Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday for the first time in nearly two years as the German leader gears up for a snap election and Europe waits to hear Donald Trump’s plan for ending the war in Ukraine.

As the conflict reaches its 1,000th day next week, Ukraine is facing increasingly difficult conditions on the frontlines

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is certain the war with Russia will “end sooner” than it otherwise would have done once Donald Trump becomes US president. Zelensky said he had a “constructive exchange” with Trump during their phone conversation after his victory in the US presidential election.