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Isa Soares Tonight

Europe Holds Emergency Meeting on Ukraine; Extreme Weather in the U.S.; Hundreds of U.S. FAA Employees Being Fired by WH; "SNL" Celebrates 50 years. Aired 2:00-3p ET

Aired February 17, 2025 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

LYNDA KINKADE, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Lynda Kinkade in for Isa Soares. Tonight, two meetings on

ending the conflict in Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron hosts emergency talks in Paris for European leaders, while American officials

head to Saudi Arabia for negotiations with Russia.

I'll speak with the Latvian Foreign Minister about how the Baltic states are preparing. Plus, we're live with an update from Rome as Pope Francis

remains in hospital. We'll have the latest on his condition. Well, European leaders are scrambling to plan a coordinated response after U.S. and

Russian officials announced their plans to hold talks on Ukraine in Saudi Arabia.

Those discussions are expected to happen Tuesday and center on ending Russia's nearly three-year conflict in Ukraine. But Ukrainian President

Zelenskyy says he will not have a seat at the table. He'll travel to Saudi Arabia later this week, making it clear he won't accept any decision made

without Ukrainian involvement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT, UKRAINE (through translator): Ukraine will not participate. Ukraine knew nothing about them. Ukraine perceives any

negotiations about Ukraine without Ukraine as those with no results. We cannot recognize anything or any agreements about us without us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, in Paris today, several European leaders held an emergency meeting over the future of Ukraine and Europe's overall security. Aside

from a brief call between French President Emmanuel Macron and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump, many leaders are concerned that they're being

sidelined during this pivotal week.

I want to welcome CNN's senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen who joins us live from Moscow. Good to see you, Fred. So, Russia

currently controls about 20 percent of Ukrainian territory. We've heard the U.S. President allude to the fact that Ukraine will have to make some

concessions when it comes to a peace deal. What is Russia willing to concede?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hi Lynda, the Americans, the Trump administration is saying that both the Russians

and the Ukrainians are going to have to make painful concessions to make all of this work, and it's certainly something that the Trump

administration says that they are aiming for.

It's quite interesting when you see the messaging here, though, out of Moscow. To the Russians, this is something where they believe that a much

broader reset of U.S. Russian relations are possible with those negotiating teams now in Riyadh, in the capital of Saudi Arabia. They want sanctions

relief.

They want better economic relations with the United States, and they all believe that it is within their grasp. Here's what we're learning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Russian state TV already hyping up the new close relations between President Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. "This

is a powerful sign that we will now try to solve problems through dialogue, and that we will now talk about peace and not war", the Kremlin spokesman

telling a well-known Russian reporter.

As the U.S. and Russian delegations gather in Saudi Arabia for the first direct talks in about three years, President Trump bullish, saying he wants

to end the Ukraine war fast.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're moving along. We're trying to get a peace with Russia, Ukraine, and we're working very hard on

it. It's a war that should have never started.

PLEITGEN: But the Russians indicating they want more. A near total reset of U.S.-Russian relations, starting with a direct face-to-face meeting

between Trump and Putin, but also aiming for major sanctions relief and the restoration of full economic and diplomatic ties, one of the heads of

Russia's delegation says.

"The aim is to talk about restoring normal ties", he says, "to discuss the start of possible negotiations on Ukraine and also to discuss the prospects

for contacts at the highest level."

(ARTILLERY FIRE)

All this as Ukraine's army struggles to stop Russian advances, especially in eastern Ukraine with a drastic uptick in combat engagements this past

weekend. And the U.S.' European allies left out of the talks, holding their own emergency summit, discussing sending troops from their countries for

possible peacekeeping efforts in case of a ceasefire after the Trump administration refused to send U.S. troops.

[14:05:00]

Ukraine's President also confirming Kyiv will not be part of this round of talks in Saudi Arabia, and won't accept their outcome. "Ukraine regards any

negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine as ones that have no results, and we cannot recognize any things, any agreements about us without us, and

will not recognize such agreements."

And despite President Trump's optimism, the Russians themselves indicating they're in no mood to make concessions to Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey

Lavrov telling me.

(on camera): Which territorial concessions, and in general, which compromises is Russia willing to make to achieve such a peace agreement?

SERGEY LAVROV, FOREIGN MINISTER, RUSSIA (through translator): To cede how with people with Russians or without people with only rare earth metals?

For what? So that Russians can be destroyed like they are now being destroyed in the Kursk region and in other regions of the Russian

federation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN: So, there you have, Lynda. That was Sergey Lavrov; the Russian Foreign Minister speaking to me earlier today. Now, we have just gotten

confirmation, literally, as that report was ending, that Sergey Lavrov; the Russian Foreign Minister and also Yuri Ushakov was in our report as well,

those are the two chief negotiators for the Russian delegation in Saudi Arabia.

They have just touched down in Riyadh, obviously, for this very important meeting with those senior American cabinet ministers of the Trump cabinet.

So, certainly those meetings are going to be underway in a couple of hours. And again, as we saw there, for the Russians, this is extremely important,

not just to put an end to the war in Ukraine on terms favorable to Russia, but they also believe they could get a lot more of this as far as relations

with the United States are concerned. Lynda.

KINKADE: Yes, no doubt. Frederik Pleitgen, great to have you there for us in Moscow, thanks so much. Well, Israelis and Palestinians are marking 500

days since the October 7th attacks by Hamas, which shocked the world and triggered the war in Gaza, forever changing the Middle East.

Some hostage families and their supporters protested in the streets of Tel Aviv today, they blocked a busy road, demanding the Israeli government

fully implement the ceasefire agreement so that all remaining hostages can come home. Well, in Gaza, Palestinians are urging the world to help them

rebuild their lives and what little is left of their homes.

They say much of the aid promised to them under the ceasefire agreement never arrived. Here's how one man describes the appalling conditions after

500 days of war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Five hundred days of suffering. There is nothing left. No water, no electricity, no communications, no

road, no sewage systems. Look around you, this place is unlivable. There was a ceasefire, but nothing changed. We are still here, waiting, hoping

for aid to finally arrive. They promised us tents, shelters and aid centers.

But to this day, nothing has been delivered. At the beginning of the truce, we tried to return to our homes, but we were shot at and couldn't stay.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, talks on phase two of the ceasefire have been delayed by nearly two weeks, putting the future of that fragile agreement in doubt.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is convening his political security cabinet today to discuss the second phase. He did send a

negotiating team to Cairo.

International mediators are trying to ensure that the truce holds, but Israel says its diplomats will discuss continued implementation of phase

one of the deal. Mr. Netanyahu supports Donald Trump's plan to empty Gaza of Palestinians and turn their homeland into a lucrative real estate

project. We want to get more now from CNN's Nic Robertson, who joins us live from Jerusalem.

Good to have you there for us, Nic. So, I mean, this fragile ceasefire and phase one almost seemed off the table just a week ago. We now know that

this team in Cairo is going to discuss keeping it on track. Netanyahu says that he's going to talk about establishing phase two of this deal with his

cabinet.

But there is a lot of skepticism, given that he has stated that one of his key goals of this war is to wipe out Hamas. And we saw in the weekend,

Hamas seemingly in control of these hostage release deals. What are the expectations for all of these talks?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: You know, I think the expectations of phase two, an agreement and it being implemented in two

weeks time when phase one runs out, which was the original plan. I think that appears to be disappearing over the horizon. That said, there's a huge

amount of pressure coming from the White House.

[14:10:00]

You had Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a three hours -- three hours of meetings with the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the weekend, as

well as a phone call to the Prime Minister here from President Trump's special envoy in the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and essentially part of

putting pressure on the Israeli Prime Minister to get a move on and stop delaying getting into talks about phase two.

Now, that's not how the Prime Minister's office would interpret the situation, but it's how it begins to appear. Part of the reason that moving

to phase two is problematic is because it means an end to the war, and there are members of Prime Minister Netanyahu's government who have said

that the war should continue.

They want them to double down another part of the difficulty of getting to a phase two agreement, is that both President Trump and Prime Minister

Netanyahu have said that Hamas has no place in the future of Gaza militarily, politically. Hamas is being very clear in saying we're not

defeated, we're not going to hand over and surrender our weapons.

We do see ourselves as part of the future of Gaza, we might even increase our numbers. And as you say, they project a sense and -- or, and an ability

of control on the streets in parts of Gaza. How big, how strong? I think that's open to debate. But what isn't open to debate at the moment is the

difficulty of trying to get from where we are today to a phase two, the compromises there.

I think when we try to analyze where is phase one going at the moment, there are still 14 hostages, some dead, some alive to be released as part

of the phase one. And we've just found out this evening that Thursday this week, several -- the remains of several of those hostages. So, deceased

hostages will be returned to the Israelis this week. So, there's a sense that phase one is still moving forward.

KINKADE: Wow, and now, I want to turn to -- our attention to Lebanon. We know that Israeli troops in Lebanon were meant to withdraw by tomorrow.

They're now going to stay -- at least, a small number of them at the very least. Hezbollah not happy with that? Just take us through the reaction.

ROBERTSON: Yes, Hezbollah is saying that that's a violation of the ceasefire agreement. And this idea was mooted that there may be five

outposts of Israeli troops that would be left behind inside of Lebanon. That idea was mooted last week by one of Prime Minister Netanyahu's

officials, and the Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, Nabih Berri shot that down, said that, you know, we cannot countenance that.

Now, what the IDF is saying, and let's remember, this is -- they've already had the 60-day from November until late January, ceasefire deal extended so

that they could stay already. And they asked, we understand, the White House if they could have another extension, that we understand was turned

down.

So, what we're looking at, at the moment, and the IDF says these five outposts will keep eyes on the border. They're in areas where the Lebanese

army, they say, isn't ready to fill in and take those places and keep Hezbollah out. The IDF does say that the Lebanese army and the places

they're in mostly, is doing a good job at keeping Hezbollah out.

Now, the IDF says they'll pull those troops out. They won't say when? They won't say how many they're leaving behind. But they do say that they'll do

it when the Lebanese army is ready to fill that space. Now, the IDF also characterizes this as something that they've agreed with the mediators in

this, a few of the mechanism, and that essentially is the United States. It clearly doesn't have buy-in from the Lebanese authorities or Hezbollah on

the ground.

KINKADE: We'll see how this all plays out tomorrow when that deadline is reached. Nic Robertson, as always, great to have you there for us in

Jerusalem. Thank you. Well, still to come tonight, Pope Francis remains hospitalized. We'll go live to Rome for the latest on his condition.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:15:00]

KINKADE: Welcome back, I'm Lynda Kinkade. Pope Francis is asking for prayers tonight as he remains in hospital. The Vatican says he's in a

stable condition, but fighting a polymicrobial infection of his respiratory tract. It comes as the 88-year-old pontiff was admitted to hospital last

week for bronchitis.

The pope has been plagued by lung-related health problems for years. Treatment of this new infection is said to require an extensive hospital

stay. Well, joining us now is more -- for more on this is CNN Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb, who is outside Rome's Gemelli Hospital.

Good to have you there for us.

So, a complex clinical picture. Just describe what that means and what sort of update you're getting from the hospital on the pope's condition right

now.

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lynda, this is the end of the fourth day of Pope Francis' day at the Gemelli Hospital behind me.

And this evening, the Vatican did provide an update on the pope's condition. They said he was stable. They said even that he had done some

work, he dedicated himself to reading some texts.

And he was also very touched by the numerous messages of support that he'd received. The pope has been told by doctors to rest completely, but it

seems as if he still wants to keep going in his role in different ways. He's also, we understand, called the Catholic parish in Gaza from his

hospital bed.

So, despite being told by doctors to rest, he -- the -- Francis is keen to keep doing work it seems. Nevertheless, this is a serious infection that

the pope has, and it's a complex condition that the pope is receiving treatment for. He has had his treatment modified twice already, as the

doctors try and find the right treatments to deal with the infection that he is struggling with.

We don't have a clear timetable from the Vatican as to how long the pope is going to remain in hospital. He is not obviously doing any public

engagements for the foreseeable future. The Wednesday general audience, which he does each week, has been canceled. We are expecting further

updates from the Vatican tomorrow on Tuesday, and of course, we'll be monitoring those very carefully, Lynda.

KINKADE: And of course, we know Pope Francis has led the Catholic Church for 12 years, but his predecessor did retire, the first pontiff to do so in

over 600 years. Has the pope ever spoken about any plans in the future to retire?

LAMB: Well, the pope has always said that resignation is open. Of course, Pope Benedict XVI decision to do so has allowed that possibility to be more

likely. However, Francis has also been clear that the papacy is a role for life, and he has in recent years shown no signs that he wants to step down.

I should point out, though, that the pope has written a letter that were he incapacitated, or were he unable to continue to do his job for health

reasons, then the resignation could happen.

[14:20:00]

And he has made provision for that. But it's certainly the pope's desire at the -- at the moment to continue.

KINKADE: All right, Christopher Lamb, good to have you there for us in Rome, thanks very much. And I want to stay on this, so, I want to welcome

CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner. He's also a professor at George Washington University, good to have you with us, doctor. So, when you hit

complex clinical picture, what does that tell you? How serious is this condition?

JONATHAN REINER, PROFESSOR, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY & CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Good afternoon Lynda. First of all, I want to wish his holiness a

rapid recovery. But when I listen to the recent update from the Vatican about his health, it gives me great concern. I've written several of these

medical advisories for public officials. And when I listen or read those that are written by other people, I ask myself, what are they trying to

tell me?

What are they trying to tell the public? And usually that they're trying to tell the public everything is OK, the patient, the public official, you

know, doing well, continuing to improve. But here, we're hearing from the Vatican that his condition has taken a turn for the worse, that he has a

polymicrobial infection, meaning more than one pathogen.

Infectious pathogen in his -- in his respiratory tract that has created what they describe as a complex clinical situation. So, to me, they're

trying to tell the public that his condition is worse, and important for the public to know that.

KINKADE: He only saw people just on Friday, just a couple of days ago, and that was when he was admitted to hospital with what we were being told was

tests for bronchitis. So, does it sound like there's multiple infections on the lungs or thereabout, respiratory tract?

REINER: So, we only know what we've been told about the -- about the pontiff's health. So, what we know is that as a young man, he had an

operation to remove a part of a lung to treat a chronic infection, which was common 60 years ago. But that leaves him with impaired lung function.

So, now a person who has a history of chronic lung disease comes in with what sounds like ostensibly was thought to be bronchitis, which is an

infection of the upper airways, which now is now being portrayed as something more complex with multiple organisms. Now, we don't know whether

it's a second bacteria or a bacteria and a virus or whether there's a fungal infection. We don't know the specifics.

And the specifics are important, but we do know that it's complicated enough, and that he's sick enough to require continuing confinement to the

hospital. Mind you, if this was just to receive intravenous antibiotics, this is something that could be administered in the Vatican apartments for

the pontiff. So, he's obviously sick enough to require hospitalization.

And I'm concerned that the change in tone of this message from the Vatican is sort of a beginning to perhaps change expectations for the public.

KINKADE: And of course, the pope is 88 years old. I suspect any infection for a man of that age would be concerning, right?

REINER: Oh well, certainly. Pneumonia can be critical or even fatal in anyone, particularly in someone almost 90 years old. Again, which is, again

why I think they're remaining very cautious and going to keep him in the hospital indefinitely.

KINKADE: All right, we'll have to leave it there, but Dr. Jonathan Reiner, appreciate your perspective and joining us here. Thanks so much for your

time.

REINER: Thank you.

KINKADE: Well, still to come, the push for peace. European leaders gather in Paris for an emergency meeting on Ukraine. While the U.S. is set to deal

with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia, what this all means for the future of Russia's war in Ukraine. Plus, I'm going to ask Latvia's Foreign

Minister why she thinks Europe and Ukraine should have seats at the negotiating table. That conversation shortly.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:25:00]

KINKADE: Welcome back, I'm Lynda Kinkade. European leaders have just wrapped up an emergency meeting on Ukraine and the wider security of the

continent. Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed politicians from the U.K., Germany, Poland, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and

Denmark, which also represented Baltic and Scandinavian nations.

The meeting comes amid mounting concerns that U.S. President Donald Trump is leaving Europe and Ukraine out of discussions with Russian President

Vladimir Putin, instead pushing ahead to work with Russia to end the war in Ukraine. Those talks between U.S. and Russian officials are expected to

start Tuesday in Saudi Arabia.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has already arrived in Riyadh. While Europe scrambles for a seat at the negotiating table, British Prime

Minister Keir Starmer says he's ready and willing to put troops on the ground in Ukraine to enforce a peace deal if necessary. Starmer is expected

to meet with Mr. Trump late next week in D.C.

And just before heading to Paris, he called on his European allies to do more to increase defense spending.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEIR STARMER, PRIME MINISTER, UNITED KINGDOM: I think there's a bigger piece here as well, which is that this isn't just about the frontline in

Ukraine. It's the frontline of Europe and of the United Kingdom. It's about our national security, and I think that we need to do more. We need to step

up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, for more, I'm joined by our chief national security correspondent Alex Marquardt in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Alex, good to have

you with us. Certainly, the world waiting with bated breath to see how these talks are going to play out tomorrow between the Russian Foreign

Minister and his U.S. counterpart. What are you hearing about the expectations for this meeting?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, the expectations, at least from the U.S. side, Lynda, are that this would be a

first step, and that there would be more conversations to follow, more conversations that would then include the Ukrainians. Conversations where

the Europeans would likely have a role.

So, this is going to be remarkable to see, if only, because we have not seen high level U.S.-Russian discussions like this among the most senior

Russian and American officials in their respective governments in three years since this war began. As you noted, Sergey Lavrov, the Foreign

Minister, will be at the table across from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

But he will also be joined by the national security adviser Mike Waltz and Steve Witkoff, the Middle East envoy. So, these are some of President

Trump's closest aides, and I think that goes to show the priority that he is putting on this issue.

[14:30:00]

But at the same time, there's as much said about who will not be at the table as who is. The Ukrainians, of course, not at the table. We heard a

very frustrated President Zelenskyy earlier today saying that he didn't know about these talks before they were announced. He said that he would

not agree to anything about Ukraine without Ukraine's input.

And then, Lynda, there's the question of the Europeans, because we did hear Trump's Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, saying over the weekend that

Europeans would not be welcome to the table. Essentially, that it would be the U.S. mediating between Ukraine and Russia. And that didn't go over very

well, as you can imagine, with the Europeans, because it is, of course, on the European continent that this war, the biggest war since World War II,

is being fought.

We did hear Rubio softening that a little bit over the weekend, saying that there would be a role for the Europeans. Here's what he told CBS News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: If it's real negotiations, and we're not there yet, but if that were to happen, Ukraine will have to be

involved, because they're the one that were invaded, and the Europeans will have to be involved, because they have sanctions on Putin and Russia as

well, and they've contributed to this effort. We're just not there yet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: So, the Europeans, of course, they say that, you know, this is our content and we're the ones being expected to provide security

guarantees. In fact, Lynda, the European Union has provided more support for Ukraine than the United States has. So, they certainly expect to be

involved here. And that's why we saw that emergency meeting take place in Paris.

We are expecting to see the Ukrainians and President Zelenskyy show up here in Riyadh this week, not to take part with these conversations with the

Russians, but this was a long-planned trip. But we have heard very clearly from the U.S. side eventually they do plan to get the Ukrainians and the

Russians together, but it is going to take quite some time. Rubio's saying it's going to be weeks, he thinks, before knowing whether the Russians are

truly serious about negotiating. Lynda.

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Alex, if you can just stand by for us. I do want to go to Paris where our Melissa Bell is, where European leaders

obviously had to scramble to hold this meeting today once they heard that the U.S. was meeting with Russian officials to discuss the future of peace

in Ukraine. What are you hearing about the outcome of the meeting today?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've just spoken to the secretary general of NATO, who is leaving, as you say, this

hastily convened meeting here in Paris tonight. And just picking up from what Alex was just saying, he also confirmed that he believes that whilst

these initial discussions will see an American delegation, high-level delegation opposite a Russian one, that beyond that, of course, Ukraine

will have to be at that table, since, as the secretary general of NATO said, it is Ukraine's territory and future that we're talking about.

This was, of course, really a meeting for Europeans to try and figure out what was going on and how they could continue to count in this discussion

and these important negotiations. We've been hearing also, just now, from the British prime minister, who was also at this meeting, saying that it is

important as we look ahead beyond a potential piece guarantees that will be given to Ukraine that whilst European troops may be involved in

peacekeeping missions, the United Kingdom has certainly said that it's willing to contribute some of those troops. Other countries more divided on

the question.

All of them fairly united on the idea that this would have to be with the backing of the United States, that these long-term security guarantees will

only function if the NATO alliance really sticks together on this point, even if some are contributing the actual troops and the United States

providing more of what Keir Starmer described as a backstop.

But clearly, the message from the meeting here in Paris tonight is that Europeans intend, according to Mark Rutte, the NATO secretary general, to

up their spending in line with what Washington's demanded. And Donald Trump specifically also, that they intend to play a very active part, not only in

supporting Ukraine into these negotiations, but also securing Ukraine's future and its territorial integrity once that peace deal has been signed,

if an agreement can be found, Lynda.

KINKADE: And, Melissa, if you can just stand by. I just want to go back to Alex on those security guarantees because we did hear from Zelenskyy who

said he doesn't want a security guarantee on paper, he wants it in the land, in the sea, in the skies. In terms of Saudi's role in all of this,

why are these talks between Russia and U.S. officials happening in Saudi Arabia and what role will Saudi Arabia play in all of it?

MARQUARDT: Well, Lynda, essentially because it's neutral territory. I think there's some concern on the Russian side that if conversations were

to be had in Europe that Europe is obviously more pro-Ukrainian. And here we have the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, who has a

good relationship with both President Trump and President Putin. So, this was essentially a natural meeting place for both sides.

[14:35:00]

And of course, the Saudis are all too happy to host because it really puts them at the center of the action. It's prestigious. It's a good use of

their soft power.

I think you touched on a very important point about the security guarantees. We've now heard both the Europeans and the Ukrainians saying

you can't -- essentially can't have security guarantees without the Americans being involved. And we heard from the secretary of defense, Pete

Hegseth last week, saying very firmly that there would be no U.S. troops going to Ukraine, and that scared a lot of your Ukrainians and Europeans.

It was softened a little bit by other American officials in the following days.

So, there's still some big questions about to what extent the U.S. would actually be involved in those guarantees. And I think it's that -- those

confusing messages, those mixed messages from the Trump administration that is really making a lot of people, especially the Ukrainians, quite nervous,

Lynda.

KINKADE: Yes, no doubt. Alex Marquardt, Melissa Bell, good to have you both on this story. No doubt we will speak again tomorrow. Thank you.

Well, leaders across the Baltic States in Northeastern Europe are closely watching the Ukraine discussions. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania all share

a border with Russia. The three countries are staunch supporters of Ukraine and recently ended their ties to Russian energy earlier this month.

I want to welcome Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze, who joins us now from Latvia's capital. Good to have you with us. Thanks so much for your

time.

BAIBA BRAZE, LATVIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Thank you so much, Lynda. Great to talk to you.

KINKADE: So, if you listen to certain officials within the Trump administration, Russia looks likely, at least at this early stage of

negotiations, to potentially come out ahead of Ukraine. You recently met with President Trump's representative for Ukraine. What's your view?

BRAZE: Listen, I think all the speculations are speculations at this stage. I cannot imagine that President Trump can have anyone coming on top

of him in terms of negotiations or outcomes. From what I see, peace through strength in the U.S. politics is pretty prominent, so it's very hard to

imagine the outcomes of this negotiation being different. So, full trust to the U.S.

As for the Baltic States, we have been NATO and E.U. Members for 20 years. We are one of the strongest supporters in terms of all defense energy,

anything that there is of the U.S. We have big communities of Latvians, Estonians, and Lithuanians in the United States. We are fully connected

with the U.S. So, I'm sure all are interests as NATO, but also, as bilateral partners will be well represented in this negotiation.

KINKADE: Your country borders Russia. If Russia can take and keep territory in Ukraine, how much concern is there that he may do the same

with other countries? And can you give us a sense of the sort of security threats that you're already countering from Russia and potentially what you

believe to be Vladimir Putin's end goal?

BRAZE: Again, we as NATO member states, for 20 years, of course we have been part and parcel of shaping the new NATO's defense plans, which are

meant and which are exercised on a daily basis. We have U.S. troops in the Baltics. We have U.S. partnerships -- you know, defense partnerships in the

strongest possible way. So, I don't think President Putin would have any intention to start a war with NATO. That would be quite a different type of

war than what he's conducting currently, the aggression against Ukraine.

And let's not forget, Ukraine's will is decisive. Ukraine has the strongest army in Europe, almost a million strong. It has the largest territory. It

has strategic depth. President Putin did not gain his objectives through the war. He will try it through peace talks. Those objectives go beyond

Ukraine. That is quite clear. He has already indicated that. But again, I don't see any indications that he's going to get what he wants.

But let's not forget Russian tactics. They will present ultimatums. They will demand maximum. And unfortunately, sometimes there is someone in the

history who has been ready to compromise on the Russian demands. So, I think in this case we have to be very ready to make sure that that doesn't

happen.

[14:40:00]

We've already heard from the leaders of the U.K. and Poland, both nations say they're willing to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine. Are you hearing

that other nations will likely follow suit?

BRAZE: We currently, together with the other allies at NATO, are sort of in a classified way, analyzing certain parameters and discussions. Again, I

don't want to go into any depth or into any speculations about it.

So, quite clearly, Ukraine's and Europe's and Euro-Atlantic communities' interest is very strong that whatever is the outcome of the peace

negotiations, that Ukraine's will is respected, that it's a long and just peace, and that there is no war that can restart in any foreseeable future,

whether in Ukraine or elsewhere on European continent.

But again, NATO is strong, as Pete Hegseth said, the defense secretary said, you know, NATO has to become stronger, more military oriented, a

lethal alliance. So, we fully agree. We also fully agree with the U.S. point's that Europe needs to raise defense spending. Our defense spending

is close to 4 percent, and we are still adding to it. And we expect all the allies going up to a certain percentage. That guarantees the ability to

defend ourselves.

KINKADE: When you look at how much nations have spent on Ukraine, the U.S. has given more to Ukraine than any other nation, by a long shot. We saw the

hastily organized meeting between European leaders in Paris today when, of course, Europe learned that Russia and the U.S. were having these talks

about the future of Ukraine. Can Europe defend Ukraine without Russia -- without the U.S.?

BRAZE: Let's get some facts straight. In terms of military aid. U.S. is the biggest aid provider. Lots of it goes back into the U.S. defense

production and lots of factories have been restarted. Lots of parts and states have really benefited from that, in terms of economy, in terms of

production. So, that's very, very good. Also, a lot of allies are buying U.S. defense products. So, that is also very good.

While Europe is the overall biggest aid provider to Ukraine in total numbers, not only military, but also, humanitarian, economic, and other

aid. Second biggest military aid provider is the Nordic-Baltic region. The Nordic-Baltic aid countries. So, we have gone way above the percentages of

others.

Latvia gives to Ukraine about 1 percent of GDP, and a quarter of that percent of GDP is military aid. We gave our Stingers, we gave other stuff

to Ukraine even before the war started in '22, because we saw the threats. And Russia has been identified as a threat by the whole alliance of NATO.

So, again, we put our money where our mouth is. We expect others to do that, but also, we will continue providing aids and support to Ukraine

because we believe that's the best way to counter Russia's ambitions and aggression.

KINKADE: Baiba Braze, we appreciate your time and -- that you've had with us today. Thanks so much.

BRAZE: Thank you so much. We are in it together.

KINKADE: Absolutely. I appreciate it. Thank you. Still to come tonight, parts of the U.S. are dealing with deadly flooding as the central region

prepares for an Arctic blast.

Also, ahead, some workers of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration are being fired by the White House. Why Elon Musk's employees are preparing to

inspect the air traffic control system.

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[14:45:00]

KINKADE: Welcome back. A deadly Costa Coast winter storm has left water levels rising in some U.S. waterways in the Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic

regions. 11 people died in the State of Kentucky after torrential rain swept in. One more was killed in Georgia, another person in West Virginia.

The devastating storm swept across the U.S. over the weekend, hundreds of thousands of households losing power. Another round of brutally cold

temperatures is forecast. An arctic blast taking aim at the south central and northeast U.S.

Well, the Trump administration has begun firing hundreds of probationary workers at the Federal Aviation Administration, that's according to their

union. At the same time, the FAA is getting ready for an inspection of its Air Traffic Control System Command Center. Elon Musk's SpaceX engineers

will visit the facility Monday, as the newly appointed transportation secretary calls for assistance from American high-tech companies. The

overhaul comes after that fatal collision near Washington, D.C.'s Regan Airport.

The Trump administration's Department of Education is threatening to end federal funding for any school that takes into account race when making

decisions about students. The department's acting assistant secretary for civil rights wrote a letter Friday to education officials across the U.S.

The letter says schools have quote, "toxically indoctrinated students with a false premise that the United States is built upon systemic and

structural racism and advanced discriminatory policies and practices." The broad directive is almost certain to face legal challenges.

Still to come, a milestone celebration for "Saturday Night Live" as it celebrates 50 years. We're going to look back at some of the show's iconic

moments.

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[14:50:00]

JACKSON: Welcome back. They were called the not ready for primetime players. And now, 50 years later, "Saturday Night Live" is celebrating a TV

milestone. The U.S. TV comedy sketch show debuted in 1975 with actors like John Belushi, Chevy Chase and Gilda Radner. Over the years it would be

launching -- it would be the launching pad for stars like Eddie Murphy, Tina Fey, and many more. Here's CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister with a look at

50 years of "SNL."

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Lynda, it was a star-studded, momentous night to celebrate 50 years of "Saturday Night

Live." Of course, that's 50 years of comedy, but also, five decades of major contributions to American culture, really.

Now, when you looked out at the audience, it seemed like every A-lister was sitting next to even a bigger A-lister. I'm talking about Cher, Jerry

Seinfeld, Larry David, Billy Crystal. It was pretty amazing just to look out at the crowd.

And Tina Fey and Amy Poehler actually played in to that star power in one of their bits. Tina and Amy did an audience roll call. And of course, when

the roll call is among major worldwide celebrities you have some fun moments. Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TINA FEY, ACTRESS AND COMEDIAN: OK. Next question. Yes, Keith Richards.

KEITH RICHARDS, SINGER: Yes, ma'am. I left a scarf here in 1988, and I'm kind of wondering if anybody's seen it around, you know.

FEY: A scarf? Yes, it's -- in 1998? Well, that's a long time ago. I don't know.

AMY POEHLER, ACTRESS AND COMEDIAN: Yes, I don't think so. I'm not sure.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look, it's simply not here, OK? Can we all just stop looking? Next question.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WAGMEISTER: And that wasn't all. Ryan Reynolds was also, in the crowd, along with his wife, Blake Lively. Of course, they're in the middle of a

major legal saga against Blake's former co-star, the actor Justin Baldoni. This was their first major appearance since this legal saga began. And Ryan

Reynolds even poked fun at himself and their legal woes. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POEHLER: Who else? Who else has a question?

RYAN REYNOLDS, ACTOR: I have a question.

POEHLER: Oh. Hi. Ryan Reynolds. Hey. Hey. Ryan Reynolds. How's it going?

REYNOLDS: Great. Why? What have you heard?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WAGMEISTER: Now, another surprise moment was when Jack Nicholson made an appearance. This was his first major television appearance in years, and

fans at home were so happy to see him back again. And he introduced someone who's very special on that "SNL" stage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACK NICHOLSON, ACTOR: Ladies and gentlemen, Adam Sandler.

ADAM SANDLER, ACTOR: Yes, baby. Let's hear it for Jack, baby. Jack made it out tonight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WAGMEISTER: Adam Sandler there paying tribute to 50 years of "SNL." And he also, honored his late friend Norm Macdonald. Of course, Adam is one of

many comics who got their start on that very stage at "SNL." He was there along with Chris Rock, Billy Crystal, Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell, Kristen

Wiig. It was just a great night overall. Lynda.

KINKADE: Our thanks then Elizabeth Wagmeister. Well, the red carpet was rolled out in London on Sunday as stars gathered for the BAFTA Awards. The

big winner of the night was the papal drama, "Conclave," taking home four awards out of 12 nominations, including Best Film.

The award for Leading Actor went to Adrian Brody for his role in "The Brutalist." "Anora's" Mikey Madison came away with the Leading Actress

Award. She spoke with our Max Foster about why the film is getting so much buzz.

[14:55:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Why do you think the film hit an earth? Have you got any feeling for that?

MIKEY MADISON, WINNER, LEADING ACTRESS, "ANORA": I mean, I think Sean makes films about humanity and touches on really interesting subject

matter. And I don't know. I mean, I think that there was just something really special in the Arab when we made this film.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, we've all heard the phrase man's best friend, but what about dog's best friend? Well, take a look at this pooch, its best friend

is Bluey. The little guy has gone viral online for his reaction to his favorite TV show.

Now this is -- obviously, the show's about an Australian pup who goes on adventures with his pals. And obviously, this little dog's owner doesn't

need to teach him how to sit. He just has to put on his favorite show, "Bluey." Oh, my girls also, sit every time "Bluey" comes on in our

household. And they watch it very happily.

Thanks so much for watching us tonight. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Stay with CNN. Newsroom with Zane Asher is up in just a moment.

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