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Connect the World
23 Countries Urge Israel to Allow "Full Resumption" of Gaza Aid; Trump: Bill Has Biggest Tax Cut in U.S. History; Sources Contradict Trump Administration Narrative about Qatar Offering Luxury Plane as Gift to U.S.; EU and UK Approve New Wave of Sanctions Against Russia; Chicago White Sox Pay Tribute to Famous Fan Pope Leo XIV. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired May 20, 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)
ERICA HILL, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: This is the scene in Khan Younis, where humanitarian conditions are worsening, even as Israel is allowing a
small trickle of food into Gaza again. It is 04:00 p.m. there in Gaza, 09:00 a.m. here in New York. I'm Erica Hill. This is "Connect the World".
Also, ahead this hour, growing criticism of Israel, France, Canada and the United Kingdom, threatening sanctions if Israel does not stop its latest
offensive and allow more aid in. Still no closer to a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, even after President Trump's two-hour call with
President Putin.
And the U.S. President also on Capitol Hill for a different deal, looking to convince Republican holdouts to get on board with his quote, big
beautiful bill. Taking a look at the stock market. Here you see futures there in the U.S., barely in the red for the DOW, but a little bit of red
all the same.
The markets, of course, open here in New York just about 30 minutes from now. We do begin this hour, though, with the escalating humanitarian crisis
in Gaza, the U.N. Agency for Palestinian refugees telling CNN, the basic amount of food Israel has been allowing into the territory has so far been
nowhere near enough.
However, in the past hour, the U.N. did say Israel will now permit 100 aid trucks to enter into Gaza on Tuesday. This is of course, after just five
crossed into the enclave on Monday through Israel's Kerem Shalom crossing. UNRWA had said five trucks are totally insufficient for a population of
more than 2 million.
The U.K., Canada and France are also threatening potential sanctions if Israel does not stop its latest offensive and allow in more aid. Israel, in
turn, accusing those countries of moral hypocrisy and antisemitism. Jeremy Diamond joining us now from Tel Aviv. So, Jeremy, bring us up to speed here
as we look at the reaction that there has been.
The comments are continuing, including today, from France's Foreign Minister directly addressing the amount of aid being allowed in or not
allowed in. I want to play those comments first from Jean-Noel Barrot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEAN-NOEL BARROT, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER: It is totally insufficient. Of course, the Israeli army had been blocking access to all humanitarian aid
to Gaza for almost three months, so much so that the people of Gaza, the children of Gaza, were starving, were thirsty.
And for reasons of domestic policy, the Israeli government decided to reopen the door, to half open the door, but it's completely insufficient.
It was already insufficient before this blockade.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Those comments, of course, coming on the heels of what we heard from France, the UK and Canada, and then, of course, this other statement from
some 23 ministers that was signed as well. What is the response from Israel today, Jeremy?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, the Israeli government says that it is going to allow in a minimal, basic amount of
food to avert what they describe as a hunger crisis in Gaza. Of course, the reality is that there is already a hunger crisis in Gaza.
Perhaps what they are averting is the all-out famine that has been looming over Gaza and could take place, according to experts, within the next
couple of months, if no additional aid is let in. We are now in a situation where, according to the United Nations, around 100 aid trucks will be
getting into Gaza today, or at least have received permission to do so.
We know that yesterday, just five trucks made it in. We have seen some movement of trucks moving into Gaza via that Kerem Shalom crossing from
Israel into Gaza earlier today. But ultimately, humanitarian aid officials are making clear that much, much more is needed for the people of Gaza, who
are at extraordinarily high risks of food insecurity right now, with many of them only having one hot meal a day, so many others struggling to get
even that.
We know, of course, that what little food does remain in Gaza is being sold at exorbitant prices, and the community kitchens that have been sustaining
life in the Gaza Strip are also rapidly running out of food. So, the fact that some food is entering today is going to be an enormous -- of enormous
benefit to the people of Gaza.
But the question still remains, how much more will continue to get in, and for how long as well, the Israelis have made clear that this is a bridge to
get some aid into Gaza to avert a total crisis, until this new Israeli approved mechanism to get aid into Gaza while avoiding it getting into the
hands of Hamas, an allegation that Hamas and international organizations have denied, of course.
[09:05:00]
But until that mechanism gets up and running, the Israelis say that they are allowing this as kind of a stopgap measure. So, there are still
enormous questions for the future, and we should be clear that just because some trucks are getting in today does not mean that Gaza's hunger crisis is
over or that famine has been averted as of yet.
We will have to see how much aid actually gets in and whether or not it will be sufficient to avoid a rapid worsening of the situation.
HILL: And to your earlier point, Jeremy, as well, how long this aid will continue to flow in, in this sort of bridge period, as you mentioned, it's
not just the issue of food. Of course, on the ground in Gaza, there are issues of shelter, where are people going, and also severe medical needs as
well. Just bring us up to speed on what it is like in this moment for those still in Gaza.
DIAMOND: Yeah. I mean, as you know, there are just so many basics that people in Gaza are lacking at this moment, whether it is proper shelter,
whether it is the medical supplies that have been dwindling at Gaza's hospitals, whether it is just basic access to food. All of these basics
that we take for granted on a day-to-day basis are being denied to the people of Gaza, and so now we are seeing some of that starting to get in.
It seems that one of the first shipments that was getting in yesterday was baby formula. And we have heard warnings from U.N. officials that if that
baby formula didn't reach the mothers and their babies in need, that there could be some 14,000 babies in Gaza at risk of dying, and so that is now
getting in, we will see more food starting to reach the population this week.
Another thing to keep in mind is that when you are at such crisis levels and this food starts to get in, there is an enormous risk of looting for
these trucks that are getting in, and it's not clear how much security these trucks are actually going to have as they make their way to the
population centers in Gaza. When you reach such crisis levels, the desperation gets so high that you do encounter a breakdown of civil order,
you encounter things like looting.
And so again, we are really just at the beginning of trying to solve what has been a real crisis in Gaza. And then, on another note, Erica, the fact
that the Israeli military is now ramping up air and artillery strikes, is launching this new ground offensive with hundreds, or forgive me, tens of
thousands of Israeli troops now positioned inside of Gaza, preparing the first moves of this offensive.
You are seeing the displacement of people in Khan Younis as well. All of this is -- are -- all of these are complicating factors to the proper
distribution of aid, and so humanitarian officials on the ground are going to continue to face enormous challenges. This is just the beginning of
solving this hunger crisis that is currently ongoing in Gaza, Erica.
HILL: Yeah, that's such an important. Jeremy, really appreciate it as always. Thank you. U.S. President Donald Trump is on Capitol Hill right
now. He's there to lobby members of Congress to prove his sweeping tax cut and spending bill. He did take a moment to speak with reporters just a few
moments ago. Take a listen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President what's your message? What's your message to the holdouts?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, it's not a question of holdouts. We have a tremendously unified party. I don't think
we've ever had a party like this. There are some people that want a couple of things that maybe I don't like or that they're not going to get, but I
think we're going to have tremendous, not luck.
We have tremendous talent. This man has done an incredible job as speaker. You know, we had a majority of one we were one heart attack away from
losing the House, OK. Now we have seven. That's a big because we won some elections, as you probably noticed, and we're going to win a lot of
elections.
We have an economy that's roaring. We took out 5.1 billion. If you take a look, 5.1 trillion with a T, not a B, 5.1 trillion out of the Middle East,
they're investing more than that. It's going to be, ultimately, more than that, 180 wide body Boeing aircraft. They're spending money at levels that
nobody's ever seen.
Usually, a president goes for a trip and he loses money. In other words, he gives money. We went for a trip where we took out $5.1 trillion nobody has
ever seen anything like it. And that's just the beginning. So, I think we're going to -- I think we're a very unified party. The Senate is doing
great.
John Thune is doing fantastically. He's a great guy. And we're going to have a bill, the one big beautiful bill. I think it's going to be, it's the
biggest bill ever passed, and we got to get it done. Tremendous tax cuts for people, tremendous incentives, tremendous regulation cuts, all these
regulations that are so horrible.
And now you found that, and find out what happened, because Biden, look, it's a very sad thing what happened, but I believe we're going to see.
[09:10:00]
I've looked into this whole thing with who signed this legislation. Who signed legislation opening our border? I don't think he knew. I said
there's nobody that would want an open border, nobody. And now I find out that it wasn't he auto pended, who was operating the auto pen.
This is a very serious thing. We had a president that didn't sign anything. He auto pends almost there. He opened the borders of the United States of
America. And I kept saying, who would do such a thing allowing criminals to pour in from all over the world, not just South America, all over the
world.
They came in from Africa. They came in from Asia. They came from the Congo. The prisons in the Congo in Africa. These are rough people. The prisons
from the Congo are empty. You know where they are. They're in this country. Who would sign this? Nobody would sign it.
No sane person would sign it. You know who signed it? Radical Left Lunatics that were running our country and the auto pen signed it, and they didn't
want him, and they were disappointed in getting him, because they wanted Bernie Sanders. And then after about two weeks, they said, wait a minute,
this is a gift.
He'll do anything. We're going to use the auto pen. And they used the auto pen and everything. He didn't approve this stuff, because when Joe Biden
was with it, he would never have approved it. You take a look. He would have never approved open borders. Go ahead another --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are Republicans still grandstanding in your view?
TRUMP: Oh, yeah, sure, we have a couple that will grandstand but I think even the grandstand issue, look the alternative is a 68 percent tax
increase, and you can blame the Democrats for that, and one or two grandstanders.
We only have one or two, but we have tremendous support, but you'll have a 68 percent tax increase, or you'll get a massive tax increase. You'll get a
tax cut, the likes of which we've never had before. This is bigger than any Ronald Reagan tax cut. It's even bigger than the tax cut that I gave
because, as you know, that's being extended and increased.
So, this is the biggest tax cut in the history of our country, or you'll get a 68 percent tax increase. And if that happens, I mean, what Republican
could vote for that to happen? Because there wouldn't be a Republican much longer. They would get -- they would be knocked out so fast.
But we're going up to details. This is a -- I'm a cheerleader for this party, and I'm a cheerleader for the country, much more importantly for the
country, but I'm a cheerleader for the party, and we're going to go up, and I think we're going to have a very good discussion. There are one or two
points that some people feel strongly about, but maybe not so strong.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- at this point. Do you consider some of the proposals on the table in co pay and provider tax as a benefit cut? How are
you doing --
TRUMP: We're going to look -- we are looking at one thing. We're not doing any cutting of anything meaningful. The only thing we're cutting is waste
fraud and abuse. With Medicaid, waste fraud and abuse. There's tremendous waste fraud and abuse. It is incompetent things --
We have illegal aliens that are multiple killers with multiple murder records getting Medicaid. I don't think anybody minds that we got that, the
Democrats, on the other hand, are going to destroy it because they're going to leave these people on. We're cutting three things, waste, fraud and
abuse.
We're not changing Medicaid, and we're not changing Medicare, and we're not changing social security. And if I wanted to do those things, I would have
done it during my four years --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, what's your message to your fellow New Yorker Republicans were hung up on the SALT issue?
TRUMP: Well, SALT is a very interesting thing, because the Governors of New York and Illinois, you know, the big J.B. is going nowhere, probably right
now, he couldn't be the worst governor in the country, but Illinois and Gavin Newsom, those are the people that want this, and they're Democrat
states. They're all Democrat states. You know, Ronald Reagan tried very hard --
HILL: I want to bring you to more of what he's saying. He is live now with reporters on Capitol Hill. Let's listen in.
TRUMP: -- basically everybody is treated again. They were going to go to China. China was going to take over those countries. 100 percent they were
dealing with China because they weren't treated right by the last administration. And they have tremendous economic power.
They have more money than anybody. We probably have more money. But we have other things like this. They are very, very -- they are very cash rich, to
put it mildly, and they're spending 5.1 trillion. Probably it's going to be 7 trillion by the time we stop. And, you know, somebody said, every other
president goes and leaves and spends money, gives other countries money.
I'm the only one that goes and takes money back. You know, when you think of it, I said, that's an interesting statement. I never thought of it that
way. But we have a -- this is really just a pep talk. We have a very unified house, and we have a very unified Senate, and Mike is doing a
phenomenal job as speaker.
[09:15:00]
He's going to be there a long time. And we have a man in the Senate, our leader, Thune. Mr. Thune, is doing a great job. I've gotten to like him a
lot, and he's doing a fantastic job. Between the two guys, very different personalities are actually, in certain ways, but they are doing a fantastic
job.
I don't think the Republican Party has ever been so unified. It's become a much bigger party. You know, we're winning the labor vote. We're winning --
we won the teamsters. We won votes that know, but look how well we did with the automakers. And by the way, the president of the automakers is now my
biggest fan.
He said he did tariffs. You know, how many auto plants are being built now in this country because of the tariffs. Three just announced yesterday that
they're building. There is a revolution going on, a positive one in our country, and I love it. And we're doing really well --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- negotiation -- Mr. President -- negotiation over --
TRUMP: Which negotiation?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Over this bill.
TRUMP: Oh yeah. Well, it's going to be we're going to be putting it in soon, and I think we're going to have great support -- We're going to make
a couple of tweaks. I mean, we don't want to benefit Democrat governors, although I would do that if it made it better, but they don't know what
they're doing.
We don't want to do any damage to a state. We want to help all the states, but we have governors that are from the Democratic Party. Let's say New
York, Illinois, big ones, and let's say Gavin Newsom, who's done a horrible job in California. You know, we want to benefit the company --
We want to benefit Republicans, because they are the ones that are going to make America great again. The Democrats are destroying our country. And you
see that with the past administration with an open borders policy that allowed 21 million people into our country, and many of those people are
Stone Cold murderers, killers --
HILL: So, more comments there from President Trump, who is on Capitol Hill for in his words, just a pep talk. Lauren Fox joining us now as well from
Capitol Hill just a pep talk, but one that comes with a pretty clear message, Lauren, get on board to those Republican holdouts.
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's exactly right, although the president stopped twice since he arrived here on Capitol Hill
to talk to cameras, and it's clear he's talking about a myriad of subjects. It's really not clear to me whether or not he's going to be able to stay on
topic when he goes behind closed doors with Republican members to really be the kind of referee to iron out these last-minute sticking points that have
been bedeviling this negotiation for the last several months.
This is crunch time. Speaker Mike Johnson is making extremely clear right now that they want to get this bill to the floor by Thursday before they
leave town for the Memorial Day recess, you have hard liners who are warning that may not be possible. Here's one of them, Representative Ralph
Norman, on what he wants to hear from the president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. RALPH NORMAN (R-SC): Yeah, I think so. I think we'll hear an uplifting speech. He's good at it, so I'm excited about hearing what he has to say.
FOX: What if what he says is Freedom Caucus, you need to get in line?
NORMAN: Look, if he says that, that's fine, we can make the case for we're helping pass his programs. We will make that case. And you know, I think
you know, his words have meaning, and his words carry a lot of weight with a lot of people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOX: Now, members of the conservative Freedom Caucus, they want to see further spending cuts on programs like Medicaid. That is a non-starter for
a lot of swing district Republicans. It's also really interesting because you heard Donald Trump as he arrived on Capitol Hill making the case that
an increase to the state and local tax deduction just benefits these democratic governors who he started to sort of list out as mismanaging
their state's finances.
That's an interesting position, because there are a group of New York Republicans for whom this is the critical issue. They believe that they
need to be able to raise this SALT cap in order to win reelection. They have made that case to the speaker for months now. They're frustrated with
the latest offer that they got last night around 10:00 p.m. in the speaker's office.
So, you have a group of conservatives who are frustrated, you have a concert group of moderates who are frustrated, and right now it's just not
clear whether or not the president is going to be able to go into that room, iron out the differences, rally everyone together and get this bill
ready to go by Thursday.
I think that that is going to be a heavy lift. And even when he leaves this room, it's not clear they're going to be there, Erica.
HILL: You make such a great point. You know, I was listening to some of your colleagues earlier, and just in all my reading this morning, the point
was made of, you know, everyone is listening very closely to what the president says in these comments, that he's making these two stops, as
you're pointing out, on his way to those discussions, because it could give lawmakers a clue, right, as to what he might want, how they might be able
to fall in line.
But has any of that happened to your point, he has not actually stayed on point. He's been drifting a lot in some of these comments.
[09:20:00]
FOX: Yeah. And you know, the president traditionally isn't a person who is really that steeped in some of these really important details. I mean, when
you're talking about changing the Medicaid structure of how the federal government gives states financing to run their state Medicaid programs,
that is really weedy stuff.
It's really difficult to understand, and a lot of members don't even necessarily understand all the inner workings, that's why they have staff.
So, it's really interesting to put the president in this position where he's going to walk into that room, be between two warring factions and have
to iron out these really difficult policy decisions.
You know, this may be more of a rally of just get behind the president, but what exactly are they getting behind, and what exactly is his position.
What does he want to see on some of these very difficult policy decisions. I think that is what's so difficult right now for House leadership, who are
having the president come in today.
They need him to remind everyone to be on the same team. But where is that team going? I think that's still a huge question.
HILL: Yeah, those specifics could be hard to come by. Lauren, appreciate it as always. Thank you. Stay with us. We're going to fit in a quick break
here. You're watching, "Connect the World". We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: A new narrative is emerging on that controversial luxury jet the U.S. President said was offered up as a gift from Qatar's royal family. Four
sources now tell CNN it was actually the Trump Administration that first approached Qatar to inquire about a Boeing 747, that could be used as a new
Air Force One.
Last week on this show, Qatar's Prime Minister tried to downplay concerns that his country was using that plane to buy influence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMMED BIN ABDULRAHMAN AL-THANI, QATARI PRIME MINISTER: You know, I know that there were a lot of speculations about this topic. I don't know what
is the reason that instigate this. This is a very simple government to government dealing when Ministry of Defense and Department of Defense are
still exchanging the possibility of transferring of one of our 747-8, to be used as Air Force One, and it's still under the legal review.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: CNN's Alex Marquardt joining us now with more. So, this is certainly an interesting turn, if you will in this story, following, of course, all
the political uproar last week, walk me through your reporting, what more you're learning here.
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well Erica, we've been able to fill out the timeline a bit better. And what it shows is
that the U.S. really launched this process and first approached Qatar. What happened was, right after Trump came into office, the Pentagon went to
Boeing, which is supposed to deliver the new Air Force Ones.
There are two of these new models. But they were told that they wouldn't be delivered until 2027 and Trump has been rather impatient about getting a
new plane. So, what Boeing did was give the Pentagon a list of planes out there in the world that could be suitable for Air Force One. There aren't
too many of them, but one of them was in Qatar.
[09:25:00]
And so, the Pentagon, with the backing of the White House, with the blessing of the White House approach Qatar about this plane. At the same
time, Steve Witkoff was the president's Middle East envoy. He had also been tasked with putting together a list of planes that could be a suitable Air
Force One, and because he's the Middle East envoy, he also helped facilitate some of those early meetings.
And so, the U.S. approached Qatar asking if they'd be willing to sell this jet, and the Qataris said, yes, this is something that we are willing to
consider. But of course, Erica, this has really evolved, and Trump and his top aides have talked about this more as and to use Trump's words a gesture
or a contribution from Qatar's royal family specifically.
And Trump has made clear that he expects this as a donation for free. He wrote on Truth Social that this would be what he called a gift, free of
charge. Now, of course, what we have found is that the truth is more nuanced, that it was the U.S. that jump started this process.
Both the Trump Administration and the Qataris have talked about making sure that this is fully done above board, that it is done legally. That is
unethically, that it would be a transfer from the Qatari Ministry of Defense to the U.S. Defense Department. And we're told that the lawyers on
both sides are still hashing this out, so we don't know what the final terms are going to be.
But of course, the U.S. and Qatar have gotten so much closer over the past few years, Qatar has really become an indispensable partner for the U.S.
the Middle East. They host the biggest U.S. base in the Middle East. They speak with people and groups that the U.S. doesn't want to or can't engage
with, whether it's Hamas or Iran or the Taliban.
They've helped with hostages the list goes on. A lot of this done at great personal and political and financial expense to the Qataris. So, it would
make sense that the Qataris would be willing to engage on this, and that the U.S., the Trump Administration, would look to Qatar to acquire a plan
like this, Erica.
HILL: Alex, really appreciate it. Thank you. Still ahead here for us, some good news for anyone planning a road trip for the upcoming holiday weekend
here in the U.S. That's ahead. Plus, for all the hype surrounding Mr. Trump's call with Mr. Putin, did the call actually accomplish anything?
We'll dive in after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:30:00]
HILL: The opening bell there on Wall Street, just a little bit south of us here in New York City. Futures little lower overnight, we'll continue to
see what the day brings again, as trading opens here in New York, you can see little bit of green there for both the NASDAQ and the DOW up and now
we're switching back to green.
Could be a little back and forth today. We'll keep an eye on it. Thanks so much for being with us this hour. I'm Erica Hill in for Becky Anderson in
New York. You're watching "Connect the World". Nearly 40 million Americans are set to hit the roads this weekend for Memorial Day.
The three-day holiday weekend, a gallon of gas well on average, that will be $3.08 in the U.S. Keep in mind, that is the lowest it's been since 2021
according to gas buddies, projections. And analysts say that drop has been fueled by, of course, the drop in oil prices, which is driven in part by
Saudi Arabia and OPEC's sharp increases in production moves President Trump had been publicly calling for after taking office.
Joining me now live here in New York CNN's Matt Egan, so Matt, this sounds great heading into a three-day weekend for a lot of Americans. How long
could these prices continue?
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Yeah, Erica, GasBuddy is saying that we could have a situation where gas prices actually go below $3 a gallon nationally this
summer, which, again, would be very good news. And as far as this holiday weekend, yes, the roads are going to be crowded, but at least it will be a
little bit cheaper to get around.
GasBuddy projecting 3.08 will be the national average on Memorial Day that is 50 cents cheaper than last Memorial Day. When we look at the trend here,
you can see that this is miles away from 2022 when we had the national average on Memorial Day at $4.60 a gallon.
In fact, this would be the lowest level on Memorial Day since 2021 and so this does really underscore the point that gas prices are one of the big
bright spots in this economy. Yes, the trade war is still going on, doing some damage to the economy, but we are miles away from those really high
gas prices of a few years ago.
And in fact, some states are seeing very large drops from a year ago in terms of the price of gasoline, more than 50 cents a gallon cheaper in a
number of states in the northeast, including Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, my home state New Jersey, but also out west, Arizona,
Idaho, all of them much cheaper.
Now, why is this happening? To your point, one factor is the fact that OPEC is pumping more oil at this is something that the president has strongly
urged Saudi Arabia and OPEC to do. But the other factor is the trade war, right? There are these concerns that the tariffs are going to slow down the
economy, and that has helped drive oil prices lower.
No matter the reason, though, this is obviously good news, because gas prices are just so in your face. So, this is kind of like a psychological
tax cut at a time when consumer confidence is low. Now speaking of tariffs, we did hear from Home Depot. Home Depot putting out results, and they're
saying that despite the trade where they are standing by their 2025 guidance.
And notably, they're signaling that they don't plan to raise prices due to tariffs, Home Depot telling CNBC that, we intend to generally maintain our
current pricing levels across our portfolio. Now, generally could be a key word there, but it is nice to see the fact that Home Depot is not signaling
price increases at a time when Walmart and other companies are.
The market does seem to like this with Home Depot shares up about 1 percent this morning, Erica.
HILL: All right, Matt, appreciate it. Thank you.
EGAN: Thanks.
HILL: Ukraine and Russia accusing each other of launching drone attacks overnight hours after that call between the U.S. and Russian Presidents,
the nearly two-hour discussion, though, failed to lock in a ceasefire. Here's what Donald Trump had to say after the call.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I think something is going to happen. It's a very, very big egos involved. I tell you, big egos involved, but I think something's going to
happen. And if it doesn't, I just back away and they're going to have to keep going again. This was a European situation. It should have remained a
European situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Europe today taking its own steps to raise the pressure on Moscow to agree to a 30-day ceasefire. EU Defense Ministers meeting in Brussels
earlier to adopt a fresh raise of sanctions against Russia. The U.K. also unveiling new sanctions. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is following all of these
developments for us from Kyiv.
President Trump, of course, said he did not want to weigh in on any sanctions, because, in his words, there's a chance of getting something
done as we just heard. I was struck by your analysis, noting that this call really showed that Putin doesn't need the U.S., dick in -- for us.
[09:35:00]
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. I mean, look the sanctions announced today essentially a bit more of the same
from the European Union and the U.K., and they come with a call for an 18th package of sanctions from Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, that
would target banking and energy infrastructure, places elements of Russia's interaction with the rest of the global economy that could potentially
damage Moscow.
But it's important to point out too that over the past three years, we've seen the Kremlin try and brandish how immune really it is to the pain of
sanctions. Not true. Of course, it has done significant damage to the Russian economy, but certainly they are projecting the fact that whatever
there is done to them, they have a workaround for.
And utterly important to remind everyone to, is the fact that without the United States coming on board with these sanctions. They are significantly
weakened because, of course, the dollar is the currency of the world, so a lot here that isn't being done. And Donald Trump's suggestion there that he
doesn't want to introduce sanctions yet is again his critics would certainly argue him passing a decision point.
There'd be multiple moments over the past 10, 14, days in which deadlines have been thrown down. A European deadline for a ceasefire, they threatened
massive sanctions after that, they said they had Donald Trump support. That didn't materialize. Then a face-to-face meeting offered by Ukraine's
President in Turkey.
Vladimir Putin, turned that down despite Trump offering himself as a mediator there, no sanctions of a serious note from the United States after
that. So, it appears again that Trump is very unclean to cause pain to the Kremlin, potentially because he thinks a deal might be there down the line,
but ultimately, too, he seems to be acknowledging that a deal isn't in the offing anytime soon.
HILL: I was also struck by the comments from President Zelenskyy after the call, just going in and saying, it's crucial that the U.S. not distance
itself from the talks that the pursuit and the pursuit of peace, because the only one who benefits from that is Putin. I've seen a couple different
takes on those words from the Ukrainian President in the wake of it.
Is he -- he's obviously straddling a bit of a diplomatic line here, of course, given what happened in the oval office in February. But are you
sensing that there is a shift in the tone coming from Kyiv at this point?
WALSH: They can't really afford to be ultimately, for Kyiv, there's no way that they can be seen to be turning their back on the peace process that
President Trump wants to see play out. However unsuccessful that may indeed be being and remember right now we have the Russians dictating the
timetable, the casting, the scheduling of the peace process.
The next stage seems to be exchanging documents about a possible ceasefire that Russia on the unconditional 30 day one that's been offered and
demanded by the Europeans the United States and Ukraine, Russia has perpetually been rejecting that. And I think there is real consternation
among some European allies, certainly, about how this indeed is playing out.
Particularly after the assurances they gave or were given by President Trump 10 plus days ago when four key European nations, leaders, France,
Germany, U.K. and Poland came to Kyiv and demanded that ceasefire. They were on the phone with President Trump and sounded like they had his
support for the steps ahead, yet now, after the call with Putin, he seems to be gently stepping back.
I should just share with you something I heard from a European official in the last hours who said, many still expect some kind of steady and stable
behavior from administration, whose working method seems to be based on chaos, changing track every day, or at least every week, and keeping
everyone on their toes.
So, for a clear ally of the United States that not exactly uncritical words, and I think it reflects the constant state of imbalance that
European officials are having to deal with here. One minute they think they have Trump on their side and they can pursue a policy that will pressure
the Kremlin the next minute Trump steps in, tries to mediate, that fail speaks to Putin, gets basically nothing.
Thinks maybe I should step back and see if the Vatican can take over. None of these pressures the Kremlin into a peace deal. The Kremlin didn't want a
peace deal. The Kremlin doesn't seem interested in the approval of Trump Administration. The Kremlin wants progress on the front lines. And as the
ground dries here and summer heats up. That's likely to be something Russia aims for.
HILL: Nick Paton Walsh, live in Kyiv at this hour for us. Thank you. Much more to come here on the "Connect the World". Stay with us. You're watching
CNN.
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[09:40:00]
HILL: -- spotlight for one of America's struggling Major League Baseball team is thanks to one very famous fan. The Chicago White Sox unveiling a
graphic installation of Pope Leo the 14th on Monday. There you see it. The tribute marks the spot where then Robert Prevost sat during game one of the
2005 World Series which the White Sox went on to win.
And maybe the Sox there could benefit from a little divine intervention. Not easy, being a White Sox fan right now, they have the second worst
record in baseball. "World Sport" coming up after this short break. And then I'll see you with more "Connect the World" at the top of the hour.
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(WORLD SPORT)
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