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One World with Zain Asher
Russia Attacks Ukraine Again as Zelenskyy Heads to White House; Trump's Social Media Post Puts Pressure on Zelenskyy; Israelis Stage Nationwide Strike to Demand Hostage Deal; Spain Battles At Least 20 Wildfires; China Wraps Three-Day World Humanoid Robot Games. Aired 11-12a ET
Aired August 18, 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)
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine goes into overdrive at the White House. "One World" starts right now. What does
President Putin want and what is President Zelenskyy willing to accept? We'll take a closer look for you.
Plus, a leaked recording reveals a Former Israeli Military Intel Chief calls the deaths of 50,000 Palestinians, quote necessary, even if it means
killing children. Live for you in Jerusalem with the very latest.And Texas Democrats are on their way home after fleeing the state to prevent
Republicans from changing the congressional map, but they're not giving up the fight.
Right, a striking show of solidarity will take place at the White House next hour, when European leaders arrive to join Volodymyr Zelenskyyfor a
meeting with the U.S. President that could decide the future of Ukraine. It comes as Donald Trump echoes some of Moscow's talking points and puts
pressure on Kyiv to end the war that Russia began.
EU and NATO Leaders are expected to begin arriving next hour before they all meet as a group, Trump is set to greet and then hold talks with the
Ukrainian President. In a preview of what the U.S. President's message might be, Trump told Zelenskyy to give up on the idea of Ukraine reclaiming
Crimea or joining NATO in a social post -- a social media post that was shared by a key Russian negotiator.
Earlier, Zelenskyy warned that Moscow should not be rewarded for its war as Russia continues killing Ukrainian civilians. Meantime, U.S. Special Envoy
Steve Witkoff says that Vladimir Putin has agreed to allow NATO style security guarantees for Kyiv, something that has not been confirmed by the
Kremlin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE WITKOFF, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY: We agreed to robust security guarantees that I would describe as game changing. We didn't think that we were
anywhere close to agreeing to Article V protection from the United States in legislative enshrinement within the Russian Federation not to go after
any other territory when the peace deal is, you know, codified legislative enshrinement in the Russian Federation not to go after any other European
countries and violate their sovereignty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN's Kevin Liptak joins us live now at the White House. So, Kevin, obviously a lot of people are concerned that this could be a repeat of what
we saw in February, with essentially Zelenskyy being backed into a corner and humiliated publicly. But what do we expect Trump? Just lay out what we
expect Trump to say to Zelenskyy in this meeting.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER:I mean, I think we got a preview of that last night when the president posted on social media,
essentially that Zelenskyy could end the war one if he agreed to give up Crimea, which obviously Russia annexed illegally in 2014 but also if he
agreed not to join NATO.
Essentially, if he agreed to some of the conditions that Vladimir Putin has laid out for ending the war. And I think you get a sense from that of the
pressure that Zelenskyy will feel during these talks today to agree to at least some of these conditions in order to get the war to end.
And you can already sense that this is going to be a meeting of quite hard choices, I think, for Zelenskyy, on the flip side, what the president seems
to be offering is this idea of security guarantees. And you heard Steve Witkoff describe them as Article V, like guarantees that he says Russia has
agreed to include in a potential peace agreement that would essentially guarantee U.S. and European backing.
If once this war is over, Putin is able to regroup and kind of go after the rest of Ukraine in a few years. This is essentially meant to guard against
that, but there are a lot of questions about what exactly that will look like. You know, President Trump has been pretty explicit that he does not
foresee American troops going in on the ground in Ukraine to protect that country going forward.
So, what the U.S. commitment to that kind of guarantee is really unclear. And I think when you talk to European officials, that will be at the very
center of these discussions here at the White House today. And so, this is shaping up to be, you know, really one of the more consequential days in
memory here at the White House.
I don't remember a time when so many top leaders have come here on such short notice to convene with an American President, which I think gives you
a sense one of the urgencies they feel in trying to get this war resolved, but also the alarm they feel at potentially being sidelined, at how the
presidentis going about it.
[11:05:00]
And so, you've seen the Europeans already this morning meeting with Zelenskyy trying to come up with some preparatory discussions ahead of this
meeting, the U.S. Envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, has also been meeting Zelenskyy as well, ahead of their arrival here to the White House.
And you're right. I think all sides of this really do want to avoid what we saw happen in February. The president and the Vice President, JD Vance, who
I should mention, will also be in this meeting today, kind of berating Zelenskyy and then essentially kicking him out of the White House.
There is an interest on all sides of this to avoid that. And you know, Zelenskyy and Trump have gone a long way in repairing their relationship.
Since then, Zelenskyy has been kind of coached by other European leaders about how better to approach Donald Trump to sort of get what he wants out
of him.
I'm also told that there has been a discussion between American and Ukrainian officials about what Zelenskyy will wear to the meeting today,
because you'll remember back in February, the president greeted him. He was wearing kind of his traditional military uniform. He sorts of joked
sarcastically that he had gotten dressed up.
And then when Zelenskyy was in the Oval Office, a right-wing reporter asked him about it, and Zelenskyy said he would wear a suit when the war is over.
But behind the scenes, President Trump, and actually JD Vance especially, had been concerned that he wasn't wearing a suit and tie.
Today, perhaps Zelenskyywill be wearing something different, but it just goes to show the efforts that are underway right now to try and avoid that
blow up that we saw back in February, Zain.
ASHER: All right, Kevin Liptak, live for us there. Thank you so much. Our next guest writes in "The Washington Post" at the Trump-Putin summit.
Wasn't a disaster, but it was a U.S. defeat. Communist Max Boot is also a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and joins us live now.
So Max, thank you so much for being with us. First of all, just walk us through what Zelenskyy, I'll get to Russia in a moment. But what does
President Zelenskyy actually need to say in this meeting? Obviously, he's being forced to make some very difficult decisions, very hard choices. What
are his options here?
MAX BOOT, COLUMNIST, THE WASHINGTON POST: Well, obviously, President Zelenskyy needs to say something to avoid a further rupture with President
Trump. But at the same time, he also needs to convince Trump to walk back from some of these ideas which Trump rationally endorsed when he met with
Putin in Alaska.
Ideas such as no need for an immediate ceasefire, or the notion that that Putin was pushing that Ukraine needs to turn over the unoccupied parts of
Donetsk province to Russia in order to have an end to the war. That just is not going to fly, because those unoccupied parts of Donetsk, that's a
Ukrainian fortress built which is protecting the rest of Ukraine from Russian invasion.
So, there's no way that Ukraine is going to give up that territory which the Russians have been trying to conquer for 11 years. They're not going to
give that up, essentially for nothing, for empty guarantees from Putin not to attack Ukraine again. And so, the challenge for Zelenskyy and the
European leaders who are with them is explain those on the ground realities to Trump in a way that doesn't cause Trump just to dig in and blow up at
Ukraine and decide to punish Ukraine for trying to protect itself from Russian aggression.
ASHER: So, let's assume that Zelenskyy tries to explain this. I mean, we've seen a previous version of this, right? In February, President Zelenskyy
tried to explain to Donald Trump and JD Vance that Vladimir Putin could not be trusted. And we saw what happened.
Let's assume that Zelenskyy tries again to explain his position about not giving up land, not giving up eastern Ukraine. And let's assume that
President Trump just isn't on board with that. What happens next? What are Zelenskyy options in terms of continuing this war without as much American
help.
BOOT: Well, the worst-case scenario, which everybody has been dreading since President Trump came to office, as the complete U.S. cut off of aid
and intelligence to Ukraine, which we briefly had after the Trump, Zelenskyy blow up in the oval office in February. If that were to happen, I
think Ukraine could still keep going with European help.
But that's obviously a worst-case scenario, not something to avoid. I think what President Zelenskyy needs to do is to make clear he is willing to
compromise. I mean, remember, Zelenskyy is the guy who agrees to an unconditional ceasefire right now. Putin is the one who rejects a ceasefire
right now, Putin is the obstacle to peace, not Zelenskyy.
And Zelenskyy needs to make clear he is willing to make territorial concessions. An increasing number of Ukrainians are willing to say, freeze
the battle lines in place as part of a plan to end the war with Ukraine getting security guarantees to make sure that Russia doesn't relaunch its
invasion.
[11:10:00]
But there's a big difference between freezing the battle lines in place and turning over unoccupied territory from Ukraine to Russia. That is a
completely unreasonable demand from Putin. I'm not even sure Putin is serious about it. I think he's just advancing that to divide the U.S. from
Ukraine.
And that's where Zelenskyy needs to push back hard to make clear, that, yes, the Ukrainians are willing to compromise, but they're not willing to
commit suicide.
ASHER: Yes, an important point, and just in terms of security guarantees. What might potential security guarantees actually look like in a way that
both the Russians and the Ukrainians will be on board with here?
BOOT: I don't think the Russians are going to be on board with any serious security guarantees for Ukraine, because Putin has not given up his goal of
subjugating Ukraine. But the gold standard of security guarantees, pretty clearly, is a ratified mutual defense treaty with the United States and the
deployment of U.S. troops on the front lines.
That's what happened in Eastern Germany through NATO. That's what happened in Korea through the U.S., South Korea defense treaty. That's what can give
Ukrainians assurance that the Russians will not attack again. Unfortunately, Trump seems to be taking that off the table, because he's
saying no NATO membership for Ukraine.
He's saying no U.S. troops on the front lines in Ukraine, although maybe he's wavering a little bit on that. But anything short of that is not going
to be the gold standard. Maybe that there are no good enough options, with some European troops deploying, maybe bilateral security treaties with
Ukraine.
But the Ukrainians are justifiably nervous about being victims of continued Russian aggression, and I think the only thing that would really put their
minds at ease would be a mutual defense treaty of the U.S. and U.S. troops on the front lines.
ASHER: All right, Max Boot live for us. Thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it. Now President Zelenskyy is expected to spend time this
morning coordinating positions with European leaders at the Ukrainian embassy in Washington. Ben Wedeman joins us live now from Kyiv.
So, Ben, obviously one of Zelenskyy's main priorities is to ensure that this meeting ends very, very differently compared to the meeting that we
saw in February. We understand that he has spoken to a number of other leaders around the world about how best to do that, how best to negotiate
with President Donald Trump, especially given that the cameras are going to be rolling. Just walk us through what's going to be different this time.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we do know that several European leaders have essentially coached President Zelenskyy on
how to deal with President Trump, ranging from how to talk to him to how to dress, since he was attacked back in February because he wasn't wearing a
suit and tie.
So, he's going to obviously be on pins and needles to make sure not to offend a hypersensitive American President and his aides. But of course,
that's going on at a time when his country is under attack. It's been invaded. It's 20 percent of its territory is occupied.
So, he lives in a somewhat different reality than the resident of the White House. Now overnight, for instance, there were 140 Russian drones and three
ballistic missiles fired into Ukraine, killing at least 10 people. That's a significant increase in sort of the 24-hour tally that we normally see
here.
So, it doesn't appear that the summit in Alaska has tempered the desire of the Russians to hold back when it comes on to their firepower. Now today,
we were at a funeral here in Kyiv for a 39-year-old artist who became a soldier who was killed on the Eastern Front at the beginning of this month.
And there, of course, we spoke to people about their expectations, their fears for this meeting in Washington. Many of them had seen this tweet or
posting on social media by President Trump, saying that President Zelenskyy could end the war almost immediately if he wants to. So, it appears, yet
again, the onus to end the war is not on the invader, but the country that has been invaded.
So, people are very worried about how President Trump is going to deal with President Zelenskyy. And of course, one of the things items that seems to
be on the agenda is the idea that Ukraine, in addition to surrendering Crimea for good, is that it also should give up territory, more territory
in the eastern part of the country, including territory that is currently occupied by Ukrainian forces.
[11:15:00]
And we spoke to one young filmmaker who told us that the idea of surrendering land for peace with Russia is not a recipe for peace.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SASHKO, FILMMAKER: It's a fake peace. It just, they just, it's like only the word that Donald Trump can use, but it doesn't look like a peacefor the
Ukrainians. You can't trade, you know, lives of Ukrainian people, our lands and our values, just for the Donald Trump's desire to make business as
usual with the Russians.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WEDEMAN:And we also spoke with another comrade in the same unit as this young man who was the subject of the funeral this morning, and he told us
that if Ukraine stops fighting, there will be no more Ukraine. If the Russians stop fighting, however, there will be no more war, Zain.
ASHER: Yeah, interesting point. Ben Wedeman, live for us there. Thank you so much. We'll have much more on this really busy day of diplomacy in
Washington, including the one thing that Vladimir Putin wanted from Friday's meeting with Donald Trump. Did he get it? Take a look at that.
Plus, leaked audio captures Israel's Former Military Intel Chief calling the deaths of tens of thousands in Gaza necessary .We'll have a live report
from Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem for you after the short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Allright, crowds took to the streets of Israel on Sunday, demanding that their government end the war in Gaza and do a deal to bring home the
remaining 50 hostages. It was one of the largest demonstrations since the Gaza war began nearly two years ago. Across Israel, protesters blocked
roads, closed businesses and staged rallies.
There were also protests outside the homes of some government ministers. Organizers estimate hundreds of thousands took part in the strike, which
was announced last week after the government said it plans to take over Gaza City, potentially endangering the remaining hostages.
Meantime, a leaked audio recording of Israel's Former Military Intelligence Chief is making headlines after being released by Israel's channel 12 on
Friday. In the audio, Major General Aharon Haliva can be heard saying, the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza are necessary and
required for future generations.
[11:20:00]
He also said quote, for every one person on October 7th, 50 Palestinians must die, and it doesn't matter now if they are children. It's unclear when
Haliva was speaking, but the number killed in Gaza surpassed 50,000 in March. CNN's Oren Liebermann is lifeless in Jerusalem or on what has been
the reaction to this leaked audio recording from Haliva?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Zain, it's worth pointing out that a lot of the recordings from Major General Haliva were
about who bears responsibility for October 7th and the failures that led to that on the Israeli side. He is the first senior Israeli officer back in
April of last year, I believe to have resigned because of his how he sees his own culpability and responsibility.
And that was a large portion of what this lengthy leaked audio recording was about. But it is striking the remarks that you point out here, what he
talked about in terms of the number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli military in Gaza, and that's the focus that we have looked at here his
comments.
And I'll read part of this here for everything that happened on October 7th. For every one person on October 7th, 50 Palestinians must die. It
doesn't matter now if they are children, the fact that there are already 50,000 dead in Gaza is necessary and required for future generations.
His remarks come as Israel has faced increased condemnation over the conduct of the Israeli military and Gaza, including accusations of
intentional starvation, war crimes and atrocities, as well as genocide, accusations that Israel has vehemently denied. We have seen just in the
past few days, the Danish Prime Minister saying that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has become a problem within himself.
And it was just a few days ago that the New Zealand Prime Minister said that Netanyahu has lost the plot and called the escalation with the
takeover and occupation of Gaza City utterly, utterly unacceptable. It is in this context that these comments were published by Israel's channel 12
news, so it likely to add to the accusations there.
Hamas also issued their own response, saying it confirms that crimes against our people are high level decisions and official policy from the
enemy's political and security leadership, Zain.
ASHER: And Oren, just in terms of these protests taking place -- took place in Israel, just 500,000 people, at least hundreds of thousand people,
taking to the streets. And obviously, a lot of Israelis are skeptical that the Israeli government can do both, that they can essentially eliminate
Hamas militarily.
While at the same time rescuing 50 hostages, only 20 of whom are believed to be alive at this point. Just walk us through how much pressure Netanyahu
is facing in his own country?
LIEBERMANN: Well, it's clear that he has lost the majority of the public who no longer believe he has the interests of the hostages as his number
one goal in this war. And that's why we saw, according to organizers, at least more than 400,000 filling hostages square in the surrounding streets
in Tel Aviv.
We were on the streets last night, and they were so packed with signs and t-shirts saying, bring them home now, with calls for Netanyahu to resign,
calls for the government to be toppled. And you could feel the energy on the streets. And it wasn't just that, that was the sort of the culmination
of the day.
But there were protests and demonstrations across the country from early in the morning, organizers say about a million people participated in all of
that, which is a simply stunning number. That's 10 percent of the country. One in 10 people, they say, took part in these demonstrations.
And yet Netanyahu and his far-right allies in the government were dismissive of this, saying it only strengthens Hamas and its military
pressure and military power that will bring an end to the war and a release of the hostages, that clearly is something that everybody, at least we
spoke with on the streets, doesn't believe at all.
They say that it is exactly that military power and the Israeli plans to escalate the war that are a threat, and farther than that, a death sentence
to the remaining hostages. And that's why they say the effort we saw throughout the country last night is not over in just one day.
ASHER: Oren Liebermann, live for us there. Thank you so much. Right, people from Gaza seeking medical attention in the U.S. are facing a major
roadblock. The Trump Administration says it is suspending visitor visas. The State Department is reviewing the process that allows them to
temporarily enter the U.S. for medical and humanitarian reasons. U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, defended the move.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: There is evidence been presented to us by numerous congressional offices that some of the organizations
bragging about and involved in acquiring these visas have strong links to terrorist groups like Hamas and so we are not going to be in partnership
with groups that are friendly with Hamas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Thegroup HEAL Palestine, an American nonprofit that provides critical aid to families and children from Gaza, criticized the suspension
of visas. It says this is a medical treatment program, not a refugee resettlement program.
[11:25:00]
All right up next on "One World", Texas Democratic lawmakers are coming back to the state. When we return, we'll tell you why they say they're
ending their boycott of legislator.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Welcomeback to "One World". I'm Zain Asher, New York. Here are some of the headlines we are watching today. Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy is in Washington for talks with President Trump. Unlike his last visit, he'll be flanked by several European leaders.
Trump has signaled Ukraine will have to, at the very least give up Crimea and agree to never join NATO in order for the conflict to end. Israelis
held mass protests across the country on Sunday, demanding the government end the war in Gaza and make a deal to allow the remaining 50 hostages to
come home.
Organizers estimate that hundreds of thousands took part in the strike, one of the largest protests since the Gaza war began nearly two years ago.
Hurricane Erin is expected to bring dangerous rip currents and destructive waves to the U.S. East Coast and Bermuda in the next couple of days.
Erin is now a sprawling Category 4 hurricane. It's forecast to stay well offshore over the Atlantic, but its strong winds are sending large ocean
swells out for hundreds of miles, with flooding possible from North Carolina to the Bahamas. A judge will hear arguments today about the
migrant detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz.
The suit brought by the ACLU says people being held at the camp should have full access to legal counsel. The Trump Administration denies that it is
preventing lawyers from visiting detainees. Right, California and Texas send more representatives to Congress than any other state.
And today they are both talking about radically changing how their electoral districts look. In Texas, democratic state legislators say they
are ready to return to the state's capital as Republicans continue to push a redistricting plan that would likely create five extra congressional
seats for Republicans.
[11:30:00]
And in California, democratic representatives are ready to begin their response to what's happening in Texas. They're putting forward a new
congressional map for their state that should produce more seats for their parties. CNN's Arlette Saenz is tracking developments for us from the Texas
State capital.
Arlette, thank you so much for being with us. So just in terms of starting with Texas first, this new sort of congressional map would essentially
create much more red districts. I mentioned about five Texas Democrats had about 15 days away. They're now returning to the state. But walk us through
what they're doing, how they're frightening, fighting rather this redistricting push?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we expect these Texas House Democrats to land here in Austin any minute now, really, as they have
signaled, they are ending that 15-day standoff to try to delay votes on redistricting. All eyes will be on the Texas House chamber in just about 90
minutes when it's set to reconvene, and that is when the Texas House Speaker will try to meet a quorum once again.
It is expected that there will be enough Democrats in the chamber to then begin the legislative process to pass these redistricting maps. Now, these
democrats stay out of the state for about two weeks, and they ultimately said that they would come home once that first, second special session
ended.
That happened on Friday, and minutes later, the Texas Governor Greg Abbott filed a proclamation calling for a second special session. And then these
Democrats also wanted to see California formally file their legislation for new congressional maps in their state.
But really, these Democrats are arguing that they have sparked a national conversation when it comes to redistricting based on these efforts by
Republicans here in the state of Texas. Now there is nothing that they can really do to stop this from moving forward in the Texas House and Senate,
this will eventually be passed.
But what Democrats are planning to do in the coming days is make their case against the bill as they are preparing for lawsuits that they are expecting
to file in the weeks heading into September and October, as they are hoping that the courts can prevent these maps from going into effect.
And so that is a little bit of how Texas will shake out. The GOP leaders haven't set a timeline yet, but these new Republican drawn maps could be
passed as soon as this week.
ASHER: And just in terms of California, I mean, obviously California is sort of trying to retaliate by creating many more blue districts. Just walk
us through what's happening on that front because they actually still need voters to actually get this through.
SAENZ: Yes, and that is the big difference between what is happening in Texas and California. In Texas, the state legislator can push through this
map and they will be finalized. In California, they will need voters to consider this. So, the legislative process is kicking off today, when the
California State Assembly returns.
They will begin holding hearings on the bill, and then they are hoping to have a final passage vote on Thursday before it moves on to Newsom's desk.
But then the big fight is going to be in November, when voters will have to approve a ballot initiative about these maps, and already you've heard from
Republicans across the state say that there are prepared to fight back against that.
Perhaps the most famous Republican who says that he wants to fight these maps is the Former Republican Governor of California, Arnold
Schwarzenegger. He the other day posted a picture of himself in a t-shirt that said, f the politicians terminate gerrymandering.
So, there is still expected to be a multimillion-dollar campaign to try to get those passed, or if Republicans have their way to block it with voters
come November.But both of these states, of course, Texas and California are racing to get these maps through, as they are hoping they can have an
imprint on what the next Congress will look like for the second half of President Donald Trump's term in office.
ASHER: Arlette Saenz live for us there in Austin, Texas. Thank you so much. New pictures here of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy meeting with U.S.
Special Envoy Keith Kellogg earlier today. Zelenskyy is now at the Ukrainian embassy in Washington meeting with European leaders before they
Head to the White House in a few minutes.
Sources tell CNN, they're expected to coordinate their positions ahead of their sit down with President Trump about ending Russia's war in Ukraine.
At Friday's summit in Alaska, it appears the Russian President was focused on both land and perhaps time. According to European officials, Putin
insisted once again that Ukraine give up the Donbas region in Eastern Ukraine.
It was once an industrial powerhouse during the Soviet era, and has rich farmland, important rivers and a coastline on the sea of Azov.
[11:35:00]
It's been the apple of Putin's eye since the war began and at the summit, Putin may also have gained the advantage of more times. CNN's Clare
Sebastian joins us live now to give us a closer look at these areas that Vladimir Putin is after. Just walk us through and explain a bit more detail
Clare, why the Donbas region is at the heart of Vladimir Putin's goals?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Zain, well, look, we need to understand the history a little bit here. And if you look at this map, this
is the current situation today. The red area is what Russia currently controls. The yellow parts of what Ukraine has recaptured from Russia since
the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
But if you look slightly closer, you can see there are a couple of shaded areas within the red section, Crimea, down here and up here in the Donbas
region. Now, Crimea, of course, we know, has been under Russian de facto control since 2014 when Russia illegally annexed the territory.
But that also applies to that section of the Donbas region. You remember fighting broke out in that region after or sort of around the time of the
annexation of Crimea, Russian backed separatists fighting with Ukrainian forces for control of that territory, and this striped area here is
essentially an area that was afforded a special status in a peace deal signed to stop the fighting there, the Minsk II Accord in early 2015.
But of course, all of that went out the window in 2022.And Russia, three days before the invasion recognized these two so called People's Republic
here. The Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic as independent states, and launched his invasion.
And this is really crucial, on the pretext of protecting the Russians and Russian speaking people in that area. So, this is really part of when we
hear Putin talk about the root causes of the conflict. This is what he's talking about. You can get an even closer look here, where you can see that
shaded area.
So, this was what was in Russian control since basically 2014, 2015.And I think that's why it's so crucial to President Putin, because what we're
hearing coming out, what Trump has told European leaders about the summit in Alaska. And we're going to take a look at this map, where you can see
the actual borders of these regions within Ukraine in those thick white lines there.
This is why it's important, because he is demanding full control of Donetsk and Luhansk, the Donbas region, and this includes a section here,
especially in Donetsk, that he doesn't yet occupy. So, this would mean de facto Ukraine would have to give up territory that it still controls, and
that area includes some key fortress towns like Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
Now conversely, and I think this shows also why Donbas is such a big prize for Putin down here. He's potentially offering, according to the
information that's coming from President Trump to the Europeans, not to do the same in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, to essentially freeze the frontline
there and only control territory that he has occupied militarily in those regions in the south.
Now for Ukraine, of course, a lot of this is a non-starter. It is not going to walk away from territory that it still controls, and it is not going to
accept, according to Zelenskyy, any permanent loss of territory. But Crimea perhaps a lesson here, because, of course, that has been not legally
Russian, but de facto in Russian control since 2014.
Could we see a freezing of the current front line all up here? And potentially some kind of temporary de facto Russian control agreed as a
starting point for these talks, Zain.
ASHER: Clare Sebastian, live for us. Appreciate it. All right, so will Putin get what he wants? Let's discuss it with Stefan Meister from the
German Council on Foreign Relations. Stefan, thank you so much for being with us. Give us your take on Putin's strategy here, because he's
essentially trying to get, just in terms of the negotiations, trying to get Ukraine to agree to something as a condition for a peace deal that they
know that is.
It's going to be virtually impossible for Ukraine to agree to.Walk us through Putin's strategy.
STEFAN MEISTER, GERMAN COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Ithink we have to understand that Donbas was always in Putin's mind, a mean to control whole
Ukraine. So, it was after 2014 a territory through which he wanted to get in a federal context of Ukraine, to control of more of Ukraine.
And also, as your colleague just said, I think there are key fortress cities, if you, if you control these cities, it's much easier from this
territory to step in or to go in into other territories of Ukraine. So, it's not about Eastern Ukraine, it's not about some territories of Ukraine,
but it is about whole Ukraine, and it's about spheres of influence in Europe.
So, my impression at the moment is that he tries to offer something to Trump in saying, I want -- I agree with this, with the Donbas region. But
in the end, it is one step further towards controlling whole of Ukraine,
ASHER: OK, and just in terms of what Putin is going to be watching for as this meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump takes place.
[11:40:00]
I mean, what? Obviously, Zelenskyy is under a lot of pressure here to agree to something. I mean, and there are so many things here that he's going to
have an issue with, especially as it pertains to giving up land. I mean, obviously another aspect of all of this is the idea that Ukraine can never
join NATO.
A lot of the things that he's being pressured to agree to are going to be things that he's going to have to try to explain to Donald Trump why
Ukraine cannot agree to that. Walk us through what Vladimir Putin is going to want to see out of this meeting as he watches remotely.
MEISTER:I think he got already from Trump that there will be no sanctions from the U.S. or further sanctions, and he still hopes to get, maybe also
some sanctions lifted. But I think he wants to see, on one hand, more pressure on Zelenskyy to give up territory. He already got the agreement
from Trump that Ukraine will not join NATO, and he wants to play a role in European security.
So, he wants to redefine spheres of influence in Europe. And I think this meeting, in a way, is a further step, also to divide the Europeans and the
U.S. So, it's also a rift in transatlantic relations. He wants to see in that it will grow, yeah. But I think what we first of all -- I think what
first of all will see is there is no pressure on Putin by Mr. Trump, but there is pressure on Zelenskyy.
And so, Trump is pressuring the weaker state and not the aggressor in this context, and Putin has defined on the rules of what Trump wants from
Zelenskyy, and I think this all plays into the hands of Putin to win more time to gain more territory in the eastern part of Ukraine.
ASHER: And if Putin ends up getting access to the eastern part of Ukraine, and that ends up being ceded to Russia. What message does that send to
someone like Putin going forward, do you think?
MEISTER:I think it's not only a message to Putin, but it's a message to the world and to other authoritarian leaders that you can take territory of
another country by force and no one will punish you for this. You might be even awarded by Mr. Trump, by the U.S.President, if you are strong enough,
if you can offer other deals.
So, it's about the power of the strength. It's about undermining international law. And for Putin, it's also a global recognition that he
can have a victory with his policy of aggression.
ASHER: And in terms of security guarantees. I mean, you mentioned that Putin gaining access for the Donbas is his sort of entryway point into
trying to control the whole of Ukraine. The idea of security guarantees would be to prevent Vladimir Putin from being able to do that.
What will those or what should those security guarantees actually look like on the ground?
MEISTER:I think it's about increasing the price for Russia to attack Ukraine again. So, it's about deterring Russia to move further into
Ukrainian territory. As we know by what Donald Trump was saying, there will be no -- there's no NATO membership, so it will be about a coalition of
willing of European states, and they can only give the security guarantees with U.S. support.
So, you need a robust peacekeeping troop. You need a robust military force on the Ukrainian soil, on the contact line, which needs also U.S. air
support, U.S. logistics support and intelligence to deter Russian aggression and to increase the costs for any Russian attack against
Ukraine.
ASHER: Right. Stefan Meister from the council, from the German Council Foreign Relations, appreciate you joining us. Thank you so much. All right,
hurricane Erin is making its way north in the Atlantic, and people on the U.S. East Coast are being warned to take it very seriously.
Details up next. Plus, another week and more wildfires in parts of Europe. Look at how the fires are affecting people in the hottest parts of the
continent.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
ASHER: Well,wecontinue to track hurricane Erin this morning.The Category 4 storm is expected to bring potentially deadly rip currents and large waves
to the U.S. East Coast and Bermuda. Forecasters are saying we'll see it grow bigger and stronger in the coming days.
Over the weekend, it made it to Category 5 strength in Puerto Rico, the heavy rain led to flash flooding and power outages. A mandatory evacuation
and local state of emergency have been issued in parts of North Carolina. The biggest concerns right now are the force of the surf expected to come
ashore and the risk of strong currents sweeping swimmers away.
In Southern Europe, hot, dry weather is fueling major wildfires there, with Spain seeing its worst fire disaster in decades. The country's defense
minister blames climate change. Spain has been dealing with a blistering heat wave for more than two weeks. Polo Sandoval looks at how some people
have had to come to their own defense.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Armed with garden hoses and buckets of water, residents in northwestern Spain are fighting to save
their homes from wildfires.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's insurmountable. It couldn't be worse. It's devastating.
SANDOVAL(voice-over): It's one of the worst wildfire seasons in Southern Europe in two decades. Spain has been hit particularly hard. The Spanish
government says that it's sending in more reinforcements to help firefighters, deploying 500 additional soldiers from a military emergency
unit.
Purpose is to assist the more than 1400 troops already fighting the fires. Some neighbors say they can't wait for help.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was supposed to be working, but my home is here. I can't abandon my family or my village, and we've been working nonstop. We
haven't slept in four days helping all the surrounding villages.
SANDOVAL (voice-over): Several countries are sending equipment and personnel in to help battle the wildfires, and what the Spanish Prime
Minister calls the largest deployment of the European Union firefighting force.The blazes are getting their own boost, with temperatures in some
parts of the country nearing 45 degrees Celsius, or 113 degrees Fahrenheit. That's making conditions quite for even more fires.
PEDRO SANCHEZ, SPANISH PRIME MINISTER: There are still some difficult days ahead. Unfortunately, the weather is not on our side. So, I would ask
citizens to pay close attention to what the institutions, professionals and experts tell us.
SANDOVAL (voice-over): Wildfires have already scorched an estimated 160,000hectares of land this year in Spain, an area roughly the size of
London. But even with reinforcements on the way, the orange skies over some parts of Spain are an ominous sign of the challenges ahead. Polo Sandoval,
CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: We'll right back with more after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:50:00]
ASHER: Right, you've heard of the Poke Ball series. But what about the Pokemon world championships? Well, $2 million was on the line, so the best
players the world came together in California to compete in categories from trading cards to video games. CNN's Rick Damigellatakes a peek, Pikachu,
rather at the event.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICK DAMIGELLA, CNN ENTERTAINMENT NEWS PRODUCER (voice-over): A giant inflatable Pikachu welcomed competitors and spectators to the 2025 Pokemon
world championships in Anaheim, California.
NICK SALAZAR, ASSOCIATE PUBLIC RELATIONS MANGER OF THE POKEMON COMPANY INTERNATIONAL: If it'sa combination of the 2025 season, we're playing for
the champ, you know, the title of Pokemon world championship across Pokemon Scarlet, PokemonViolet video games, the Pokemon trading card game, Pokemon
GO and PokemonUNITE.
We've had over 2500 competitors, and that's not to mention the expected 20,000 spectators that we'll have on hand.
DAMIGELLA(voice-over): And while players must earn their way into the championships, competitive play leading up to it is open to anyone.
SALAZAR: All of our events are open to everyone, with the exception of you know you have to qualify for the World Championships, of course. But
everything is open to everyone. We want it to be as inviting as humanly possible for everybody and see that there's an entry point for everyone in
our brand.
DAMIGELLA (voice-over): In addition to the competition, other events taking place include panels, autograph sessions and plenty of photo opportunities.
And while pictures with Eevee, Pikachu and other characters were a big draw, the center of attention is definitely the competition. In Anaheim,
California, I'm Rick Damigella.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Meantime, in Beijing, the robot games have wrapped. 280 teams from 16 countries competed over three days in soccer, kickboxing, a relay race
and even competitive cleaning. The players all robots, sometimes they toppled over and crashed into each other, and sometimes they just sort of
tripped one another up.
Robot made it over the finish line and collapsed out of exhaustion, which is understandable. There is that footage there. Organizers say the games
provide data for practical applications. China is investing billions in robotics as it battles with the U.S. for tech dominance.
And finally, WNBA icon Sue Bird becomes the first player in league history to have a statue in her honor the Seattle Storm unveiled the eight-foot
bronze figure before Sunday's game at home to the Phoenix Mercury,Bird, said she takes pride in what players like her have done for the WNBA.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUE BIRD, POINT GUARD OF SEATTLE STORM: It's not just an honor, it's history.
[11:55:00]
I'm the first player to ever have a statue built, and that fact both humbles me and fills me with pride, not just for me, but for what this
represents for women's basketball, for every young girl who will walk past this statue. And think that maybe it could be her someday, and every young
boy who's going to do the same thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Bird is a 13-timeall-star who won 4 WNBA championships. She already had her storm jersey retired and a street named after her as well. All
right, we are minutes away from the arrival of European leaders at the White House ahead of their meeting with Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy.
Live pictures here of the South Portico of the White House. We expect the leaders to arrive. My colleague, Bianna Golodryga and I will be anchoring
the next hour of "One World" after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
