Return to Transcripts main page
One World with Zain Asher
Trump& Putin to Meet in Alaska for High-Stakes Summit; Barack Obama Wades into Texas Redistricting Debate; Russia Makes Gains in Ukraine Ahead of Trump-Putin Summit; Ukrainian Protest in Kyiv Ahead of Trump-Putin Summit; Malaysian Critics Slam Adams Nomination. Aired 11-12a ET
Aired August 15, 2025 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN HOST: Live from New York. I'm Paula Newton. Zain and Bianna are off today, and you are watching "One World".3.5 years after
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is being welcomed back on the world stage by the U.S.President at what is, of course, a very
consequential moment in history.
Now, in just a matter of hours, both men will meet for a high stakes summit in Alaska to discuss and possibly decide the future of Moscow's democratic
neighbor.After boarding Air Force One earlier, Donald Trump, once again, threatened severe consequences in his words, if Putin doesn't stop the
fighting in Ukraine.He also appeared optimistic about their meeting, listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We get along. It's a good respect level on both sides. And I think, you know, something's
going to come of it. I notice he's bringing a lot of business people from Russia, and that's good. I like that because they want to do business, but
they're not doing business until we get the worst out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON:So, some talk there from the president. But in case you were wondering about Russia's posture, look at the sweatshirt of the Kremlin's
Top Diplomat, Sergey Lavrov, arrived in Alaska wearing a USSR sweatshirt. The CCCP is the Cyrillic acronym symbol for the old Soviet Union.
He said that Russia will quote, clear their understandable position to Trump during the summit. He claims that's what will be presented to
President Trump, and it's worth noting. Remember, Ukraine was once part of that Soviet empire. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Moscow for us.
But first, we do want to get to Kevin Liptak, who joins me now from Anchorage. You know, a lot of breaking news from the president himself.
Just in the last few hours, he made very clear the parameters of this summit, as far as he is concerned, you know, bring us right up to date.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER:Yeah, and the president said very explicitly that his plan was not to negotiate a deal on behalf of
Ukraine, and that the overall ambition for the summit is really to just get Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, which is something of an extension
of what we've heard from the president for the last several days.
He has been sort of continuously laying out his expectations for these talks since he announced them last week. And in a lot of ways, we have a
better picture of what will happen if these talks fall apart than if they're successful. You know, the president has said that he could just sit
up and leave that if these talks are not producing anything of significance, that he could just depart early.
He's also said he could downgrade the planned joint press conference and just appear solo, and he said today that there would be severe
consequences, economic consequences, if Putin doesn't agree to end the war. Far less clear, I think, is what success would look like from this summit.
You know, the president hasn't explicitly said what he's looking to hear from Putin that would lead him to determine that this is a fruitful
endeavor. He has said that if it is successful, he would work to organize a trilateral summit with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin and himself.
But it's entirely clear what it would take to get all three of those parties to the same table to start talking about how this war would end.
You know, it's also interesting who the president is speaking with as he's flying here to Alaska. He wrote on Truth Social that he spoke with the
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, who is a top ally of Vladimir Putin.
But perhaps more importantly, in this context, has been a stalwart supporter of the war in Ukraine. Remember, Putin used Belarus in part to
stage troops before the invasion began. He has also repositioned tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. So, you really couldn't think of someone who is
more on the side of Putin and on the side of Russia for the president to be speaking to in the hours before he arrives here in Anchorage.
And you know, for all of the efforts that the Europeans put in to try and get into Trump's ear, to try and convince him of the European position,
before this summit began, it appears as if it will be a top ally of Russia who is the last to speak to Trump before this summit gets underway.
So certainly, a lot of stakes here. It was interesting to see the list of advisors that the president has brought with him. They include the treasury
secretary and the commerce secretary, which leads you to believe that perhaps there will be some economic issues discussed, and of course, Putin
also wants to discuss potential business deals, but according to the president, that will have to wait until this matter of Ukraine is resolved.
NEWTON:Yeah, Kevin, like I said, a lot going on just in the last few hours, not to mention that phone call with the Leader of Belarus.
[11:05:00]
Fred to you now, in Moscow, Putin, it has to be said, he's exuding confidence in every corner right now, going into this meeting.What more
have you learned? Though about what he could be prepared to concede if anything?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT:Yeah, he's exuding confidence. But at the same time, he's also showing how seriously
he takes this summit. Some of the things that we've been seeing over the past 24 hours, with Vladimir Putin meeting some of his top-level ministers
and aides inside the Kremlin, briefing them on what's going to happen at the summit.
That certainly showed that the Russians do take this extremely seriously. And one other thing, Paula, that we've heard over the past couple of
minutes also seems to indicate that.Well, Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Kremlin, was asked whether or not Vladimir Putin is going to be on time
for the meeting.
Of course, Vladimir Putin known for being late very often to meetings even with high level leaders. And Peskov said, of course, he's going to take off
on time, and he's going to be there on time. Of course, the last summit between these two leaders, Vladimir Putin and President Trump in 2018 in
Helsinki.
I think that Vladimir Putin kept President Trump waiting for a little over an hour at that point.The Russians are saying, this time that is not going
to happen. Also, a couple of minutes ago, we saw that Vladimir Putin is currently in Magadan in the east of Russia. He went to a place with his
people from the United States and Russia, a memorial to them from World War Two.
He laid flowers there. Obviously very important airmen from World War Two. So that very important for Vladimir Putin to show that there is a common
history of the United States and Russia working together in difficult situations. Now, as far as the summit here is concerned, the Russians are
saying that, for them, they understand that the war in Ukraine is going to be the first and foremost topic.
And that's the thing that's going to be talked about the most of course, they would like to broaden things out to a possible reset of U.S.-Russia
relations and some economic opportunities as well like Kevin was speaking about, there are a lot of people from the business world who are also in
the Russian delegation.
Of course, the Head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. There's the Russian finance minister who's there as well. So, the Russians hoping to
talk about that, but Vladimir Putin also, of course, wanting to impress his version of what's going on Ukraine, what needs to be done in Ukraine on
President Trump.
And the fundamental difference, of course, that the two have is that President Trump is saying he wants an immediate ceasefire, whereas Vladimir
Putin says he wants an extended peace process, at the end of which there would be a larger deal. But during that process, of course, the fighting in
Ukraine would continue in the Russians, certainly, at the moment, believe they have the upper hand in that, Paula.
NEWTON:Yeah, and the discrepancy over when and how a ceasefire would happen, obviously, is quite a Gulf to try and bridge through the coming
hours.Fred Pleitgenfor us in Moscow. Kevin Liptak, in Anchorage.We thank both of you now leaders in Ukraine and Europe will be anxiously watching
today's summit after being sidelined from the discussions.
Donald Trump has said he wants to include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a possible second meeting in Alaska between the pair and
Vladimir Putin that would be shortly after these talks though.However, Ukrainian sources tell CNN it would be hardly feasible for Zelenskyy to
immediately attend another round of negotiations in Anchorage, given its nearly 5000 miles from Kyiv.
He has, however, agreed to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron following this summit. Now, if the summit does result in a peace deal, the
UK has stated it's ready to put boots on the ground in Ukraine to help bring security to the region. CNN'sInternational Diplomatic Editor, Nic
Robertson joins us now.
It is not lost on you and I, is it that the fact that just putting European boots on the ground, UK boots on the ground, could be a red line for Putin
himself. Nic, I do want to talk more about Europe, because it does have a lot at stake here, arguably more than the United States.
What is the strategy for Europe if this summit fails? Because if there is no follow up, meeting no ceasefire, they must find a way to really back
Ukraine as never before.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: They do, and that's something they've been working towards. You know, you've seen the European
Union over the past few months loosen their fiscal controls on all the countries so that they can borrow more to spend it on defense.
They've also made massive, hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of money available to European countries to spend on defense as well. Additionally,
to up that spending.Look Europe,frankly, if we're really frank about this, the Europeans recognize the relationship with the United States is
changing.
They recognize it doubly so under President Trump, it's becoming a more isolationist the United States. They will have to shoulder more of the
security responsibility of Europe than they have in the past. They have agreed NATO to up their defense spending, but all the changes and reviews
that they talk about, about buying more weapons, about improving the way that they, you know, coordinate and build weapons between European nations.
All of that takes time. So bottom line, the Europeans need the United States to stay engaged in this war, supporting Ukraine against Russia's
expansion and illegal invasion of Ukraine.
[11:10:00]
They need that for as long as it can last. So, they want Trump to be hard line and tough, and when they had the coalition of the winning meeting just
a few days ago, the top line that came out of that was, there must be a ceasefire if there's to be meaningful negotiations.
So, your question is, well, if that doesn't happen, what do they do? They have to double down. The Europeans assess that Russia is a threat to them,
that if they -- that, if Russia is not counted in Ukraine, then this will impede and impugn their security. So, they have to -- they would therefore
have to double down, reach deeper in their pockets.
Tell the public that spending on schools and hospitals and roads and infrastructure would not be as good as it could be, because they need to
spend it on defense, tough political messages to send, and those messages have been beginning to be sent by European leaders.
NEWTON:Yeah.
ROBERTSON: As you say, Starmer today saying boots on the ground and planes in the sky, and Trump today saying it couldn't be NATO as part of this
reassurance security force for Ukraine,inside Ukraine, it couldn't be NATO. They didn't say it couldn't be the component parts of NATO. And clearly the
British are making it clear they would be part of it.
NEWTON:Yeah, a completely new posture for Europe. And how real is that fear? And Nic, I know you've covered this a lot. If we think about Poland,
if we think about the Baltics, let's say it is a best-case scenario, and we do get a ceasefire. I think many would say that even a ceasefire at this
point actually emboldens Russia. It is not a concession by Russia, by any stretch, given the territory they hold right now.
ROBERTSON: You know one way to look at this. We think of it in the immediate terms today. We think of it in -- as President Putin in Russia
today, and to sort of contextualize how real this is felt?OK, let's rewind the clock back to before World War Two, even that period the late 20s to
the late 30s, when Stalin was in Power.
You know what happened in Donbas, that area of Ukraine that Russia now occupies and claims that it's his own and appears to want to keep that
territory well under Stalin during that period. 3 million Ukrainians were moved out, either starved to death or moved to places like Siberia.
And the number of Russians in that area went from 5 million to 11 million. Stalin was moving Russians into the Donbas region long before Putin came on
the scene. Putin is trying to extend that, when Sergey Lavrov wears that USSR jersey to the meeting today. It's not lost on Latvia, Lithuania,
Poland.
All these countries that were forced to be under Moscow rule, effectively, as part of the sort of either the Soviet Union or the Soviet sphere of
influence. It's real for them, it's real. Their grandfathers fought in the forest to defend that.They see Putin as trying to sort of continue what
Stalin did, willing to go to any lengths to control that territory. So, it's very real, that's the bottomline.
NEWTON:It is very real and very present of mind for Ukrainians on this day as they continue to await very anxiously that outcome from Anchorage. Nic
Robertson, really grateful to you. You'll continue our coverage in the coming hours. We do want to dive a little bit deeper now with CNN Global
Affairs Analyst Kim Dozier, who joins me now from Washington.
You know so interesting what, Nic, just brought up there, and I know it is not lost on you, the historical significance of this.Some negotiators might
say it has been shrewd though of President Trump to show this level of respect for Putin going into this meeting.
KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yeah.
NEWTON:But you point out the economic entourage, the fact that there is a launch, possibly a presser, that this is a bad sign for Ukraine. Why?
DOZIER:Yeah, whenever Donald Trump goes into entertainment mode, you know that he wants to have a good outcome for this spectacle.We're not seeing
any sort of preparations for you're fired situation. This is, you know, there's a lunch that they've laid on for the two teams to meet together.
And then a potential two leader press conference rolling out the red carpet for a leader who has an international arrest warrant out for him for the
seizure of Ukrainian children from embattled territory of Ukraine. He also has been spurned by every other Western leader since the 2022 full invasion
of Ukraine.
The only western leaders who met with him prior to this are the Prime Ministers of Hungary and Slovakia, and they were really maligned for it.
So, all of the signals are this welcome mat and the Russianshave been crowing over it, Russian officials, Russian commentators.
[11:15:00]
And then you have, you know, Sergey Lavrov landing and rolling up to the official hotel with a sweatshirt with CCP emblazoned on it, the Russian
Cyrillic words for USSR, which, of course, Ukraine used to be a part of. That is a bad subtext for Ukrainians watching this.
NEWTON:Indeed, it is. And their own president, Kim agreed that Putin has won this round of diplomacy already, just by setting foot in Alaska. But
what then? I mean, you've looked at this, really, since the war started, the complexities of even a ceasefire, never mind a peace agreement, it is
seemingly more complicated by the hour.
Do you have any confidence that those military architects around President Trump right now?Do have a plan? Because it does require a lot here, you
know, a lot of heavy lifting.
DOZIER:Well, the plan is, we've been able to detect it. Multiple outlets have reported that Trump is going with deals to offer Putin and team to
access minerals in Alaska, to access minerals in the parts of Ukraine that Russia occupies without U.S. objection to that mineral exploitation that he
is trying to say to them, you know, here's the carrot.
Now, the stick is you have to have a ceasefire. Well, Ukrainians will tell you a ceasefire is not enough. Since 2022 there have been multiple
ceasefires. Battlefield ceasefires agreed with Russia, and just about everyone has been violated, according to the Ukrainians, by the Russian
side.
So they want not just a ceasefire, a halt in fighting by Russian troops, but they also want to see some sort of guarantee, like Nic, was talking
about British troops on the ground, some sort of a NATO force, plus the promise that Ukraine will be able to join NATO, will be able to join EU
full membership, once it meets all the qualifications, things that Trump seemed to be willing to trade away in his earlier discussions of what was
going to unfold in Alaska.
NEWTON:Yeah, incredibly complicated, and a good reminder that it isn't just 2022, right?That Ukraine have been at this with Russia since 2014 in fact,
a very long fight for them. Kim Dozier, grateful to you.Still to come for us. Going to court, Washington, D.C. sues the Trump Administration over its
takeover of the police department.
Plus, police say he hit a federal officer with a sandwich. You saw it there. Now he's charged with a felony.And Barack Obama hits up over
Republican efforts to redraw congressional maps in Texas,plus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GAVIN NEWSON (D-CA): They want to rig these elections, and they want the power that gerrymandering provides, because they know what Donald Trump
knows.He's going to lose.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON:In responseto what's happening in Texas, California's Governor launches his own redistricting plant.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:20:00]
NEWTON:Washington, D.C.'s Attorney General is suing the Trump Administration's police takeover of the city. This after U.S. Attorney
General Pam Bondi named an emergency police commissioner to take control in the police department.D.C. officials called the movie legal. Bondi also
ordered an end to D.C. sanctuary city policies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAM BONDI, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: D.C. will not remain a sanctuary city actively shielding criminal aliens. Will not happen under Donald Trump's
directive, D.C. will become safe again, and it will become clean again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON:Now, meantime, a man who worked for the Department of Justice faces felony assault charges after throwing a sandwich. You just saw it there at
our federal law enforcement officer in Washington, D.C. Now that was on Sunday, and as you can see there, the video went viral here with more on
the D.C. police takeover is CNN's Gabe Cohen, so much going on this.
And again, we say it over and over, these are extraordinary developments. Can you bring us right up to date and help us understand what D.C.
residents are making of all of this?
GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. So, Paula, up to this point, so far this week, since the president initially ordered that this federal takeover
of D.C. Police Department, what we've really seen is mostly a collaboration between local police and these various federal -- DEA, Customs and Border,
everyone just sort of working together.
That really escalated last night when Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered that the Head of the DEA Terry Cole was going to be this new -- for the
Metropolitan Police Department here in D.C., essentially ousting D.C.'sPolice Chief Pamela Smith. And what we saw this morning is D.C.'s
Attorney General now filing this lawsuit, saying that is -- what he said on our air just about 30 minutes ago about this lawsuit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN SCHWALB, DC ATTORNEY GENERAL: The Home Rule Act, which grants authority to the local government here in the district Columbia, including
to control the police, gives the president very limited authority to seek to have the assistance of the MPD and the mayor if there is a federal
emergency that requires that.It does not give the president or the Attorney General the authority to take over MPD.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN:And so, Paula, now officials here in Washington are asking for a restraining order to try to stop this federal takeover -- We'll see how a
judge rules on who really is running the Metropolitan Police Department.
NEWTON:Yeah, this will go on through the weekend and beyond, for sure. Gabe Cohen for us. Thanks so much. Now, Texas House Democrats have signaled
they're preparing to return home and end their nearly two-week standoff over redistricting. This as Former President Barack Obama has waded into
the debate in a zoom call obtained by CNN.
He praised lawmaker's efforts to thwart the Republican push to tweak congressional maps to net as many as five Republican House seats. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: What we all recognize is we can't let a systematic assault on democracy,just happen and stand by, because of your
actions, because of your courage, what you've seen is California responding other states, looking at what they can do to offset this mid-decade
gerrymandering that is highly irregular.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON:Significant there that he would weigh in.Meantime, California's Governor vows to fight fire with fire in response to the Texas Republican
push to redraw that congressional map. Gavin Newsom unveiled plans for a November referendum to redraw his state's congressional districts to really
what they're trying to do is neutralize whatever the outcome of the Texas redistricting is. Here's what he calls the real reason behind the Texas
changes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWSOM: They want to rig these elections, and they want the power that gerrymandering provides because they know what Donald Trump knows.
[11:25:00]
He's going to lose the midterms.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
NEWSOM: He knows, de facto, his presidency ends in 17 months when Speaker Jeffrey-- he knows it. why else? Why else would you try to rig the system?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON:Now,California law states these changes need to be made by a vote of the electorate, and Texas lawmakers are able to make the changes on their
own. OK. Back to our top story. The people of Kyiv are waiting, and some are protesting, anxious about the outcome of today's summit in Alaska.
We'll have a live report from the Ukrainian capital when we return.Stay with us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's time for alpha males to return, and it is time for modern woke feminists to get in the back seat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON:Well, you heard him the not so diplomatic language of a potential future U.S.Ambassador, someone President Trump calls, quote, a great
guy.More on his controversial nominee for ambassador to Malaysia. That's after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON:Welcome back to "One World". Live from New York. I'm Paula Newton. And here are some of the international headlines we're watching today.
Donald Trump is on his way to Alaska for a high stakes summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This comes 3.5 years after Russia's full-scale
invasion of Ukraine.
U.S.President spoke to reporters after boarding Air Force One when asked what he expects will happen when he sits down face to face with Putin, he
expressed cautious optimism. Washington D.C.'s Attorney General is suing the Trump Administration, challenging its takeover the Metropolitan Police
another legal action coming after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi tightened control over D.C. naming an emergency police commissioner.
A man in Los Angeles was killed after running away from immigration enforcement and onto a freeway.
[11:30:00]
It happened as I.C.E. agents began an operation at a Home Depot.The man ran away and then fled on the eastbound 210 highway. He was hit by a car and
later died of his injuries. Americans can now give themselves a flu vaccine at home, no needles, no trip to the pharmacy.
The vaccine is a nasal spray instead, and it's for adults under 50 and for children as young as two years old. So, we are now about four hours away
from the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Alaska. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country is, quote,
counting on America.
In Kyiv meantime, dozens of Ukrainians rallied outside the U.S. Embassy calling for prisoner swaps rather than land swaps.Some have had loved ones
held in Russian prisons or had been missing, in fact, since Moscow occupied Crimea as far back as 2014, Ukrainians are expressing hope, but also
skepticism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is unlikely to bring anything good for Ukraine. I do not trust Trump. He says one thing today, another tomorrow, the day
after tomorrow, another thing in five days, something else.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Russiais a country with which you can only talk from a position of strength. They will not give anything voluntarily, nothing. And
look, no matter how much it demands, first it came to Crimea, then it came to Donbas, then you see it already demands the Kherson region.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nothing good will happen here, because war is war. It will not end. The territories we're not going to give anything to anyone.
There is hope, but it is very small in this matter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, those views as deadly fighting continues on the front lines. Ukrainian officials say seven civilians were killed Thursday in Russian
attacks. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh joins us now from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and, of course, grateful to you, Nick to have you on the ground
there.
You know, I want to get to a question that I've actually been interested to ask you. You have been on the front line in recent days, in recent months,
in recent years, you have traveled there often. I noted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday said that, look, developments on the
battlefield will, in fact, be a factor in the meeting that we're about to see in the next few hours.
How do you see it, given everything that you've witnessed there on those front lines?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: I mean, the way in which it is like to have an influence is on the thinking of
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is likely to be reluctant. I think it's fair to say, as his forces are making progress, that may soon turn
from incremental gains into realizing something more strategic.
There are key towns on the eastern frontline that they may well encircle and potentially take in the weeks or months ahead, he will not want to
declare the immediate ceasefire, which European allies and Ukraine insist must be the starting point for negotiations. He's been asked to do that in
the months in the past, he's rejected.
He said, then you see more technical preparations for it monitoring. But ultimately, everyone here accepts that this is because he continues to move
forwards. So why would he stop now.That's hanging over this entire discussion the fact that Moscow is finally seeing some kind of frontline
progress, an enormous human cost to its forces and to Ukrainians too.
Yes, there appears to have been some pressure exerted upon Moscow, but many by China and India, who are going to be the ones bearing the brunt of
secondary sanctions, as if they are indeed implemented by President Trump. They are the main energy customers of Russia.
So that may have brought him to this particular meeting. But I have to say as well, this is something of an honor, frankly, a state visit of some
description to U.S. territory, a one on one bilateral, something that Putin's been keen for, for -- Some time, the fear in Ukraine being that
even though Trump it goes into this meeting very much aligned with his European allies.
He won't talk about Ukraine's territory or deal make a deal about Ukrainian territory without Ukraine being involved. There may well be very serious
consequences. He says he's got part of his economic team with him, indeed, if he doesn't like what he hears, but he's not set a threshold for what
Putin has to give him during this meeting.
Or else it considered -- this will be considered a failure. I think that has many worried here. We've just seen in the past how quickly Trump can be
dragged back towards Moscow's narrative about this war. Now in his first meeting with Putin, the man whose relationship with Trump is often
impenetrable, given how reluctant Trump seems to be to offend or upset him.
Many worried here that we could see an extraordinary, unpredictable outcome of this meeting, which, incidentally, Putin's spokesperson has said they
think might last six or seven hours.
[11:35:00]
NEWTON: Yeah, a lot to think about there as Ukraine anxiously waits, and again, as they wait for this meeting, they are again anticipating those
overnight attacks that have been absolutely ferocious in the last few weeks and months. Nick Paton Walsh for us in Ukraine, appreciate it.
We do want to bring in Alina Polyakova now. She is an expert on European security and joins us now from Washington.Grateful to have you here as we
await this summit. I do want to ask you, will Trump's latest comments put Ukraine and European allies' minds at ease, or will it further concern
them?
I am specifically talking about the fact that he does say that there will be consequences for Russia if Putin doesn't agree to end the war, and that
those consequences will be punishing. And he also said, I'm not to hear -- I'm not here to negotiate for Ukraine. What do you make of it?
ALINA POLYAKOVA, PRESIDENT & CEO OF CENTER FOR EUROPEAN POLICY ANALYSIS: Well, certainly, I think in recent days, as President Trump had some of his
phone calls with European leaders.There was a bit of a sigh of relief from some European capitals, as well as from Ukrainians, because President Trump
understood the importance of having Ukraine at the table as well as having European input.
And you saw a change in his rhetoric. He went from saying we're going to get something done to not saying there's going to be consequences. I'm
going to be in a listening mode. But I think the bottom line is there's just a lot of mixed messages coming from, from the president the White
House still.
And we know that President Trump and President Putin will be meeting initially, just one on one with their respective translators. And that's
always a dangerous, I think, scenario for any U.S.President, because President Putin is very, very good at manipulating the conversation.
And I'm concerned that, you know, President Trump may be going in just wanting to listen and try to see if Putin is serious about coming to at
least a ceasefire agreement, which should be the minimal expectation for this. But once again, the room, who knows what President Trump will think
afterwards.
NEWTON: You know, you make a good point there that, the minimum would be a ceasefire, right? And as we just pointed out, in the coming hours, Ukraine
doesn't know what's coming at it. They may be trying to follow the summit. The point is they need to follow the missiles and drones that are incoming.
Having said that, one could argue that if there is a ceasefire, that's when the hard part begins. How complicated is the battlefield picture right now?
POLYAKOVA:Well, I think this is the really under covered element of what's really happening on the front line now. In recent days, Russia has made
significant breakthrough through one of Ukraine's fortified frontline positions, and now the Russian military is making more gains than it has
over the last six months in the conflict.
So, the battlefield is, at the end of the day, going to define the outcome of the war. And with all the focus on the meeting between Trump and Putin,
I think that's what's being lost. It's very, very clear to me that the Russians right now are trying to do everything they can to intensify the
conflict, not to dial it down, to see exactly how they can maximize those battlefield gains, because they believe they'll put them in a much more
positive negotiating position for themselves.
And I think that is what we should be focusing on, is what the Russians are actually doing in Ukraine, still killing civilians, innocent children, et
cetera, all the horrific things we've seen, versus what President Putin is saying.
NEWTON: Yeah.And besides the propaganda win for President Putin from even just having this summit, it gives him time, right?More time to continue
that military assault. As you speak of,and what do you make of President Trump's engagement on economic issues? Nick was just talking about it.
I mean, it is not a point lost on me that Russia has been, you know, really at the sharp end of European sanctions, Europe has gone to great lengths to
distance itself economically from Russia. And here you have the U.S. seriously trying to engage with Russia economically.
POLYAKOVA:Well, unfortunately, I think for us in the United States, for Europeans and certainly for Ukrainians, the Russian economy has shown
itself to be remarkably resilient to the sanctions that the U.S. and allies have imposed on us so far.And that's really mainly because they're getting
incredible support from their partners in Beijing, even with India, buying a massive amount of Russian oil and gas as well from North Korea, from
Iran.
We know the countries that are helping Russia in this war effort, and Russia has shown an ability to be able to adapt to sanctions. That being
said, we really haven't imposed the harshest economic penalties, which are these secondary sanctions that President Trump is now threatening to
impose?
Those would hurt a lot. Those could significantly curtail Russia's war machine. They could curtail Russia's ability to feed its war economy, but I
think we have to wait and see if the president is going to come out of this meeting saying Putin is not ready for a deal.
[11:40:00]
And we're going to impose and enforce those sanctions, and enforcement is going to be a huge challenge for the United States if we go at this alone
without European partners and allies, but that's what I'll be watching for the next couple of hours. Is the president going to come out saying that
was a great meeting?
You know, I think we have a deal, but we don't hear anything from the Russian side. Or are we actually going to hear Putin say, I've agreed to a
ceasefire and I will implement it, because the Russians have agreed to lots of things, but then they don't actually follow through or really do
anything.
NEWTON: Yeah, such a good point. A durable ceasefire, let alone a peace agreement, is something that has not been enforced for more than a decade
in that territory. Alina Polyakova, grateful to you.Now he's a self- proclaimed alpha male known for his love of steak and his controversial views on women.
His brand built on brandishing provocative and often offensive opinions. Now Nick Adams is President Trump's nominee to be the next U.S.Ambassador
to Malaysia. CNN's Kylie Atwood has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK ADAMS, NEXT U.S. AMBASSADOR TO MALAYSIA: Good day, Nick Adams alpha male here.
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is Nick Adams, a self-proclaimed alpha male who does not believe men and women
should be treated the same.
ADAMS:The other non-negotiable part, a steak and eggs.
ATWOOD(voice-over): He's a steak loving fan of the Hooters restaurant chain who is President Trump's pick to be the U.S.Ambassador to Malaysia.
ADAMS:It is nothing short of a lifetime zone to take the president's goodwill and spread it to the great people of Malaysia.
ATWOOD(voice-over): The Australian born now U.S. citizen caught the president's eye while promoting one of his books and has since become a
MAGA influencer.
ADAMS:Ithink it's fantastic that finally, we have a president that is more interested in kicking butt rather than kissing it.
ATWOOD(voice-over): His life'swork, more recently, has been advocating against what he says is a movement in the U.S. towards men becoming second
class citizens.
ADAMS: -- Itis time for alpha males to return.And it is time for modern woke feminists to get in the back seat, because that is what the future of
this country necessitates.
ATWOOD(voice-over): Writing in his book "Alpha Kings", published last year, no matter how much woke feminists in betas want to neuter me, they can't
and won't. Adam's self-proclaimed commandments include success is a low maintenance woman, not just a hot one.
The denial of sex by a male is the most Alpha Act. Consider marrying women from cultures that respect and honor men, never show vulnerability. Teach
your boys to be men before the world teaches them to be women. Trump calling Adams his good friend wrote the forward to the book, saying, quote,
he knows that to educate, you have to entertain.
He's the kind of person I would always look to hire at my many businesses, because his work ethic equals his moral responsibility and faith in God.
ADAMS: Today, duty has called me to serve my country overseas, not in the uniform of combat, but armed with the pain of diplomacy.
ATWOOD(voice-over): Trump's post, nominating Adams came at an unusual moment. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio was visiting Malaysia on his first
official trip to Asia as Trump's topdiplomat.
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We look forward to the Senate confirming him so he can get here and be a part of our team.
ATWOOD(voice-over): Malaysia has long dealt with a culture of misogyny within the country's politics. And less than a week after Adams was
nominated, Malaysians took to protests outside the U.S. embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We rejectNick Adams as the Ambassador to Malaysia.
ATWOOD(voice-over): Malaysia is a majority Muslim country of 35 million people.And besides Adam's controversial social views, many Malaysians
generally support Palestinians, and have been vocal in that support recently.So, concerns about his past comments on the Gaza war are intense.
Adam's posting last year, if you don't stand with Israel, you stand with terrorists.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do we dialog with someone who is reckless, obnoxious and arrogant, like how he has displayed or carried himself.
ATWOOD(voice-over): In spite of the protests, Adams' nomination is pressing forward and will be up to the Senate to confirm.
ADAMS: Mr.President, I pledge to you that I will never falter in representing the interests of the United States, both at home and abroad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ATWOOD(on camera): -- we made attempts to reach out to Adams for comment, but we didn't hear back. When it comes to career diplomats that I spoke
with, they were really stunned by this nomination, both because of Adams inexperience diplomatically, and these controversial comments.
When it comes to an actual scheduled date for his Senate confirmation hearing, there isn't one yet. We'll watch and see when that happens.
NEWTON: Now 80 years ago, Japan surrenders officially ended World War Two. After the break, we'll go to South Hampton's repatriation memorial for
British veterans. Take a moment to honor the past.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
NEWTON:War's true cost extends beyond battlefields, touching every aspect of life. Those words coming from Britain's King Charles as he along with
several world leaders.Take a moment to reflect on the 80th anniversary of Japan's official surrender that ended World War Two.
Now it was proclaimed VJ Day victory over Japan. There were joyous celebrations back then after humanity survived one of the bloodiest
conflicts in human history.In England,meantime, some of the few remaining British VJ veterans gathered for a somber wreath laying at Southampton's
repatriation memorial. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz takes us there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are on board Queen Mary II. So, this ship is the namesake of the RMS Queen Mary, which, in
August of 1945 sounded the whistle marking the end of the conflict, the day now known, of course, as VJDay. And aboard this ship, there are
commemorations taking place, including those with veterans.
And we were able to speak to one veteran. His name is Stanley. He was 20 years old in 1945.He is now 100 and this is the lesson he wants us to take
away.
SEAMAN STANLEY RICKEARD, WWII VETERAN AT ROYAL NAVY: There's nothing good about wartime. There never has been anything good about wartime. We did our
duty in the war. And I think that if the oldies, were to tell the youngsters, if the youngsters have time to listen, it would be to the
benefit of mankind.
ABDELAZIZ: Now, Southampton, this English port city where I'm standing, played a pivotal role during World War Two. It is during the two weeks in
and around D Day that three and a half million military personnel passed through here. Southampton also played a role in bringing people home.
Some 22,000 prisoners of war were brought to Southampton after the conflict ended. Now in a separate part of the country, the king and queen were also
commemorating the 80th anniversary of VJ Day. Very somber occasion, and what we heard time and time again from officials and from those impacted,
is that somber reminder of the cost of war and the lessons it brought 80 years on. Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, Southampton.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:50:00]
NEWTON: OK, we are just hours away from Russian President Vladimir Putin, stepping on American soil. It remains to be seen what sanctions, if any,
the U.S. will impose on Russia. That is if today's Trump-Putin summit does not go well. Now for three years, Russia has faced economic consequences.
CNN's Anna Cooban is tracking the steep cost of that war.
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS REPORTER: When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 Western countries rushed to respond with tough economic
measures targeting everything from trade to finance. Russia is now the most sanctioned major economy in the world, and this had an instant economic
impact.
You can see that just after the invasion in 2022, Russian GDP plunged and Moscow was forced to take emergency measures to keep its economy going.
Since then, the Russian economy has managed to recover, but that's really down to two major factors. So firstly, the country really switched to a
wartime economy.
Military spending has more than doubled since before the invasion, and now accounts for about 7 percent of Russian GDP. And then when Europe began
sanctioning Russian energy in 2022, Russia focused on selling its barrels of oil to Asia. China has bought around 47 percent of Russia's crude
exports, while India has bought around 38 percent.
With the oil and gas sector still accounting for around 1/5 of Russian GDP. Now, the average Russian has been hit by shortages of western goods, travel
restrictions and rising prices, but they have adapted copycat Western brands have emerged, and a wartime surge in production has meant that
unemployment is at a record low.
But there are concerns that Russia's apparent economic strength is actually just a mirage. In June, Russia's Economy Minister warned of a possible
recession.And its, that economic weakness that President Trump is capitalizing on, when he threatens additional sanctions on Russia and those
who purchase Russian energy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What will those consequences be sanctions, tariffs?
TRUMP: There will be -- I don't have to say there will be very severe consequences. Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOBAN:Analysts say that one of Putin's key aims in the Alaska talks will be to do just enough to avoid these additional sanctions. Expectations of a
peace deal are a way off. Anna Cooban, CNN, London.
NEWTON: OK, as both Presidents Trump and Putin are in the air right now on the way to that summit in Alaska, we will have much more with you, for you
in a moment, "One World"continues after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:55:00]
END
