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Isa Soares Tonight

President Trump Weighs Options For A Potential U.S. Military Operation Inside Venezuela; Trump Says He Has Instructed The Justice Department To Investigate Democrats' Ties To Epstein; Heavy Night Of Russian Strikes Leave At Least Six Dead And Dozens More Injured In Kyiv; U.S. Builds Military Presence As Venezuela Calls For Peace; Chinese Astronauts Back On Earth After Being Stranded In Space. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired November 14, 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 weighs

options for a potential U.S. military operation inside Venezuela. We'll have reaction from Caracas and from Washington. Then, ahead of next week's

vote on the Epstein files, Mr. Trump says he's instructing the U.S. Justice Department to investigate ties between Epstein and his political rivals.

Plus, a heavy night of Russian strikes leave at least six dead and dozens more injured in Kyiv, and Ukraine attacks a key Russian oil depot. The

chair of Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Committee will join me later. But first, tonight, we'll begin in the Caribbean where the U.S. is stacking up its

military assets, raising serious questions as to whether Washington is about to strike inside Venezuela. This is what we know so far.

Sources say President Trump is contemplating a path forward after briefings this week on options for military action. The rhetoric, though, is being

matched by military hardware. We are seeing a staggering show of force, U.S. military force in the region with America's largest as well as most

advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford now in theater.

The strike group accompanying the Ford brings with it nine air squadrons, two Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, that's the USS

Bainbridge and the USS Mahan, as well as the integrated air and missile defense command ship USS Winston S. Churchill. And it's not just ships and

warplanes we are seeing.

The U.S. has shared this image of a marine expeditionary unit training on the USS Iwo Jima, Iwo Jima. These troops, in theory, by the way, could be

used as the first wave of a ground invasion. Meantime, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro tells CNN, and my colleague we'll go to him in just a

moment, Stefano Pozzebon, he wants peace.

Pressure clearly growing on him, too, as the U.S. continues to go after alleged drug boats. Since early September, at least 80 people have been

killed across 20 known strikes in the eastern Pacific ocean as well as the Caribbean sea. And we are covering this story for you from the U.S. and

from Venezuela this hour.

Stefano Pozzebon is live for us in Caracas. Our U.S. security correspondent Kylie Atwood joins me now from Washington D.C. Kylie, let me start with you

this hour. We are seeing -- we just outlined that for our viewers, a significant show of force from the United States. Clearly, way more than

really needed to strike drug vessels. So, the question is now -- I wonder if it's a question of when rather than if. What are you hearing?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That is certainly the belief amongst many folks here in Washington. While the administration is still

not saying that they are definitively going to be carrying out strikes on land inside of Venezuela, President Trump in recent weeks had indicated

that, that was a possibility.

In more recent weeks, he has indicated that he's just not going to talk about that. When it comes to what lawmakers on Capitol Hill are being told,

just last week, with a briefing with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense, they were told that there were no current plans being

developed for targeting strikes inside of Venezuela.

However, we do know, as you said in the opening there, that President Trump was briefed this week on military options that could be carried out inside

Venezuela. And we do know that there are a multitude of options that have been drafted by the Pentagon, potentially taking out drug operators inside

Venezuela. Some military targets inside Venezuela.

Of course, the administration says all of their efforts right now on these drug boats along the coast are an effort to drive down drug-trafficking in

the region. But we also know that privately, administration officials have expressed an interest in ousting Maduro himself. So, we're trying to see

what happens here.

This military build-up does indicate that any U.S. action could be closer than it was perhaps two weeks ago before that aircraft carrier arrived to

the region.

[14:05:00]

So, this is simply a space that we continue to watch very carefully. It's not necessarily inevitable, however, that President Trump does authorize

the possibility of these strikes inside Venezuela. And it's also worth considering that at this point, our reporting is that, the administration

has not yet drafted up the legal justification for carrying out those land strikes inside Venezuela.

They have drafted up what they view as legal justification at the Department of Justice for the strikes that they had carried out on those

drug boats. But even that legal justification has come under major scrutiny by lawmakers who have been briefed on it.

SOARES: Yes, on both sides of the aisle from what I've heard. Stay with us, Kylie. Let me go to Stefano, who is in Caracas. Stefano, we have heard

Maduro and his team being very adamant, haven't we? That this wasn't about drugs, that this is about regime change. Give us a sense of how he's

responding. I know yesterday you were at a Maduro rally.

You were able to speak to him. How is he responding? And more importantly, given what we heard from Kylie and the military show of force near

Venezuela, how is Venezuela preparing?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, Isa, well, I think that in our exchange with Maduro, more than what he actually had to say. What stood out

is how it played out, because we've heard from Maduro multiple times. He has a weekly TV show. He put himself on television here in Venezuela

several times a week.

And in the last three and a half months or so since this deployment in the Caribbean has built -- started to build up back in August, his message has

always been consistent to Donald Trump. Let's sit down. Let's make business. Let's try to avoid a war. And that will be catastrophic for the

hemisphere. However, what we asked him yesterday, it's important to show where that happened and have a look at how it played out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON (through translator): What is your message to the people of the United States, President?

MADURO: To unite for the peace of the continent. No more endless wars, no more unjust wars, no more Libya, no more Afghanistan.

POZZEBON: Do you have a message for President Trump?

MADURO: My message is, yes, peace, yes, peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON: Let's not look at what Maduro said, but actually what was happening there. We were in a street in Caracas, an open street with

hundreds, I wouldn't say it was a massive rally of Maduro supporters. It was a fairly small enterprise around there. It was about a few hundred,

maybe a small, a few thousands of people back yesterday.

He decided to arrive. He decided to join this concentration and to give a speech. We grabbed him just before he gave the speech, but it was very easy

to reach to him. He was surrounded by maybe a couple of dozens of security officers, of course, but we were able to actually approach him fairly

easily. And that is what I think is standing out, that this is a man who is not just a sitting head of state, but he's also a man with a $50 million

bounty on his head, Isa.

And we were able, just as a normal news crew here in Caracas, to approach him. So that is, I think, the message that he wanted to send to Washington,

perhaps the message is come and get me. You know where I am, showing that he's not afraid to go out on the streets. He's not afraid to be seen

surrounded by regular people.

And he's definitely not prepared to bend down to the pressure that is coming from Washington, because we do feel here in Caracas, this pressure.

There is an atmosphere of tension, especially with the arrival of the Gerald Ford is on everyone's mouth. People share that -- those information

on social media, on WhatsApp, which seems to rule the day here in Venezuela or simply just by chatting between friends and neighbors.

It is the dominant story at the moment, other than, of course, the dramatic economic condition that Venezuela keeps to be embattled with. But at the

same time, the image from Miraflores, from the presidential palace is that Maduro wants to portray himself firmly in control. And we want to know how

long will it last, if indeed Donald Trump decides and makes that decision to hit Venezuela?

SOARES: Stefano for us, and Kylie was for us in Washington. Thank you very much to you both. We'll have more on the military assets in the region in

about 30 minutes time. I'll be speaking with an expert who has been studying Venezuelan military affairs for more than ten years, Andrei Serbin

Pont joins me to discuss how much of a fight Venezuela's military can put up, and how likely allies are to come to Maduro's rescue.

The likes of Iran, of China and Russia. But first, I want to stay with this story. Is President Trump angling for regime change in Venezuela and what

that would look like? I think that is a question like you heard from my conversation with Kylie. It's not a question of 'if', but 'when'. Joining

me now is Brian Winter; the Editor-in-Chief of Americas Quarterly and the Vice President of Policy at Americas Society and Council of the Americas.

[14:10:00]

Brian, great to have you back on the show. He's a well-known face here on the show. You heard I'm sure -- I'm hoping that you heard Kylie there and

Stefano on the ground in Caracas. Look, you and I have covered the Venezuelan crisis or crises many times. I, for one, Brian, I haven't seen

kind of this level of military hardware.

We've seen a military pressure in the first Trump term, but nothing like this level of military hardware off the coast of Venezuela. How do you read

this moment right now? Is the U.S. likely to strike inside Venezuela?

BRIAN WINTER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, AMERICA'S QUATERLY & VICE PRESIDENT OF POLICY, AMERICAS SOCIETY/COUNCIL OF THE AMERICAS: Well, you're right, Isa,

we haven't seen anything like this anywhere in Latin America for more than 30 years. Not since the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989. Look, to the

question of what President Trump is likely to do.

It seems like a question of when, not if, we will see some kind of missile strikes in Venezuela. Either guided missiles, potentially bombs dropped

from airplanes overhead. President Trump has indicated on numerous occasions that's what he's likely to do. I think the question, the big

question, though, that we don't know the answer to is, what he is likely to target.

SOARES: Yes --

WINTER: Will he target some drug labs in rather distant regions of Venezuela near the border with Colombia, potentially, and call it a day? Or

is he more likely to order strikes against civil military targets within Venezuela that could actually be targeting the Venezuelan military, and

therefore designed to at least trigger the potential for some kind of regime change.

SOARES: So, possibly another, if he goes in -- and I will talk military in about 20 minutes or so, he could go in lighter, potentially trying to

rattle, I'm guessing Brian, some of the inner circle, Maduro's inner circle, which would be part of the strategy. But let me -- let me get your

take on the timing of this, because yesterday on the show, I was speaking to Jimmy Story who is the former ambassador -- the U.S. Ambassador to

Venezuela.

And he told me, is -- let me get the, quote, "the possibility that he will take action" -- President Trump -- "will happen relatively quickly I think

in 30 days." Why now? What's changed?

WINTER: Well, it's in a little bit of a use it or lose it moment with the arrival of this big aircraft carrier. It would be very odd for President

Trump to not escalate this fight in some way. But you know, it's understandable if he had some doubts as well. And some of his recent

statements where they've asked him about the possibility of regime-change, you know, asking if Maduro, if his days are numbered.

And the President has replied essentially, yes, I think so, in a way that was a bit ambiguous, but may have revealed some kind of doubt. He felt

burned during his first term by the Venezuelan opposition. Under different circumstances, without anything approaching this kind of military presence

in the Caribbean, President Trump did do everything in his power to try to ensure some kind of regime change.

And unfortunately, we were never particularly close to getting it done. The interim president at the time, Juan Guaido was never able to take anything

resembling power. And we read in the memoirs of John Bolton and others after the first term was over, that President Trump felt personally burned

by that experience.

And so, you know, the circumstances are different now. You have an opposition leader in Maria Corina Machado who just won the Nobel Prize, and

has shown tremendous leadership. Her candidate won an election last year, was not allowed to take office. So, you can make these arguments --

SOARES: Yes --

WINTER: That things are different. But you'd understand if President Trump still had some doubts.

SOARES: Look, and there is a question, a big question over violation of international law and sovereignty that many will no doubt be debating. But

there's also another question. I think this is something that I really want to tap into your expertise. If the U.S. tries to dislodge or if it's

successful in dislodging Maduro, unseating, of course, a dictator, do you - - how do they expunge Chavismo? Is that straightforward here?

WINTER: Well, look, I mean, I think on the one hand, the -- to get there is going to be hard --

SOARES: Yes --

WINTER: Without U.S. boots on the ground. And I do think that, that scenario is pretty much off the table. I don't think President Trump's base

would tolerate the risk that would be implied in Venezuela if U.S. troops were actually there in Venezuelan territory, a much less for the meaningful

amount of time that would potentially be required to take and then hold power on behalf of the opposition.

So, even getting to that point, I think is very dubious. And then after that, you know, we'll see. It's just not clear what the situation would

look like with the Venezuelan military. It's clear that President Maduro does not have the support of the Venezuelan population. We saw that in the

elections last year, which he lost, and then essentially buried the result.

[14:15:00]

But it's very uncertain, and I think -- I do think that in the next 30 days or so, we're going to see finally the next step in this confrontation.

SOARES: Yes, same time this, you know, the -- there's so much cautionary tales, aren't there in -- of regime change, operations going wrong in Latin

America and South America. Brian, as always, great to see you, thank you very much indeed. Now, U.S. President --

WINTER: Pleasure(ph) --

SOARES: Donald Trump is asking the Justice Department to investigate Jeffrey Epstein's ties to high profile figures, as well as institutions. In

a post on social media, the President says he's asking Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate the convicted sex offender's relationship with people

like former President Bill Clinton.

He also wants an investigation into Epstein's ties to bank JPMorgan Chase. In an earlier post, President Trump once again said the Epstein scandal is

just a distraction as you can see there, saying Epstein was a Democrat and he's a Democrat's problem, not the Republicans problem. Joining us now from

Washington is CNN's Kristen Holmes.

Kristen, the President clearly fuming, frustrated at these Epstein e-mails, which he has repeatedly called -- and his administration have called a

hoax. And now he's turning on the Democrats. Talk us through what we're likely to see here in terms of investigation and any response, be it from

JPMorgan Chase or from indeed, from Bill Clinton.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so in terms of the actual figures, the prominent Democrats which we haven't heard a

response there. We did hear from JPMorgan Chase saying that the bank had cut all of its ties with Jeffrey Epstein before any allegations were made

against Epstein.

But really larger here, taking a look at this. This is a shift in strategy for President Trump. What we have seen time-and-time again over the last

several months is a President who has been on the defense. It has been a White House that has been responding to stories, and they never have really

been able to get ahead of it or even get around the story itself.

All of their attempts to try and kill this story, or to try and put it on the back burner have been successful. So, we have learned that at recent

days, President Trump has been told by at least one ally on Capitol Hill that he was getting bad advice when it came to handling these Epstein files

and the case in general, particularly when it came to the idea of delaying and denying.

That is not new. We have heard this from allies now for months, who have been trying to get President Trump to be more transparent, to fight this

head on. Even, in fact, yesterday, before we learned this part, particularly, I was told by some conservative media hosts, high profile

ones, that they were hoping President Trump would shift his strategy and come out against Democrats.

Remember the names of the people he listed were in these e-mails along with his name, that were released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee.

So, where this goes, that's the big question. We haven't heard from the Justice Department as to what this kind of investigation would actually

even look like.

But it is clear that President Trump is trying to shift the strategy here. And one interesting part of all of this is, yes, we have been hearing from

allies that have been telling him he's getting bad advice, but really, when it comes down to it, I have been told by White House officials and by

sources close to Trump that he himself is the one who has been coming up with the plan that has been dictating what the response is going to look

like. He now, clearly he's shifting gears.

SOARES: Yes, shifting the strategy, trying to control the narrative, that is clear. Kristen, thank you very much indeed. Well, the "BBC" have

apologized to U.S. President Donald Trump after he threatened to sue them for $1 billion over their edit of a speech he made in a documentary by the

broadcaster his January -- on January 6th, 2021 speech was spliced together in a way that the President's lawyers are describing as false and

defamatory.

British newspaper "The Telegraph" is accusing "BBC" of also editing this same speech in a similar fashion in another program from 2022. A

spokesperson for the broadcaster said that despite the apology, they strongly reject any basis of a defamation claim, rebuffing Trump's demands

for compensation.

We are following a story out of Sweden, a bus crash in Stockholm has killed several people and it happened earlier on Friday when a bus hit a bus stop,

you can see there, according to police spokesperson, the crash is being investigated as involuntary manslaughter. The bus driver has been arrested

by police, said that's routine in this type of incident.

They say there is no information pointing it to being an attack. We'll stay on top of this developing story for you. And still to come tonight, is

their only shelter, but sleep became impossible after heavy rain flooded their tents. A difficult situation gets even more unbearable for displaced

civilians in Gaza. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:20:00]

SOARES: The charity, Medical Aid for Palestinians says today has been one of the hardest days in Gaza since the ceasefire began. Heavy rains flooded

the tents of displaced families, you can see there, drenching mattresses, blankets and clothing, virtually everything they have. They were awakened

by the water pouring in, some forced to stand throughout the night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We were on edge, waiting every minute to see whether the tents would collapse on our heads, and we would

drown in the water. We didn't quite believe it until the morning that we had to look after our children in these conditions. There are children

here, as you can see, this child was submerged in the water.

We carried some of the children, and some of the children have been working to get rid of the water. This is our situation and it's actually harder

than the displacement itself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): How are we supposed to manage at night? The mats are all soaked and the blankets, the mats, the bedding and

the floor too. Where are we supposed to sleep? Where can we go? Where can we escape from this situation? Look at us, people, are you just watching

what's happening to us?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, Gaza's Civil Defense says it received hundreds of pleas for help, but resources are virtually non-existent. The U.N. estimates nearly

1.5 million Palestinians need emergency shelter items. But Israel is allowing just a fraction of that aid in. Our Nic Robertson is following

this story for us from Jerusalem and joins us now.

Nic, conditions, of course, you know, viewers will know this war already dire, uninhabitable in many cases. And Palestinians have been repeatedly

displaced. Bring us just up-to-date with the very latest. And why there's such a shortage. Why Israel is not allowing resources in?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATTIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, the headline here is the first big rainstorm of the season. Ten centimeters of rain, about 4

inches falling, began about 2:30 in the morning, and that's why people were in their beds. That's why their bedding got saturated, but it got saturated

because they were in ragtag tents or buildings that have got leaks.

The U.N. estimates that 320,000 buildings, people's homes, have been destroyed during the conflict. That's left 1.5 million people almost,

that's almost three quarters of the population of Gaza, requiring emergency shelter. And that shelter hasn't been getting in. The tenting equipment

hasn't been getting in.

There's absolutely zero reconstruction going on inside of the Palestinian part of Gaza. The difficulties faced by people there are beginning to be

realized that there is no quick help coming in, and in part, that is because Israel and its international partners have not yet been able to get

it in.

[14:25:00]

And those international partners, and I was speaking to one NGO just this evening, you know, are blaming Israel, that it's not coming in fast enough.

I'm hearing that from the diplomatic community as well.

SOARES: And Nic, you mentioned there -- I was just writing what you're saying. You were talking the Palestinian part of Gaza, and that really

tells us where we are right now on these negotiations, because in many ways, you know, Gaza has been partitioned here, you know, semi-partitioned

here.

Where are we on the second phase of the ceasefire deal? Because, you know, a week ago, we had heard that the Trump administration was working on a

U.N. Security Council Resolution to deploy this multinational force to Gaza. What has happened to that?

ROBERTSON: I think in two words, it's stymied and it's struggling. We have heard from the U.S. office at the U.N. this evening, saying and putting out

a letter of support for the U.N. Security Council Resolution that's currently being worked upon, that signed by the UAE, by Turkey, by the

U.S., by the -- by the -- by the Saudis, by the Qataris, by the Egyptians.

Which really sort of signals that there's something happening, that there is -- that all these countries are sort of binding on to. But there are

some real hard realities here. And while there's sort of some apparent diplomacy that's making traction in New York, the reality on the ground is

that the questions about the international security force, which countries will they come from?

What sort of mandate would they work under? What is the sort of chain of command? Who does have the sort of senior-most chain of command? Is it the

U.S. three-star? Who is the person in charge of the CMCC, that's the sort of combined military civilian body that's overseeing this part of this

phase two, the international security force going into Gaza, the ceasefire, all of that.

Where does his authority run to and run out? And I think the real hope was that, that international stabilization force could be getting in place

quickly. It's going to require, of course, the buy in of the factions inside of Gaza, like Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, other groups there

as well. All of these things are a work in progress.

And even if you get a U.N. Security Council Resolution that says, these are the terms, this is what we're doing, and no one -- no one believes that,

that's right around the corner of sufficient level for the -- for the next step, which would be getting those troops, getting them in place, all of

that would take months and months and months.

And until that inner Palestinian area of Gaza is stabilized, apparently to the satisfaction of Israel, that does seem to determine when the

Palestinians there can get the tents, can get the reconstruction. That's the impression that's being created by the situation, certainly a read that

diplomats, NGOs I'm talking to in the region here are feeling at the moment.

SOARES: Important context there from our Nic Robertson. Nic, good to see you, thank you very much indeed. And still to come tonight, six dead and

dozens injured in a Russian aerial attack on Ukraine's capital. Ben Wedeman will have the very latest on the intensified fighting. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:32:07]

SOARES: Welcome back everyone. With diplomatic talks seemingly at a standstill, the fighting in Russia's war in Ukraine has intensified. Kyiv

is reeling from what the Ukrainian mayor describes as a mass attack. And here you can see the night sky really light up as Ukraine's air defenses

down Russian drones and missiles overnight. Ukrainian officials say at least six people are dead and dozens more are injured.

As the war approaches the four-year mark, Russia has been heavily investing in long-range drones. Our Ben Wedeman has more on the latest Russian

assault on Ukraine's capital.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Flashes in the sky over Kyiv. It's another night of Russian bombardment. Ukrainian

air defenses managed to intercept most of the drones and missiles, but not all. The strike hitting the heart of the Ukrainian capital. Ukrainian

officials say the strikes killed at least six people, wounding dozens.

Peaceful residents live here, says Kyiv resident Anastasia Chevchenko. There are no critical infrastructure facilities here. These are residential

neighborhoods. Ordinary people, peaceful residents are suffering.

Officials say Russia fired almost 450 drones and missiles overnight, plunging parts of Kyiv and other areas into darkness.

My front door was blown off, recalls Maria Kalchenko. Flames were bursting out of there. I grabbed my dog and searched for the cats, but I couldn't

find them. I made my way out to the street through a hole.

The choice of targets is not accidental says Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko.

VITALI KLITSCHKO, MAYOR, KYIV: Kyiv is symbol of -- Kyiv symbol of Ukraine. It's the heart of the country. And that's why from beginning the war always

Kyiv was still target of Russian army and especially before the winter.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): Since August after presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met in Alaska, Russia has focused much of its fire on

Ukraine's energy sector depriving Ukrainians of heat and power as winter approaches.

The fire, however, is going both ways. Ukraine launched hundreds of drones at targets in Russia at a time when diplomatic efforts to end or even pause

this war have come to not. The people on both sides are facing the prospect of a cold, brutal, and bloody winter.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[14:35:03]

SOARES: Another cold and brutal winter. We are also tracking Ukrainian strike on a key oil export center in Russia. Let me put it on a map for you

so you can get a sense of this. A source in Ukraine security service tell CNN the strike damaged valuable infrastructure and ignited a major fire in

the city of Novorossiysk.

Among the weapons used, Ukrainian-made Neptune long-range missiles. Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted this video of the

Neptunes launching.

Meantime, Russia claims it has fought a Ukrainian assassination plot that involves a high-ranking Kremlin official. According to a statement made on

Friday by Russia's security service, Ukrainian special force services plan to target the unnamed official while he was visiting a graveyard just

outside of Moscow. The security service of Ukraine has denied the report describing the claim in their words as fake news.

Well, I was hoping to speak to Oleksandr Merezhko who's a chair of the foreign affairs committee. As you know, as you heard there in that report,

those strikes, two -- 450 drones and missiles have had a huge impact on power supplies in much of the country and particularly in Kyiv as well as

water supplies. We're having connection issues. We'll try and see if we can connect. We're going to take a short break. Be back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Welcome back. Just before the break, we were bringing you up to date on those strikes, heavy strikes across Kyiv overnight, 450 drones and

missiles. We were trying to connect with the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Ukrainian Parliament, Oleksandr Merezhko. We've been able

to connect with him thankfully and he joins me now. Oleksandr, great to have you on the show. You're live from Kyiv.

This was a blistering attack. From what I understand, almost every district of Kyiv was affected. Give us a sense of what the last 24 hours have been

like. I know that many people have been without power, water supplies. Even connecting with you has been really challenging.

OLEKSANDR MEREZHKO, CHAIR OF THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT: Yes, thank you for having me. Of course, last night was

particularly difficult for us for all people living in Kyiv and other cities. We have casualties. At least six deaths were confirmed. We have

dozens people, civilians injured. And while I'm talking to you, we have blackout. And now I hear from the window this specific particular sound of

drones. So, which means that Russia continues to bombard Kyiv even today, tonight, and during the night we're going to have continuation of this

terror.

The truth is that Russia deliberately hit civilian residential areas. Russia is trying to bomb us, to bombard us into submission and to break our

morale, to break our will to resist Russian aggression, but I'm sure that it will fail as always.

[14:40:39]

SOARES: This is going to be, Oleksandr, I'm guessing another bleak and very tough winter. I know that President Zelenskyy has said just following this

attack that -- I think he called it deliberate, calculated, and wicked wars words. This as we see, Oleksandr, Russian forces appearing at least to be

on the brink of seizing the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk which Putin has been pursuing for some 21 months or so.

If Russia does succeed here in Pokrovsk which is of course a strategic city, where does this leave the rest the battle to protect Ukraine? How

serious, how concerned are you about what is happening in Pokrovsk?

MEREZHKO: Of course, in Pokrovsk situation is difficult. Russian soldiers are inside Pokrovsk as far as I know. At the same time Pokrovsk still

remains in the hands of Ukrainian Army. Putin has been trying to take Pokrovsk for at least several years, and so far he has failed. Our

president has said that of course Pokrovsk is important. It's a hub. But at the same time, we are not going to fight only for ruins. We'll be using all

our efforts and we'll continue to fight till the last opportunity.

But the thing is that for us, lives of our soldiers are more important. So, even if we have to withdraw our troops from Pokrovsk, it will not change

the whole situation at the front lines dramatically. We continue to fight. Russians are trying to throw lots of their forces, their soldiers. They're

ready to sacrifice lots of their lives. But they are not winning the war and we are not losing the war.

SOARES: Yes. And we have seen Ukraine in the last few days and even weeks actually going after Russia's oil infrastructure of course overnight on the

Black Sea coast, I believe, striking I think it was pretty successfully from what I understand the biggest source of funding for its war in

Ukraine.

But I can't let you go, Oleksandr, without asking you about this energy sector corruption scandal that is unfolding there, which I believe centers

on alleged kickbacks from collaborators, including those working to protect critical energy infrastructure, already taken down two of Zelenskyy's

ministers. How big is this fallout? How damning? Speak to that critically.

MEREZHKO: Well, it is the issue which is being discussed by our people by the parliament. Next week, the parliament will get together and we will be

talking about this issue what should be done. Of course, it's a serious blow but at the same time what really matters is a fight against

corruption, because first of all, our people they have zero tolerance with regard to corruption. Our president has initiated creation of truly

independent anti-corruption agencies, and they prove that they are effective.

And what is really important, we're a democratic state and nobody is above the law. Any person who is involved in corruption will be brought to

justice. And this is a position, firm position of the president, of the parliament, and of course the people of Ukraine.

SOARES: Oleksandr Merezhko there for us in Kyiv, Ukraine. Thanks very much, Oleksandr, for working with us and trying -- getting your connection up.

It's so important we hear from you. Thank you.

And returning now to one of our top stories this hour, U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing options for military action inside Venezuela. Just

take a look at some of the U.S. assets that really been stationed around the Caribbean. One of the largest arrivals is the USS Gerald R. Ford here.

As you can see, number eight here. America's largest as well as most advanced aircraft carrier that is stationed roughly around here.

In total, there are now roughly 15,000 U.S. personnel just in the region. For its part, Venezuela's conventional military, the Bolivarian National

Armed Forces has some 123,000 members. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says his volunteer militias now have more than eight million reserves.

Although experts have called into question that number as well as the quality of the troops training.

[14:45:08]

Joining us now is Andrei Serbin Pont, director of the regional think tank CRIES. Andre, great to have you on the show. I'm not sure -- I'm sure you

heard -- I'm hoping you heard in the introduction there that we just talked, the kind of show of force, this huge force from the United States.

I understand that the arrival of the USS Gerald Ford aircraft makes this the largest U.S. military presence in the region since the invasion of

Panama back in 1989.

It's a lot of military hardware for drug boats. So, what is the strategy? Is it a question -- let me ask you a question I put to one of my guests at

top of the show. Is it a question of when rather than if now?

ANDREI SERBIN PONT, DIRECTOR, CRIES: Well, thank you for the invitation. And I think that that is a very pertinent question. I mean, U.S. has

amassed a huge amount of conventional forces in the region. So, it by far exceeds any need just to tackle fast boats and narco submarines. This

conventional military capacity is one that's more than able to topple pretty much any military in the region. So, it's hard not to think about it

in exactly those terms.

Is this a new phase in the operations in the Caribbean in which they finally decide that drug operations in Venezuela are intrinsically part of

the regime, therefore, decapitating the regime or taking any type of military action against Venezuelan government and military infrastructure

is part of that strategy seems to be the case. If not, it's really hard to justify this large presence of commercial military means.

SOARES: And Brian Winter from America's Quarterly at the top of the show was saying to me that, you know, the question is how does the U.S. go about

doing this right without civilian casualties? How do you then dislodge, unseat Nicolas Maduro without starting some sort of arch uprising? How do

you see it? Would it go after drug groups? Is it focused -- how would you say see the play here from a military point of view?

PONT: Well, first of all, I would say that it's not very realistic to think about any real-world military operation that does not have civilian

casualties, right? And then after that, we'd have to look into, you know, what are the actual objectives that the Trump Administration has in

Venezuela, and what does it really understand as part of the drug infrastructure, right? Because if it's -- it considers the Venezuelan

military to be intrinsically part of it or even just associated with it because it provides the means of defense of for that infrastructure, then

not only should there be attacks against, you know, labs and air strips but also against those conventional military capacities that Venezuela has that

might provide air defense against any U.S. attack.

So, we're talking about, you know, the multiple air defense groups that they operate, combat aircraft, maybe some units on the ground, some key

military installations might be part of those targets.

SOARES: Yes. And I'm guessing that's to rattle Maduro's inner circle. Look, you have been studying Venezuela's military and firepower for some time. So

just give me a sense of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, the FANB, their military, and how well trained they are. How -- I mean, do we have a

sense of how large first of all their forces?

PONT: So currently, we don't have many numbers. Like, most of Venezuelans, they've been going through a very tough crisis. A lot of people have left.

They've lost a lot of human resources. Also, their operational budget is very low. So, most of their more advanced systems are nonoperational. Many

units especially those that are outside of the Caracas or the metropolitan region are very understaffed. So, the actual operational capacity of the

armed forces is very, very low. There's lack of ammunitions. There's lack of spare parts. There's lack of trained personnel to operate systems like

the air defense systems. There's lack of pilots. There's lack of spares for those main combat aircraft.

And then also, something that was mentioned in the introduction, you know, the regime boost about having eight million militia members, but the

numbers don't add up. There's not even small -- enough small arms and light weapons to go around for all that many people in Venezuela. So, usually we

-- I would say that we have -- we should tend to under -- to estimate numbers that are way lower than what they're actually claiming to be.

SOARES: Yes. And I'm sure much of their gear is probably Soviet arsenal, of course. I really appreciate you coming on the show, Andrei. Thank you very

much. Muchas gracias.

PONT: It was a pleasure. Gracias.

SOARES: Thank you.

Still to come tonight, nine days of suspense in space ends with a hearty dinner on Earth for three astronauts who were stranded on China's space

station. We'll have the details after the short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:52:20]

SOARES: One small crack for a safe spaceship, one giant delay -- or delay I should say, for the astronauts on board. Three Chinese astronauts are now

safely back on Earth. Their journey home from China's space station was postponed for nine days after suspected debris hit their spacecraft and

cracked a window. Chinese state media says the astronauts had to wait for another spacecraft to arrive. Our Mike Valerio looks at how the men are

doing now.

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Chinese state media say that all three astronauts are in good physical condition, and a hearty dinner awaits

them after the three of these astronauts had to engage in an unusual backup plan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIO (voice-over): After nine days of suspense in space, three Chinese astronauts are now back on terra firma. Their delayed homecoming caused by

a damaged spacecraft likely hit by orbital debris while it was docked at China's Tiangong Space Station. China's manned space agency described the

concern, saying, "The return capsule window glass of the Shenzhou-20 crewed spacecraft had developed a slight crack, most likely caused by an external

impact from space debris and does not meet the release conditions for a safe crewed return.

VALERIO: What was your reaction when you heard that there was a crack in the window?

QUENTIN PARKER, ASTROPHYSICIST, UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: These cracks could fissure and get larger. Under this extreme heat and vibration, who knows

how serious that could be.

VALERIO (voice-over): So, China came up with a plan B, sending the astronauts back in the craft their replacement team arrived in only a few

days ago. The Chinese astronauts, or taikonauts as they're called in China, didn't have to stay for nearly as long as the nine extra months American

astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore spent on the International Space Station all because of concerns their return craft would malfunction upon

re-entry.

PARKER: I think it shows an abundance of caution, but it shows the -- it shows that they care about their taikonauts. It shows that they care about

the track record of their missions and they don't want to risk the excellent track record they've developed, which you have to say is amazing.

VALERIO (voice-over): The voyage home comes at a major moment for Chinese space flight. This month, private Chinese company LandSpace hopes to launch

and land its rocket booster for the first time, matching the achievements of Elon Musk's SpaceX. And as of this week, a milestone also reached by

Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin.

The new crew aboard Tiangong includes China's youngest astronaut. And the combined teams also enjoyed what they dubbed the first barbecue in space.

It's a small chapter of the new China-U.S. space race, which also has China's sight set on a manned lunar landing by 2030, a new moon base in the

coming decades, and a Mars-probing mission.

China says a new spacecraft, Shenzhou-22, will launch next year to retrieve the latest crew of astronauts who for now are floating in space without a

return option.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[14:55:12]

VALERIO (on camera): And for what it's worth, Chen Dong, the first crew member who was taken out the Shenzhou capsule, expressed gratitude to all

who helped make this mission a success. And he also said, "The path of humanity's exploration of space is not smooth. It is full of difficulties

and challenges, and that is also why we choose to walk this path.

Mike Valerio, CNN, Beijing.

SOARES: Well, you may have seen those crazy obstacle course competitions before. In fact, you may have taken part in them, but you have not seen

anything quite like this. 34 athletes took part in the first 15-stage ultimate aerial obstacle course. It's an obstacle course competition in the

air. As you can see, elite wing suit pilots, paragliders, aerobatic pilots, and drone teams had to complete challenges like human catapults, the sky

slalom through the Alps, and jet skis dropping from a plane in famous locations right around the world. Tell your adrenaline-seeking friends

about that one.

That does it for us for tonight, ending on a high right there. Do stay right here. "WHAT WE KNOW" with CMac is up next.

END