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Ukrainian Deputy PM: U.S.-Ukraine Mineral Deal "In Final Stages"; U.S. and Russian Officials Meet in Saudi Arabia; Pope Received High Flows of Oxygen Sunday after Suffering from Respiratory Crisis; U.S. Federal Workers Told to Justify Jobs in Email; No Matter How You Slice it. Aired 9- 9:45a ET

Aired February 24, 2025 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: This is the scene in Washington, D.C. We're on the third anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine.

Talks are nearing completion on a U.S. deal for Ukrainian minerals with possible consequences for future peace talks. It comes as France's Emmanuel

Macron meets with U.S. President Donald Trump, pushing for Europe to have a say in negotiations over Ukraine, after U.S. officials sideline NATO in

last week's talks with Russia.

It is 09:00 a.m. in Washington at 06:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Eleni Giokos, and this is "Connect the World". Also coming up, Israel sends tanks

into the occupied West Bank for the first time in over two decades. And in Germany, a political shake up the far right, AFD surges to second place in

Sunday's election, while mainstream conservatives claim victory.

Right. Let's check in to see how the markets in New York are set to open. We're going to see around 30 minutes from now, as you can see, DOW Jones,

S&P, NASDAQ, all firmly in the green, pointing towards a positive start. A combination of a lot of economic data that's come through, and, of course,

a big focus on company earnings.

Will check in on those numbers later on. Now, on the day Ukraine is marking the third anniversary of its war with Russia. Ukrainian Deputy Prime

Minister says a deal for the U.S. to obtain rare earth minerals and critical minerals from her country is in its final stages.

Her comments are seen as part of wider negotiations to end the war. And they come just two days after a source told CNN a draft deal on the

minerals was not one President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would accept. President Zelenskyy today praising his country's war effort, and he said he is ready

to resign if it brings Ukraine membership into NATO.

Something the U.S. National Security Adviser says is not on the table, and he's getting strong show of force and support from European leaders and

Canada's Prime Minister as they collectively deal with U.S. President Donald Trump's pivot towards China, Russia and they travel to keep today to

mark the occasion. President Zelenskyy says he hopes this third anniversary of the war is the last.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: This year should be the year of the beginning of a real lasting peace. Putin will not give us this peace.

He will not give it to us in exchange for something. We must gain peace with strength, wisdom and unity. Through our cooperation, peace cannot

simply be declared in one hour. It cannot be declared in one day, today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Well, Russia, meantime, launching another barrage of drones overnight, according to Ukraine's military, coming one day after the

largest Russian drone attack of the war, Nick Paton Walsh, is in Kyiv for us to bring us up to speed on the latest. Look, I want you to tell us more

about this meeting.

It's happening in the shadow of the renewed U.S.-Russian ties, and there's news today, on that deal for the U.S. to obtain rare earth minerals and

critical minerals from Ukraine. What are you hearing, Nick?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, we're hearing from Ukrainian source familiar with the negotiations that a

finalized draft has been sent to Washington, and essentially the Ukrainian side are waiting for a response from the Americans.

Now, the source says that they've done the best they can to make the conditions as favorable as possible, and has phrased this as a framework

agreement for a reconstruction fund for Ukraine. Now, quite the technical details of this, the source says are likely to be handled in subsequent

agreements, subsequent documents also too.

The source describes significant resistance on the American side to having security guarantees inserted in this particular document. That was a key

point that the Ukrainians have been pushing upon that they all want to sign away their natural resources without some sort of paper agreement with the

Americans that they will still remain on their side and back them through this.

But the source says that some of the most unacceptable ideas that the Americans were trying to get the Ukrainians to sign up to that they have

been removed. They may be referring to a figure which President Zelenskyy took particular -- bridge with in a press conference yesterday, of half a

trillion dollars being the total amount of money that initially the Trump Administration thought Ukraine should repay to the United States.

[09:05:00]

Zelenskyy also taking issue with the characterization of Ukraine being in debt, saying that these correctly saying these were grants offered by the

Biden Administration. The key issue here, though, the security guarantees are something which this source familiar with the negotiation says may be

discussed between the two presidents, if indeed this document is signed at a sort of signing ceremony between them.

Now, no such thing is proposed or scheduled, as far as we understand in the White House calendar. But this is perhaps a bid, certainly with the source

we're speaking to, for this deal to be something which the two presidents sign together. Now that relationship has been, as fair to say, more than

slightly fraught over the past week or so.

It's been really in free fall, and it has been remarkable to see President Zelenskyy here in Kyiv, with 13 world leaders in person, many more joining

virtually, showing European solidarity to the Ukrainian cause. Here, the British again saying that they're willing to contribute boots on the ground

to a peace keeping missions, if the terms are correct, and indeed, if the U.S. provides what they call a back stop of technical and logistical

assistance.

Continued statements from European leaders that Russia started this. This is Russian aggression, and there's been a horrific toll on civilians, and

billions of dollars pledged, yet again, in aid from these European nations. So, Europe reeling from a frankly startling two to three weeks in which the

mere premise of the Trans-Atlantic alliance as the time has been torn up and then sort of hastily patched back together again by other Trump

officials standing today here.

We enter the fourth year of this war, trying to show as much solidarity as they can with Ukraine. I'm sure they mean it, but in the back of their

minds is that real question of where does Donald Trump sit in all of this. He's had an acrimonious week with the Ukrainian President.

I asked Zelenskyy about whether he felt he could heal that relationship. Here's what he said. He said to me that with an awkward laugh, forgive me,

we don't have the footage actually there with an awkward laugh, that their relationship had never been in the best way.

And that's a reflection of the reality that we're dealing with here, that the way these two men interact is going to have probably a significant

impact on the nature of the rare earth deal, but most importantly, quite where the Trump Administration sits going forward. Really, Ukraine have had

little options.

Trump has said himself that Zelenskyy has, quote, no cards, and that he is sick of it. But that is, I think, in part of the larger pressure the U.S.

have been putting on Ukraine here, Ukraine desperate for continued American aid. It does not seem, in the current condition of this deal that there are

necessarily hard and fast guarantees of that within it.

But without some sort of consensus over how Ukraine's resources can somehow reimburse the Trump Administration's view of what Ukraine's aid is. We were

looking really at stalling, if not a complete freeze, maybe in some elements of Ukraine's aid.

GIOKOS: Yeah.

WALSH: So, a startling series of events that have really overturned all expectations on this third anniversary, and being the really dark and

bewildering backdrop for so many European leaders who have taken a days' long journey to show their physical solidarity with Zelenskyy.

GIOKOS: Yeah. You hit the nail on the head there, Nick. I mean, the question is, what kind of security guarantees and U.S. support will be in

place if Ukraine, and President Zelenskyy does go ahead with this critical minerals and rare earth steel. Good to have you on thank you for your

insight as always.

Michael Bociurkiw is a Global Affairs Analyst and Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, and he joins us now via Skype from Odessa, Ukraine.

Michael, so much talk about this critical minerals and rare earth steel and what it would mean. And as Nick just mentioned, you know, what does Ukraine

get in return?

Is it just about paying the money back in terms of the military aid that they've really received, and so many questions around why a hard no from

President Zelenskyy is now turning into a yes. So, what are you hearing?

MICHAEL BOCIURKIW, GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yeah, well, on the back of Nick's usually excellent reporting and analysis. One thing that Mr.

Zelenskyy said yesterday, I think for the first time, was that if there's any deal to be made on Ukrainian resources. It will have to go to the

Ukrainian Parliament for ratification.

Now, he does have -- his party does have a majority there, but you never know how these things might get treated, especially if it looks like right

now, it's very, very lopsided in favor of the Americans. I think a key point to be made here is kind of like, excuse me, usually it's the

aggressor.

In this case, Russia that pays reparations, not the country that's been illegally attacked. And I think that's how a lot of Ukrainians feel right

now. This was aid from the United States.

[09:10:00]

And I don't think Ukrainians felt that it should be paid back, because all of the -- a lot of this military aid, the wealth has stayed in the United

States, creating wealth and jobs in key swing states like Pennsylvania. So, I think they're very, very upset about that.

GIOKOS: Yeah, so Michael, this is really important in terms of understanding how much military aid Ukraine has received, and we've got a

graphic up for our viewers. You can see clearly that the United States has supplied $43 billion worth of military aid to Ukraine.

And then second is Germany, with just over $20 billion. But I mean, the numbers pretty much, tell a very important story here. The United States

has been the single biggest, most important support of Ukraine through this war, President Trump has called this debt.

BOCIURKIW: Yeah.

GIOKOS: And President Trump was also talking about $500 billion worth of a minerals deal, which is completely unrealistic. What numbers do you think

would make sense for Ukraine. How are you telling this up?

BOCIURKIW: Yeah, well, I would call the half a trillion dollars they're demanding as extortion. Look, you know, it's part of the fault, I think, of

the Biden Administration and frankly, leaders in Europe who are here today in Ukraine, is that they never really articulated the case to the

electorate that look, Ukraine is not only fighting for its survival, for its existence.

But it's also fighting for the freedom of Europe and the United States, because, as the Finnish President reminded everyone today, and very

eloquently, Alex Stubb. He said, Mr. Putin is not to be trusted. If he has not stopped in his tracks, he will go further. So, if he is, God forbid,

able to go through Ukraine and continue his territorial evangelism in Poland, the Baltic states, whatever, it will reverberate around the world.

It will raise costs for consumers, for industry, for everyone else, and that's the case that really needs to be made. So don't call it a debt or,

you know, we're doing you a favor. This is for global security. This for the security of the rules based international order.

GIOKOS: So, the Ukrainians are saying that these this draft deal is in its final stages. What is your sense that Zelenskyy has to sign this or you'll

have to make bigger concessions. What happens if he doesn't? You know, I'm trying to be realistic about this.

BOCIURKIW: Yeah.

GIOKOS: Because at the end of the day, he probably wants to win the favor of President Trump, knowing that Russia occupies 20 percent of Ukrainian

territory right now, and Ukraine could lose that.

BOCIURKIW: Yeah. Well, I think what Mr. Zelenskyy said yesterday that he'll resign if Ukraine gets peace or NATO membership. I think that was political

grand standing, with all due respect to him for domestic audience. I think what they'll aim for is a more realistic deal, because what the Americans

are asking for right now is a lot of valuable stuff, not only below the ground and above the ground.

But you know, as again, as the Finnish President said today, you may reach some kind of deal with the Russians, but what happens to your sovereignty

if, for example, the Russians that, as expected, start to dictate. Well, Ukraine, you you're not able to join NATO or the EU, that is not what we

understand to be sovereignty.

So, there's a lot at stake here. But, you know, one more point, and I think this is very important, especially sitting where I am in Odessa, is Ukraine

is already the bread basket to the world. It's for years and years, provided a lot of critical natural resources, grain, barley, sunflower oil,

to the world.

And before Mr. Zelenskyy made this proposal, the Trump Administration, natural I'm sorry, mineral resources were never talked about. So, in a way,

I think they should have never brought this up, because it's something Mr. Trump can't let go of, and he's going to push it to the max.

GIOKOS: Look, the United States meeting with the Russians in Riyadh. Zelenskyy, not invited Europeans, you know, definitely ostracized, and

these -- in these talks. And I guess what someone now was just thinking about this and saying, how does the U.S. negotiate a peace deal when

President Trump is basically repeating the Kremlin's rhetoric?

How fair would this peace still be? Is it going to be inevitably in the favor of the Russians?

BOCIURKIW: Eleni, let me be blunt with you. It's a lot worse than that. A few days ago, we thought maybe this is verbal mudslinging between Trump and

Zelenskyy. But it's a lot worse than that, because I say that today at the U.N., the United States is expected to block language calling Russia the

aggressor.

It's expected to block language calling for Russia to leave Ukraine. This is unheard of, and I think, and sorry, and by the way, they're also

expected to push their way in that type of language with the G7 or G20 statement.

[09:15:00]

So, it now appears this is a major shift in U.S. policy to start treating the as almost a victim in this aggression. And again, it's a very, very big

blow for the rules based international order, because a lot of dictators from Xi Jinping to leaders in Tehran, Pyongyang, Venezuela and elsewhere,

are going to now think they have a free pass to do whatever they want. That is how bad it gets.

GIOKOS: Michael Bociurkiw, great to have you with us. Thank you so much for taking the time today.

BOCIURKIW: My pleasure. Thank you.

GIOKOS: Right. The United Nations says it is gravely concerned about rising violence in the occupied West Bank, where Israel has sent in tanks for the

first time in more than two decades. You're looking at images obtained by CNN from Jenin on Sunday. One of three areas, some 40,000 people were

removed from refugee camps.

And they will be prevented from returning home, something Palestinian authorities are calling an act of aggression. Israel says it is working to

stop a resurgence of terrorism. Jenin's mayor says private property and infrastructure has been destroyed or damaged, including hundreds of

residential buildings.

Jeremy Diamond has more from Jerusalem for us. Jeremy, good to have you with us. Why is Israel deploying tanks now? What is the reason behind this?

They're talking about, you know, averting terrorism. Give us a sense of these operations and what we saw over the weekend.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, in addition to whatever military value they may or may not provide in the West Bank, this is also

about sending quite a powerful message. This is the first time that the Israeli military has deployed tanks into the occupied West Bank in more

than two decades.

The last time was during the Second Intifada. But the -- it seems that this is in response to these three busses that exploded last week in the Tel

Aviv suburbs. The busses were unoccupied, but the improvised explosive devices that were planted on them were quite a jarring scene for the

Israeli public that recalls previous bus bombings during the last Intifada.

But -- and what it triggered was calls from the Israeli Prime Minister and others for massive military operations in the West Bank, which have very

much already been ongoing for over a month and a half now. The Israeli Prime Minister called for massive operations in the West Bank, where we

know that Israeli military operations have already led to enormous destruction in several of these refugee camps inside the West Bank, notably

Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams.

About 40,000 people have been displaced from those camps as a result of that Israeli military activity, which the Israeli military says is

targeting militant groups based inside of those camps. But certainly, the sending -- the decision to deploy these tanks into the West Bank marks

another escalation.

One that is being decried by Palestinian officials on the ground, who say that this is a quote, step towards escalating Israel's aggression in the

West Bank and expanding crimes against the Palestinian people, that's from the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

GIOKOS: All right. Jeremy Diamond, great to have you with us. Thank you. Moving on our mainstream conservatives are set to take the reins of

government in Germany after snap election, Sunday. Friedrich Merz declared victory for a center right Christian Democratic Union, which came out on

top in the exit polls.

It was a democratic defeat, dramatic defeat, rather, for Chancellor Olaf Scholz. His Social Democratic Party dropping to third place, while the far

right AFD, a political pariah, doubled its support to come in second place. Fred Pleitgen is in Berlin to walk us through what is expected next, Fred.

And listening to Friedrich Merz saying he's happy to take on being chancellor, he's looking at three priority areas, and that's security. It's

the economy, and of course, immigration. Give us a sense of what this coalition is expected to look like.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. First of all, those are exactly the three things that he talked about the things

that he wants to get going for this coalition, Eleni, and he says that he wants to get to work as fast as possible. Now, right now, as things stand,

the coalition in Germany, the way things have played out in this vote, will probably actually be the conservatives.

And Olaf Scholz's party, the Social Democrats, could be the junior partner now in a coalition. However, Olaf Scholz has already said that he will not

be part of that. He's most probably going to leave politics altogether. And then Friedrich Merz said he wants to get that coalition in place, a

government in place by about Easter to then start tackling these issues.

Of course, immigration being first and foremost, the most important one, the economy right now, with two years in a row in recession for Germany, is

another.

[09:20:00]

But he also said that he's extremely concerned by the way that U.S. President Trump has been talking about relations with Europe. But he's not

saying he doesn't believe that the Trump Administration is that interested in Europe. And I asked him what he wants to do to try and prevent all this

from leading to confrontations with the U.S. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRIEDRICH MERZ, CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC UNION LEADER: That Americans still find it right to have a commitment in and for Europe, and what we see and

are very worried is that decisions or deals are made without talking to Europeans and Ukrainians with Russia. So that is not acceptable for neither

Ukraine nor Europe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: Friedrich Merz there speaking just a couple of minutes ago, actually, at that press conference again, he says, right now his main focus

is trying to get a coalition going as fast as possible. Now, of course, the other thing really overshadowing these elections here in Germany, that's

certainly a staple of these elections, is the fact that the far-right Alternative for Germany got a huge share of the vote.

In fact, they doubled the number of votes or the percentage of the vote that they got. Of course, one of the main or one of the big pushers of that

party internationally was billionaire Elon Musk in the United States. And I asked Alice Weidel, the Chairman of that party and main candidate of that

party, how she would like to see relations with the United States and the Trump Administration unfold. And here's what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALICE WEIDEL, CO-LEADER OF ALTERNATIVE FOR GERMANY: Fire walls are undemocratic, and there should be no fire walls at all.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- Thank you.

PLEITGEN: Elon Musk -- congratulations --

WEIDEL: To be a very good partner and to have serious and proper conversation with our U.S., American partner, and you know, for us, very

good international relationships are pre condition for a good international dialog.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: The fire wall that she was talking about, Eleni, is the democratic centrist parties, as they call them here in Germany, the Social

Democrats and, of course, the conservatives as well, saying that they would build a fire wall around the AFD, and not cooperate for with that party.

That, of course, was heavily criticized by Elon Musk and by U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance as well. The AFD obviously livid about that. But right

now, Friedrich Merz has said that he does believe that if the coalition that he's trying to form right now, the government he's trying to form

right now, does not manage to tackle these major issues that are in front of Germany, that he does believe that the AFD could get a lot stronger in

the future, Eleni.

GIOKOS: Yeah, that's a concern. We are expecting a coalition, I think, in the next few weeks. And they did say, Merz did say that this creation of

this Parliament one of the most consequential for Germany. Fred Pleitgen, great to have you on the ground there. Thank you so much for your insights.

And still to come on CNN, a huge outpouring of prayer this weekend for Pope Francis. Doctors are treating both lungs for pneumonia, and is also showing

signs of mild kidney failure. That's according to the Vatican. The very latest on how he's doing that's coming up just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:25:00]

GIOKOS: Welcome back. Pope Francis is said to have slept well and had a good night in the hospital, but he's starting the week still in critical

condition. Not only is the pontiff battling pneumonia in both lungs, doctors say he's also experiencing mild kidney failure, but it is said to

be under control.

Vatican officials say the 88-year-old is still on oxygen, but has not suffered another acute respiratory crisis, as he did on Saturday. Monday

marks the 11th day he's been in hospital during this illness. CNN's Barbie Nadeau joins us now from Rome. Barbie, what is the latest? What are you

hearing on his condition?

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: You know, we got a missive this morning just saying that he rested well overnight and that he was still resting

this morning when they sent that. We're expecting in a couple of hours to have a more detailed medical bulletin. Now, these bulletins we've had over

the last couple of days have been sort of incrementally worse.

You know, you'll remember, he came into hospital on February 14 with a respiratory infection. Last Wednesday, diagnosed with pneumonia in both of

his lungs, one of which is compromised, half of that was removed when he was 19 years old.

Then Saturday, this respiratory crisis yesterday, we understand he had blood transfusions to treat some sort of anemic condition, as well as this

partial kidney failure, which they say is under control. So clearly, this is, you know, a very difficult illness he's trying to battle against.

He is 88 years old. He has mobility issues, and he's had a string of health scares over the last couple of years. So, there's a lot of concern for him.

Tonight, in St Peter's Square, around 09:00 p.m. local time, they'll be having a rosary service, and they'll be doing that every night going

forward.

And they've invited people in Rome and clerics and cardinals to come and join in these prayers. They're trying to give to support the illness and

wish for recovery for the pontiff, Eleni.

GIOKOS: All right. Barbie Nadeau, great to have you with us. Thank you. Right, let's get you up to speed on some other stories that are on our

radar right now. The death toll in Kentucky has now jumped to at least 21 victims after a powerful storm brought widespread flooding and damaging

winds to parts of the United States.

Kentucky has borne the brunt of that severe weather system. More than a month's worth of rain fell on the state in less than 24 hours. France's

largest child abuse trial in its history begins today. Prosecutors allege one doctor abused hundreds of victims over the course of 25 years.

The former surgeon on trial is already serving a 15-year sentence over the rape and abuse of children. In Beirut, tens of thousands of people turned

out for the long-delayed funeral of Former Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah. He was killed in a major Israeli air strike nearly five months

ago.

The ceremony also honored Nasrallah's Successor Hashem Safieddine, who briefly led Hezbollah before also getting killed in an Israeli strike in

October. In an attempt to get the case dismissed, lawyers for Sean Diddy Combs have asked a judge to throw out evidence taken from searches of his

homes and electronic devices.

Arguing prosecutors withheld crucial information from the judge who approved the search warrants, Combs is being held in jail with the list of

charges against him, including sex trafficking. His trial is set for May. Comply or goodbye. Time is running out for millions of U.S. federal

employees to list what they accomplished in their jobs last week, the latest on Elon Musk's ultimatum that's coming up just ahead. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:30:00]

GIOKOS: 2000 USAID employees are starting the week without a job. They were informed by email on Sunday they would be laid off while the remaining

employees would be placed on administration leave. Only a small group involved in critical. Humanitarian projects will remain in their jobs.

And the move comes as U.S. federal workers received an email asking them to justify what they accomplished in their job last week. Presidential Adviser

Elon Musk posted, if they did not respond by the Monday deadline, it would be considered their resignation. CNN's Alayna Treene has the latest from

London.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: We did actually hear from Elon Musk this morning, kind of doubling down on what he had said about the

seriousness of this email and wanting federal workers to respond to this. He posted to X, quote, those who do not take this email seriously will soon

be furthering their career elsewhere.

So really kind of that threat that if they don't respond by that midnight deadline, they may be forced to resign. But look, there are a lot of people

within different government. We've now heard from five different agency heads, all of whom, I should say, were hand selected by Donald Trump,

including at the Pentagon, the FBI State Department, Department of Homeland Security and the Energy Department telling their employees at their

agencies not to respond to this.

Kash Patel, who was just sworn in as FBI Director on Friday, someone who was seen as a loyalist to Donald Trump and a leader of the MAGA movement,

he told his employees, quote for now, please pause any responses. So, there's some mixed messaging here on whether or not all federal employees

who received this email should actually be responding to this.

Now, this email has also been met with widespread criticism, particularly on Capitol Hill. And not only from Democrats, we have heard from

Republicans who are questioning the nature of this and raising some concerns. Take a listen to what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN CURTIS (R-UT): If I could say one thing to Elon Musk, it's like, please put a dose of compassion in this. These are real people. These are

real lives.

SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-AK): You do not disrespect those who have worked hard, who have done good and honorable public service.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now these two senators, Republican senators, again, I should say, are saying things that I'm hearing as well, including from within the Trump

Administration itself, which is that many people believe that cuts are necessary, that there is bloat within the government, there may be

widespread waste, fraud and abuse.

But it's the nature of how this is being conducted, one that swift approach, that chainsaw nature of how this is being conducted, and largely

without a broader more thorough review of exactly what these employees are doing, how they are necessary to their agencies?

And keep in mind, as well, a lot of these agency heads were just brought into government, like I said, Kash Patel was just sworn in on Friday. So,

they're still determining what their needs are. And so that's where I'm hearing a lot of this criticism. But on the other hand, I will argue that

you know those closest to the White House, those people who work in the West Wing, who are very close to Donald Trump.

[09:35:00]

They are celebrating this type of thing. They argue, you know that some of the criticism is actually justification for why they believe they need to

be doing this and doing it even more aggressively.

GIOKOS: Well French President Emmanuel Macron is in Washington today, and he will have a formal meeting with Donald Trump in the coming hours. He

hopes to convince the U.S. President that Ukraine and Europe must be included in war negotiations. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: What I am going to do is that I'm going to tell him basically, you cannot be weak in the face of President Putin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Well, Europe is scrambling to find its footing with the new administration after U.S. officials held direct talks with Russia last

week, leaving its NATO allies on the sidelines. The British Prime Minister is expected to visit the White House on Saturday.

CNN's Kevin Liptak is at the White House for us. Kevin, what are you hearing from U.S. officials ahead of this meeting, keeping in mind the

context here that Europe was kept out of the negotiations, peace negotiations. And then importantly, JD Vance made the U.S.'s perspective

very well-known at the Munich Security Conference, taking its stab at European leaders.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, and I think what Trump's aides expect Macron to be doing in this meeting is essentially

giving the hard sell for NATO security guarantees for continued American assistance, not only to Ukraine, but trying to reiterate the essential

nature of American securities in Europe as a whole.

And certainly, what you can expect from Macron is to rely on that significant personal relationship that he's developed with Trump over the

years. At this point, he is the European leader with the longest relationship with the president, and you heard him in that sound bite last

week say that he would essentially warn President Trump against being weak in the face of Vladimir Putin.

So, these are all very important moments for the president. You remember, just last week, Macron assembled this string of summits at the Elysee

Palace with European leaders, essentially trying to get them all on the same page ahead of this meeting.

And what officials say is that he will come into the Oval Office trying to present a united front with all of Europe as they try and salvage what has

been sort of the lowest point in Trans-Atlantic ties in decades. Now, Macron is actually at the White House right now, inside the Oval Office

with President Trump.

They're participating in a virtual G7 call. This is a meeting that comes against a strange back drop. Of course, American officials had, in the lead

up to this, resisted the inclusion of the words Russian aggressing in a final G7 communique. It's not necessarily clear how that has been resolved.

Trump has also argued that Russia should be readmitted into the G7 after it was ejected from what was then the G8. This is actually an argument that

Macron and Trump have had previously at the 2019 G7 summit in Biarritz. They talked about this. They argued about it. Macron was on the opposite

side of Trump.

And I think the argument that you can expect him to make is that the Putin of 2025 is very different than the Putin that Trump was dealing with back

when he was president the first time around. This is actually an argument that Macron made to Trump when they met at the Elysee Palace when Trump was

in Paris for the reopening of Notre Dame back in December.

And so, this is all sort of an essential meeting. We are told that Macron and the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, sort of coordinated their

efforts before they both are in Washington this week. Starmer is working on this blueprint that could send as many as 30,000 European peace keepers to

Ukraine.

That is a plan that will require some U.S. support. Of course, right now, there is no peace to keep. And that is why you are seeing American

officials working very aggressively to try and get Ukraine to sign off on this deal that would provide the U.S. as much as 50 percent of its mineral

revenues.

That is a deal that Volodymyr Zelenskyy had rejected earlier in the week when it was presented to him by the American Treasury Secretary. Now

discussions are continuing on that we just heard yesterday from President Trump's friend and foreign Envoy Steve Witkoff, who said he expected that

deal to be signed this week.

And what we're hearing from officials on both sides of this is that they are getting very close, and that would be sort of a key point to sort of

break some of the dead lock and try and bring the war in Ukraine to an end.

GIOKOS: All right, Kevin Liptak, thank you so much. Now, every golfer knows when they've had a bad shot, but sometimes destiny lends a helping hand.

And after a decade of trying, one man in particular deserved it. We'll bring you that story after this.

[09:40:00]

GIOKOS: After a decade of trying on the PGA Tour, Brian Campbell finally got his win. And after so many ups and downs in his career, he got a much-

needed break. Don Riddell joins me now. You call it destiny, call it the law of probabilities, but let me tell you something a whole decade of

trying and not giving up. What a story?

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, just incredible. 186 professional tournaments played over a span of a decade. Brian Campbell had

never won a professional tournament, and when it was within his grasp. It looked like he totally blown it. That was a pretty badly sliced tee shot,

but it bounced off a tree back into the rough.

He was still in the game, and just moments later, he did this, and just look at the reaction of his girlfriend. That tells you everything you

needed to know.

GIOKOS: Wow.

RIDDELL: This really was a life changing moment. And get this all the money that he won. In all the tournaments he played in over 10 years was pretty

close to what he won in just one day here this weekend.

GIOKOS: Wow.

RIDDELL: So, life changing moment is going to set him up on the tour for the next couple of years -- right story.

GIOKOS: I mean, it's pretty phenomenal. I mean, bouncing off the tree and getting the ball exactly to the spot he needed stunning story dawn.

RIDDELL: Yes.

GIOKOS: I look forward to the details after the break. And I'll be back with more "Connect the World" at the top of the hours. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)

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