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CNN International: Zelenskyy In Brussels To Rally E.U. Support As Ties With U.S. Sour; Houthi Rebels Launch Deadly Attack On Yemeni Presidential Palace; Iran, Houthis try To Ramp Up Pressure On President Trump; Funerals Held For Victims Of Pakistan School Roof Collapse; Pope Leo's Post-Operation Checks Showing Good Results. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired October 16, 2026 - 04:00   ET

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

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[04:00:34]

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome. I'm Christina Macfarlane here live in London.

Ahead on "CNN Newsroom," Ukraine faces a deteriorating relationship with the U.S. Now, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tries to strengthen support from Europe.

Houthi rebels carry out a deadly attack on Yemen's presidential palace while fears grow of a widening war in the Middle East.

And at least four people are dead in the U.S. state of Oregon after a 16-year-old shooter opens fire at an elementary school. Now, the community is coming to grips with an unimaginable tragedy.

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Christina Macfarlane.

MACFARLANE: And we begin in Brussels, where Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is looking to shore up support from Europe. He arrived at a summit of E.U. leaders a short time ago and his -- as his relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump continues to deteriorate.

This comes as Reuters reports that the order to limit the Starshield satellite service for Ukraine came from inside the White House. The news agency cites three officials, but does not say who made the decision. A U.S. official told Reuters President Trump made no such request.

Well, Starshield service used for Ukraine's drone operations and other military purposes was abruptly limited this week. Ukraine now says the service has been partially restored.

Meanwhile, a source exclusively tells CNN that Ukraine has run out of Patriot missile interceptors. They're among the few weapons that can shoot down Russian ballistic missiles. U.S.-Ukrainian ties have deteriorated since the White House agreed to allow Russia to resume its diesel exports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: The diesel deal, I don't want to be involved. If he attacks us, we will respond. This is our rule. Don't involve us to some diesel deals.

If you ask us to help with the situation, of course, like the partners, we will help, but we're asking you, so energy ceasefire. If not energy ceasefire, it doesn't depend on you. OK. The question, can you give me missiles for Patriot?

Because when I will not attack them, because you asked me not to attack them, they will attack me. It's fair if you will give me with what to defend. It's the minimum what I ask. No, I think yes.

And when I'm asking this, your answer is blocking Starlink. So, how to deal with this? To speak more, to explain more and to hold position, our position, the position of Ukraine, of our people. That what I do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well, we're also getting word of new strikes on both sides of the border targeting energy facilities. Ukraine says Russia hit targets across the country overnight, leaving at least two people injured in the northwest.

Under the thousands of energy customers are reportedly without power. And Russian state media says Ukraine hit a data center east of Moscow, causing a fire that shut down operations.

Officials also say an attack on heating infrastructure there was repelled, but two electrical substations remain offline.

Well, for more, we're joined by CNN's Clare Sebastian who's been monitoring these developments here from London.

So, Clare, right now, President Zelenskyy is in a meeting with E.U. leaders in Brussels in a bid to bolster support for Ukraine.

After, you know, his relationship with the U.S. president have become decidedly frazzled, and he's made a very public break with Donald Trump this time around, unlike what we saw following the Oval Office showdown last year.

So, what do you expect or think that he can -- can get from European allies today?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, I think this is, as we saw back in March of 2024, after that Oval Office spat, Christina, this is a concerted effort to shore up European support, both practically and, of course, in terms of the optics.

You know, Kyiv wants to make it clear as they see the U.S. position draw closer to -- to Moscow in many ways, that it is also surrounded by allies, but in practical terms, you know, budget support and, of course, in terms of air defense, that will be critical topics here.

[04:05:00]

I think the key question is, given that we've seen, as you say, this public break by Zelenskyy from Trump, is what kind of advice will he be getting from these European allies? Will it be to try to de- escalate those tensions, to try to tread that delicate fine line, of course, of disagreeing with the U.S. approach, particularly when it comes to the diesel deal, while also trying to maintain some kind of relationship there so that the military support can be maintained in terms of intelligence and, of course, the -- the difficulties we've seen this week with Starlink.

We've just heard from Zelenskyy speaking with the E.U. Commission Chief, Ursula von der Leyen. Take a listen to that sort of effort to tread this delicate fine line.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

URSULA VON DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: Of course, we supported President Trump's energy ceasefire, but we've seen that Russia did not respect it, not a single minute. Instead, Russia escalated, and therefore, we have to increase the pressure on Russia.

We're working now on the 22nd sanctions package. And one thing is absolutely clear, we will not lift any sanctions unless Russia stops the war.

ZELENSKYY: Of course. We want to end this war as quick as possible. We don't see now signals from Russian side that they are ready for this. To end this war, that's why we have to prepare for the winter. Winter package, it's not only energy, it's also air defense and fundings. And I'm thankful that E.U. stands with us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: So, like, that was definitely, I think, more measured approach than the -- the pretty defiant interviews that we've seen Zelenskyy gave over the past few days. And it's clear from the European side that they are trying to find common ground as well with the U.S. saying, as you heard Von der Leyen say there, that she supports Trump's ceasefire.

We heard as well from the British Defense Secretary, Wes Streeting, who was in Washington yesterday, who met with the American Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, who said, look, we understand, for example, that the -- the -- the U.S. president is focused on the cost of living as we are in the U.K.

So, I think there are conciliatory moves from the European allies. We'll have to see if that translates into an effort from President Zelenskyy to sort of de-escalate tensions with the U.S. Christina.

MACFARLANE: Yes. And amidst all of this, Clare, and, of course, that news into CNN yesterday that Ukraine has run out of Patriot interceptor missiles, what more are you hearing about those wide-scale attacks overnight in Ukraine?

SEBASTIAN: Yes, this was, I think, significant because of what was widespread in many regions, but we're hearing particularly about in the Volyn region, which is on the border with Poland, so the far, far west of Ukraine, miles and miles from the frontline. They say 370,000 people are without power. Kyiv is under emergency power outages.

So, the -- the sort of the winter-style attacks that we've seen over the past few years, they have started pretty early this year, and they are proving very destructive to civilian life.

On the flip side as well, I think there are signs that the gloves are off from the Ukrainian side. When you see these data centers being hit, we've seen a spate of those. When we see heating and water affected in city of Vladimir, which is just east of Moscow.

I think the strategy here is -- is -- is evolving. And certainly Ukraine is trying to apply pressure and raise the cost where perhaps the U.S. is no longer willing to do so. So, that's that. But I think, look, where we see signs that potentially Ukraine's allies will be advising it to de-escalate with the U.S., we are certainly not seeing any signs from President Trump that he is willing to do the same. His rhetoric towards President Zelensky is getting even more strident. Take a listen to this clip from an interview he did with Newsmax yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Zelenskyy is a -- not a good guy for us to deal with. Biden gave him hundreds of billions of dollars, billions and billions of dollars worth --

ROB FINNERTY, NEWSMAX ANCHOR: Have you lost faith in him?

TRUMP: Well, I think they're going to -- if they're going to end up with a settlement of some kind, they're not going to do it with him. He doesn't want to settle. He says he wants to settle, but he doesn't.

No, I'm not a -- I'm not a big fan of Zelenskyy. They've destroyed that country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: He also called the resumption of Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure a disgrace.

Look, I think it feels, like stating the obvious at this point, but those are key Kremlin talking points. The idea that you can't deal with Zelenskyy. The Kremlin has literally put elections in Ukraine as a prerequisite for any kind of peace deal.

So at this point, the news is not good for Ukraine when it comes to the president's rhetoric, but I think it will be interesting to watch how they handle this, their tactics on this going forward. Christina.

MACFARLANE: All right. Clare Sebastian there, thank you very much. Now, turning to one of the most high-profile attacks yet on the Yemeni government in its military campaign against the Houthis. The rebels, backed by Iran, have carried out a deadly attack on Yemen's presidential palace. The compound serves as the headquarters for the country's internationally recognized government.

[04:10:05]

CNN's Leila Gharagozlou is tracking this for us from Abu Dhabi. So, Leila, I the Saudi-Yemen conflict is continuing to deepen here with these -- what we're hearing about these latest attacks on the Yemeni presidential palace.

What more do we know about that if -- if anyone was injured? And -- and also the potential for this conflict now to -- to widen?

LEILA GHARAGOZLOU, CNN PRODUCER: Yes. So, when it comes to that really high-profile presidential palace attack, we know that the Houthis have said that this is part of a broader strategy that they are now employing to really hit Saudi Arabia anywhere that it is deployed. And we've seen that over the course of this week.

We've seen them hit the international airport in Riyadh. We've hit -- seen them hit Aramco and now the presidential palace. So, they really are flexing their military prowess and employing this new strategy to really hit Saudi Arabia where it hurts and hit that coalition where it hurts.

Now, in terms of whether this spills out and what happens to this conflict in the broader region, it's very unclear what impact this would have on the other war in the region being the war with the U.S. and Iran.

Now, of course, Iran and Saudi Arabia have a somewhat tense relationship so this conflict could impact those relations, but otherwise, it's very unclear and analysts and experts say that it's unlikely that we'd see a very direct correlation between these two conflicts.

So, conflict between Yemen and Saudi Arabia has been going on for quite some time, since about 2015 when Saudi Arabia joined the intervened in Yemen civil war. So, this is a very different conflict over very different matters than the war with Iran.

The other way that this could potentially impact the war with Iran is the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which we talked about earlier this week. If that Bab el-Mandeb Strait gets closed, if the Houthis kind of blockade that, it, of course, could impact what's going on with the Iran war and the Strait of Hormuz.

But otherwise, at this moment, it doesn't look like that conflict is necessarily going to widen out to the other conflict that we're seeing with Iran. Christina.

MACFARLANE: All right. As you say, another symbolic sign of how Saudi Arabia are really struggling to counter these attacks from Houthis. Leila Gharagozlou, thank you very much.

Now, the turmoil in Yemen comes amid fears of a wider regional war. The U.S. and Iran have yet to reach a deal to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and Tehran appears to be stepping up its attacks on ships.

CNN's Nic Robertson picks up the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, there are two major stakeholders in the pressure over the Iran-U.S. deal, and that's Iran and the United States. And Iran clearly has been ramping up the pressure on President Trump by trying to attack more vessels that it considers are violating its banning of container ships or oil tankers going through the Strait of Hormuz.

This is coming in the run-up to the midterm elections. You know, the diplomats that I'm speaking to from the region say that this is because Iran wants to put President Trump in a very, very difficult position coming up to midterms.

The president coming up to the midterms wants to demonstrate that he's the big power when it comes to sort of dictating terms with Iran, although Iran very clearly resists.

And one way for President Trump to do that is to threaten to use the -- the biggest weapon he has available, whether or not that can be effective, whether or not he actually intends to do it, whether or not this is all just rhetoric and positioning, it certainly gives the impression he has a position of strength here.

But the diplomats that I'm talking to are saying, don't expect anything to be resolved quickly before the midterms, after the midterms. The Iranians are going to stick at their position for perhaps the rest of President Trump's presidency to get the best terms of any kind of deal they can with the U.S. president.

So, what we're witnessing, this spike in violence here and also, you know, widely believed that the Iranians are pushing the Houthis to up their attacks in Saudi, on -- on the Red Sea, in Yemen, on -- on oil, putting pressure on oil and container ships, again, in the Red Sea.

All of that is -- is an Iranian machination, as well as a Houthi one, to up pressure on President Trump. That's the sort of broader perspective. Can President Trump use that weapon if he so desires he could? Would it really have an impact down the road on -- on a diplomatic outcome? I think the Iranians are playing a much, much longer game.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Now, an investigation is underway and a community in the U.S. state of Oregon is in mourning after a deadly school shooting. Police say three children and one teacher were killed in the attack Thursday afternoon on the small city of Bend, Oregon. Another child and teacher were also injured and taken to the hospital.

[04:15:08]

Police say the shooter was a 16-year-old armed with a long gun. He forced his way into Silver Rail Elementary School by shooting at locked doors. The community member saw the teen and followed him, then fatally shot him before officers arrived.

It's not clear whether the shooter had any connection to the school or what his motive was. And police have not publicly identified him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF MIKE KRANTZ, BEND POLICE DEPARTMENT: Officers at the scene located five people who had succumbed to their injuries, including the suspect. The deceased at the scene include three children ages 5, 8, and 11, and one teacher.

One 7-year-old child and one 54-year-old teacher were transported by Bend Fire to St. Charles Bend with critical injuries. The families of the victims have all been notified.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: All district schools and activities will be closed in the day ahead.

FBI Director Kash Patel says federal agents are assisting in the investigation. CNN chief law enforcement intelligence analyst John Miller described some of the questions investigators may have now about the shooter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Did the shooter study other shooters? Think back to the Nashville shooting at Covenant School where, you know, Leslie Hale, Audrey Hale rather, you know, walked up down the locked doors and shot her way through the glass. Is that where he picked that up? We've all seen that video.

The Annunciation School shooting in Minneapolis that occurred a little bit later where he couldn't gain entry, so he opened fire on the congregation through the windows.

We know these shooters study each other all the way back to Columbine and then forward. And they tried to do things like compete with body count, learn techniques and tactics and procedures.

So, there's just so much we need to know against a backdrop of really terrible tragedy, the kind of thing we haven't seen, you know, since Sandy Hook.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Funerals are underway for the victims of a roof collapse in Pakistan that killed 34 children and a teacher. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan spoke at one of the services and said his nephew was among the victims.

Here's CNN's Ivan Watson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A nation in mourning after a deadly disaster in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar. The roof of a school collapsed, killing dozens of school children as well as at least one teacher. A rescue worker tells CNN it was likely caused by heavy rain overnight which caused the collapse of the two-story building early Thursday morning.

Now, we've seen hospital records suggesting the ages of the casualties are between 6 and 14 years old. And there were around 50 additional children injured and treated in hospital after this disaster.

Now, tragically, collapses like this are all too common in Pakistan, where building and construction codes are poorly enforced.

In August, a fire broke out in a maternity ward in the capital Islamabad, killing at least 14 newborns. A subsequent inquiry concluded that there were no sprinkler systems in the nursery. There wasn't even a fire alarm.

And here in Lahore in July, there was another collapse of a tutoring center that killed at least 14 school children.

Now, the president of Pakistan has called this a -- a gut-wrenching tragedy. Police in Peshawar tell CNN they've arrested the owner of the school and they've launched an investigation into this tragic disaster.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Lahore, Pakistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Well, there's much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom," including an appearance by Venezuela's ousted president. We'll explain what happened in court.

And we'll be live in Rome with an update on Pope Leo's recovery after cancer surgery and why his doctors say they're optimistic.

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[04:20:20]

MACFARLANE: For the second time, Venezuela's former president has tried to make a public statement during an appearance in U.S. court. When asked to enter a plea, Nicolas Maduro said he rejected the false accusations and false testimony.

But the judge cut off his statement and entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. A charge of conspiracy to commit torture was added to his indictment last week. Maduro will be back in court in mid-December when his attorneys will make arguments for immunity. Authorities in India's capital have shut down Central Park in one of the country's main business districts ahead of a rally by the youth- led Cockroach movement. The Cockroach Janta Party is proving itself to be one of the biggest political challenges to India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The latest march was called to show support for two of the group's leaders who were arrested for allegedly breaking a ban on a protest site. Police say they will close New Delhi's Central Park in Connaught Place as a precaution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEHA YADAV, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, DELHI POLICE: Various trader market associations of the Connaught Place and surrounding areas have given representations to protect them and their establishments from unruly elements and unlawful assemblies, which is adversely affecting their business, particularly in this festive season.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Anger has erupted in Argentina where demonstrators and police clashed at a massive protest over cuts to university funding. These were the scenes in the capital of Buenos Aires on Thursday. Riot police fired tear gas and some protester threw stones near the Congress building.

Crowds elsewhere were peaceful. Students and staff are demanding that Argentina's president comply with a law that reverses cuts to university budgets. The government has, so far, rejected the legislation despite court rulings.

[04:25:09]

And students in Halloween costumes continue to block access to Helene- Boucher's public high school in Paris on Thursday. The students say they're finding ways to keep up morale after weeks of blockades and demonstrations as well as occasionally heavy-handed treatment by law enforcement.

The government has pledged to address the student's grievances despite difficult public finances. A cross-sector day of demonstrations is expected to take place on Saturday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SCREAMING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: And you're looking at scenes from Albania's capital, Tirana, where thousands of student-led protesters filled the streets. The marches have been driven by anger over corruption and education costs. There's also anger over proposed luxury development on Albania's southern coast backed by Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. Catholics around the world have been gathering for prayer vigils and masses following Pope Leo's lung cancer operation. A spokesperson says post-operation checks are showing good results.

The Vatican says the Pope has been carrying out daily activities. His doctors say they remain optimistic as they await further test results.

And CNN's Stefano Pozzebon is joining us now live from Rome. So, Stefano, I understand we're expecting another update on the Pope's health in the next couple of hours, but what more have you been hearing this morning?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, exactly, Christina. We didn't hear from the Vatican spokesperson these early hours of this Friday. However, we do know that there will be a bulletin about the Pope's health in the early hours of the afternoon.

The fact that we didn't hear it, it's frankly -- so far, it's frankly good news. It means that the recovery is going ahead as planned, that Pope Leo is getting stronger and slowly returning to active duty.

For example, yesterday, we learned that he was able to get up, to eat. And he was also come celebrating mass with other priests who were assisting him.

It's a moment where perhaps the focus moves past the -- the initial shock of the diagnosis and then the operation that Leo had on Tuesday and moves towards the long-term consequences of these lung cancer diagnosis.

Perhaps whether he'll be able to resume all of the activities that he was doing before he told us last Sunday that he was going to come here at the Gemelli Hospital for the operation.

For example, the big question currently, the biggest question looms over the trip ahead in November towards Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru. That is a massive schedule over almost 12 days with several internal flights, helicopter flights.

It's really a packed schedule and we need to understand whether after these diagnoses and the time in the hospital he will be able to commit to all of those -- to all of those duties. There was clearly hope when Leo was elected at just 69 years of age that the new Pope will bring energy and the -- and resume a very active schedule. Perhaps still -- this operation might have impact on those hopes in the longer term, Christina.

MACFARLANE: All right. Well, we will look to that update in the next couple of hours and be back with you to check up on his health.

Stefano Pozzebon, for now, thanks very much.

Now, ahead, Ukraine's president meets with European leaders as tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump reach a boiling point. We're live in Odessa with the latest. Plus, with midterm elections just a few weeks away Hispanic voters are weighing their options. CNN visits a Latino community in Virginia to hear their top concerns. That story and more right here on CNN.

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