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Isa Soares Tonight
Trump Receives Lavish Royal Welcome to Saudi Arabia; Sean "Diddy" Combs` Ex-Girlfriend Cassie Ventura Testifies in Sex-Trafficking and Racketeering Case; Ukrainian President Zelenskyy Says He Will Only Meet with President Trump and Not Any Other Russian Official Ahead of Meeting in Turkey. Aired 14-15:00p ET
Aired May 13, 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]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I`m Isa Soares. Tonight, U.S. President Donald Trump receives a
warm welcome in Saudi Arabia. Top of the agenda, investment, defense and diplomacy. We are live for you in Riyadh. Then a dramatic day in Sean
"Diddy" Combs sex-trafficking trial as his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura takes the stand.
We have the very latest. And then this hour, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he will only meet with President Trump, not any other
Russian official, ahead of a possible meeting in Turkey on Thursday. We are, as you can only expect, live for you in Kyiv this hour. We do begin
this hour with a flurry of major new developments coming out of the U.S. President Donald Trump`s trip to Saudi Arabia.
The President a short time ago announced he will lift sanctions on Syria in order to, he says, to give Syrians, quote, "a chance at greatness." A U.S.
official says Mr. Trump is due to meet with Syria`s President, former al Qaeda militant Ahmed Al-Sharaa on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Saudis have
been welcoming Mr. Trump in grand style as he kicks off his Middle East trip, which will also include stops in the UAE as well as Qatar.
The White House says the President secured $600 billion worth of investments in the U.S., including the largest defense sale in history of
nearly $142 billion. Mr. Trump also issued this stark warning for Iran amid nuclear talks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: But with that said, Iran can have a much brighter future. We`ll never allow -- America and its allies to be threatened with terrorism or
nuclear attack. The choice is theirs to make. We really want them to be a successful country. We want them to be a wonderful, safe, great country,
but they cannot have a nuclear weapon. This is an offer that will not last forever. The time is right now for them to choose. Right now, we don`t have
a lot of time to wait.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Lots of threats for us to go into. Our Becky Anderson has been tracking all the developments for us from Riyadh. And Becky, we were just
showing viewers a video, coming in live images of President Trump, of course, he makes his way to state dinner or maybe he`s finished his state
dinner, there we go, is in a golf caddy there and right now at 2 minutes past 9:00 in the evening.
And Becky, just frame what the day has been like for us today as we look at these live images, because it`s been large and significant deals, as we
have seen, that clearly benefit both sides. But beyond the transactional decision by, you know, transaction nature of all of this that we`ve seen
today, this decision to -- on Syria, to quote, "give them a chance at greatness." How was that received? Because I heard applause when it
happened.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR, CONNECT THE WORLD: Oh, this is -- this is huge news and very significant. Look, if this was ever going to be a pivotal
opportunity to re-imagine U.S.-Gulf affairs in a new era, then business and investment deals, trade and defense were always going to be important, and
we can talk about those momentarily.
But it was the region`s stability and the idea that this was a moment for the U.S. to re-imagine its Middle East policy, turn the page on its policy
of old. Well, that was always an opportunity that was afforded the U.S. administration, and Donald Trump very specifically. The question was, would
he take it?
Now, this Syrian news, highly significant. Both Saudi here, Riyadh and Qatar have been keenly involved in trying to support this new government
and its new President after the fall of Bashar al-Assad and his government back in December. The problem is that the country is under swinging
sanctions, particularly from the U.S.
[14:05:00]
A slew of sanctions, many of which come under what is known as the U.S. Caesar Act, which means that anybody doing business with the government or
in the past, Bashar al-Assad or anybody seen to be from outside of the country doing business with them, would be sanctioned. And that meant
anybody from this region, very specifically Saudi and Qatar, who were trying to provide some support for this new government, were worried about
the effect of secondary sanctions.
They would be -- they thought, penalized by this U.S. administration. They needed to see a change, and they`ve been pushing for that change. Last
month, for example, the Qataris were given a waiver to pay something like $29 million a month in grants to this new government in order to pay civil
servants salaries.
The place is on its knees, has no money in order to try and sort of work its way into a new era, reconstruct and really provide some stability for
Syrians and for the region that, frankly, hasn`t been available for not just the last, what? Fifteen years, but under the Assad administration of
old. So, this is really important news, and certainly suggests that Donald Trump has a different idea about how he might help provide peace and
regional stability going forward.
Look, the devil is in the detail. We don`t know which of those sanctions will be lifted, what the scope of those lifts will be. But this is
certainly a good start. You also heard him talk about Iran, those U.S.-Iran talks going on at present as well. And again, this is a Trump
administration doing something different in this region.
And that all matters to Riyadh, to Doha and to the UAE where the President will go next because regional stability is all important when it comes to
these countries seeing economic success in the future. Now, we did, as you say, see an awful lot of deals signed and certainly MOUs agreements in
principle to do business signed off today.
Let`s just take a look back at what this really important day look like.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): A royal welcome for U.S. President Donald Trump as he touched down in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. The gulf state putting on a
lavish reception to greet America`s self-styled deal-maker in chief. This is Trump`s first major overseas trip of his second term, and the guest list
made clear, business deals are top of the agenda. Tech CEOs and leaders of large U.S. firms joining Trump`s top political team in Riyadh.
TRUMP: We have the biggest business leaders in the world here tonight, and they`re going to walk away with a lot of checks for a lot of things that
you`re going to provide.
ANDERSON: This is Trump`s chance to prove himself a major deal-maker on the global stage. He suggested 2 million U.S. jobs could be created as part
of his visit.
MOHAMMED SOLIMAN, SENIOR FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: The region is the new Europe in the mindset of President Trump. Clearly, he sees this region
as a big priority area for his own economic agenda when it comes to securing deals for American companies that want to make sure that they have
access to overseas markets.
ANDERSON: While the fanfare was obvious, the finer details of what was signed not immediately clear, multiple economic, trade and defense
agreements, including the White House says, a $600 billion commitment from Riyadh to invest in the United States. Officials here, who have huge
economic ambitions themselves insist this is no blank check, saying the deals will bear fruit for both sides.
TRUMP: And I used trade to --
ANDERSON: In his keynote speech on Tuesday, Trump highlighted what he described as he, quote, "modern Middle East".
TRUMP: Before our eyes, a new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts of tired divisions of the past and forging a future where
the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos, where it exports technology, not terrorism, and where people of different nations, religions
and creeds are building cities together, not bombing each other.
ANDERSON: It was a welcome message to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman; the gulf state`s de facto ruler and a key Trump ally since the
President`s first-term in office. His visit here is the first on a four-day tour of energy rich gulf Arab nations.
[14:10:00]
TRUMP: Getting bigger and bigger --
ANDERSON: Next stop, Qatar and the UAE also keen to cast themselves as indispensable business partners and key intermediaries in conflicts from
Gaza to Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Isa, one expert in this region suggested to me that Riyadh, Doha and the UAE really tick all the boxes when it comes to Donald Trump`s
America First policy. This sort of transactional approach to business and investment, it suits the U.S. President, and he will tout these deals $600
billion worth of deals as real wins.
But this region wanted to see wins for itself, not just for these big economic projects that we have here, vision 2030 here in Saudi and
elsewhere. But real progress when it comes to regional stability, because you know, if there`s no stability in this region, these ambitious projects
frankly, aren`t going to work.
So, I think at the end of day one, certainly, the White House will have got its wins on these sort of big numbers, and this region, and very
specifically, the Crown Prince here, Mohammed bin Salman, will certainly, I would expect, feel pretty confident that this was a decent first day on
what is a two-day trip to Riyadh. Isa?
SOARES: And I know you`ll stay across it for us. Becky Anderson there for us in Riyadh. Thanks, Becky as always, great to see you. And we are going
to stay in the region. The World Health Organization calls it one of the world`s worst hunger crisis unfolding in real time. It says a new report
shows that without immediate action, Gaza faces a descent into famine.
But the agency says we don`t need to wait for a formal declaration to know that people are already starving to death while food trucks are minutes
away across the border. The W.H.O. contributed to a U.N.-backed report that finds all of Gaza`s suffering high levels of acute food insecurity, with 1
in 5 people facing starvation amid a total Israeli blockade on aid.
The Gaza Health Ministry says 57 children have died from malnutrition since the blockade began. The W.H.O. says that`s likely an underestimate. It says
those who survive could be impacted for life, warning an entire generation may be permanently affected. And this is something we have been hearing
throughout here on this show as I speak to NGOs and heads of NGOs in Gaza.
We`re also following news coming in the last what? In the last half hour or so about an Israeli strike on the European hospital in Gaza. Sources say
the target was Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar. He took charge, if you remember, of the militant group after the Israeli military killed his
brother Yahya Sinwar last October.
And these that you`re looking at, the first pictures that we are getting from the scene. I want to bring in our Jeremy Diamond, who is across all of
these lines for us from Tel Aviv. So, Jeremy, let me start right there. What are you learning about this strike on Sinwar? What are you hearing
from the IDF?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is an extraordinarily significant strike. And particularly if it was a successful
one from the Israeli military`s point of view. A senior Israeli official and two other sources familiar with the matter telling me that the Israeli
military did indeed target Mohammed Sinwar, Hamas` de facto leader in Gaza, in a strike on the European hospital in Khan Yunis.
According to hospital officials, the strike targeted the yard of the hospital, at least ten people have been killed, according to Gaza`s Civil
Defense, 16 others injured. But many more are indeed still believed to be beneath the rubble. This strike, targeting the head of Hamas in Gaza is
significant for its timing and also for its implications.
It comes just one day after Hamas agreed to unconditionally release the last living American it was holding hostage. The Israeli soldier Edan
Alexander, with the hope that, that goodwill gesture would trigger U.S. pressure in order to reach an agreement with Israel for a broader ceasefire
and hostage release deal.
But now, just one day after that all happened, after Israel was also, we should note, sidelined in those negotiations that happened with Hamas for
Edan Alexander, Israel is now targeting the man who would need to green- light any kind of hostage release deal from within the Gaza Strip, and that is indeed Mohammed Sinwar.
And so, this raises questions, of course, about Israel`s commitment to those negotiations and whether or not a deal can now be reached. If indeed,
Mohammed Sinwar was killed in this strike in time to avert what the Israeli Prime Minister has threatened as recently as today, which is a massive
expansion of the Israeli military`s operations in Gaza.
[14:15:00]
One that is expected to come as early as next week, and one that the Israeli Prime Minister said today is going to happen whether or not there
is a ceasefire deal and the release of a number of hostages that could only delay what he described as effectively an inevitable eventuality of Israel
going all out in Gaza in order to completely destroy the group and remove it from power in the Gaza Strip.
SOARES: Yes, the timing of this certainly significant, of course, the negotiations, like you said, Jeremy, about to start in Doha, Israeli team
en route, it will be interesting to see what comes out of this. I know you`ll stay across it. Any new developments you have in the following
hours, just do come back to us, Jeremy, thank you very much indeed.
Well, my next guest says President Trump needs to be both creative and presidential during his visit to the Middle East or while keeping his eyes
on the real prize, Saudi-Israeli normalization. Joining me now to discuss this is Bilal Saab. He`s the Senior Managing Director at TRENDS US and an
Associate Fellow at Chatham House.
Bilal, great to have you back on the show. We`ll talk about -- well, the -- what he saw in Saudi Arabia today and the deals and the transactions that
we`ve seen between Saudi Arabia and the United States. Let me first get your reaction to this news that Jeremy was just reporting that we`ve been
reporting here on this strike on Mohamed Sinwar; the de facto leader of Hamas.
We do not know if it was effective, just your reaction, the timing of this, given, of course, what is happening in the Middle East, given the fact that
a team was on the way to Qatar for negotiations.
BILAL SAAB, SENIOR MANAGING DIRECTOR, TRENDS US & ASSOCIATE FELLOW, CHATHAM HOUSE: Well, it`s hard to say that this would facilitate the negotiations.
It only --
SOARES: Yes --
SAAB: Complicates them if not overwhelms them, frankly, in Doha, the timing is quite unfortunate, but I`m pretty sure the Israelis have their
own logic as to why they targeted him. I`m guessing that they have an expectation that if they were to remove someone like this, that someone
else would step up and be perhaps a bit more flexible on achieving a broader hostage deal.
But I mean, that`s the logic, I`m not sure I agree with it. It is, frankly you know, big picture stuff, Isa. I think that Israel has to be viewed by
this administration, frankly, as one of the -- and I want to be very clear, this Israeli government --
SOARES: Yes --
SAAB: Is one of the biggest obstacles to everything President Trump is trying to do in the Middle East. And so, it`s about time we pulled the plug
on this experiment with the Bibi Netanyahu government. And this is only the latest example, frankly. The strike against this Hamas leader that does
nothing but complicate negotiations that are quite critical for moving forward on this very grueling conflict.
SOARES: Yes, indeed. In fact, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro said Sinwar was likely an obstacle in the negotiations -- and I`m
quoting him here. "There is little chance the war can end before he dies. His removal could open the door for the release of all hostages and
beginning to move forward toward a post-war future for Gaza without Hamas"
But that`s not what we`ve been hearing from the Netanyahu government. Netanyahu camp. They wanted to extend the war. They were putting -- you
know, they were putting the war, prioritizing the war over hostages. That`s very different from what we`ve been hearing throughout.
SAAB: I`ve never been able to reconcile the tension between conducting sporadic negotiations with Hamas and yet still being committed to the goal
of total annihilation of Hamas, dismantlement of its arsenal, defeating Hamas. So, that tension will always exist in Israeli policy. And this is
just once again, another example of how --
SOARES: Yes --
SAAB: That tension manifests itself in real life.
SOARES: Yes, and that`s very much domestic tensions, of course, given those -- more, the far-right within his party. Bilal, let`s turn to what we
saw today in Saudi Arabia as Becky Anderson there in Riyadh was outlining. Plenty of deals signed, but no wins, it seems --well, there were some wins,
but no big diplomatic foreign policy win.
When I`m thinking here, not -- I`m thinking Saudi-Israeli normalization, which is what your piece focused on even though we did hear President Trump
speak of his desire for Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords. How likely is this to happen in the Strip, given, of course, everything we`ve
just said that is ongoing in Gaza.
SAAB: Yes, unlikely, Isa. I thought I guess I was being a little bit more hopeful in my article, but it really depends on the metrics that you`re
looking at. If you want to start assessing wins and losses, if the metric was to secure those major economic deals and investments, then yes, it`s a
huge win, obviously.
But if you want to talk about diplomacy, you want to talk about hard issues that have to do with the security of the region, the -- ending the fighting
in Gaza, coming up with some kind of a resolution on the Iranian nuclear program, it`s hard to say that there is much progress there beyond words,
obviously, expressed by the President in terms of offering an ultimatum to the Iranians.
[14:20:00]
So, once again, it depends on what you`re looking at and how you`re assessing this whole thing.
SOARES: One big win -- well, one notable win, I should say, and you give me your take on this, Bilal, is a decision to lift sanctions on Syria, to,
quote, "give them a chance at greatness." I think that took many by surprise, it was met with applause as you heard our Becky Anderson say,
obviously the devil is in the details, we do not know what sanctions will be lifted here. Speak of the challenges because both are meeting
potentially, I think tomorrow.
SAAB: Yes, I`ll be honest with you. I was a little bit surprised, I didn`t see that one coming, because I thought that the Americans, the Europeans
and obviously the Arabs were quite nervous about this enigmatic de facto President of Ahmed al-Sharaa, who not too long ago was, you know,
designated as a terrorist leader, right? As a Jihadist leader.
And so, I expected this to take a little bit longer, but OK, now that we`re here -- I mean, this is going to facilitate a good bit of diplomacy on the
part of the Arabs, obviously led by Saudi Arabia and the Qataris, who have clearly a vested interest in investing in the reconstruction of Syria, and
also that opens the door also for U.S. investments in Syria.
So, yes, I`m looking forward to what this really opens up in terms of broader big policy issues. We -- the future of Syria relations with Israel,
his broader legitimacy has been Ahmed al-Sharaa because, you know, he`s lacking some of it inside Syria. He doesn`t control all of the country. But
this could open up a bunch of issues that could really help out the very young and inexperienced leader in Damascus.
SOARES: Bilal, always great to get your insight, thanks very much, Bilal, good to see you.
SAAB: Yes --
SOARES: And still to come tonight, the ex-girlfriend of Sean "Diddy" Combs takes the stand in his sex-trafficking trial. We`ll take a look at her
dramatic testimony and the impact it could have on the case. And then President Zelenskyy says he will only join potential talks between Russia
and Ukraine this week if President Putin is present. We`ll have a live report from Kyiv after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. It`s been a dramatic day of testimony in the Sean "Diddy" Combs sex-trafficking case. His ex-girlfriend, Cassie
Ventura has been on the witness stand to explain her relationship with the music mogul. She described their sexual freak-offs and how she couldn`t
refuse Combs` demands.
[14:25:00]
Combs has pleaded not guilty to federal charges, including racketeering and sex-trafficking. Here`s what CNN`S Leigh Waldman had to say with the
latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The prosecution`s star witness, Cassie Ventura has finally taken the stand in the federal trial
against Sean "Diddy" Combs, who is facing charges of sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Immediately, Ventura identified the defendant,
Combs, as her ex-boyfriend of more than ten years, describing physical abuse throughout the course of their relationship, including hitting,
kicking and dragging, something that she said happened far too frequently.
It quickly turned to those freak-offs that we`ve heard so much about. Ventura said, quote, "within the first year of our relationship, he
proposed the idea, this sexual encounter that he called voyeurism, where he would watch me in intercourse with a third party, specifically with another
man."
At some point, she said, they happened so frequently, and it became her job to set them up where they`d happen and with who. But in the beginning, she
said, quote, "Sean was in charge". Ventura testified she felt like she didn`t want to keep participating in the encounters, but felt like she had
to because she loved Combs, and that`s what he wanted, and her career was in his hands.
She said she was also worried about the recordings that they would be leaked to the public. She said she also briefly touched on the 2016 hotel
incident, where she`s seen been kicked and dragged by Combs in a hallway. She said this was following one of their freak-offs and she just wanted to
leave.
And we`re expecting that her testimony will continue into Wednesday. She is being supported in that courtroom by her family and by also her husband.
The defense, they revealed their strategy is to say that the violence was mutual in this relationship, not only by Combs, but also by Ventura, and
that she was a willing participant in these freak-offs.
They are citing the frequency happening and that she participated in them for more than ten years. In New York, I`m Leigh Waldman.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Thanks very much, Leigh. Let`s get more on this, joining us now is attorney and legal affairs commentator Areva Martin. Areva, great to have
you back on the show. Let me start with what we heard from Cassie Ventura and what -- you know, what we heard from her today in particular. She told
the jury that Combs had quote, "control over what I was doing every minute of the day." Just explain to our viewers around the world why her testimony
is so central, so crucial to this case.
AREVA MARTIN, ATTORNEY & LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Well, Isa, typically in a case like this, you would have an FBI agent or some law enforcement
agent take the stand and kind of walk the jury through the crime that had been committed. But in this case, the prosecution chose to use Cassie
Ventura as its star witness.
So, she`s walking that jury through the crime, the sex-trafficking, the racketeering charges that have been filed against Sean "Diddy" Combs. And
then there will be other witnesses that will come forward to corroborate what she has testified to her testimony today, explosive, shocking,
horrific details of these freak-offs of the imbalance of power, I think that`s one thing we should really keep in mind in this case.
She was 19 years old when she met him. He was already 37 years old. He controlled her entire career as she testified to, not only her career, but
pretty much everything about her person, her look. She said they frequently talked about her looks and her maintaining a certain standard for him,
because looks were very important to him.
He controlled where she went, who she spent time with. She talked about the incessant phone calls throughout the day and how she had to respond to
those phone calls, and if she didn`t, how he would withdraw things from her like electronics, like her vehicle. He would send his security guards and
others out to look for her.
So, I think the prosecution did an excellent job today of laying the foundation of this control of the coercion that is central to their
racketeering case.
SOARES: Yes, absolutely chilling, as you lay it out for us here, and from what we heard, and I`m guessing central to this, Areva as well, and to the
central question in this case is whether this was coercion, this was consent. Her testimony today chilling, as you said, powerful, but crucial
also. What will be then, the goal of the defense, given what you`ve just outlined?
MARTIN: The defense is what -- yes, the defense is going to point to the fact that this was a ten-year relationship, that she wasn`t an adult.
They`re going to allege that she consented to this conduct, that she had opportunities to leave, but she chose not to. But I think that argument is
going to fail for several reasons.
One, she`s already laid the foundation that he controlled her career, that he controlled her, her movement, her freedom, her liberties by withdrawing
things from her, such as her vehicle, jewelry, other things that he had given to her. And also, she testified about loving him and wanting to
please him.
I mean, there`s going to be a psychological expert witness that will come forward, that will talk about the kind of syndrome that Cassie Ventura and
other women suffer from when they are in these relationships with powerful men, and when these powerful men control every aspect of their lives, and
they feel they can`t leave, they feel like leaving would subject them to further retribution. We heard about the horrific violence that she
experienced, and I suspect she will talk about her fear of leaving, fear of being blackmailed. She said she maintained some of the electronic devices
for fear that these freak offs, these videos would be leaked to the public.
So, it`s not as simple as she was an adult and she could have left the relationship. This was emotional torture that kept her in this relationship
for that long period of time.
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: So, we heard this powerful testimony in the same time jurors were watching, have watched the hotel surveillance
that we just played out. Every time I see it, it sends chills in the back of my spine. You know, how impactful, Areva, would that be together with
what we are hearing,
MARTIN: Well, I think it shows the level of violence that Sean Diddy Combs would engage in. It shows that this wasn`t just someone being pushed up
against the wall or someone being yelled at, this was someone who was literally being kicked and punched, who suffered severe injuries as a
result of these beatings and that they were, as she testified, frequent beatings.
So, again, this notion that she could have just left this relationship, I don`t think is going to land with this jury, I don`t think it`s going to
resonate because they`ve already seen what he`s capable of. They know that he`s capable of extreme violence.
So, I think her testimony about being fearful of leaving, of feeling controlled, feeling as if she had no choice is going to be powerful for
this jury.
SOARES: Areva Martin, really appreciate you laying it all out for us. Thanks, Areva. Now, complications swirl around proposed peace talks between
Russia and Ukraine. We are in Kyiv with the latest on who is expected to attend the talks and who is still in unconfirmed. Have a guess.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:35:00]
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is laying out his main goal for planned possible talks in Turkey, and number
one he says is a 30-day unconditional ceasefire with Russia. He says he will only engage in direct talks with Russia if it is in face-to-face
meeting with President Putin. So, far, that is far from assured since President Putin has not confirmed his attendance in Turkey.
U.S. officials will be at the potential talks and President Trump says there`s a possibility he may fly in, but that depends largely on whether
the Russian president will be in Turkey, according to a senior White House official. President Trump last hour did confirm that Secretary of State
Marco Rubio will travel to Istanbul for the potential talks.
Our Nick Paton Walsh is with us from Kyiv this hour. So, Nick, President Zelenskyy putting yet more pressure on President Putin, calling his bluff
of sorts. Just talk us through what you are hearing from President Zelenskyy. I understand you`ve been able to speak him today.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, it was quite clear that he wanted to leave no room for what he
referred to manipulation, essentially maneuver for the Kremlin to not attend this particular meeting. And it`s clear too from hearing President
Trump`s speak yesterday when he referred to how he thought the two leaders would be there that there is perhaps a White House hope that indeed that
could actually occur.
As Zelenskyy was clear that not only would he go to anchor Ankara, the Turkish capital, to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and that is indeed
Putin suggested he`d be an Istanbul. The two presidents of Ukraine and Turkey would fly to there for the meeting, not trying to leave any major
ability for Putin to have a reason not to go through with this particular summit.
But he also laid out essentially, well, I think the least he wants to see from this meeting if indeed it does happen. Here`s what he said to me
earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALSH: If this meeting does go ahead and does not result in an immediate 30-day ceasefire, will you consider that to have been a failure?
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: No, of course. It`s meant that Russia is not ready for diplomacy. It`s meant only one side. It`s only
about Russia. What has been, if they will not come -- if Putin will not come, or if ceasefire will not be supported by Russians, by Putin, exactly
by him. So, it`s been only one thing that Russia is not ready for any kind of negotiation.
No time for playing games on the technical level and et cetera. It`s meant -- it means that they -- also -- I mean, this supportive, all of these
things, and it`s meant only one thing, that we need to be more strong, unite, and tough on them.
And today, I see only one thing, sanctions. Of course. Of course. If I will have connection with the President Trump, of course not only sanctions and
I will tell him, so you, you see that we need that sanctions have to be powerful and we need a little bit time for this. When sanctions be -- will
have influence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALSH: Now, I think there had been an expectation, certainly on Saturday hearing European leaders set the deadline for an unconditional 30-day
ceasefire that expired on Monday and that Russia did not meet those sanctions were coming after that. But it seems to be that this offer by
Putin of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul has now morphed through Zelenskyy`s offer to attend in person into this sort of
moments of probably quite significant consequence, frankly for diplomacy here.
If Putin doesn`t attend, I think it`s fair to say that Trump will probably share an opinion roughly close to Zelenskyy there, that it`s a sign Russia
is less interested in peace. Indeed, Trump suggested that in a recent social media posting.
So, it`s still early at this point. There are some indications that we may be looking at a foreign minister, secretary of state type level preparation
at the moment, but still, Zelenskyy will be there. He was clear in that meeting that he won`t attend something that doesn`t have Putin in it, or he
certainly hasn`t made plans to, and there is, of course, an expectation or a hope that Trump will come in if Putin does indeed arrive.
But just you remember, Isa, you know, these extraordinary high stakes last- minute diplomacy here. And it is, I think, perhaps reflective of what many critics of Moscow will say is how not genuine they are about peace
negotiations.
[14:40:00]
If you want to talk peace and you have an offer like this, you say, yes, I will go. But this last-minute nature of it all perhaps is a reflection of
how Putin is essentially playing for time here.
And also remember too, these three men, if they do meet, to say they have a colorful history is massively understating it. You know, we know about the
Zelenskyy-Trump issue in the Oval Office. They seem to have gotten over that and recrafted their relationship. Trump and Putin`s relationship
beyond complex and opaque. And then, of course, Zelenskyy and Putin simply, openly despise each other.
So, even if they do get together, that`s no guarantee of progress. But Zelenskyy clear there, it certainly needs to result in a ceasefire or he
will consider that, and I`m sure his European allies too will consider that a sign that Moscow simply isn`t into diplomacy.
SOARES: Yes. Well, let`s see. They`ve -- they even get together in the first place, the ball very much now in Putin`s court. Nick, appreciated as
always.
And still to come tonight, a new CNN investigation finds that Russia`s straining social media influencers to keep its grip on the occupied port
city of Mariupol. That report from my Clare Sebastian after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well in Russian-occupied Mariupol, social media influencers are painting a rosy picture of life. Under Moscow`s role, a new CNN
investigation reveals that residents there, including school children, are being trained to become content creators with support from the Kremlin. Our
Clare Sebastian has this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This Blogger School in Russian-occupied Mariupol. Complete with beanbags and a selfie mirror. Run
by a project called the Donbas Media Center. It offers free tuition and new skills.
Pavel Karbovsky, one of the teachers only launched his own social channels two and a half years ago.
He tells me the school founded by a pro-Kremlin news outlet is not political. And yet, the same can`t be said for his own posts to his now
36,000 TikTok followers.
Just look at what Russia is getting up to in Mariupol, he says here. Oh, wait, they`re building, not demolishing. This Mariupol, our Russian town.
PAVEL KARBOVSKY, TEACHER, DONBASS MEDIA CENTRE (through translator): My key goal is to show what`s happening here. To show the truth so people stop
forming their opinion on Donbas by reading Ukrainian comments, which say that this Ukraine. It isn`t. Why we have Russian flags here, Russian
passports and Russian laws?
[14:45:00]
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Three years after Russia laid siege to Mariupol, destroying, according to the U.N., an estimated 90 percent of residential
buildings and killing Ukrainian officials believe around 20,000 civilians accusing Russia of disposing of bodies to cover up war crimes, which the
Kremlin denies.
Mariupol is a key strategic priority for Putin. He even visited two years ago to highlight the rebuilding efforts. And Moscow is now increasingly
looking to social media. There`s a subtle though powerful propaganda tool in these regions.
In January, Karbovsky was part of a group of Donetsk influencers invited to meet with Denis Pushilin, the Russian installed head of the Donetsk
People`s Republic.
Not everyone understands the scale of the work that`s happening, he told them. The implication they can change that.
And it`s clear. Revival videos, good clicks, some are couched in lifestyle content, well stocked grocery stores or stylish new cafes, others directly
focused on the reconstruction, the drama theater flattened by a Russian attack three years ago as hundreds of civilians took shelter.
And look, how beautiful, says this vlogger who goes by Masha from Mariupol, showing off brand-new apartment buildings at sunset.
Mariupol`s Ukrainian mayor in exile says it`s an illusion, one, which he believes won`t work.
VADYM BOICHENKO, MARIUPOL`S UKRAINIAN EXILED MAYOR (through translator): This propaganda, these made-up clips that they are doing now in Mariupol
will not help. Russia has committed a crime in Mariupol, and the people of Mariupol know it.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Satellite images do show massive reconstruction and not only in the city center. What they don`t show is who gets to live
there.
Multiple videos like this are now also circulating, a direct appeal to Putin by former residents of a heavily damaged Eastern Mariupol
neighborhood who say they are still homeless. Russians meanwhile are being lured to the city with state-sponsored mortgage rates at least 10 times
lower than the market average. And perhaps by content creators like this.
21-year-old Elizaveta Chervyakova born in Mariupol, unboxing her gifts from the Donbas Media Centre`s Blogger School. She was one of a select few who
completed the course awarded with a trip to Moscow to meet top Russian influencers.
ELIZAVETA CHERVYAKOVA, CONTENT CREATOR (through translator): I met guys I had never known before, and it`s clear, especially with the Donetsk
fellows, that they are showcasing their city, the photos and videos and watching those I thought, I want to do that too.
Her own city she accepts is now Russian. Making her part of a generation of Ukrainians Moscow is hoping will help convince others to accept that too.
Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And our thanks to Clare for that report. And still to come tonight, Kim Kardashian takes the stand sharing details of a 2016 Paris
robbery. We`re live outside the courtroom with the details, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:00]
SOARES: Well, U.S. reality star Kim Kardashian testified before Paris Court, just a short while ago, detailing her 2016 ordeal. Burglars broke
into a hotel room, held her at a gunpoint, and stole nearly $10 million in cash and jewelry. The defendants, nine men and one woman whose ages ranged
from 35 to 78.
During her testimony Kardashian recalls how her hands and legs were tied up and how she begged the assailants not to kill her. She told one of the
defendants who wrote her a letter that she forgave him.
Let`s get more from this. Monitoring all of this for us is Saskya Vandoorne who`s in Paris. And, Saskya, this must have been incredibly distressing for
her. It was the first time that she was face-to-face with the robbers who held her at gunpoint. Just walk us through what we heard today from her in
court.
SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Yes, Isa. It was a long and emotional day for Kim Kardashian and she testified for almost five hours.
And most of that she did standing. It was only at the end when she was visibly drained that she asked to sit down.
And we really were transported back inside that hotel room nine years ago where she said she thought she was going to be raped. She thought she was
going to be killed. She spoke about her sister, Kourtney, who at the time was clubbing when the robbery was taking place, and she was worried that
she was going to come back and find her dead on the bed.
As you said, Isa, it was a very violent heist. Kardashian describing how she was. Duct taped. She was handcuffed and she was placed in the bath.
Inside that courtroom, 10 people on trial, nine men and one woman. 68-year- old alleged ringleader, Aomar Ait Khedache. Now, there was quite an emotional moment in the courtroom when the judge read out a letter written
by Khedache where he asked for forgiveness. And Kim Kardashian responded, take a listen to what she had to say. I`ll read it out for you. She said, I
believe so much in second chances and I meet people who have done horrible crimes and I try to have empathy for them. But I do also fight for victims
who have been through horrific crimes. And she then forgave him.
Kardashian also spoke about the trial giving her closure that even though it had been nine years she was happy that she was there today to really for
to make sure that this was over, that there was closure there. Isa.
SOARES: Yes. And that is so important. I imagine that must have been incredibly difficult for her. But of course, as we know, she has done a lot
of work in terms of rehabilitating prisoners. This something that we have covered here on CNN. What happens next then, Saskya?
VANDOORNE: Yes. So, we expect the verdict on May 23rd. Two of the defendants have pleaded guilty to some of the charges, but the remaining
eight say that they had no part in the heist whatsoever. And Kim Kardashian has said herself that this robbery really did change her life. That now
she`s much more careful about what she posts online and that she pays a lot more attention to her security. Isa.
SOARES: Saskya Vandoorne for us this evening in Paris. Thanks very much, Saskya. Good to see you. And we do want to stay in Paris with another court
found Gerard Depardieu guilty of sexual assault. The French actor was accused of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021 and was
handed an 18-month suspended prison sentence. Depardieu repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. And his lawyer said, he would appeal the sentence. His case
is one of the most prominent of the MeToo movement in France.
[14:55:00]
The actor who was not present during the ruling has faced a growing number of sexual allegations in recent years, putting a spotlight on how women are
treated in the film industry.
Plus, celebrities and Hollywood stars flock to the French city of Cannes for the annual film festival. Some of them may have needed to change their
outfit plans. This year`s organizers have banned wearing nude dresses on the red carpet, and why would you, and in any other areas of the festival.
The dress code was changed today, just 24 hours before the start of the event, and it bans any sort of attire that would expose nudity. Organizers
say the decision was taken for decency reasons.
And finally, better kind of outfits, I think. Sequence, catchy music and lots of surprises. The 2025 Eurovision party starts tonight with the first
semi-final kicking off later this evening. Thousands of fans have started to arrive in the City of Basel, that`s in Switzerland, after the country
won the competition last year, from Sweden`s entry focused on saunas, to a song about Laika, the Soviet space dog.
The 69th Eurovision song contest truly has something for everyone. Millions are expected to tune in this week across Europe as well and beyond.
That does it for me for tonight. Thank you very much for your company. Do stay right here though, "What We Know," what we don`t know, what we need to
know with Max Foster is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
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