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Russia, Ukraine Traded Strikes Following Diplomatic Talks; Vatican says No Further Treatment Necessary for Pope Leo Following Successful Lung Cancer Surgery. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired October 22, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

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CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome to the show, I'm Christina Macfarlane in London.

Ahead here on "CNN Newsroom," Russia launches new strikes on Ukraine following high-stakes talks between Washington and Moscow. We'll have the latest on diplomatic efforts to end the war.

The U.S. issues new warnings as Houthi rebels step up attacks on Saudi Arabia. We'll go live to the Gulf for an update.

Plus, a new wave of protests in Europe as demonstrators demand relief from the rising cost of living.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from London, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Christina Macfarlane.

MACFARLANE: Russia and Ukraine are trading strikes just hours after U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff sat down for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In Kyiv, at least one person was killed and 22 others wounded, including four children, in Russian attacks, while Ukraine launched hundreds of drones towards the Moscow region overnight.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

This video just in from Ukraine shows an explosion lighting up the sky in one of Russia's overnight strikes on Kyiv as the eyewitness runs away from the area here. This is all coming after Witkoff held what he described as a constructive meeting with Putin in talks aimed at advancing peace efforts in Ukraine.

The two sat down for about three hours in St. Petersburg on Wednesday. At Witkoff's request, Putin said he'd be ready to resume trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. after November 10th.

Well Ukraine's President said he'd like to meet by the beginning of next month, he also pointed out that Russia has previously said it was ready to meet, only for plans to be canceled. The key outcome of Wednesday's meeting was Witkoff announcing that Russia had released American Stephen Hubbard. The U.S. envoy had this to say to Putin after Hubbard was freed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE WITKOFF, UNITED STATES SPECIAL ENVOY TO THE MIDDLE EAST: You talk so much about my President, President Trump, being a humanitarian. You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that, I commend you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Witkoff's description of Putin as a humanitarian drew swift backlash. But President Trump suggests that Witkoff's use of that term could have helped in Hubbard's release. The 74-year-old was freed after being detained in Russia for more than four years and came after direct plea from Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Right now. And you don't know anything. I mean, you fake news CNN.

Look, right now you have a man that's beautifully flying from Russia to wherever he's landing in the United States that I got out because I had a very good and very fast negotiation with President Putin. If you were to put those sanctions on or whatever you want to call them, you could forget about him.

You'd never see him again. He'd be back in jail for 25 years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: That was the President there appearing to tie the waving of Russia-related sanctions to the release of Stephen Hubbard, despite stating earlier that the U.S. gave Moscow nothing in exchange.

Joining me now is Robert English, the co-director of Central European Studies at the University of Southern California. Thank you so much for your time this morning.

Robert, I want to get to that comment from the President in just a moment. But first, let's talk about this trilateral meeting that has been proposed. Russia and Ukraine have agreed in principle for these three-way talks to resume next month.

I guess one could view this as a positive development, but we have been here before. So what do you think, Robert, could be new if this round of talks were to go ahead? And how likely is either side to moderate its demands?

ROBERT ENGLISH, CO-DIRECTOR, CENTRAL EUROPEAN STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: Yes, you're right to be skeptical. You know, the hostage release is a tiny gesture.

The fact that they might all three be sitting down is something new. But, of course, the core issue is, are they going to be able to reach a compromise? [03:04:54]

And a compromise would require either Russia moderating its demand for more territory, the rest of that Donbas, or the Ukrainian side reconciling itself to giving up more territory, but in exchange for other economic security benefits or other trade-offs that we're not privy to. That's the heart of the matter, not these atmospherics of where and when they meet, but the core compromise that so far we don't see.

MACFARLANE: Yes, and amidst this, I mean, pressure really is intensifying on Ukraine. Donald Trump and his team have been offering President Putin a tremendous amount of economic incentives, appeasement, and flattery to get Russia to the table. Of course, we just heard there that remarkable, extraordinary humanitarian line of flattery from Steve Witkoff yesterday.

We know for President Zelenskyy that a bad deal could be worse than no deal. So what options does he have, do you see, in this moment?

ENGLISH: You're correct to see that essentially the strategy seems to be offer Moscow carrots and threaten Ukraine with sticks. And the U.S. has been doing that, you know, with all that we've seen, right? The relaxation of sanctions, the slowing down of Internet through the services, Skynet, SkyShield, and also, of course, slowing down intelligence cooperation and refusing to deliver more Patriot missiles.

These are all forms of pressure, along with the heavy diplomatic pressure. And, unfortunately, Ukraine's main bulwark to stand up to Russia and to stand up to Trump's bullying has been, for the last two years, the Europeans, who have sought to fill the gap that Trump in his second term has left in cutting off aid.

And I'm afraid that the signs here are getting increasingly grim, because, of course, Europe is in an increasingly difficult economic position. They can't agree on an E.U. budget, divisions between the South and the North, Europe is taking on more and more debt.

And every six months, the Ukrainians need another $50 billion, $60 billion, $70 billion that Europe can only borrow to provide. And you've covered the riots, you've covered the rise of the far-right.

I think that the European Union and national leaders in France, Germany, and Italy are feeling this pressure. And they're quietly telling Zelenskyy, we're going to have to give them more and reach a compromise, because we can't keep this up for another year or 18 months.

MACFARLANE: Yes, especially with many elections coming up across Europe, as you know, Robert. Look, I just wanted to get your thoughts on Stephen Hubbard, because this prisoner release seemed to be somewhat unusual, in that it didn't involve a direct swap of prisoners, as we've seen in the past, but appeared to be more of a gesture towards President Trump. That's according to President Trump, that is. How much do you think, though, that a tit-for-tat deal has been done

here between the U.S. and Russia?

ENGLISH: You know, this was someone illegally detained, in the terminology of the State Department.

This wasn't a spy where we exchanged for one of our spies or some other prisoner, a drug smuggler, an arms dealer. This was simply someone who was nabbed for no good reason and held, I think hostage is the better term. So I suppose in some sense it's a gesture of goodwill to release that hostage.

But there was no legitimate basis in the first place. So, you know, if President Trump wants to portray it as a big victory, well, he's trying to get the Republicans to an election. He's going to cast everything that happens as some kind of victory that only he deserves credit for.

But, in fact, the person never should have been held four years is too long for a 70-year-old man who all we can see is a teacher, not a mercenary.

MACFARLANE: Yes, and it is good to see that he will be back on U.S. soil at some point today. Robert English, so great to have your thoughts this morning. Thank you very much.

ENGLISH: You're welcome.

MACFARLANE: We are turning now to two deadly new attacks in Saudi Arabia.

Authorities say a strike on an oil field killed two workers and one person was killed in an attack at the Dammam International Airport. Damage assessments are in the works. And in recent days, Yemen's Houthi rebels have been ramping up their strikes on notable Saudi targets.

The volatile security situation has prompted the U.S. State Department to order non-essential embassy staff to leave the Saudi capital and issue new warnings to Americans about potential violence at Saudi airports. The Iran-backed Houthis have been behind several deadly drone and missile strikes on the Riyadh International Airport this month.

Well meanwhile, President Trump is congratulating himself over the war with Iran nearly eight months after it began, even though there's no official end in sight. And a new CNN poll shows just 30 percent of Americans approve of his handling of foreign affairs.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I think it's one of the greatest things we've done. We've stopped Iran from having a nuclear weapon. It's one of the best things that we've done. It took a lot of courage to do it because no other president was willing to do it. And if we didn't do it, Iran would right now have already used massive nuclear weapons.

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MACFARLANE: CNN's Paula Hancocks is following all of this live from Abu Dhabi. So Paula, turning to the Saudi airport attack, we know that airports, as we said, have been repeatedly targeted by the Houthi rebels. What more do we know? Any details about this latest attack?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christina, this happened on Wednesday evening, according to officials, they say that it was Dammam Airport, which is in the east of the country. Previously, we've seen attacks against Riyadh, against the capital. One person was killed, we understand, and eight more were injured.

Now, less than two weeks ago, we did see an attack against Riyadh International Airport. More than a dozen people were killed, dozens more injured in that particular attack. It was one of the deadliest incidents in the kingdom in years.

So we really are seeing an intensification of these Houthi attacks against infrastructure, against airports, also energy infrastructure. On Wednesday, there was also two expatriate workers killed at an oil field in the eastern province, two more were injured. Now, this has led to the U.S. State Department saying that they were going to order all family members, all non-essential staff at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh to leave.

Now, we also know that sources told us that a few other U.S. diplomatic posts in the region are reassessing and readjusting their staffing in response to this Houthi threat as well. I'll read you a part of the State Department's statement, it says, "Iranian-supported Houthis have increasingly engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure, resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions."

Now, U.S. government employees in Riyadh have to ask for special permission from the chief of mission at this point if they require using any of the airports in Saudi Arabia. Now, we have seen some more support, certainly from European countries, when it comes to Saudi Arabia, their efforts to try and fight against the Houthis. We saw Emmanuel Macron, the French President, making a surprise visit to the kingdom on Wednesday.

We understand from officials that he was there in part to secure more diesel from the Saudi Arabian kingdom because, of course, energy costs are very high in his country. We've seen significant protests in France, so that was part of the reason he was there, but also to express solidarity with Saudi Arabia.

France has been helping to protect one of the oil export hubs on the Red Sea, the U.K., also on Tuesday, saying that they would deploy fighter jets to help defend Saudi Arabia. Christina?

MACFARLANE: All right, Paula, I really appreciate the update. Thank you.

In Israel, a U.S. congressional candidate is pushing back against a claim that he posted a security risk when he was detained by Israel's military in the West Bank. Brad Lander was taken into custody along with dozens of other volunteers helping Palestinians harvest olives.

The IDF says the group was a security risk because the harvest had not been coordinated with Israeli officials. But Lander calls that claim a lie, saying Palestinians don't need permission to harvest their own crops. He has since been released and is calling for the release of other volunteers still in custody.

Lander is running for Congress in New York.

Now to exclusive reporting on conflicting claims coming from the U.S. State Department. According to internal documents, it's warning Americans about violent crime in parts of Latin America, specifically Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

But at the same time, the State Department is privately telling officers dealing with asylum seekers that the conditions in some countries are no more dangerous than in U.S. cities like Baltimore, Houston and Memphis. The goal? Getting more asylum claims denied.

Experts worry the new guidelines downplay the very real dangers some face in some areas of Latin America. We asked immigration analyst and attorney Raul Reyes about the practical impact of this new guidance.

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RAUL REYES, ATTORNEY, AND CNN OPINION WRITER, AND "USA TODAY" CONTRIBUTOR: This is very serious. It will make it to deport people potentially who have asylum claims.

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And which goes against the reason we have asylum in the first place. Congress created asylum to protect people who were in danger. It's a system that has existed for decades.

And when I say danger, I'm talking about these countries in Central America, certain states of Mexico where we have transnational gangs, kidnapping, extortions, all types of horrendous conditions. And so we are looking at potentially sending back, sending people back to these places to harm, placing them in harm's way.

And really with grave consequences, we know that some people have been deported and have never been seen again or their bodies were found in sugar cane fields. So we are talking grave consequences.

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MACFARLANE: Well, there's much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom." Athens, Greece is just the latest city to see massive protests in the streets over a number of social and economic issues as demonstrations and unrest spread across Europe.

And an all clear for Pope Leo, the Vatican revealing new details about his cancer surgery and why doctors say he needs no further treatment.

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MACFARLANE: Welcome back. We have an encouraging update on Pope Leo's health.

The Vatican says he will not need any more treatment for lung cancer after successful surgery last week. Doctors say the cancer was localized and that the all clear has been given. It arrives ahead of the pontiff's planned South America trip next month.

Pope Leo held his first general audience on Wednesday at the Vatican since surgery. The 71-year-old pontiff waved to crowds and blessed babies while riding in the Pope Mobile through St. Peter's Square. Here's his message to the crowd.

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POPE LEO XIV, HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): The first thing I would like to say to you is thank you. Thank you for the support of your prayers, thanks be to God for his generosity. Let us all renew our trust in the goodness and mercy of God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Thousands of students and teachers have filled the streets of Athens, Greece. They're demanding higher pay for teachers, more funding for education and relief from the rising cost of living.

CNN Greece reports the demonstrations were inspired in part by similar student movements in France and elsewhere in Europe. CNN's Stefano Pozzebon reports.

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STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The situation is gradually returning to normal in the streets of Europe after some of the worst clashes we've seen in recent years took place over the last weekend, in particular in France.

In France, several areas of Paris woke up on Wednesday under a curfew for the second night in a row, while the Prime Minister, Sebastien Lecornu, told lawmakers that the law enforcement deployment ahead of this Saturday's protest would be massive.

In Italy, instead, the government on Tuesday approved a new law and order decree where police will be able to detain protesters for several hours, even if they are underage. However, protests remain, in particular in the south of the Italian peninsula, where truck drivers are setting up blockades on highways as a way to protest the cost of living and the cost of petrol, with the price of diesel up more than 30 percent from before the Iran war broke out and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Several supermarkets, according to Italian media, have started to see shortages in basic products as a consequence of these blockades.

Now, with the protesters already calling for new gatherings ahead of this weekend, especially on Saturday the 24th of October, it remains to be seen whether these new measures drafted by both governments will be enough to calm the streets, or if indeed Europe is heading towards more protests towards the end of this year.

For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Rome.

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MACFARLANE: Now, the NFL is keeping a close eye on security in Paris ahead of Sunday's historic game. The Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints are scheduled to play at the Stade de France.

Commissioner Roger Goodall says the league's comfort level with security is very high. The NFL has been working with French authorities and the State Department, and the league says plans for the game are moving forward. The NFL's head of international affairs said that while they have contingency plans for every game, they've yet to seriously consider relocating the game.

Okay, still to come here on "CNN Newsroom," a show of support for the Democratic candidate for Ohio governor. What the top Republicans are saying about an incendiary ad featuring her estranged mother.

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[03:25:00]

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MACFARLANE: Welcome back. I'm Christina Macfarlane, in London. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

Russia and Ukraine have been trading overnight strikes following a meeting between U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin in Russia. In Kyiv, at least one person was killed and 22 others wounded in Russian attacks. Hours earlier, Witkoff held what he described as a constructive meeting with Putin in talks aimed at advancing peace efforts in Ukraine; at Witkoff's request, Putin said he'd be ready to resume trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. after November 10th.

Pope Leo is getting an all-clear after lung cancer surgery. The Vatican says the cancer was localized and he need no further treatment. He held his first general audience in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday and is looking ahead to a planned South America trip next month. [03:30:10]

President Trump is now calling the deeply unpopular war with Iran, quote, "one of the greatest things we've done." He said the decision to attack Iran in February took a lot of courage and stopped Iran from having a nuclear weapon. A new CNN poll shows only 30 percent of Americans approve of his handling of foreign affairs.

A new CNN poll shows President Trump with a record low approval rating of just 32 percent. Economic concerns are the number one issue for voters and respondents rate the President very poorly. 73 percent disapprove of his handling of the economy, only 27 percent approve.

President Trump is taking his mid-term campaign blitz to Iowa, Florida, Georgia and Michigan this week. He spent Wednesday night in South Carolina stumping for Republican incumbent Senator Darlene Graham. She is in a closer than expected race with Democrat Annie Andrews.

Now the President fired back at protesters during his rally, calling them crazy and serious losers.

Well meanwhile Vice President J.D. Vance is defending a controversial ad from the Republican candidate for governor in Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy. He says politics is a tough business and people should stop whining about the ad.

While it features the estranged mother of Democrat Amy Acton telling voters her daughter is a liar. Acton says she hasn't seen her mother since she was 12 when her stepfather was arrested for sexually abusing her. He pleaded not guilty but was indicted by a grand jury.

Records show from the early 1980s authorities were still looking for him, but there's no record of any further action in the case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I hear the mother went very rogue on the daughter, doesn't have a lot of respect for the daughter. And I think the mother is a witness to things also, so who knows, you'll have to figure that out.

It's a very unusual situation to have a mother hate a daughter that much, but I don't think that has anything to do with Vivek.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well Acton got a show of support at a campaign appearance in Ohio on Wednesday. A woman at the event said, my heart goes out to you, and gave Acton a hug.

This incendiary ad against Acton is just the latest in a line of ugly attempts to smear political opponents, CNN's Tom Foreman explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Sex abuse at a fall church camp. A child predator working for Adam Hamilton's megachurch.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Kansas, the Republican Senate candidate launches a claim his opponent concealed a sex scandal. Democrats respond with a rocket of their own.

UNKNOWN (singing): Doctors pledged to do no harm, Roger Marshall must have forgotten. When his patients couldn't pay, he squeezed them for every cent they got.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Both sides denied the accusations, but rhetoric is going nuclear like this all across the country. In Texas --

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Anti-Oil, Anti-Thief, Anti-Texas, that's radical James Talarico.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Republican Ken Paxton is ripping his Democratic opponent with help from Vice President J.D. Vance.

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, he's just a guy who shows a weird focus on transgender kids.

FOREMAN (voice-over): But James Talarico is hitting back at Paxton's checkered past.

JAMES TALARICO (D), TEXAS SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: I've never been indicted for fraud, I've never been reported to the FBI for bribery, I've never been impeached by my own party, and I've never given a sweetheart deal to a pedophile.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Weighing in on the Michigan race, President Trump has called Republican Mike Rogers' Muslim opponent Muhammad and a jihadist.

TRUMP: I'm the President of the United States, I can call you whatever the hell I want.

ABDUL EL-SAYED (D), MICHIGAN SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Trump is a vain narcissistic idiot.

FOREMAN (voice-over): But Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is not having it, laying into Trump and Rogers, too.

EL-SAYED: Weak, cowardly, won't stand up until his poll numbers drop.

FOREMAN (voice-over): In South Carolina, Trump also took aim at the Democratic challenger to Republican Senator Darlene Graham. On Truth Social, he repeatedly slapped the slur "Trannie" on Annie Andrews, a physician who is not transgender. And on it goes.

In Georgia --

JON OSSOFF (D), GEORGIA SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Mike Collins himself has amplified neo-Nazi propaganda online.

MIKE COLLINS (R), GEORGIA SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Imagine being a U.S. Senator and out there recruiting, endorsing, and supporting these people that want to see Israel wiped off the map.

FOREMAN (voice-over): In Ohio, Maine, and more, furious words and bitter accusations.

UNKNOWN: Every time it matters, Susan Collins sides with Trump.

FOREMAN (voice-over): As the midterms burn down to the end.

Tom Forman, CNN, Washington.

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MACFARLANE: Coming up next, a judge in New Mexico says deception was essential to Meta's business model. Now the company faces one of the biggest penalties the tech world has ever seen.

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[03:40:01]

MACFARLANE: Meta has been hit with a $25 billion fine in New Mexico for misleading Facebook users about their privacy. The state judge announced the penalty on Wednesday, saying deception was central to the company's business model. The case dates back to 2018 when the political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica obtained private information from up to 87 million Facebook users, Meta says it plans to appeal.

President Donald Trump has welcomed the British government's controversial decision to approve the development of a major new gas field in the North Sea. The new field could begin production as soon as this month. For a broader reaction to the decision, here's Anna Stewart.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well the decision was received badly by climate activists who had successfully challenged this gas field in court. One person who received the news very well was U.S. President Donald Trump, writing on Truth Social, "Great news for the wealth and prosperity of the United Kingdom and the wonderful region of Aberdeen."

Adding, "They should go full blast. This will make the U.K. very wealthy again. Take down the costly and ridiculous windmills."

There are no plans to reduce the U.K.'s renewable energy. The U.K. continues to ramp up renewable energy, but does remain reliant on gas in its energy mix, and the majority of that gas is imported. Last month, the CEO of Octopus Energy, the biggest supplier in the U.K., told me there was an environmental argument to drill more.

GREG JACKSON, OCTOPUS ENERGY CEO: I am forced to buy the gas from halfway around the world because we won't take any more out of the North Sea. When you're shipping gas across the world, you use enormous amounts of energy. You have to compress it into the ships that carry it.

It uses about 1 percent of its energy every day just to stay compressed as it's being shipped. And then you use a load of energy when you decompress it.

Meanwhile, if we get it from the North Sea, you save all of that energy. That's better for the climate.

STEWART: And then there's the economic argument. The government says the gas field will create just 27 new jobs, but it will also protect 273 existing jobs. It says it's creating a new energy wealth fund using revenue from North Sea oil and gas to invest in renewable energy and low-carbon projects.

However, Jackdaw is unlikely to move the needle on high energy costs for British customers, given the price of gas is determined by international markets. Jackdaw, at its peak, is expected to create up to 6 percent of the U.K.'s gas needs, so it won't materially impact the global price of gas.

Anna Stewart, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Thanks to Anna for that, and thank you for watching. I'm Christina McFarlane, in London. "World Sport" is coming up after the break, and then I'll be back with more news at the top of the hour. Stay tuned for that.

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