Axios

President Trump sharply criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, after U.S. officials met for talks with Russia, from which Ukraine was excluded.

Why it matters: Trump's comments — falsely suggesting Ukraine started the war and that Zelensky is deeply unpopular with his own people — will supercharge fears among Ukraine and U.S. allies that the Trump administration is siding with Moscow ahead of possible peace talks.

Senior U.S. and Russian officials met on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia for more than four hours to discuss ending the war in Ukraine and preparing for a Trump-Putin summit.

Why it matters: The meeting is another significant step in improving U.S.-Russia relations since last week's phone call between President Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Israel and Hamas reached an agreement with Qatari and Egyptian mediators to expedite the release of six living hostages as part of the first phase of the hostage and ceasefire in Gaza deal, according to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office and a statement from Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya.

Why it matters: Three Israeli hostages will now be released one week earlier than expected. The move suggests both Hamas and Israel are concerned the ceasefire agreement will collapse before day 42 of the agreement at the end of next week and want to be sure they get what they consider the most important parts of the agreement.

Mexico is threatening to sue Google over the tech giant's use of President Trump's "Gulf of America" (renamed from Gulf of Mexico) label on its maps.

Why it matters: It's the latest fallout over Trump's executive order to rename the body of water.

A Delta Air Lines plane from Minneapolis crashed while landing at Toronto's Pearson International Airport Monday, but officials said all 80 people on board were evacuated from the aircraft that flipped during snowy conditions.

The big picture: There were no fatalities from the crash that involved Delta Connection flight 4819, operated by regional subsidiary Endeavor Air, but "18 customers" were taken to local hospitals, per a Delta statement on what the airline called a "single-aircraft accident."

Pope Francis is being treated in the hospital for a "polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract," the Vatican said Monday.

The big picture: The 88-year-old pontiff was admitted to Rome's Agostino Gemelli Hospital Friday "for an ongoing bout of bronchitis" and tests revealed "a complex clinical picture" that "has led to a further change in therapy," per Vatican statements.