This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Nick Miles and in the early hours of Saturday, the 8th of March, these are our main stories.

President Trump has again taken aim at Ukraine, saying he's finding it more difficult to deal with Kiev on a peace agreement than Moscow.

Syrian troops are reported to have executed more than 160 people in a former Assad stronghold.

Police give an update on the cause of death of Hollywood actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy.

Also in this podcast, they survived the Hamas attacks at the Nova Music Festival.

On October 7, I take MDMA and today I know this has helped me. So did drugs help the trauma heal?

It has been another confusing day in the long and torturous path towards peace in Ukraine.

Less than an hour after Washington threatened to impose additional sanctions and tariffs on Moscow

because of its latest heavy bombardment of Ukraine, President Trump seemed to come out in support of Vladimir Putin.

He said his Russian counterpart had done what any leader would, given its adversary,

had just been denied U.S. arms and intelligence.

I'm finding it more difficult, frankly, to deal with Ukraine.

And they don't have the cards.

As you know, we're meeting in Saudi Arabia on sometime next week

early. That in terms of getting a final settlement, it may be easier dealing with Russia,

which is surprising because they have all the cards. And they're bombing their hell out of them

right now. And I put a statement in a very strong statement. Can't do that. You can't do that.

We're trying to help them.

And Ukraine has to get on the ball and get a job done.

Nomia Iqbal is our correspondent in Washington.

The president has done another sort of turnaround in terms of how he's managing the war in Ukraine.

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