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One World with Zain Asher
Zelenskyy and Ukraine's Allies to Speak in Paris; Danish PM Warns U.S. Against Attacking Another NATO Country; Trump admin. Officials to Brief Lawmakers on Venezuela; Colombia's President Vows to "Take Up Arms" if U.S. Attacks; Protests Over Venezuela Attack; Rep. Greene on Venezuela Operation. Aired 1-2p ET
Aired January 06, 2026 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:00:00]
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: We're coming to you live from New York. I'm Zain Asher.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. You're watching the second hour of One World.
At any moment we expect to hear from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris. By his side will be the leaders of Britain, France and
Germany. Earlier, governments that call themselves the Coalition of the Willing looked to firm up security guarantees for Ukraine. Kyiv has been
wary of any peace agreement that could leave it open to a fresh Russian attack.
ASHER: One man not in Paris is U.S. President Donald Trump. He's on the minds of several world leaders and raising red flags over his renewed
interest in Greenland. That is a semi-autonomous Danish territory. The Danish prime minister warns that these threats could put NATO's very
existence in jeopardy. Nevertheless, rhetoric from the Trump administration appears to be ramping up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN MILLER, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR POLICY: The real question is, by what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? What
is the basis of their territorial claim? What is their basis of having Greenland as a colony of Denmark? The United States is the power of NATO.
ANDERS VISTISEN, MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: It is appalling and it is very frankly stupid to continue to talk about capturing NATO country.
But we don't see it as very realistic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: All right. Let's go straight to Nic Robertson live from London. As if European leaders don't have enough on their plate, it did appear for
a while that the president had lost interest in Greenland. Now, it's back in the forefront following the removal of Nicolas Maduro and his wife. What
are you hearing from European sources and how seriously they are taking these latest threats?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: I think it's quite significant today when you had all these leaders meeting in Paris for a
Coalition of the Willing that was supposed to be focused on Ukraine that was going to take a detour to discuss the events in Venezuela. The
Europeans, of course, have been quite cautious in the way that they've approached Trump's capture and bringing back Maduro to the United States
saying it's important to uphold international law. But Maduro was not a legitimate president. So, kind of walking a careful way.
But when it comes to Greenland, I think they've broken the sort of ranks, if you will, of cautious diplomacy. It still sounds quite cautious, but
it's very clear they are saying absolutely. Look, Europe is key. It's joined up. It supports Denmark in NATO and spending and training and
readiness to protect the Arctic. The United States is part of NATO. This is the best way to support Arctic security, that security that President Trump
is talking about, the threats, he says, from China and Russia coming from the Arctic.
So, these European leaders today took time out of these very important issues to speak and put out a joint statement. And I think the toughest
line in that joint statement is very clear, it is up to the people of Denmark and Greenland only to determine the future of Greenland, no one
else. We've heard that from the British prime minister on the margins there. And that language, no one else, is very clear intended for the White
House to hear.
Now, you know, they've been very robust, Stephen Miller, very robust in his articulation of it. But it is being taken very seriously and more on the
front foot than the response, I would say, that there has been to Maduro and Venezuela.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Nic Robertson, thank you.
ASHER: My next guest is the former director of policy and planning at NATO, Fabrice Pothier joins us live now from Madrid. Fabrice, thank you so
much for being with us. I bet you never thought we'd have you on to talk about this specifically, because obviously the focus of the Coalition of
the Willing is, of course, technically security guarantees for Ukraine.
But given Donald Trump's threats against Greenland and also given what we actually saw over the weekend, that he's actually willing to follow up on
these threats with real action, a lot of people in Denmark are, of course, worried. And part of the issue here for NATO is that Denmark is, of course,
a NATO member.
And when you think about the fundamentals and the premise of Article 5, you know, there's sort of no playbook for this. This idea that, you know,
members would threaten each other, members of NATO would threaten each other. This idea that, you know, there is Article 5, but that's based on
the premise of there being an external aggressor, somebody who is outside of NATO.
[13:05:00]
So, based on all of that, what technically would happen if the U.S. did try to annex Greenland? How would NATO respond to that?
FABRICE POTHIER, FORMER DIRECTOR OF POLICY PLANNING, NATO AND SENIOR CONSULTING FELLOW, IISS: Well, I don't think the question is technical. I
think it's more a political one. And politically, this will be the fatal blow to the alliance. Because, as you mentioned, the alliance is based on
the notion of collective security, where one ally is, you know, part of a whole and will come to the rescue of the other allies.
And the United States has a special responsibility at NATO. Being the largest and more powerful ally and being the main guarantor of European
security as of today. So, I think the problem would not be so much technical. That would be a detail, I would say. The real problem would be
political. That would mean the death of how we know NATO since the Washington Treaty was drafted and signed in Washington.
GOLODRYGA: How do you think Moscow is reading all of this right now, Fabrice? Because, on the one hand, they've lost another ally, and that is
Nicolas Maduro. No one really expected Putin to come to his rescue. He didn't do the same with Assad, though he did give him a place to live at
this point. And, apparently, that could have been an option for Nicolas Maduro.
So, on the one hand, a loss for Putin. But, on the other hand, one of his major goals is to divide the Western alliance and NATO members. And by
seeing this all play out, what do you think and what do you imagine the reaction would be from Moscow?
POTHIER: Yes. I think Putin is obviously watching probably with lots of geopolitical pleasure, I would call it. The main member of NATO talking
about basically annexing another NATO member's territory. Which is exactly what Putin has been doing for the past 10 years in Ukraine and against
Ukraine and has been condemned for.
So, obviously, there's this Schadenfreude where he probably looks at us and looks at this great moment, very perilous moment for Europe. And I think
he's waiting to see what is going to be the next move from Donald Trump. If Donald Trump is really going to go all the way to his statements and taking
over by military force or by any other ways, coercion, Greenland, I think that will be, I think, the signal that what Putin did 10 years ago with the
illegal annexation of Crimea has become the lingua franca of international power politics.
And for sure, Putin, but not only Putin, Xi Jinping, will take note and will probably implement that new and start speaking even more eloquently
that new lingua franca of annexing your neighbors or your territories that you consider part of your strategic interests.
ASHER: Yes. And one of the things you touched on in your previous answer is this idea that the U.S. is really the backbone to NATO. I mean, it's not
just another member. It really is the backbone. It provides the bulk of NATO strategic lift. Obviously, nuclear deterrence, given that the U.S.
does, of course, have nuclear capabilities, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance. The list goes on.
POTHIER: Yes.
ASHER: And so, it would lead to the alliance's complete fracture if you had the alliance attempt to sort of turn on the US. And also, by the way,
just in terms of voting, the U.S. is going to obviously veto any vote that is not in its own interests.
So, then my question to you is, what will that mean if you have the sort of fracture of this alliance that has been around since the Cold War? Just
walk us through what that would mean for international order, even just beyond Russia.
POTHIER: I think that will do several things. One is accelerate the fragmentation of European security. What we have seen over the past 10
years with Russia's attacks against Ukraine and some NATO members being already politically more aligned with Moscow than with Brussels or Paris,
like Hungary and Slovakia. That will accelerate that pace where you will see, I think, some going for a European security formula under E.U., U.K.,
French, German leadership and resources. And some like Hungary and possibly Poland going for more bilateral security arrangements with the United
States.
But make no mistake, what it will also mean for the U.S. is a greater isolation. The U.S. will be losing its first fan club, Europe. Despite, you
know, the competitive relationship, we are, you know, the closest allies ever in history.
[13:10:00]
And I think here the U.S. will be a much more lonely power, a great power, very powerful, as Donald Trump likes to showcase on, you know, 24-hour news
television, for sure, but politically much more isolated and facing directly the other great powers, especially the U.S. Xi Jinping's China,
but also Vladimir Putin's Russia. And I think there will be a cost to that, not just for Europe, but also for the U.S.
ASHER: Right. Fabrice Pothier, live for us there. Thank you. Appreciate it.
GOLODRYGA: Well, the full House and Senate are expected to get closed-door briefings on the Venezuelan operations on Wednesday, days after the U.S.
captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and took them to New York to stand trial.
ASHER: Yes. Some lawmakers from House and Senate committees who were briefed on Monday say there is a lack of clarity on the planned next steps.
Adam Smith is the senior Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ADAM SMITH (D-WA): I don't think they have a clear plan. And I also think that when President Trump says that we're running Venezuela and
starts talking about how we're doing this for the oil, that really undermines the ability to have any sort of effective transition. Because
the people of Venezuela don't want to be ruled by the United States of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Well, back in Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro's number two, Delcy Rodriguez, has been sworn in as acting president. Her first day in office
began with gunfire. Venezuela says police shot a shot at drones that were flying without permission. Now, it seems the incident was a
misunderstanding between different security groups.
ASHER: Yes. Rodriguez was appointed on Monday, but many questions remain over what exactly comes next for Venezuela. The U.N. is weighing in on how
accountability should be achieved.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAVINA SHAMDASANI, U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE: We fear that the current instability and further militarization in the country resulting from the
U.S. intervention will only make the situation worse. The U.S. has justified its intervention on the grounds of the Venezuelan government's
longstanding and appalling human rights record. But accountability for human rights violations cannot be achieved by unilateral military
intervention in violation of international law. The people of Venezuela deserve accountability through a fair, victim-centered process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Meantime, Venezuela's opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, says that she will return to the country. She said her plans with Fox News.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIO CORINA MACHADO, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER: I'm planning to go back to Venezuela as soon as possible. As I've always said, Sean, every day
I make a decision where I am more useful for our cause. That's why I stayed in hiding for over 16 months, and that's why I decided to go out, because I
believed that at this moment, I'm more useful to our cause, being able to speak out from where I am right now. But I'm planning to go as soon as
possible back home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: For more on this, let's bring in CNN's Paula Newton. And, Paula, it does seem that the U.S.'s view is the better bet, the more stable
bet, is to go with someone like Delcy Rodriguez, who has at this point the concern -- the support of the Venezuelan military forces for at least the
time being, before at some point, maybe not 30 days like the Constitution says, but in a few months' time, then open it up for democratic elections.
That's the optimistic take, but walk us through, in the meantime, who some of these players are now who are currently running the government.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I do want to say, Bianna, that if you look at the situation as it is right now, yes, OK, the stability is
there, but so is the repression. And Maria Corina, in that interview with Fox News, also made the point that Delcy Rodriguez, now the acting
president of Venezuela, is part of that regime. She is part and parcel of the torture, of the repression, of the persecution of the Venezuelan
people.
Also, at her side, Bianna, remain the same cast of characters. The Diosdado Cabello is the interior minister who's been on social media now, really
striking his fist and saying that they have control of Venezuela. The defense minister, the attorney general, all people that I have seen in
charge in Venezuela for multiple years. And I think that was actually the performative message from the National Assembly that we saw on Monday.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON (voice-over): It is a bold statement that the old guard in Venezuela is still in charge. Lawmakers in the National Assembly gathered
to open a new session, an unprecedented one, as a loyal operative of the regime of Nicolas Maduro was sworn in as acting president.
Even in taking the oath, Delcy Rodriguez denounced Maduro and his wife's capture, saying she was in pain for the kidnapping of two heroes.
[13:15:00]
While Maduro was shackled and on his way to his first appearance in a New York courtroom, his inner circle returned to a familiar playbook, calling
on Venezuelans to hit the streets and protest Maduro's incarceration.
Even his son, Nicolas Maduro Guerra, was installed once again in Parliament, emotionally pledging his allegiance to Rodriguez.
Adding, the homeland is in good hands, dad.
REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL): We seem to have swapped one head of the snake for another, and we absolutely have to make sure that what the
result, that the result from the arrest and removal of Maduro, who was illegally holding office and who violated U.S. and international law, that
we move towards a transition.
NEWTON (voice-over): On the streets of Caracas, the shock of the last few days is giving way to a return to business as usual and a regime that is
all too familiar. Hundreds of political prisoners remain in custody and citizens have been warned the regime is aggressively hunting down U.S.
collaborators. Government media parrots the line that the entire country stands with Maduro, even though Rodriguez is herself, now vowing to engage
in a cooperative agenda with the U.S.
The regime, though, its guardians still in place, returned emboldened to this performative display. In fact, the events of the last few days seem to
vindicate the revolutionary ideals among Maduro loyalists that the U.S. posed a clear and present danger to the country and only a dogmatic,
zealous devotion to the regime could fight it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON (on camera): And again, I have heard that for years when it patently was untrue and now you do see that the regime feels vindicated
that, look, the United States and the CIA in particular was out to get our oil and our energy resources to the last. That does not mean that Rodriguez
will not cooperate with the U.S. government, the Trump administration on commercial deals, right?
And that's the worry now is the fact that if they show a modicum of cooperation on everything economic, that these democratic ideals, freedom
of speech will completely go by the wayside and that this regime can continue really its repressive nature.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. I mean, the one thing the president has been very transparent about is that for him, this is about controlling the country
and getting the oil back. I don't think he's uttered the word democracy or doing this to restore democracy to the country, and maybe others in the
administration have alluded to as much but the president certainly hasn't at this point. Paula Newton, thank you.
ASHER: In the wake of the U.S. military operation to remove President Nicolas Maduro from office, Colombia is increasing security along its
border with Venezuela and Colombia's President Gustavo Petro says that he would, quote, "take up arms" if the U.S. attacked his country. Colombia's
foreign minister adds, a strike against the country would be a strike against democracy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSA YOLANDA VILLAVICENCIO, COLOMBIAN ACTING MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS (through translator): We have also stated that we reject all threats made
against any country and that we reject colonial-style administrations once we have achieved national sovereignty. An offense against the president is
an offense against our country and a violation of all the democratic processes which have been going on for years. This is our position.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN's David Culver went to the Colombia-Venezuela border to witness the show of force.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Let's get in here. Got it?
CULVER (voice-over): This is the show of force Colombian commanders want the world, and perhaps mostly Washington, to witness.
CULVER: And so, here it is now evening, going into late in the night, and we're about to see some of the many patrols that have sprawled out across
the 1,300-plus miles of border between Colombia and Venezuela.
CULVER (voice-over): The government says it's now deployed some 30,000 Colombian troops to its eastern border.
CULVER: Military commanders stress that their priority is security and stability more than anything else. It may look like an escalation, but they
say this is about being prepared for whatever situation might unfold. But you can't look past the timing, and that is all of this happening as
scrutiny from Washington intensifies.
CULVER (voice-over): At all hours, the Colombian military increasingly present here, pushing back on claims from the Trump administration that
they're not doing enough to stop criminal organizations and drugs from crossing the border.
LT. COL. JOHNNATAN ARCOS, COLOMBIAN ARMY (through translator): Adamant, they're focused on guaranteeing and defending Colombia's sovereignty and
primarily its citizens.
[13:20:00]
CULVER (voice-over): And yet, despite the show of force, life here, pretty normal for the moment.
CULVER: You can see steady traffic coming in from Venezuela into Colombia. This is the Simon Bolivar Bridge. It takes you right into Venezuela.
CULVER (voice-over): Or out of Venezuela, in Maria's case, if only for a couple of hours. She's got a doctor's appointment in Colombia.
CULVER: She says everything's calm.
CULVER (voice-over): She's among those still living in Venezuela, willing to tell us on camera she's happier with Maduro gone.
CULVER: She says as soon as Maduro became president, everything just went downhill from there. So, she's hoping it can revert back to the way it was,
as she says, before.
CULVER (voice-over): In a seemingly forgotten, tucked away mountain community here in Cucuta, Colombia, many we meet dream bigger for
Venezuela's future.
CULVER: And this is a community that's basically a migrant settlement. She thinks there are more Venezuelans in this community than Colombians. Mind
you, we're in Colombia.
CULVER (voice-over): This family left Venezuela two years ago, intentionally keeping close to their homeland.
CULVER: Do you want to go back? She would love to go back.
That's where the bedroom is. And they have running water and electricity. The neighbor has internet and so they share it.
So, this is your kitchen, right? So, this is their kitchen. They have one bedroom there.
CULVER (voice-over): Incredibly modest, but better still, she insists, than life on the other side of the border.
CULVER (on camera): She said life in Venezuela was incredibly difficult, even working, she said. We had to make choices. Do you buy clothes? Do you
buy food?
CULVER (voice-over): She's among the nearly 3 million who've left Venezuela to settle in Colombia in recent years, believed to be the largest
Venezuelan diaspora outside of Venezuela.
CULVER: She said her husband wanted to stay close to their homeland. So, they're just over the border. Secondly, she was worried about the journey
to the U.S.
CULVER (voice-over): And yet, before returning, she, like most here, want to see lasting changes take shape.
CULVER: Do you think the U.S. can change things in Venezuela? She does think the U.S. actually can contribute, not to do everything, but to at
least make a better Venezuela, as she sees it.
CULVER (voice-over): Until then, they've made this home.
CULVER: She says, go back three years ago, and this was a mess. It didn't look anything like this, but the community came together, and now it's a
place where a lot of the kids gather and they play.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: CNN's Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward has been following the story from Colombian -- the Colombian captain joins us live
now.
So, Clarissa, Colombia obviously shares a very porous border with Venezuela. There are a lot of risks here, just in terms of migrant flows.
There are security risks as well. Donald Trump has made very sort of overt threats to Colombia's president, too, Gustavo Petro, but he's in a bit of a
different position as a democratically elected leader. He came into office in 2022. But what, for Colombia, is the ideal outcome of this particular
U.S. intervention in Venezuela?
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think right now, as you mentioned, Colombia is very much focused on preserving the
integrity of that border. Nearly 1,400 miles long, they've deployed some 30,000 Colombian troops to ensure that they're ready for anything. The
situation inside Venezuela now is calm, but it's exceedingly tense. We've been talking to people in Caracas who report, you know, the presence of
these Colectivos, these pro-government sort of thugs, essentially, who will pull people over, comb through their cars. Yesterday, a number of
journalists were detained, although they were subsequently released.
And so, there's this overriding feeling of tension and anxiety and a really deep-seated fear that we could now see a major repression underway, in
which case, of course, Colombia will be concerned that you're going to see another kind of mass exodus, the likes of which they have already witnessed
over the course of the last 25 years, some 3 million Venezuelans, as you saw in David's piece there, living here in Colombia. And then on the other
hand, you have this sort of war of words, Zain, going on between President Trump and the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro.
[13:25:00]
Today, President Petro fired the sort of latest salvo on X, essentially castigating Trump's appropriation of the 1825 Monroe Doctrine, or what he
now refers to as the Donroe Doctrine, saying that that was a doctrine that basically resulted in the subjugation of sovereign Latin American countries
and turned them into colonies, and that they don't want to see that happen again.
And so, for Colombian officials right now, Zain, I think the real priority is yes, A, of course, to ensure that the border is secure and that tensions
are reduced from where they are now, but also to make it very clear to the U.S. that this type of military intervention, regardless of what their
opinions might be about the kind of leader that Nicolas Maduro was, are not welcome here in Colombia and in many countries across Latin America, Zain.
GOLODRYGA: Clarissa, as Zain mentioned, Gustavo Petro was elected in 2022. What is his standing with the majority of Colombians, separate from what
we've seen, this war of words and escalation between him and President Trump, but just as governing as president now for three years? How is he
viewed in the country?
WARD: Well, first of all, I should say there's supposed to be elections later this year. His approval ratings are not terribly high. But he really
cast this through the prism that we see in many kind of left-leaning countries at the moment of U.S. imperialism and hegemony against the wishes
of sovereign nations. And that is a message that does resonate with a lot of people across this region, regardless of their political persuasion.
In fact, Maria Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader who is currently outside of the country, is virtually the only one who will publicly support
this type of military intervention. While many Venezuelans, of course, were delighted to see Maduro captured, the idea of U.S. instigated regime change
or regime decapitation is still anathema to so many people in this region because of decades of history.
And President Gustavo Petro has actually called tomorrow for a protest against U.S. military aggression. We will be on the ground to see what the
numbers are like and what kind of support that message has here in Colombia. Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: OK. Clarissa, we'll be looking forward to your reporting as always. Thank you so much. And still to come for U.S., protests have
erupted across the world over the U.S. raid on Venezuela, this one in Indonesia. We'll have details ahead.
Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): It's concerning to see what's happening and the direction that the Trump administration is moving in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Previously a staunch ally of Trump, now slamming what his administration just did in Venezuela. What Marjorie Taylor Greene is saying
next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:30:00]
ASHER: Protests are being held across the world against the U.S. incursion in Venezuela. This was a scene outside the American Embassy in Jakarta,
Indonesia earlier. Protesters carried banners condemning American policies, holding placards that said no blood for oil.
GOLODRYGA: Demonstrators chanted anti-U.S. slogans and set fire to posters of President Trump.
ASHER: A former Republican lawmaker is also slamming the U.S. attack. Marjorie Taylor Greene was once a very close ally of Donald Trump. She
stepped down Monday after a public falling out with the president. She described Maduro's arrest as a departure from the president's promise to
put America first and added that Americans are tired of U.S. attempts at regime change overseas and how they've turned out in the past.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): It's concerning to see what's happening and the direction that the Trump administration is moving in. We
can say thankfully that Maduro has been arrested. We can say we're happy for the Venezuelan people, but we can also look to all the regime changes
before in Iraq and Libya and Syria, and we said the same things for the people of those countries.
But then we watch those countries fall into turmoil and civil war, and we've watched the rise of ISIS and terrorism, and we watch U.S. troops
remain in those countries for a very long time, and many flag-draped coffins come home. And that's what many Americans don't want to see happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Well, that's what Marjorie Taylor Greene thinks, but what do other Americans think about the capture of Maduro? Our Harry Enten breaks
down the public opinion numbers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Zain and Bianna, what a difference a successful military operation in the minds of the American public can have
on public opinion. I'm specifically talking about the U.S. military ousting Nicolas Maduro, and what we see in the polling data is a sea change, a sea
change in opinion when we compare pre-ousting and now.
All right. Take a look here. U.S. military ousting Maduro. Pre-ousting, look at this. The opposition way out in front at 47 percent. Just 21
percent of Americans supported it back then. In fact, not even a majority of Republicans supported the idea of ousting Maduro. But now look at this.
We're looking at pretty much an even split among the American public. Support through the roof, up 16 points, now to 37 percent. The opposition
dropped from 47 percent now to just 38 percent.
We're in a dead heat going on here. These are some of Donald Trump's best polling numbers on anything he has done during his presidency. And perhaps
not so surprisingly, not so surprisingly, we see one of the reasons why, why the support for ousting Maduro has gone up.
Take a look here. U.S. drug trafficking trial for Maduro. 50 percent, 50 percent of Americans favor it compared to just 14 percent, just 14 percent
who oppose it. Indeed, just 24 percent of Democrats oppose it. We're talking only about a quarter of Democrats who oppose it. They are, in fact,
a lot of them are not sure at this point.
But in fact, a higher percentage actually support, then oppose the idea of a trial for drug trafficking for the Venezuelan, the former Venezuelan
president. And we see overall here 50 percent support versus 14 percent oppose, favor way out in front. But perhaps it's not so surprising, not so
surprising that the American public has in fact gone more over to the support side than where they used to be, because we've seen it before.
We saw it back in the middle of last year, right, the net approval for the U.S. airstrikes on Iran. Back in June, the net approval was underwater at
minus nine points. And then by July, after it became clear what the consequences were following the airstrike.
You see, plus four points again, that support grew over time. Now, we'll have to wait and see whether or not the support grows for this operation
that is --
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: I want to take you to Paris now, where Ukraine and its allies have been meeting at a summit, so-called Coalition of the Willing. Let's listen
in. Emmanuel Macron is speaking now.
[13:35:00]
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): New meeting of heads of state and government who composed the Coalition of the Willing.
With President Zelenskyy and with an American delegation, with Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner. This is not the first of our meetings since 2025. We
previously met with the Secretary General of NATO and the president of the E.U.
This meeting represents a considerable advance on the declaration of Paris for a sustainable peace. This declaration of the Coalition of the Willing,
for the first time, recognizes an operational convergence between the many countries which make up the coalition, and it represents a robust
coalition. This declaration or statement details, all the arrangements which we have agreed.
We have had input by SACEUR and also by the commanders-in-chief. And we have also mobilized a coordination cell which will look at the overall
capacities of all the armies concerned, European, American and Ukrainian. And we will also be coordinating with the coalition of commanders in Paris.
We have done that on the basis of the work which has been done over the last couple of months. We have consolidated our approach with, first of
all, the implementation of a mechanism which will be under the command of the Americans. And secondly, support over time by the armed forces of
Ukraine, which of course is the first line of defense against the aggression. And that we have done on the basis of thousands of volunteers.
And we have set that up as to be a deterrent force. And we are also talking about a multinational force, a reassurance force on the ground, far from
the contact line, but in coordination with the general staffs, Italian, German, Polish and French, for example. There is also a role for Turkey,
which has a very responsible role to play.
And then we have also put in place a legal mechanism of solidarity to protect Ukraine if attacked again by Russian. We have also, in a second
stage, talked about a consolidation of economic help. And we have consolidated a whole number of guarantees for the protection of Ukraine,
security guarantees for Ukraine, but also for Europe. And the second part of our discussions was devoted to the future of Ukraine. There was an
American plan which was presented, but also European input, so that in the upcoming weeks, a prosperity plan can be properly elaborated. So, that's
very important.
All of that constitute the essential pillars of negotiation which is underway and which we hope will be completed as soon as possible. But these
guarantees are the key for a peace agreement never being a threat for Ukraine.
[13:40:00]
I think it's very important here to underscore the fact that the countries here represented are not all of them. There are lots of others, and we
coordinated that last year in Berlin with them, and they all agreed that we should strive for peace in Ukraine and peace in Europe. We want that to be
just, sustainable, and maintainable.
We note that all the previous peace agreements have given rise to aggression by Russia over the last couple of years, Moldova and so on and
so forth. We need guarantees, security guarantees, and that is based on the experience of Europeans over the last 15 years. This is why this is very
important. It's a guarantee, a legitimate guarantee of security, and it also means a convergence of the willing for Ukraine and with America.
Finally, we will continue to support Ukraine against all the challenges which are theirs, air protection, civil protection, and that will allow
U.S., I hope, to continue our sanction work as well to try and force and reduce the war effort by Russia. So, ladies and gentlemen, that's
essentially what I wanted to say, welcoming the American delegation which is with us about this very considerable effort which is the result of our
meeting today.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Thank you, dear Emmanuel, dear President. Thank you for the organization, for
inviting. Thank you, Pierre and Mr. Chancellor Friedrich, Steven, Jared, dear journalists, everyone present.
First of all, I thank you for our meeting, for our representative meetings, 27 leaders of the E.U. countries, NATO, Turkey, Japan, New Zealand,
Australia. It's a global meeting, for sure. It's very important that we have basic documents of the coalition. It's not just specifics. We have a
joint declaration of all the countries of coalition and the three tripartite coalition of declaration of the U.K., France, Ukraine, the U.S.,
all the countries that want to vote for real security.
We will also strengthen legal work in the countries with parliaments. When democracy and diplomacy will work, we will be properly prepared to accept
the coalition's forces. We have to decide what countries are prepared to lead, to prepare security on the land, in the sky, on the sea, what the
forces will be governed, at what levels the governance will be. It will need to be determined how monitoring will be, very clearly and
specifically, how it will be financed and how it will work with the Ukrainian army.
We think that the key element of our Ukrainian forces based on our army, all the other elements will be actively working based on that. With regard
to France and the U.K., there has to be specific logistics, the arm and other details. We have some details, some understanding and what the
coalition of all countries would be prepared to do.
I want to thank every leader, every country that indeed contributed to the part of the peace solution. We had a lot of talk with the American team
today with regard to monitoring, with regard to peace not being broken. And America is prepared to work towards it. That's very important for us. It's
one of the most important components. It's a deterrent, the tools that will not allow new Russian aggression.
We see all this. It's very important that we move forward with the American negotiation team, working on the documents. We did it in Paris today. We
have also meetings with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. We are preparing two-sided agreements with regard to security guarantees. And we are
counting that very soon it will be possible to sign them after the format has been worked through. Let's hope, God willing, we'll be able to do that.
[13:50:00]
We hope that the U.S. will support the forces that will stop, deter the Russian aggression. We understand what the timing might be for all these
processes. We need security guarantees based on legal obligations. They have to be approved by the U.S. Congress. And we need the support of the
U.S. government with regard to the documents.
There are some questions, 20-point documents. The territorial issues are very important and need some work to discuss some issues and ideas that
might help. Some issues might need to be discussed at the leaders' level. Additional meetings are going on.
I would like to thank you, Emmanuel, that we have an opportunity to meet for two days in Teams. I thank American colleagues very much. But we have
the architecture with regard to security after the war. And that is the gift of the partners so that Russia will come to the point of finishing the
war. Russia was the source, the start of this war, this aggression. And it's clear who has to make the key steps in this formula.
I thank everyone who helps us to do everything to achieve peace. Each of us understands that the aggressor has to stop in order for peace to work. And
all the tools for this are working. Sanctions, deep strikes, diplomacy. And we also discussed our air defenses today. Other leaders of the Coalition of
the Willing also raised this issue.
Indeed, Ukraine needs rockets for air defenses because Russian strikes, unfortunately, are not stopping, despite the diplomacy. Russia is not
investing in diplomacy 100 percent so far, but they are not investing only because they keep striking our energy infrastructure. And that's why every
meeting in support of the air defense is important. We worked with President Trump in Mar-a-Lago. I thank him very much for his understanding
and support.
And here in Paris, we are also raising the issue of air defense. The stronger our defense, the stronger will be the diplomacy. Thank you very
much who is prepared to support U.S., loyalty to Ukraine.
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, Emmanuel. And it's important we're starting the year like this. European and American allies,
side by side with President Zelenskyy, standing for peace. And we are closer to that goal than ever. But, of course, the hardest jobs are still
ahead.
So, we're here today to keep driving that effort forward. And we've had a very constructive meeting, which is built on the excellent progress made in
negotiations over recent days and weeks. The purpose of the Coalition of the Willing is to help deliver a peace that can last and to work with the
U.S. to guarantee Ukraine's security for the long-term.
This work is now more advanced than ever. Today's joint declaration set that out in clear terms. On top of that, and alongside President Zelenskyy
and President Macron, we went even further today. We signed a declaration of intent on the deployment of forces to Ukraine in the event of a peace
deal.
This is a vital part of our Ironcast commitment to stand with Ukraine for the long-term. It paves the way for the legal framework under which
British, French, and partner forces could operate on Ukrainian soil, securing Ukraine's skies and seas and regenerating Ukraine's armed forces
for the future.
We discussed these issues in detail today, and so I can say that following a ceasefire, the U.K. and France will establish military hubs across
Ukraine and build protected facilities for weapons and military equipment to support Ukraine's defensive needs.
And with our coalition partners, we've also agreed significant further steps. First, that we will participate in U.S.-led monitoring and
verification of any ceasefire. Second, we will support the long-time provision of armaments for Ukraine's defense.
[13:50:00]
And third, we will work towards binding commitments to support Ukraine in the case of a future armed attack by Russia. This is all about building the
practical foundations on which peace would rest. But we can only get to a peace deal if Putin is ready to make compromises.
And so, we have to be frank, for all Russia's words, Putin is not showing that he's ready for peace. Over the last few weeks, we've seen the
opposite. Further horrific strikes on Ukraine, killing and wounding civilians, and cutting off power for millions of people in the dead of
winter. His forces hit a hospital in Kyiv just yesterday. And he's tried to distract from peace efforts with unfounded claims of attacks on his
residents.
Now, this only hardens our resolve. We will continue to step up our support for Ukraine's defense in 2026 to ensure it gets the equipment and backing
it needs to continue the fight. And we will keep the pressure up on Russia, including further measures on oil traders and shadow fleet operators
funding Putin's war chest.
We will continue these efforts until they come to the table in good faith and until we realize the goal that we all share of a just and lasting
peace. Thank you, Emmanuel.
GOLODRYGA: All right. We've been listening to leaders from the Coalition of the Willing there. European leaders starting with Emmanuel Macrons and
then President Zelenskyy and Keir Starmer, and there you see German Chancellor Merz, all talking about what they said was a breakthrough
alongside U.S. negotiators there. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner representing the United States, signing security guarantees for commitment
to Ukraine. All of this would come post any sort of ceasefire agreement.
Nonetheless, some significant breakthroughs. Optimism from all sides there saying that more talks will be going on for the next several days. I
believe Witkoff will be staying in Paris for continued talks. But to hear that there is an agreement on having some sort of security reassurance
force, I don't know what the exact terminology would be, of forces on the ground, maybe not on the front lines in Ukraine. But during peacetime that
had been something that had been discussed now in the past. It seems like there is some agreement on that.
Let's go to our Nic Robertson, who is live from London, who's been monitoring these talks as well. So, give us your take on the significance
of the developments coming out of this meeting.
ROBERTSON: Yes. I think what you're seeing here is an answer to the criticism that Europe wasn't really quite aligned on how it was going to
provide this security assistance. And this is what we heard from President Macron, that this is sort of coalesced, that they brought all these points
together.
So, there's a unified position, and that was represented, I think, in that declaration of intent that Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke about. A
declaration of intent of precisely, or at least some details, of a multinational, international force that would go in once there's peace. And
as you said, Macron was clear that this wouldn't go near the line of contact, the front line, the line of contact would be wherever it is
decided that the forces end the fighting.
Starmer talked about there being, these forces would be in a number of different locations inside of Ukraine. He spoke specifically about British
and French and others. Macron spoke about the possibility of Turkish forces there as well.
I think it's worth remembering at this point that while you have this sort of effort here to coalesce and bring together, and it appears they've
achieved a degree of that in what a European security force might look like going into Ukraine if there was peace.
[13:55:00]
There's still a lot of unanswered questions. I mean, the biggest elephant in the room is -- and Starmer addressed that, saying, you know, it's up to
the aggressor to end the war. Putin is still hitting civilians, is still hitting energy infrastructure.
So, is Russia going to accept any of this? Russia has been very clear in the past that it wouldn't accept an international force inside of Ukraine.
And perhaps we're hearing shades of how a negotiated version of that can happen, that Russia is perhaps, and this is really a suggestion here
because we don't know, willing to tolerate international forces way in the west of Ukraine. We don't have that detail.
So, this is a presentation that's clearly intended to show unity, intended to show some progress. But I think it was President Zelenskyy who said,
look, there's still detail here. I believe it was Zelenskyy who really alluded to the effect that the United States hasn't yet sort of put its
cards on the table and shown a commitment.
So, there's a lot of work to be done, and I think we did hear shades of that from Macron and Starmer as well.
ASHER: Nic, part of the risk here is that some of these security guarantees end up looking strong on paper but weak in reality. And I think
that a lot of people are watching, I'm sure Zelenskyy is obviously considering this, this idea of, yes, you have security guarantees but with
so many limits to these guarantees, including there not being anywhere close to the front lines, how do you ensure that they are a credible
deterrent to the adversary, namely Russia?
ROBERTSON: You know, and I think that was sort of, you know, you've got a sense of that as a potential weakness because it was sort of brought up as
a third point that you still have to get to an agreement over what you would do as European forces, and maybe the United States as well, if Russia
was to attack again.
So, the fact that we're not even, they are not even at that point of knowing what that response would look like, again, what Ukraine wants is a
sort of NATO Article 5 type response where an attack on Ukraine brings all of its allies and supporters in militarily behind it. Clearly not at that
point yet.
So, yes, the devil is in the detail. It just really feels that there's an effort here to show that Europe can coalesce its ideas, show that to the
United States, show that to the Russians, yet this is a time when the bigger diplomatic picture behind all of this is growing rifts between the
United States and its European, putative European NATO partners over Greenland, over the methods used in Venezuela, and this would just be more
grist for Putin to stand back and let the war carry on because he's gaining some ground, because he is putting pressure on Ukraine, because he thinks
he can win more territory in the battlefield and at the same time know that over time the U.S.-European unity is eroding.
Again, I think it was significant that we didn't hear in this sort of alignment, in this coming together, this joint declaration that the United
States was signing up to it. That there are a lot of gaps there and that is good for Putin. As soon as the U.S. is signing up with concrete points and
concrete financing and concrete security, there was talk, I think from Starmer, mentioning that, you know, the Europeans were willing to join the
United States in monitoring a ceasefire. OK. So, that tells us that the United States is going to monitor a ceasefire.
GOLODRYGA: Nic, sorry to cut you off, Steve Witkoff is now speaking, so let's listen in.
STEVE WITKOFF, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY: I want to thank you for your commitment to the peace here, your team. You have an outstanding team. And it's our
privilege to work on this endeavor.
I want to be clear that Jared and I have been working with Ambassador Kushner for close to 10 hours today. And we'll be meeting with the
Ukrainian delegation this evening, continuing that work. Because President Trump's mandate is that he wants a peace in Ukraine. And we are determined
on his behalf to do everything possible to attain that peace.
This -- a lot of progress began first in Geneva. We made tremendous progress there. We moved on to Berlin. Lots of progress happened there. And
as President Zelenskyy identified, we had a very compelling meeting in Mar- a-Lago. And we look forward to more progress as a result of everything that's occurred today. We think we're largely finished with security
protocols, which are important, so that the people of Ukraine know that when this ends, it ends forever. But we also think, critically, that we are
very, very close to --
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[14:00:00]
END
