Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is under intense pressure from the US to take his country to the polls as early as this spring. Donald Trump is demanding elections as a condition for American security guarantees for Ukraine against any future Russian invasion.

Zelensky has faced persistent calls from Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and at times from Trump as well, to hold an election. His term expired in 2024, but the country’s constitution forbids elections during wartime. So to schedule a poll will also mean a constitutional change to enable it.

But if the US president gets his way and elections are held later this year, whoever wins and becomes Ukraine’s next president will be faced with the task of managing a country at war and perhaps steering the nation towards an uncertain peace.

It is hard to predict who might stand for the presidency – under the current circumstances, no one is declaring their candidacy. But it’s reasonable to assume that Zelensky would put himself forward for a second term. If so, he cannot be expecting to coast to victory as he did in 2019 when he won more than 74% of the popular vote.

While Zelensky has been celebrated in the west as a hero for his wartime leadership, his popularity has been damaged by a series of corruption scandals. In November 2025, several government officials and business leaders with close connections to Zelensky – including the justice minister and a former prime minister – were accused of stealing US$100 million (£73 million) from Ukraine’s energy sector by Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies.

Just a few months earlier, in July, widespread protests erupted against a new law that would place those same anti-corruption agencies under the control of an official appointed by Zelensky. This move was widely seen as an attempt to enable the president to stop any inconvenient investigations in their tracks and shield his associates from prosecution.

Zelensky acted quickly to distance himself from both of these scandals. He reversed the controversial legislation in the summer and has called for the resignation of serving officials named in the energy corruption investigation. But these events have tarnished his reputation at home.

According to surveys conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, trust in Zelensky dropped from 74% in May 2025 to 59% in December. Although incumbents in other countries might look with envy at these figures, only 26% “completely” trust him and would like to see him continue as president. The rest indicated that they would prefer a change at the top of Ukraine’s political leadership. That said, a recent poll had his support at 30.9%, with only one other potential candidate within touching distance.

That potential candidate is Valerii Zaluzhnyi, whose is often described as a potential leader and whose support was measured at 27.7% in the poll mentioned above. Currently Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, Zaluzhnyi owes his high profile to his former position as head of Ukraine’s armed forces. He served in that role from 2021 until Zelensky replaced him in February 2024.

The official reason Zelensky gave for the dismissal was the need for new ideas in the military, but there was a suspicion that Zaluzhnyi, widely regarded as a war hero for leading the resistance to Russia’s mass invasion, was becoming too popular. Indeed, a poll conducted in July 2025 found that 73% of Ukrainians said they trusted him, making him the country’s most trusted public figure. Zaluzhnyi has refused to be drawn on whether he might stand for the presidency, but there is widespread speculation that he is simply biding his time.

Another possible candidate whose reputation was built by his wartime leadership is Kyrylo Budanov. Recently appointed by Zelensky as his chief of staff, Budanov led Ukraine’s military intelligence since 2020 and is credited with its effective use of drones to strike targets deep into Russian territory as well as Russian-occupied Ukraine. Like Zaluzhnyi, Budanov has not indicated that he would stand for elected office. Unlike Zaluzhnyi, Budanov has not made a breakthrough in the polls.

Veteran political rivals

A few veterans of past presidential campaigns might throw their hats into the ring again, although neither is likely to be a front runner.

Petro Poroshenko was Ukraine’s president before Zelensky, serving from 2014 until 2019. Since 2021 he has been fighting charges of treason and, more recently, has been placed under sanction by Zelensky.

Charges against him focus on alleged pro-Russian political and economic interests, such as his connection with the now-banned Party of the Regions and his slowness to sell off his assets in Russia and Russian-occupied Ukraine. He denies any wrongdoing and has called the sanctions “politically motivated” and “unconstitutional”.

Yulia Tymoshenko was a leading figure in Ukraine’s 2004 Orange Revolution. She is a former prime minister, leader of the “Fatherhood” political party and a populist politician who has a strong following among rural voters, especially older women.

But she has recently been charged with offering bribes to lawmakers in what has been reported as an attempt to undermine the ruling Servant of the People Party. She denies the charges. She is only polling in the single digits.

Problems with a wartime election

It is important to remember that Moscow demands fresh elections in Ukraine as a condition of any peace deal. It is unlikely that Russia expects a pro-Russian candidate to be successful and take the country in a more Russia-friendly direction. But the entire process of holding fair elections in Ukraine anytime soon is fraught with difficulties that would offer opportunities for Russia to exploit.

For example, the organisational challenge of creating accurate electoral registers that include the millions of displaced Ukrainians – many of them living abroad – would invite challenges to the fairness of the election and the legitimacy of the results.

The political divisions that inevitably come to the surface during election campaigns would provide ideal grounds for stirring up dissension and dissatisfaction – a well-established practice undertaken by the Russian security services – and thereby undermining the solidarity of Ukrainian society.

So regardless of who becomes Ukraine’s next president, if the election goes ahead in the coming months as Donald Trump is demanding, the winner in a broader sense may be Russia.

Belfast councillors at City Hall have agreed £150,000 for the festival

Belfast Culture Night has been confirmed again for 2026, and will be held on Friday September 18, in line with other Culture Night events across the island of Ireland.

The event will continue to build on the more low-key, but still highly successful model introduced last year by Belfast City Council.

This week, at a committee meeting at City Hall, councillors agreed to fund £150,000 for Culture Night 2026, the same as last year, through a procurement process including an option to extend the contract to cover delivery of Culture Night 2027. The decision will go to the full council meeting next month for ratification, where it is expected to pass.

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At the February meeting of the council’s City Growth and Regeneration Committee, officers presented findings of last year’s event, provided by the arts and heritage evaluators and researchers Thrive.

Culture Night returned to Belfast in September 2025 following a six-year absence precipitated by the coronavirus crisis, and the host organisation, the Cathedral Quarter Trust, folding operations. The new Culture Night aimed not to programme street-based events, and instead concentrated on venue-based events across a wider space in the city, with more community involvement.

It also aimed to move away from street drinking and concentrations of crowds, and required organisations to prove they were paying artists.

A council report for this month’s committee states: “The 2025 event was delivered as a venue-led, city-wide programme, prioritising free, accessible and family-friendly activity and operating through a receiving house model. As a pilot to support a new approach to Culture Night a number of artists, cultural organisations and venues were financially supported to participate, and no street-based programming or road closures were included.”

The Thrive evaluation concluded that the pilot for a new approach to Culture Night 2025 was a success, generating positive audience experiences, “sector goodwill” and an estimated attendance of 50,000 people. A total of 158 events were delivered by 182 participating organisations, venues and artists.

The committee report states: “Audiences valued the safe, welcoming and family-friendly atmosphere, while participants reported high levels of satisfaction and willingness to take part again. Areas identified for further development included improved signage and navigation between sites, earlier engagement with the cultural sector, including artists, venues and organisations, and continued strengthening of activity across all areas of the city beyond the city centre and Cathedral Quarter.”

Thrive showed the average spend per attendee who spent money was £33.33, while the estimated total economic impact of approximately a minimum £1.67 million for the city. Audiences were younger and more diverse than typical arts audiences in Belfast.

14 percent of attendees lived in the most deprived areas of Northern Ireland, 20 percent of respondents identified as disabled, including people with invisible and neurodivergent conditions, and 14 percent of respondents identified as LGBTQ+.

73 percent of participants delivering events were taking part in Culture Night for the first time. 75 percent of events were suitable for all ages, reinforcing the family-friendly focus. Music was the most represented artform, accounting for 51 percent of events.

Events took place across all parts of the city, including North, South, East and West Belfast. 43 percent of events were located in Cathedral Quarter and 28 percent in the city centre. Venues outside the city centre experienced lower footfall, which the report concludes “reflected the event’s first year back in a new format, and need to build on a city-wide offer.”

86 percent of audiences rated their overall experience as good or very good. 95 percent of attendees spent two or more hours at Culture Night, with 33 percent spending five or more hours. 44 percent of audiences reported visiting venues or places they had not previously visited.

£49,482 was distributed to support artists and venues. 48 percent of events submitted for the programme requested financial support to participate. 93 percent of participants stated they would like to take part again in future Culture Nights.

No incidents were recorded by the council or PSNI that were directly linked to Culture Night 2025.

Established in 2009, Culture Night Belfast was a large-scale and free cultural event taking place in the Cathedral Quarter, based on the Temple Bar Cultural Trust Dublin event.

Audiences grew to an attendance of over 100,000 for the 2019 event held across two days in September 2019. The budget for Culture Night ranged from £240k in 2016 to over £328k in 2019, with around £12K coming from the council in its last four years.

COVID resulted in the suspension of the event in September 2020, with a digital version staged instead. That year the Cathedral Quarter Trust and Belfast City Council co-commissioned a review which said “the existing model for Culture Night has become problematic.”

The review stated the audience for the event has grown exponentially whilst the volume and quality in the programme had not, and stated the idea that artists “could, would or should give their time for free is no longer a viable delivery model.” It said the audience’s relationship with the event has changed so much that family audiences “felt pushed out and unsafe.”

In 2022 organisers said that the event had “become too big and unwieldy” and the original intention of providing a platform for artistic and cultural communities to connect with a much wider audience “had been lost.”

Culture Night ran in Belfast in 2021, but did not return. In 2023 the Cathedral Quarter Trust announced it would cease day-to-day operations after Stormont funding was ended. Financial pressures facing Stormont’s Department for Communities were reportedly behind the decision.

In the Republic of Ireland Culture Night is largely led by local authorities in each area, with investments ranging from approximately €30k in Cork to over €190k in Dublin. Unlike the Culture Night Belfast model, which was largely about converting the streets of the Cathedral Quarter into a pop-up venue with road closures and “on-street” programming, Culture Night Dublin does not involve road closures and is spread across the whole city.

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The restaurant, Propa, based at Sheepfolds in Sunderland, is looking for someone to work on the pies and comfort food “we’re known and loved for”.

Posting the advert to Facebook, Propa said: “This is a 36–45 hours per week role with hourly pay, working on the pies and comfort food classics we’re known and loved for.

“You’ll be cooking as part of a close, collaborative team where ideas are welcomed and creativity is encouraged alongside our current chefs.

“At Propa, the kitchen is a big part of our personality and so is our social media. This role includes being comfortable getting involved in content, behind the scenes clips and sharing what we do with our customers online.

“If you love great food, teamwork, creativity and aren’t camera shy, we’d love to hear from you.”

To apply for the role, you can email info@teampropa.com.

The restaurant has gone from strength to strength since opening in December 2024.

In a review of Propa in February 2025, The Northern Echo described the pie and mash as a “warm hug”.

Potential expansion plans for the restaurant were also announced last December.

The celebrity chef spoke about the future of his restaurant brand during an appearance on the ‘Full Chat podcast’, with presenters Iwan Thomas and David Prutton.

He said: “We will open one in Newcastle, it’s inevitable, because we want to. It’s about bringing that thing to the North East.”

To apply email info@teampropa.com or visit the shop’s Facebook page.

It will improve accessibility and help ease traffic

Worshippers visiting mosques on Mill Road are set to benefit from improved travel options this Ramadan following an expanded partnership between the Mill Road Traders Association (MRTA), Stagecoach, and Cambridge Central Mosque. Running throughout the holy month of Ramadan (February 17 to March 19), the partnership introduces a dedicated evening shuttle-bus service operating from Newmarket Road Park & Ride.

The new service has been designed to support worshippers travelling to Cambridge Central Mosque and other mosques along Mill Road. Ramadan traditionally brings increased evening travel as worshippers attend nightly prayers, community gatherings, and religious observances.

Recognising these unique travel patterns, the partners have worked collaboratively to deliver a practical transport solution that benefits both worshippers and the wider Cambridge community. The pilot initiative has been developed with two key objectives: improving accessibility for worshippers and helping ease traffic pressures and congestion along the Mill Road corridor during peak evening periods.

The shuttle-bus service will operate alongside existing Stagecoach routes, including Service 2 from Milton, ensuring residents and visitors have multiple sustainable travel options.

Kobir Ahmed, Chair of the MRTA, added: “I am very proud to be part of this initiative, which shows what is possible when local businesses, community organisations and transport providers work together with a shared purpose. By supporting worshippers during Ramadan, easing congestion on Mill Road and improving access through sustainable transport, this pilot reflects the kind of collaborative, practical solutions that the MRTA is committed to championing.

“We hope it sets a positive example of how partnership working can deliver real benefits for the whole community. Importantly, this marks the MRTA’s first major initiative of 2026. We look forward to delivering many more collaborative projects throughout the year, working closely with stakeholders, partners, and the wider community to support Mill Road’s continued vibrancy and accessibility.”

Martin Marsh, Acting Operations Director of Stagecoach East, said: “We are very pleased to be able to support the Mill Road community with such a poignant event, and I hope that this will be a boost for all our loyal customers, in the area, at this special time.”

Asked whether these new rules might hasten his departure from the sport, or whether winning races in this formula might get him to change his mind, the 28-year-old gave a response which will concern the sport’s rulers.

“Winning, for me… that doesn’t matter. It needs to be fun to drive as well, I think, at this stage of my career.

“I mean, I am of course also exploring other things outside of Formula One to have fun at. Yeah I mean, I know that we’re stuck with this regulation for quite a while. So, yeah. Let’s see.”

Organisers of the Nürburgring 24hrs (May 16–17) have already tweaked their calendar to allow Verstappen to take part in one of the early season Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) rounds, bringing NLS2 forward by a week to avoid a clash with the Japanese Grand Prix.

Verstappen said he appreciated the effort and hoped to drive in both that round and the main event in May, most likely at the wheel of a Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG.

“I mean, looking at it now, at least maybe you can drive flat out there, you know? Without looking after my battery.

“I mean, I want to do it. We are working on it to make it happen, but I cannot confirm it yet. But it’s great, of course, from the organisers, that they change the date [of NLS2] because I think if I do it, of course, I need one race in preparation compared to guys that have been doing it for a while and have a bit more experience.”

On Wednesday, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton described the new regulations as “ridiculously complex”, adding you would “need a degree to fully understand it all”.

Going back to F1’s new rules, Verstappen concluded: “Probably people will not be happy with me saying this right now, but I am outspoken and why am I not allowed to say what I think of my race car? I can’t help that. I mean, I didn’t write the regulations.”

It comes as the DVSA announced that from March 31, learners will only be able to make up to two changes to their original driving test booking, including changing date, time or location.

Data, which Confused.com has published, shows that the area with the most driving test failures is Gateshead, which has the lowest success rate at 38.6 per cent.

On the other hand, Hexham has the highest pass rate at 58.9 per cent.

Matt Crole-Rees, motoring expert at Confused.com, said: “New rules are coming in from March 31 that limit how often learner drivers can change their test and where they can move it to.

“This is another big shift for learners trying to get on the roads.

“Allowing only two changes and learners only being able to move their original test booking within the local area could make things even harder for learners who live in areas with historically low pass rates.

“For learners in lower-performing areas, having less flexibility to move their test after waiting so long could mean more retakes, more waiting and higher overall costs.

“With these changes in mind, it’s more important than ever for learners to think before they book their test.

“Plan carefully, only take the test when really prepared and understand how local test centres perform before booking in.”

Full list of North East pass rates:

• Gateshead – 38.6 per cent
• Sunderland – 46.7 per cent
• Durham – 47.8 per cent
• Blyth – 48.5 per cent
• Middlesbrough – 50 per cent
• Hartlepool – 50.1 per cent
• Darlington – 51.5 per cent
• Hexham – 58.9 per cent

The outlet will be an easy drive from Cambridgeshire once complete

A new designer outlet that is easy to reach from Cambridgeshire is set to open in late 2028. The Grantham Designer Outlet Village is expected to attract over 3.9 million visitors a year and become “one of the top 10 best-performing outlets in the UK, by turnover”.

The site will be built across 36 acres and will feature space for both retail and leisure brands. Over 50% of the space has been pre-let or is in active negotiation.

The £140 million project will be led by outlet specialists Rioja Estates and Buckminster Estates and will be found on a new purpose-built junction off the A1. The outlet will be passed by more than 17 million vehicles a day and is described as being in “one of the best outlet locations in the UK”.

The shopping outlet will have connections to both Grantham Town Centre and railway station. Its location on the A1 means it will be easy to reach from Nottingham, Leicester, Lincoln, Peterborough, Derby, and Cambridge. The outlet village is expected to create 1,500 jobs during construction and operation.

Adrian Taylor, Leasing Director at Rioja Estates, said: “Retailers understand that outlets are outperforming traditional retail, so Grantham Designer Outlet Village’s visibility, location, and catchment area make it an exceptionally attractive proposition which explains why we are seeing such strong demand from both UK and international brands.”

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The plans are currently awaiting decision

Plans that will see an agricultural building on the outskirts of Peterborough converted into three residential properties have been submitted to Peterborough City Council.

The current site at Vincents Cross Farm, off Crowland Road, Thorney, consists of a disused farm building set within 1,875 square metres of largely redundant land.

In its application statement, Horrell Farm Company requested permission for the “conversion of an agricultural building to three dwellings including partial demolition, associated access and landscaping.”

If the plans are approved, the building will be converted into one three-bedroom ground-floor flat, and two four-bedroom maisonettes.

A planning statement drawn up on behalf of Horrell Farm Company by Stamford-based architects, Class Q, describes the site’s current agricultural use as “ceasing” and the building as “redundant.”

It goes on to describe the building as “constructed with solid brick” and the “external walls and roof structure remain intact.”

In addition, it is in “good condition overall and there is no substantive evidence to indicate the building could not be readily converted for residential use or that reconstruction works would be significant.”

The area surrounding the building is laid to hardstanding.

The planning statement concludes: “It follows that the building has the character of a substantial construction that is a permanent feature in this part of the countryside.”

Sir Chris Wormald has stood down as the UK’s top civil servant and head of the civil service after just 14 months in the role, the government has announced, as the prime minister seeks to conduct a reset of his ailing Downing Street operation.

Sir Chris’s departure – which the Cabinet Office said was by “mutual agreement” – comes just days after the resignations of Sir Keir’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and communications chief Tim Allan.

The shake up of Sir Keir’s top team is part of an attempt to draw a line under controversies surrounding the appointments of Lord Peter Mandelson and Lord Matthew Doyle despite their association with sex offenders.

But Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said the move has been done to “save his own skin”, accusing the prime minister of having thrown the outgoing Cabinet secretary “under the bus”.

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It comes after Sir Keir survived the toughest day of his premiership so far this week, with figures across the political spectrum questioning his judgement and a growing number of Labour MPs calling for him to go.

The prime minister said he was “grateful” for Sir Chris’s “long and distinguished career of public service” and his “support” as Cabinet secretary.

Commenting on his departure – which came after days of speculation over his future – Sir Keir added: “I have agreed with him that he will step down as Cabinet secretary today. I wish him the very best for the future.”

Meanwhile, Sir Chris said it had been “an honour and a privilege to serve as a civil servant for the past 35 years, and a particular distinction to lead the service as Cabinet secretary”.

“I want to place on record my sincere thanks to the extraordinary civil servants, public servants, ministers, and advisers I have worked with.

“Our country is fortunate to have such dedicated individuals devoted to public service, and I wish them every success for the future”, he said.

The top civil servant had been due to lead the probe led into Lord Peter Mandelson’s contact with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein while he was a government minister.

The prime minister will appoint a new Cabinet secretary “shortly”, the Cabinet Office said on Thursday.

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Home Office permanent secretary Dame Antonia Romeo, who is widely tipped to be in line for Sir Chris’s former job, Catherine Little and James Bowler will share the responsibilities of Cabinet secretary for an interim period.

Dame Antonia was reportedly investigated when she was Britain’s consul general in New York in 2017 over her expenses and claims of bullying, but was later cleared by the Cabinet Office.

Rumours that the Labour leader intends to replace Sir Chris with Dame Antonia earlier this week triggered a highly unusual warning by a former top mandarin against “doing the due diligence too late” amid wider concerns about government vetting.

Dame Antonia’s former boss Lord Simon McDonald, ex-permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, said there should be a “full process” to appoint a new Cabinet secretary and that “needs to start from scratch”.

Lord McDonald told Channel 4 News on Wednesday evening: “This is the most important job in the civil service. It can’t be chosen on the fly.”

He added: “If the prime minister wants a new Cabinet secretary, he needs to start from scratch.

“Due diligence is vitally important. The prime minister has recent bitter experience of doing the due diligence too late.

“It would be an unnecessary tragedy to repeat that mistake.”

The government has promised to improve its vetting processes after the prime minister claimed Lord Mandelson lied about the depth of his association to Epstein during his vetting for the UK’s top diplomatic posting abroad.

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Meanwhile, questions have been raised over the screening process for Matthew Doyle, who was recently handed a peerage despite him having previously campaigned for paedophile councillor Sean Morton in 2017 after he had been charged with having indecent images of children.

Ahead of Sir Chris’s resignation, Mrs Badenoch also said Sir Keir should delay the change in leadership at the Cabinet Office until the disclosure of the Mandelson files is complete.

“It is hard to escape the conclusion that the Cabinet secretary is simply the latest person to be thrown under a bus by this prime minister”, the Tory leader said in a letter to the Civil Service Commission.

“It is all the more concerning to be changing Cabinet secretary in the midst of the ongoing scandal over the appointment of Lord Mandelson and his conduct in office.”

Andrew James Peacock, 46, made 14 telephone calls to the emergency services in May last year and seven in June, said Mel Ibbotson, prosecuting at York Magistrates’ Court.

But on no occasion was he reporting a genuine emergency, and therefore he was breaking a court order banning him from contacting the emergency services unless in a genuine emergency.

Ms Ibbotson said Peacock was banned from a Lidl supermarket in Richmond, but was seen by staff inside it “flying down an aisle in a mobility scooter” on May 24 last year.

He was abusive to a staff member when he was asked to leave.   

Peacock, 46, of Alexandra Way, Richmond, was before the court for sentence for six breaches of a criminal behaviour order (CBO) and using threatening behaviour in a Lidl supermarket. He pleaded guilty to all offences after initially denying some. He has previous convictions for breaching the CBO.

At the time of all the offences, he was subject to a 20-week prison sentence suspended for two years for other offences including persistent use of public communication for nuisance calls and breaching the CBO.

Magistrates, after consulting national sentencing guidelines, decided that he should receive a sentence greater than their maximum sentence of 12 months and committed him to York Crown Court for sentence. They remanded him in custody.

Ms Ibbotson said during the course of the 999 calls, which Peacock made to the police and to the ambulance service, he sounded drunk, said he was going to a pub to start a fire, said he was going to cause violence and became abusive.

On November 3, police were called to a surgery in Catterick Garrison where Peacock was threatening to stab himself unless he was seen by a doctor. He was aggressive and didn’t have a medical need to be there. He was drunk and thereby breached the CBO which had a condition that he not be drunk in public.

On Christmas Eve, he again breached the order, this time by his conduct in Darlington town centre, and twice he breached the order by having a container of alcohol open in public.