would demand a full israeli withdrawal from gaza and permanent cease-fire. israel said it would only accept a postwar gaza without the presence of hamas. negotiations on phase two of the deal, meant to start in march have not yet begun. you are seeing both sides laying out their negotiating position before talks get underway. thursday, the first day israel receives from hamas the first dead hostages, the bodies. hamas will hand over four bodies

including the family whose two sons were the youngest of those kidnapped on october 7. in exchange, six living hostages will come back saturday, hundreds of palestinian prisoners will be handed over from israeli jails. today, indictment filed against five israeli soldiers for serious mistreatment of a palestinian prisoner last year in detention left with fractured ribs, a punctured lung and tears to his rectal area. there have been widespread allegations of abuse/ mistreatment by israeli soldiers of palestinian prisoners in detention and that has added to the pressure on israel over the conduct of the war in gaza. caitríona: the people in gaza are using this respite to start

rebuilding. israel allowed bulldozers to cross to gaza from egypt. first priority is roads cut off by rubble. they are thought to be egypt's attempt to counter president trump's idea to move palestinians out of the area. the regional director for the arab states at the u.n. sexual and reproductive health agency, i spoke to her earlier. you might tell us about where you are and what you have seen. you are talking to us from gaza. >> i have been here for two days. you can probably hear from my voice, what i have seen and witnessed is unparalleled to anything i have ever witnessed in my 31 years with the u.n.. the majority of my time. absolutely shocking, appalling,

catastrophic. caitríona: what our living conditions like? lana: for the majority, cease-fire has brought respite. you can feel it in streets where people have started to walk. there is more food on the table. the surroundings are daunting. it's as if i walked into a horror movie. buildings collapsed everywhere. water of unknown source flooding the streets. mud, dirt, dust, debris, stench everywhere. overwhelming sense of destruction, unparalleled to even the worst earthquakes i have seen, for example, the one in aleppo, turkiye in '23.

this was greater. it comes from human hands, which makes it worse. for women and girls, the lack of access to sanitary, hygiene products in short supply, which we bring in as much as we can, but this was a critical need for many women and girls we are concerned about. caitríona: pregnant women, new mothers giving birth, new babies -- we have heard horrifying stories. lana: i saw an enormous amount of dedication from partners on the ground who turned the worst situations into hope. i visited the imc field hospital today in the south. they will set up another one in

gaza city. it provides reproductive health care, safe delivery from others, 65 births per day, in some of the worst times, many of them c-sections. while the situation is appalling, doctors and nurses and midwives, cleaners and everyone else is running around trying to make the best of the situation, they have been able to provide with u.n.f.p.a. some sense of dignity. we hope as the cease-fire holds and hope comes to the community, the palestinians living in gaza they will be able to rebuild the health system. we depend on the ability to access gaza to provide for care and get people and goods into

the country unhindered to build that back. caitríona: how is it for yourself or other agencies getting supplies in and out and getting personnel in and out? lana: supplies are coming in albeit at a slower rate and conditional which makes it difficult if we are talking 800 trucks a day, there are 2 million people in gaza. it's hardly enough to sustain and rebuild a community. we are grateful for being able to use those supplies judiciously, and with our partners. in terms of people, my own situation is precarious. i was supposed to return to jerusalem today and was not allowed to return. they said they will see tomorrow. caitríona: lana baker from gaza.

u.s.-palestinian officials said the u.s. stopped all funding to security forces, responsible for law enforcement in the west bank. president trump cut aid in his first term but continued to fund security forces. that is it for the moment. keep up to date with the news on bbc.com/news. lots to keep up with. that is it from world news america for today. thank you fo narrator: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... bdo, accountants and advisors, funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation, the judy and peter blum kovler foundation, upholding freedom by strengthening democracies at home and abroad. ♪ ♪

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