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Top U.S.-Ukrainian Officials Meet To Discuss Peace Plan; Diddy Faces New Sexual Assault Probe By L.A. County Sheriff; Senator Cassidy Pushes Back On RFK Jr.'s CDC Web Site Changes; Woman Convicted In "Slender Man" Stabbing Gone Missing; Secretary Rubio Speaks About Discussions With Ukraine; Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene: "I Am Not Running For President". Aired 2-3p ET

Aired November 23, 2025 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:36]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: Welcome, everyone. I'm Omar Jimenez, sitting in for Fredricka Whitfield.

We're going to start this hour with intense negotiations to end Russia's war in Ukraine. Right now, U.S. diplomats are meeting with Ukrainian and European officials in Switzerland, hoping an agreement can be reached on President Trump's proposed peace deal.

But that plan, widely considered to favor Russia, is coming under intense scrutiny. A bipartisan group of lawmakers, for example, critical of Trumps efforts to bring Russia's war to an end, say Secretary of State Marco Rubio told them the plan is just a, quote, "Russian wish list", directly contradicting what the president has claimed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MIKE ROUNDS (R-SD): I think he made it very clear to us that we are the recipients of a proposal that was delivered to one of our representatives.

It is not our recommendation. It is not our peace plan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Now today, Rubio and the State Department are publicly denying those remarks, insisting the plan was drafted by the United States with input from Russians and Ukrainians.

Meanwhile, President Trump is ramping up pressure on Ukraine, saying President Volodymyr Zelensky would have to get on board with the U.S. plan by Thursday as U.S. support potentially hangs in the balance.

We're covering these negotiations from all sides. CNN's Matthew Chance is in Switzerland and CNN's Betsy Klein is at the White House.

Matthew, I want to start with you. Where do these negotiations stand at this hour?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well Omar, they are still underway. In fact, we're in, you know, this crowded press room. There's lots of press in here in the U.S. embassy in Geneva.

And just behind those doors there, Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State; Andriy Yermak, who's the head of the Ukrainian delegation; and various other officials from both of those countries are sitting face- to-face to try and hammer out some kind of compromise that would be agreeable to them based on that 28-point peace proposal that was a U.S. proposal that was that was made public over the last couple of days.

Obviously, a massive gulf between what President Trump wants the Ukrainians to accept and what they're prepared to accept.

But earlier, you know, both of those delegation heads -- Secretary of State Rubio and Andriy Yermak, the presidential aide from Ukraine -- came out and they spoke very positively about the progress, they say, that they were making in these talks. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: So it is in my personal view that we've had probably the most productive and meaningful meeting so far in this entire process since we've been involved from the beginning.

So we're working through making some changes, some adjustments in the hopes of further narrowing the differences and getting closer to something that both -- both Ukraine and obviously the United States are very comfortable with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: So they say they're making changes. They're looking at various adjustments that the Ukrainians have suggested to make this sort of proposal even sort of palatable.

But I mean, what's not clear at the moment and hopefully in the next few hours or maybe even before that, we're going to see those two figures come out again and brief us here in the media about what progress, if anything, has been made. Whether or not, for instance, Russia will be asked to make a significant compromise.

So far in the 28-point proposal that we've seen at least, you know, Russia isn't really being asked to step back at all from its maximalist position.

We want to hear from the Ukrainians, for instance, about, you know, what they might be prepared to do in terms of territorial concessions or something like that, in the interests of, you know, agreeing a peace deal with Russia.

So, you know, these are the two parties that are talking face-to-face. Other people are invested in it as well. The Europeans have been pretty much sidelined in this whole process. They're here in Geneva, representatives of European countries. But, you know, they've not really been in sort of the negotiating room.

[14:04:43]

CHANCE: In fact, one Western diplomat told me earlier that the European diplomats were sort of worried they were being shut out of the tent, kept out of the negotiating process.

And, of course, you know, Washington has much at stake as well. Not for the first time have we seen efforts by the Trump administration to try and force an end to the ongoing Ukraine war. I mean, this is the latest, Omar, iteration of that.

JIMENEZ: Yes, the stakes are obviously incredibly enormous. Keep us posted as we await potentially another update from some of these officials.

I want To bring in Betsy now from the White House. What are President Trump and the White House saying about these talks with European and Ukrainian officials? Because President Trump has seemed to be pretty critical, at least of one aspect of things.

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes Omar, there have been plenty of fits and starts since President Trump vowed on day one to be a peacemaker in Russia's war in Ukraine. But there is this new optimism as these top Trump administration officials are meeting with their counterparts from Ukraine in Geneva.

That includes U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.

And at the core of these discussions, as Matthew just laid out, is this 28-point peace plan that has been criticized here in the U.S. on both sides of the aisle in Congress. And according to an earlier draft obtained by CNN, the provisions include Kyiv ceding territory to Russia, giving up any ambitions for Ukraine to join NATO, and limiting the size of its army.

Now, Secretary Rubio, casting a much more positive tone than we have heard in recent weeks as he emerged from that meeting, he said that this was one of the most productive meetings so far in these discussions since January.

And a U.S. official also told CNN that the talks have even been conclusive in some areas. But it's worth noting that this still needs sign off from President Trump, President Zelensky, and ultimately it will need sign off from Russia.

And another note of caution that this is still very fragile because the president lashing out on social media just hours ago, he wrote in a post, quote, Ukraine, quote, leadership -- his quotes, has expressed zero gratitude for our efforts and Europe continues to buy oil from Russia. Now, Zelensky subsequently offered his gratitude to the U.S. and to

President Trump in another post to social media. And Rubio told reporters that Ukrainian and U.S. officials are now huddling separately.

They are going to come back and expect to address reporters later today to describe some of the more tangible progress that has been made.

President Trump, for his part, is here at the White House this weekend where we believe he's been working the phones. According to 10 Downing Street, he did speak to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. We've been asking the White House about that and we'll report back as we hear more.

JIMENEZ: All right. Betsy Klein, appreciate the reporting, as always.

I want to keep this conversation going. With us is Bill Taylor. He's the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and is a distinguished fellow at The Atlantic Council.

You know, we just heard that a bipartisan group of senators appeared to be at odds with the White House over the framing of this proposal. And I bring that up first because, I mean, one, it was described sort of by senators as what appeared to be a Russian wish list. Senator, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has pushed back on that pretty forcefully. But how does a communications breakdown like that happen with this high stakes of a stage here?

WILLIAM TAYLOR, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: Omar, I think you're right to point out the contradiction. I think there is an explanation -- an explanation to this.

The Russians clearly put together a 28-point plan and sent it to Steve Witkoff, and then leaked it. Leaked their own plan, their own version, the Russian own version of that plan out there.

And that's the one that's been in the press. The, you know, several outlets have published all 28-points. And as everybody has said, those points are very heavily slanted towards the Russians, as you would expect. They drafted it.

But I think what secretary Rubio is saying is that they didn't present that plan, that 28-point plan from the Russians to the -- to Zelensky, to the Ukrainians.

That's not the plan that they presented to the Ukrainians. They made modifications. They took the input from the Russians. He says he took input from the Ukrainians. They came up with their own 28-point plan and presented that to the Ukrainians. And that's what they're discussing in Geneva today and even making changes to that.

So the Ukrainians now have the opportunity to go through all of those U.S. points -- not the Russian points -- but the U.S. points, point by point, make changes, make suggestions, make it more palatable, make it more fair and just, and more lasting. And that's what we hope will come out of this whole process.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, one of the big sticking points, I mean, that has been the case really since the beginning of this war, comes down to Ukraine and its particular -- and its potential addition to NATO. It's been a wish of Ukraine for quite some time.

[14:09:48]

JIMENEZ: Obviously, Russia that has been sort of a red line. They do not wish that. They see that as NATO encroachment to their borders.

As part of what appears to be one aspect of this peace plan, it would eliminate sort of Ukraine's ability towards NATO.

And I just wonder from your perspective, as someone that has dealt with the dynamics between these two countries, that has dealt significantly with Ukraine, is that something that the Ukrainians would be able to live or survive without if that is the result of this deal?

TAYLOR: Yes, you're right to point out, Omar, that that's not necessarily in the final version or the current version.

JIMENEZ: Yes.

TAYLOR: We don't know what's in the current version. We know that the Russians, you're exactly right, the Russians don't want Ukrainians to join NATO, but the Russians don't get a say. Their voice is not relevant to that decision. So that cannot be.

Now, that said, it is probably going to be difficult for Ukraine to join NATO anytime soon within the next couple of years. But that should not be ruled out. It's not ruled out.

The NATO treaty allows Ukrainians to apply at any point. They got an open-door policy as well as in the treaty. So that could be down the line. Probably not right now. It's not an issue for the Russians to say anything about. They're not part of that discussion, but it is part of the discussion between the Ukrainians and the Americans and the Europeans.

JIMENEZ: You know, one of the possibilities here, we're a long way from this, but if there is a scenario in which, you know, the deal doesn't go quite the way that Ukraine wants, and maybe its analyzed as more, pro-Russian in the end, or Russia gets more out of it than Ukraine does, whatever the final analysis ends up being.

I just can you just paint for us the significance of Ukraine as an ally and that if that relationship was lost or soured for any long- term basis, sort of what the dynamic -- how the dynamic would change for United States relations in that region.

TAYLOR: Ukraine is going to be an asset in any case. It's going to be an asset for NATO. That is, the Ukrainians know how to do what NATO is set up to do. NATO set up to deter the Russians from invading. And what the Ukrainians have been doing is preventing, stopping the Russians from invading further into their country.

So the Russians have been stopped by the Ukrainians. Ukrainians know how to fight the Russians. And that's what NATO is meant to do.

So that's going to be an important component whatever the relationship between Ukraine and the United States is.

But that said there is this talk -- very advanced talk, serious talk -- about the Ukrainians accepting European forces on the ground in Ukraine once the fighting stops to prevent the Russians from invading again.

And again, the Russians don't like that. But that's not NATO. That's the coalition of the willing. It might be backed up by the United States. President Trump has said he'd provide air power, air cover for that effort.

So all to say that the Ukrainians will continue to defend themselves, that's all they can do is defend themselves whether or not they have a good relationship with anybody, whether it's NATO or the United States. They will continue to defend themselves.

And it is up to us because it's in our interest, it's in our U.S. Interest that they stop the Russians where they are now. It's up to us to continue to support the Ukrainians.

JIMENEZ: And just before we go, we're obviously waiting on more updates from the diplomats and the representatives that are that are speaking right now. What are you looking for as a sign of real progress to hear in potentially the next few hours?

TAYLOR: Great. I'm really looking forward -- I'm very eager to see what the Ukrainians and the Americans have come up with in this 28- point plan, because we haven't seen it. The 28-point plan that's in the press is not the one that they're discussing right now, and the one they're discussing right now is even better than the one that the -- that the Americans have provided.

And I'll be looking to see how the Europeans get incorporated into these conversations. They've got a lot at stake. There's a lot that the Europeans have on the table that are included in these 28-point plans that are there now that the Europeans have a lot to say about. So I'll be looking for that too.

JIMENEZ: All right. Ambassador Bill Taylor, thank you for the time and perspective, as always. Good to see you.

TAYLOR: Thank you Omar. Good to see you.

JIMENEZ: All right. Up next --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN HAY, MUSIC PRODUCER AND PUBLICIST: Someone is listening and I feel like I'm so close to justice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: The man who accused Sean "Diddy" Combs of sexual battery comes forward. Our CNN exclusive next.

[14:14:28]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: We're learning more about the sexual battery allegations made against rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs that have prompted a new investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister spoke exclusively with the man who says Combs made unwanted sexual advances to him.

And I want to warn you, this interview contains graphic content that some viewers may find disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HAY: Violated me like I've never been violated.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Jonathan Hay in his first TV interview since the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department opened a new investigation into allegations that Sean "Diddy" Combs forced Hay to perform oral sex on him.

[14:19:48]

HAY: Someone is listening and I feel like I'm so close to justice, finally.

WAGMEISTER: Hay, a music publicist and producer, says his first incident with Combs came in 2020 when they collaborated on new music honoring Biggie, the late rapper, Notorious B.I.G.

This is Hay, modeling Biggie's actual clothes, a photo he says he gave to the police, taken on the day he says he found himself alone with Combs.

HAY: He took a phone call, sat down. I could hear, like, sex noises. He was really, like, masturbating.

This goes on for a few minutes. I just, like, want the whole thing, you know, to be over. And next thing you know, he ejaculates into one of Biggie's shirt. So is his shirt. I mean, he was like, rest in peace, Big.

WAGMEISTER: Hay, in this police report, says that he kept the incident to himself, but it began to eat at him and eventually told Biggie's son, C.J. Wallace, who was collaborating with him on the new music.

HAY: I finally got that off my chest after almost a year.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): But Hay told police that the dynamic of the partnership changed. In March 2021, Hay went for what he thought was an interview for Combs Revolt TV. Instead, he says he was taken to a house where Combs entered the room.

HAY: Chaos erupted, and he was screaming at me. He was in a rage. And that's when he violated me.

WAGMEISTER: Hay told police Combs stuck his penis inside of his mouth. Hay says he pulled away, but Combs pulled his head back and allegedly did it again approximately three to four times.

What was going through your mind in that moment?

HAY: Shock, like blur. I didn't know if I was going to die at that point. It's the first time in my life where I felt suicidal.

WAGMEISTER: Combs's attorneys told CNN Mr. Combs categorically denies as false and defamatory all claims that he sexually abused anyone. In July, Hay filed a civil suit against Combs and Wallace, Biggie's son. Wallace is now suing for defamation, claiming Hay became irate at the decision to not release the remainder of the songs that Hay had produced and retaliated.

His attorney, adding, "the allegations will be shown to be complete fantasy".

HAY: C.J. knows what's happened. He was there.

WAGMEISTER: Combs is now serving four years in federal prison. Hay hopes that his case will add to that.

HAY: Biggie was like his -- supposedly his best friend to just do that in his shirt and to attack me like he had. He doesn't need to be out on the streets.

WAGMEISTER: Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN -- Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: All right. Up next, after a CDC Web site change on vaccines and autism, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy pushes back on questions about his vote to confirm RFK Jr. We'll have that and more coming up.

[14:22:42]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: Some strong reaction from GOP Senator Bill Cassidy during his conversation with CNN's Jake Tapper after HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered the CDC to update its Web site to contradict its longtime guidance that vaccines don't cause autism.

Now, Cassidy, who chairs the Senate's Health Committee, repeatedly stressed that vaccines are safe and anything that contradicts that notion is a problem.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): Vaccines are safe. As has been pointed out, it's actually not disputed. It's actually quite well proven that vaccines are not associated with autism.

There's a fringe out there that thinks so, but they're quite a fringe. President Trump agrees that vaccines are safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: CNN's Julia Benbrook is in Washington, D.C. I mean, Julia, Senator Cassidy voted to confirm RFK Jr. as HHS secretary. What can you just tell us about this dynamic going on right now with the CDC and obviously, Senate reaction as well?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he was a key vote in that confirmation process. And he is not the only one criticizing this change right now. Medical professionals are voicing concerns as scientific information on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site was replaced last week with anti-vaccine talking points.

So let's take a look at those changes. Bullet points on the site now claim that the statement "Vaccines do not cause autism is not an evidence-based claim. Adding, quote, "because studies have not ruled out the possibility". So that's what you see first on the web page.

And then you scroll down to the main header. It still states vaccines do not cause autism but with an asterisk that directs readers to a footnote. And there it states the wording was not removed due to an agreement with the chair of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. That, of course, refers to a promise by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana during his confirmation process.

Now, Cassidy is a physician, and in a statement following the Web site change, Cassidy said in part, "I am a doctor who has seen people die from vaccine preventable diseases. What parents need to hear right now is vaccines for measles, polio, Hepatitis B and other childhood diseases are safe and effective and will not cause autism. Any statement to the contrary is wrong, irresponsible and actively makes Americans sicker."

Now Cassidy, when he spoke with CNN's Jake Tapper earlier today, he avoided directly placing blame on Kennedy.

[14:29:46]

BENBROOK: He did though reiterate his message saying that there needs to be a consistent signal that vaccines are safe.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Did you give RFK Jr. too much credit? What are you going to do now to push back against this?

[14:30:02] CASSIDY: Well, first, I'm not minimizing these changes. They are important because you need to send the consistent signal that vaccines are safe. I'll just say that.

And again, President Trump agrees that vaccines are safe and important and that should not be undermined. If you -- if you, as we both know, there's an asterisks associated with that change on the website, the asterisk reflects a conversation he and he and I had. But I'll leave it at that. The fact is, the scientific community agrees that vaccines are safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: So even with all of the pushback from those in the scientific community and many credible studies that have found no relationship between vaccines and autism. A spokesperson for HHS said that the changes, quote, reflect gold standard evidence-based science -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: All right. Julia Benbrook, appreciate the reporting.

We're following more news coming up, including Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene denying a report today that her decision to resign from Congress is driven by a desire to run for president in 2028. We'll tell you why she says that's laughable, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:35:39]

JIMENEZ: We want to bring you some breaking news out of Madison, Wisconsin, where police say one of the women convicted in the 2014 "Slender Man" stabbing has now gone missing.

The Madison police department says that Morgan Geyser cut off her ankle monitor and left a group home Saturday night. Investigators say she was last seen with another adult in the area. Now she, along with another girl at the time, stabbed their fellow 12-year-old classmate nearly to death to please online horror character "Slender Man" in 2015. She had been in a mental institution for the past seven years before being released to a group home earlier this year. She was serving a 40-year-to-life sentence.

We wanted to bring you that breaking news. Well keep you posted as that search continues.

Let's get you back to Washington right now, because just days after congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene stunned the political world by announcing she's resigning from office in January amid what became a bitter feud with President Trump, the Georgia Republican is speaking out about a report that she's eyeing a run for the White House.

In a lengthy -- you know what? We're going to go to Secretary of State Marco Rubio as they announce the latest on Ukraine deals. We are watching this room right here in Geneva, where Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been leading high level talks with Ukrainian officials as they work through a potential peace plan.

Let's listen in to the secretary of state as he begin speaking.

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I think we made a tremendous amount of progress, even from the last time I spoke to you. And I apologize for keeping you waiting. But there was more work to be done.

You know, we began almost three weeks ago with a foundational document that we socialized and ran by both sides and with input from both sides. And one of the things that happens when you've been involved in this now for ten months, is you get a pretty good sense of what the priorities and the red lines and the important issues are for both sides.

And so that allowed us to create a foundational document, which has been an ongoing working document. In fact, over the last 96 hours or more, there's been extensive engagement with the Ukrainian side, including our secretary of the army and others being on the ground in Kyiv, meeting with relevant stakeholders across the Ukrainian political spectrum in the legislative branch and the executive branch and the military and others to further sort of narrow these points.

We arrived here today with one goal, and the goal was to take, you know, what, those 28 points or 26 points, depending on which version, as it continue to evolve and try to narrow the ones that were open items. And we have achieved that today in a very substantial way.

Now, obviously, like any final agreement, they'll have to be agreed upon by the presidents. And there are a couple of issues that that we need to continue to work on. But I think the report today is that I think today was worthwhile. It was very, very -- it is probably the most productive day we have had on this issue. And maybe in the entirety of our engagement, but certainly in a very long time.

But work remains. And because this continues to be a working process, you know, the -- I don't want to declare a victory or finality here. There's still some work to be done, but we are much further ahead today at this time than we were when we began this morning and where we were a week ago for certain. Okay?

(CROSSTALK)

REPORTER: Couple of issues.

RUBIO: Yes.

REPORTER: Could you please specify on that?

RUBIO: Well, I'm not going to get into the details on the issues. This is a very delicate moment, and it's important. Like I said, there's not agreement on those yet. Some of it is semantics or language. Others require higher level decisions and consultation. Others, I think, just need more time to work through.

As an aside, I will mention that there were items that we were discussing as part of the original 28 or it evolved. This is a work. This is a living, breathing document every day with input, it changes. There were some that involved equities or the role of the E.U. or NATO or so forth.

And those are kind of segregated out because we just met with the national security advisers for various European countries, and those are things we'll have to discuss with them, because it involves them. So, we sort of really focused on the ones that were bilateral in nature for the most part.

So, there are a couple. None of it insurmountable. I can tell you that the items that remain open are not insurmountable. We just need more time than what we have today. I honestly believe we'll get there.

REPORTER: Had Ukraine indicated to you that he's prepared to compromise, for instance, some of those key issues like territory in exchange for peace with Russia? They suggested that they are prepared.

RUBIO: Well, I'm not going to -- look, it's not because for purposes of evasion, it's just -- I'm not going to get into the details of the topics that were discussed because this is an ongoing process.

[14:40:04]

What is important to understand and how these things work is you have to -- in order to have a proposal, you have to write it. You know, if it's just verbal, it's in the air. You have to put it down on a piece of paper. And just because it's printed on a piece of paper doesn't indicate finality.

So, you get input. And based on that input, you make adjustments and then you get more input and you make a counteroffer and you get more adjustments. That's an ongoing process. There's a lot more of that to happen.

So I'm not going to speculate or go into the details of any of the specific items. In the latest version of the proposal because frankly, by tomorrow or the next day that may have evolved and changed further. And but -- but I can tell you, I guess, that I feel very optimistic that we can get something done here, because we made a tremendous amount of progress today.

(CROSSTALK)

RUBIO: It was very positive. I'm telling you, today was the most productive day we've had.

REPORTER: You said I'm grateful earlier.

RUBIO: Well, today, and we've talked to him since. I think he's quite pleased at the reports we've given him about the amount of progress that's been made.

REPORTER: What about the Russian party?

RUBIO: Well, obviously the Russians get a vote here, right? So, I mean, look, we began -- we began from the early stage of this process with our understanding of the Russian position as have been communicated to us in numerous ways, you know, at the State Department, we received numerous written non-papers and things of this nature. Also, verbally, things they've discussed over time and so forth.

So it was -- no matter what we came up with today, obviously we now have to take what we come up with. If we can reach that agreement with the Ukrainian side to the Russian side. That's another part of this equation.

Yeah, they have to agree to this in order for this to work.

REPORTER: What about new deadline? There will be new deadline or --

RUBIO: The deadline is we want to get this done as soon as possible. Obviously, you know, we would love it to be Thursday. We'd love to be -- ultimately, the important point today is that we have made substantial progress. We've really moved forward.

So I feel very optimistic that we're going to get there in a very reasonable period of time, very soon. You know, whether it's Thursday, whether it's Friday, whether it's Wednesday, whether it's Monday of the following week, we want it to be soon because people are going to between today.

And the time we deal with this, more people are going to die. More destruction is going to happen. Our goal is to end this war as soon as possible, but we need a little more time. The --

(CROSSTALK)

RUBIO: What? I'm sorry?

REPORTER: The fighter jets in Poland.

RUBIO: Yeah. I'm not going to discuss any of the particulars of it. Frankly, as I said, this is an ongoing process. And so I think there's work to be done. I know that's deeply unsatisfying to you who have to cover these sorts of things, but I wanted to make you aware that we've made progress. I simply don't want to do anything that sets us back in that regard.

And -- but I can tell you, we've made substantial progress. Today was the best day we have had in our entire ten months of working on these issues.

(CROSSTALK)

REPORTER: The European representatives today and what --

RUBIO: Yes. Yeah, we met with the national security advisers of a variety of countries that were here and we sort of walked them through the progress we have made today. We didn't go again into tremendous detail. We assured them that items that involved both Europe and NATO directly, or that those items are items that we sort of agreed to put as part of a separate track because it involves input from them. But I think what they heard, and I hope they'll confirm, I believe

they will, is an incredible amount of positivity from both the Ukrainian and American side about the progress we've made today.

(CROSSTALK)

REPORTER: What happens tomorrow? Mr. Secretary, what's the plan for tomorrow?

REPORTER: It only makes sense if it includes a provision that says the Americans are willing to provide security guarantees, similar to Article Five of NATO. Are you receptive to this?

RUBIO: Yeah. Again, I'm not going to discuss the details of what's being, you know, worked on with regards to particular provisions. I mean, clearly, I think we all recognize that part of getting a final end to this war will require for Ukraine to feel as if it is safe, and it is never going to be invaded or attacked again.

So that's clearly something that has to be discussed. I think we've made substantial progress on that and other points, but I'm not going to get into the details today about all of this.

(CROSSTALK)

RUBIO: I have time for two more guys because I got to run some more --

(CROSSTALK)

RUBIO: Am I what?

REPORTER: Would there be a call between President Trump and Zelenskyy?

RUBIO: I don't know, it's possible. I'm not sure.

REPORTER: What's the plan? What happens tomorrow?

RUBIO: Tomorrow?

REPORTER: Yeah. What happens?

RUBIO: We keep working. I mean, look, this process. No, no, no, this process has been ongoing now for the better part of three weeks, and it's really sped up in the last 96 hours.

So, we have all kinds of people at technical levels that are working full-time on this and engaged in this full-time. In fact, even as we got up and broke up now and walked away from the table, there are a handful of technical items that we expect answers from them on or suggestions from them on in the next 24 hours or so.

So this is an ongoing process. We don't have to be here in this building for that to move. But we thought today being here in person allowed us to make great strides because especially since they sent such a high level delegation who have the authority to sort of call back to their capital, talk to their president and make and agree to certain things. So we've made a lot of progress.

(CROSSTALK)

[14:45:02]

RUBIO: The what?

REPORTER: The counterproposals of the European, the counterplan of the Europeans.

RUBIO: I'm not aware of counterplan.

REPORTER: No.

RUBIO: I haven't seen any counterplan.

All right, guys, thank you. Thank you.

REPORTER: Any concessions you're asking the Russians to --

JIMENEZ: All right. You were listening to Secretary of State Marco Rubio answering questions on what he described as one of the most productive days or the most productive day we've had on this issue, maybe on the entirety of their engagement with the Ukrainians. Obviously, a very delicate moment. And trying to get toward any sort of peace proposal.

Now, notably, Secretary of State Marco Rubio would not get into the exact details of this. And based on what's in the proposals, there are many questions over potential Ukrainian concessions. But he stated pretty clearly today was worthwhile, and also that there were some aspects of any potential plan that they put to the side because it would involve the role of the European Union and NATO. And while there were representatives there, that is a completely separate process that they seem to have put to the side for now.

Now, one of the crucial things is that while Secretary of State Marco Rubio wouldn't get into details, he did say that the items that remain open are not insurmountable. And I'm going to quote here, I feel very optimistic that we can get something done here.

Now, the president of the United States would have to look over whatever comes out of this, along with Russia as well, because obviously this was a bilateral meeting that we were looking at here. But Secretary of State Rubio, seeming to anticipate that dynamic, said that they began from the early process in these talks with their understanding of what the Russian position was.

So, clearly, the secretary of state, very optimistic. The president of the United States had set this deadline of Thursday. But Rubio says that they will -- the deadline is we want to get this done as soon as possible. We're going to go through some more of the details from what we just heard from the secretary of state this critical moment.

Stay with us. We'll be right back.

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[14:51:38]

JIMENEZ: Just days after Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene really stunned the political world by announcing she's resigning from office in January amid what became a very bitter feud with President Trump, the Georgia Republican is speaking out about a report that she's eyeing a run for the White House.

And a lengthy X post this morning, the conservative firebrand adamantly denied that she's leaving Congress to mount a 2020 presidential run, saying, quote, "I'm not running for president and never said I wanted to and have only laughed about it when anyone would mention it."

Joining me to talk about it and more is Stephen Collinson, a CNN politics senior reporter.

So, Stephen, Congresswoman Greene, obviously resigning from office at the beginning of January, says she has no plans to run for president. But I wonder, what do you make of the options ahead of her? What do you think the end game strategy is?

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yeah, I think we'll take her at her word that she's not currently planning to run for president, partly because the conditions don't seem to be in place right now. With Trump still dominating the Republican Party, that it could necessarily be a successful run.

Although if she is planning to run for president, getting out of the house seems quite a smart thing to do, partly because many Republicans are worried that they're going to lose the majority, and its not going to be a great place to be after next years midterm elections. And the House has never really been for the last 150 years or so a good route to the presidency.

You would think that if Marjorie Taylor Greene does have future political ambitions, she would perhaps look for a state race in Georgia, a senate race or a governors race, first, and getting out of Washington at a time when you could see the loss of the majority to the Democrats and the president's popularity perhaps waning, might be a good move politically, so that she can position herself for the future of the Republican Party, which is a very interesting evolution we've just seen a few hints of.

But at the same time, she does seem like she's had it with politics. So perhaps it wouldn't be a surprise if she didn't move back into political life again.

JIMENEZ: You know, and it seems in the wake of this announcement, there are sort of two separate analyzes here. One that, oh, look, this indicates cracks in the MAGA movement that someone like Marjorie Taylor Greene would break from the president so publicly. Especially on some recent issues, or showing that now that she has broken from President Trump that having the power of someone like Trump against a potential primary opponent sort of limits the path to being able to run again for Congress.

Is there any aspect of that that sticks out to you as either more prevalent or more significant than the other, and kind of how to look at the political dynamics of this relationship here.

COLLINSON: At least superficially, superficially, what we've seen is the president once again establishing his dominance, driving an internal critic out of the party and showing the potential power that he has, as you say that he can use against critics and heretics of the MAGA movement to drive them out of the party. So, I think the White House will be quite pleased with how things have developed.

On the other hand, this is a danger sign for the president, not just because there certainly are some cracks in the MAGA movement.

[14:55:01]

People are starting to fight about the meaning of the revolution if you like. That's never a healthy sign in a political movement. There are some people who are clearly looking past the president to what the future of the party might be ideologically and in terms of its personality. When Trump has left the scene not a good sign for a president in a second term who's got three years to run.

And at the same time, I think it's a danger for the president because if he is insisting on total loyalty and is most concerned with beating down criticism, he may be missing what exactly Marjorie Taylor Greene was saying. She was arguing that many Americans are hurting because of high grocery prices, housing prices, the difficulty of getting affordable health care. If the president doesn't listen to that and act upon it, and he's most concerned about his own authority within the party, he could be leading the Republican Party down a very dicey path, as we believe that those issues are going to be some of the most decisive ones in the midterm elections.

JIMENEZ: And those are the issues that consistently polled at the top of voters minds, even heading into the November election.

Stephen Collinson, appreciate the time, as always. Thank you.

All right, everyone. We'll be right back.

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