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The Brief with Jim Sciutto

CNN International: Trump Threatens Iran at UNGA; Trump Signs Security Deal with Leaders of Denmark and Greenland; Netanyahu-Mamdani Feud; Poland's Russia Warning; Trump Suggests Tariffs Could Pressure Russia to End War. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired September 22, 2026 - 18:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[18:00:00]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR, "THE BRIEF": Hello and welcome to our viewers, joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto at the U.N., and

you're watching "The Brief."

Just ahead this hour, choose potential greatness or obliteration. President Trump delivers around a stark ultimatum on the first day of the General

Assembly. In his own words, Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister tells me how his country, a member of NATO of course, is coming

under attack by Russia. He says it's clear Vladimir Putin is not Donald Trump's friend. And a few flares here in New York. Accusations and denials

fly between the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. That story and plenty more coming up.

Here at the United Nations tonight, the U.S. President, a man who prides himself on making deals, claims that a deal with Iran is possible, though

he says after November's midterm election. President Trump says his other choice is to annihilate the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: But I have a big decision to make. Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater

country than it ever was before? Maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world, or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it

quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again? Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and

no hope of future greatness or generations? But I believe we'll make a deal right after the election.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: To end another crisis, he signed another deal on with the Danish and Greenlandic prime minister. The U.S. president says that agreement

gives the U.S. permanent control over Greenland's security. Denmark, which holds sovereignty over the island, calls it a good agreement for all

parties as well as for NATO.

Here with me at the U.N. is Kylie Atwood and Stephen Collinson joins us now from Washington.

And, Kylie, to President Trump's, he called it a choice, right, between this threat to annihilate a country or to negotiate towards a better future

for Iran. Does President Trump, in your conversations with State Department officials and others, does he actually have the appetite to expand the war

against Iran? Because it would seem he's running out of patience with the war.

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: It would seem that way. And based on conversations with U.S. officials today, but also the

conversations that were being had by U.S. officials today, it's very clear that the Trump administration is pushing more heavily on the levers towards

diplomacy right now. Trump made those threats about annihilation. Later in the day, he specifically referenced one suspected Iranian nuclear site,

Pickaxe Mountain, saying we might have to blow it up. So, that's significant.

However, when you talk to U.S. officials earlier this morning, they were keeping the door open for meetings with Iranians. That meeting then

happened. President Trump described that three-hour-long meeting as productive and said there would be further meetings. And then he also said

that he believes that there wouldn't be any deal until after the midterms take place. So, if you look at the time between now and then, you'd have to

start working on a deal, and that's what the administration is doing.

So, we're not seeing real churn on the other possibility, the annihilation of Iran that he was threatening today. So, we'll have to watch and see how

this plays out. We know he can change his mind, but that's where it appears to stand at this moment in time.

SCIUTTO: Yes. I mean, it's such a contradiction to hear that word, annihilation, and then him saying just a few moments later almost, oh,

actually, we're talking and the things went fantastically well.

ATWOOD: That's where we're meeting. Now --

SCIUTTO: Exactly. And that could be substantial. Kylie Atwood, thanks so much. So, Stephen, I wonder, this is very much an in-character speech for

the U.S. president, in that he has attacks mixed with claims of great successes, and also at least offers of diplomacy. Are those met with

credibility by world leaders gathered here in New York?

[18:05:00]

I mean, do they buy the threat to annihilate Iran? Do they buy President Trump's interest in peace?

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Jim, I think while it's jarring to hear an American president in the UNGA threatened to annihilate

another country, as you suggest, those kinds of threats aren't new. That threat of violence and then the carrot of negotiations and a possible deal

has been something that the president has been trying for seven months now and he hasn't yielded a breakthrough on the Iran crisis. He hasn't been

able to get out of this war, and he went into this speech on the back of a big backlash inside the United States against this war.

We had a poll this morning that showed that only 26 percent of Americans six weeks from a midterm election are satisfied with the way he's handling

Iran. So, from that sense, internationally and domestically, and on some of the other big issues, for example, the president's optimism in his speech

that a deal was possible between Ukraine and Russia, none of what he said appears to have pushed any of this closer to a conclusion.

In many ways, I thought it was one of his less combustible U.N. speeches, and in some ways, he did seem a bit blase in going through the motions, and

I think that speaks a little bit to an administration that is running out of ideas, in a way, about how to push forward these big priorities the

president is advancing.

SCIUTTO: Yes. So, in effect, you have two wars that the president said he would end. The Ukraine war, of course, he famously said he'd end within 24

hours of coming into office. It is raging and arguably expanding. The Iran war, which he started, and it's lasting far longer than he promised it

would. On the Ukraine war, did you hear anything today that gave you a sense there's, if not progress, perhaps an opening to substantive

negotiations?

COLLINSON: Not really. I mean, he did mention the new law that was passed in the Senate that gives him the capacity to increase tariffs on Russia. He

said he might think about using that. Given all the other statements on the other side of the ledger, his pro-Russia statements, the failure, really,

of several rounds of U.S. diplomacy to get the Russians to shift their position and the recent trip to Russia and Kyiv by Steven Witkoff and Jared

Kushner, Trump's emissaries, that didn't create much obvious progress, it doesn't seem that there's a breakthrough looming in that war either.

The president has been leaning very heavily on Ukraine, as you know, to stop bombing Russian energy installations. He's very worried about the

price of diesel, the price of gasoline. But you could argue, I think, that that has more to do with the war he started in Iran than the war he failed

to end in 24 hours, as you say, in Ukraine.

SCIUTTO: Stephen Collinson, thanks so much. As we were mentioning there, Russia's war on Ukraine and how to end it topping the U.N. agenda today.

Trump met with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The U.S. president insists that Vladimir Putin really is interested in ending the

war, despite Putin repeatedly brushing off calls even for a cease-fire.

Trump says he is open to a new meeting with Putin, but says he is unsure if the Russian leader will be at this year's G20, which will be in Miami.

Zelenskyy says he himself would meet with Putin in Florida. All this comes amid fresh warnings about Russian hybrid attacks, hybrid warfare in Europe,

countries such as Latvia take those threats very seriously.

Latvia and its fellow Baltic states rushed to join NATO and the E.U. after breaking free from the Soviet Union in the 1990s. That is a model that

Ukraine would now like to emulate, the Kremlin, of course, fighting a war to prevent that. Latvian intelligence says Russia has targeted Latvia with

cyberattacks and sabotage for years. Per capita, Latvia, one of NATO's biggest defense spenders, and with neighbors such as Russia and Belarus,

it's very close to the threat.

Joining me now is the president of Latvia, Edgars Rinkevics. Thanks so much for taking the time.

EDGARS RINKEVICS, LATVIAN PRESIDENT: Thank you for having me.

SCIUTTO: As we watch this hybrid war expand against Europe by Russia, there seems to be some at least public disagreement among European

officials as to the possibility of an actual kinetic attack on a NATO ally, an invasion of, say, for instance, one of the Baltic states. Where do you

stand? Is that a real threat?

[18:10:00]

RINKEVICS: If you speak about conventional invasion, like, you know, incursion into the Baltic states or any NATO ally, it's highly unlikely, as

we speak, because Russia is very much engaged in Ukraine. We don't see any military buildup. Of course, the nature of war is changing. Technologies

are developing, and Russian army, to some extent, is more experienced. But at this time, we don't see any immediate threat of incursion.

Having said that, we just already said we still have a lot of risks and threats when it comes to so-called hybrid war.

SCIUTTO: And is the goal, in your view, that Russia wants to lessen support in Europe for continuing to support Ukraine?

RINKEVICS: I think it's primarily a goal. Because for Russia, it is very important to dissuade the staunchest supporters of Ukraine in Europe, like

the Baltic states, like Poland, from further supporting Ukraine. At the same time, of course, if they can test NATO, Article 5, or simply the

resolve of NATO nations, then they will do that.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Do you sense any lessening of support for Ukraine? I mean, do you have any fear that this Russian strategy might work?

RINKEVICS: I think that when it comes to those countries that support Ukraine, no. Because we understand that, to some extent, Ukraine is our

first line of defense. Because Ukraine is fighting against Russia and, to some extent, keeps us safe. At the same time, look what is happening in

Europe. There are parties that are gaining support in polls, in elections, and one of their narratives is also lessening or stopping support for

Ukraine.

So, I think the kind of gamble by Russia here is to influence not so much Eastern Europe, but the whole of Europe. Because when we are talking about

acts of sabotage, it's also happening in Western Europe. Look what happened in Germany with Leipzig incident.

SCIUTTO: Yes. And in the Netherlands as well, attacks on the railroad lines. I've been to Latvia and I visited during exercises by NATO forces

there with a focus on drone warfare. You have made the point that drone technology, drone strategy is moving so quickly that it's difficult to keep

up. Is it clear to you that NATO is doing enough, fast enough to fight the next war, at least to be prepared to fight the next war?

RINKEVICS: Well, I think that this is currently a focus we want to put when it comes to defense planning, when it comes to development of

capabilities. But, of course, that requires at least two elements. One is defense planning and military planners and military officers adapting. And

second, defense industry also. Because what we have found is that defense industry is trying to catch up, but the war is so fast developing,

technologies are developing so fast, both in Russia and in Ukraine, that you need to have defense industry that is agile and flexible. Not, you

know, looking at five years contracts. And this is a big challenge.

SCIUTTO: How about air defenses in Europe? Because you've also expressed concern that the current air defense technology, even the very advanced

systems like the Patriot that is in such demand in Ukraine, those will be outdated soon. I mean, does Europe have a plan to defend itself from the

next threat?

RINKEVICS: I think what Europe has is now clear will and commitment to spend money on defense, to commit resources on defense. Now, the big

question is how we do that wisely. When it comes to air defense, indeed, I think that Ukraine is showing that they have great drone warfare

capability, anti-drone capability, but what they are missing at this point is anti-ballistic systems. And that is something that President Zelenskyy

is asking almost the whole NATO, European nations to help.

But let's be frank. Ukraine is one thing, but also Europe needs to invest in anti-ballistic missiles, and here sometimes we simply need to have more

defense production. I very much hope that the possibility of producing Patriot missiles in Europe, licensing, finding ways how we can do that

would actually help Ukraine, but also would help Europe. We are ready to pay for that. By we, I don't mean only Latvia, but I think Europe, but we

simply need also defense capability.

SCIUTTO: You need the OK from the president. Even as the threat from Russia has grown, the U.S., as you know, has been reducing, not expanding,

its forced deployments in Europe.

[18:15:00]

From Latvia's perspective, one, does that weaken your defenses? And two, does it weaken your trust in the U.S. as a defense partner?

RINKEVICS: I would say one thing. We are expecting defense force pressure review by the U.S. government, by Department of War somewhere by the end of

this year, roughly. I don't know exactly. But we have seen that actually U.S. presence in Latvia, it's not huge. Those are a couple hundred

soldiers. It continues.

We see also that there has been a very positive announcement by President Trump about moving some troops to Poland. That is in our interest. So, I do

hope that the current situation will be taken into account when the defense pressure review is over. When it comes to the trust, we trust all our

allies, all 31 NATO allies, including the United States.

We do see that their commitment is strong. We do see that we have sometimes debate about defense spending. I think that 5 percent threshold now is

mandated by NATO summit decision. 2035, still nine years to go, but at least many countries are now catching up, and that's a positive sign.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Particularly those eastern-facing countries, as you well know.

RINKEVICS: I hope also others will follow.

SCIUTTO: Yes. President Rinkevics, we appreciate you taking the time. Thanks so much for joining.

RINKEVICS: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Coming up next, I will speak with Israel's ambassador to the United Nations as tensions flare ahead of Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit

to the U.N. himself. We'll discuss the protests as well as accusations between leaders.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: Well, also happening here at the U.N. General Assembly, the long- standing feud between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani flaring up once again. Ahead of his trip to

the UN, Prime Minister Netanyahu posted a video accusing Mayor Mamdani of supporting Hamas in, quote, "inciting riots against New York Jews," end

quote.

Mamdani called Netanyahu a war criminal during an interview taped yesterday with my colleague Christiane Amanpour. He denies the Prime Minister's

latest accusations. At the same time, a new CNN poll has raised serious questions about U.S. attitudes towards Israel.

[18:20:00]

It finds a growing number of Americans classify Israel as a country that is unfriendly or, even going so far as to call it an enemy of the U.S., though

Israel is nowhere near countries such as Russia and China.

However, look at the numbers compared to how Americans felt about Israel back in March 2025, the last time CNN asked this question. The poll found

significant movement toward negative feelings about Israel from Republicans, but also particularly from younger Americans.

Here with me now, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Dannon. Ambassador, thanks so much for taking the time.

DANNY DANON, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: Thank you for having me, Jim.

SCIUTTO: First, I do want to begin with some news from today because President Trump announced that Trump administration officials, his envoys,

including Steve Witkoff, it seemed, he hinted, it was Steve Witkoff, but that his administration officials met with members of the Iranian

delegation here for three hours and that the talks were very good. From Israel's perspective, do you support peace talks between the U.S. and Iran?

DANON: We have to look at the results of any negotiations. And if there will be a deal, you have to verify the deal. You need to have leverage. You

cannot leave the Iranians without leverage, whether you have the economical sanctions, military threat. Otherwise, they will lie. They did it in the

past with President Obama.

You know, Jim, we actually collected the archive from Tehran a few years ago. And what we found in the archive that they were lying to President

Obama while they were negotiating with the U.S. So, we are more skeptical about the Iranians. We don't believe them. I think they are buying time.

But if there is a deal, then you have to verify that they actually comply with the deal.

SCIUTTO: When I was in Israel in the early weeks of the war, Israeli officials made it quite clear to me and to others that to call this war a

victory, to say that the job is finished, they wanted to see an end to Iran's missile program, an end to its support for proxies around the

region, and also, of course, a clear end to Iran's nuclear program. If the war were to end today, would you consider it a victory for the U.S. and for

Israel?

DANON: Without those three goals that you just mentioned, it's not a victory. It means they will continue to threaten not only Israel, the

entire region. They will continue to develop weapons of mass destruction. And it's not a threat only against Israel. We are in the front line. But

they are going against the Saudis, Emiratis, Bahrainians. Eventually, they will go against the Europeans and the Americans.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

DANON: So, we cannot stop where we are now. The Iranians, unfortunately, believe they won this war. You see the way they're active at the U.N. They

feel superior to the Americans, to everyone else. And that is the core of the problem. They have to realize they are not superior. They are equal.

They are equal member state, and they have to respect international law.

SCIUTTO: Do you believe it when President Trump says there's this choice, you know, annihilate Iran or negotiate? Do you believe that this president

still has an appetite for war?

DANON: I believe the president. He proved that he's willing to pay a price and to fight the bad guys. Many years, we had a lot of declarations here at

the U.N., but President Trump was bold enough to take the action against this dangerous regime. I give him credit for that.

Otherwise, Iran would have been exactly like North Korea. We would have woken up one morning to see a statement that they actually tested a

ballistic missile with nuclear warhead. And then what? He decided to stop them, and I give him credit for that.

SCIUTTO: And, of course, you're right that many successive American presidents said they would never allow North Korea to have a nuclear

weapon. Of course, North Korea has multiple warheads today.

I do want to ask you about Prime Minister Netanyahu's posting this video claiming that Mayor Zohran Mamdani supported Hamas. Of course, we should

note, Mamdani denied that, and he has condemned Hamas. He's condemned, for instance, the October 7th attacks.

Why does Netanyahu make that accusation? And is he equating pro-Palestinian opinions with pro-Hamas?

DANON: Let's start from the beginning. Mayor Mamdani is a dangerous leader. He started this dispute in July, claiming that Netanyahu will not

be allowed to come to New York City. Now, he said something else in the last few days, but he has to deal with the traffic in New York City, with

the issues of the city, not with foreign affairs. He's not the secretary of state. And yes, he supports Hamas. Because when we eliminated Hamas

operatives, Mayor Mamdani condemned us and actually said that it's a war crime. So, if you condemn the elimination of terrorists who took part in

the atrocities of October 7th, you endorse Hamas.

Moreover, Mayor Mamdani sent one of his officials to meet the Iranian representative here at the U.N. while the U.S. was fighting this dangerous

regime. So, it's not for me to decide what to do with this mayor, but he's the last one to give orders to the prime minister, and Netanyahu, Prime

Minister Netanyahu, he will come to New York on Thursday. He will speak in the General Assembly, and there is nothing that the mayor can do about it.

[18:25:00]

SCIUTTO: When you look at these public polling figures, though, it's not just the mayor of New York that has less support for Israel over time. And

of course, you hear concerns in this country from many members of the public and other lawmakers that support Israel in other ways about the

deaths of civilians in the war in Gaza.

Mayor Mamdani is not unique in criticizing the deaths of civilians in the war in Gaza. Will you see those polling figures about waning support here

in this country among the American public? Does that concern you?

DANON: Absolutely. It is, and it was, a very costly war for us, three years. We fought multiple front lines in Lebanon, in Gaza, in Iran. It

wasn't easy for us, and we understand that we paid a heavy price, and we will fix it.

But, you know, Mayor Mamdani, in sight, instigates. He doesn't think about what we can do in the future in the region. This armament of Hamas, we want

to build a stable future for us and for our neighbors. But for that to happen, you have to push the bad guys out. He's not speaking about Hamas.

He's focusing all the hate against Israel.

SCIUTTO: Do you believe that this U.N. General Assembly will move the region closer to peace or to extending this war?

DANON: Well, last time, after the General Assembly, President Trump was able to broker the ceasefire, bring the hostages back home, and we are

grateful for that. Let's hope. You know, I'm very skeptical about the Iranians actually sitting down and negotiating a reasonable agreement

because they still think that they are winning the war, which is a loss. But we are hopeful.

And also, we are waiting for a new secretary general. We have a weak secretary general. He will be out of office within a few months. We don't

know who will replace Secretary Guterres, but we hope that he or she will be a strong leader that will be able to lead this organization.

SCIUTTO: Ambassador Danny Danon, we appreciate you joining the program again.

DANON: Thank you very much, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Thanks so much. Still ahead, Poland's foreign minister says that Russian military threats against NATO allies show that President Vladimir

Putin is not President Trump's friend. We'll discuss right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto. And here are the international headlines we're watching today.

President Donald Trump addressed the U.N. General Assembly earlier saying that a deal with Iran is possible after November's midterm elections. And

his other option, he says, is to, quote, "annihilate the Islamic Republic. He later suggested, however, that progress in diplomatic talks behind the

scenes are going very well with the Iranian delegation.

Social media influencer Clavicular has been charged with rape in Massachusetts. His real name is Braden Peters and is prominent in the looks

maxing subculture online. He was charged with drugging a person for sexual intercourse and procuring alcohol for an underage person.

Hurricane Polo has exploded into a rare Category 5 storm. It is now in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico. It's been feeding off a favorable

atmosphere and warmer water driven by what's known as a super El Nino.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at the U.N. today that the risk of Russia launching drone or land operations against other countries

in Europe is high. His warning comes amid an increase in so-called hybrid attacks launched by Russia against European nations. All of those that are

giving financial and military support to Ukraine.

Earlier, I spoke with Radoslav Sikorsky, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Poland, who says that Russia is carrying out what he

calls kinetic attacks against Europe now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RADOSLAW SIKORSKI, POLISH FOREIGN MINISTER: We have had drone incursions into Poland last September, but also just recently an armed drone into

Lithuania, which was shot down. We had an armed cruise missile, which exploded on Polish territory. We've had arsons, a whole quarter of Warsaw

with a huge shopping mall burnt to the ground. We've had assassinations in Germany, in Poland, in Britain. We've had an attempt to put flammable sort

of makeshift bombs on airliners. Imagine what could have happened.

We've had an actual explosion under a moving train on a high escarpment in Poland. Two out of three bombs exploded. If one had not failed, we would

have had people dying. And we now have these drone strikes literally on the Ukrainian-Polish border, petrol stations, locomotives and so on, that we

can hear in Poland, that cause our people to be woken up in the middle of the night with air raid alarms. So, you know, they are boiling the frog.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Is that beyond hybrid war? I mean, all that you described there, those are potentially deadly attacks.

SIKORSKI: Remember, hybrid war is war below the threshold of a full-scale invasion.

SCIUTTO: So, what is the proper response and has the response been sufficient so far?

SIKORSKI: Well, our response has been to increase our defense spending. We are not obliged to do what the Russians want us to do. We are better off

responding in those areas where we are stronger, in the area of sanctions, for example. As Europe, we have imposed a very tough sanction on Russia.

They've lost their most lucrative market for energy. I was encouraged to hear today that President Trump is considering activating the Lindsey

Graham law on people who buy the rest of Russian oil and gas.

SCIUTTO: The French president has hinted that there are already offensive attacks against Russia in response underway. Are there -- should they --

SIKORSKI: Here in New York, the FBI have discovered a conspiracy to commit murder here in this country.

SCIUTTO: But all those things you're describing are an expansion of Russian attacks. They continue to expand. That would seem to indicate that

Europe's response so far is not sufficient.

SIKORSKI: And it seems to indicate to me that President Putin is not Donald Trump's friend.

SCIUTTO: Fair point. Now, when I hear Donald Trump speak here at the UNGA, he frequently uses the same rhetoric, which seems to equate the two.

Ukraine and Russia should settle the war.

SIKORSKI: Actually, today, give credit where credit is due, President Trump said Putin should end this war. Good. It's the aggressor who needs to

stop aggression.

[18:35:00]

SCIUTTO: OK. Do you trust him then to apply the pressure necessary to do so?

SIKORSKI: By their fruits, you shall judge them.

SCIUTTO: You have said that Europe should be willing to tolerate more risk in its response, because there's been concern for some time that the risk

of escalation is so exaggerated that Europe holds back. What does that mean exactly? It's something --

SIKORSKI: I mean, first of all, we should realize what our strengths are. I'll be speaking about this to the Security Council tomorrow. You know, we

have an advantage over Russia as Europe and as NATO. In aviation, for example, Europe, NATO is a much bigger economy than Russia. Russia cannot

win.

SCIUTTO: Can Ukraine survive this winter, even with the shortages it has of air defense?

SIKORSKI: Ukrainian people have been heroic and unbelievably resilient. And remember, hitting civilian infrastructure is a war crime. And also, I

don't know of an example of a country caving just because there are civilian casualties. The Nazis didn't bring Britain to its knees when they

attacked London. And vice versa, bombing runs on Hamburg and Berlin did not end the war.

SCIUTTO: If Russia were to carry out an act of war, not hybrid war, but an act of war against a NATO ally, are you fully confident that President

Trump would order the U.S. to defend that ally?

SIKORSKI: Well, here we are in New York. I remind you that Article 5 has only been activated once on behalf of the United States by Europeans. And

we were proud to have rallied around the United States. Poland was responsible for a tough province in Afghanistan, Ghazni.

And that's the principle of NATO, one for all and all for one. Of course, without knowing the nature of the attack, we don't know what the political

judgment of NATO leaders will be. But Putin knows even less as to what we will do.

SCIUTTO: But do you trust the U.S.?

SIKORSKI: We have a relationship with the U.S. whereby we already have the missile defense base, which defends the United States. I signed the deal

with Condoleezza Rice. We are now in conversations about another permanent base. We have rotational U.S. troops. So, I think the relationship stands

and is credible, irrespective of who is in charge, either in Warsaw or in Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: My conversation there with the Polish foreign minister. Coming up on "The Brief," the president of Romania says that Russia is unwilling to

negotiate with Ukraine. He also shares his insights on Moscow's expanding hybrid attacks on Europe. Our conversation next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In his U.N. speech, President Trump called for an end to the war in Ukraine once again, even suggesting he might use tariffs

to put pressure on Moscow. Just last week, he signed into law a bill authorizing new sanctions, tariffs, and other prohibitions against Russia.

It's up to him now whether he exercises those powers. During Russia's expanding attacks on Ukraine, its drones have now breached Romanian

airspace on multiple occasions.

I spoke to the president of Romania and began the interview by asking whether his country's response to that threat has been sufficient.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICUSOR DAN, ROMANIAN PRESIDENT: We made some improvement. So, it's new, the drone phenomenon is new. And we had the same problem as all the others,

so we made some improvements and also United States help us with some equipment for raiders and equipment in order to put them down. We are not

completely prepared, but we made such improvements.

And on the diplomatic level, when we had two people injured in a town in Romania, 10 kilometers from the border, we closed a Russian consulate near

the Black Sea. I think it was a proportional response.

SCIUTTO: What do you believe Russia's intentions are with expanding this hybrid war?

DAN: So, for the drone, I would say that they are not intentional, but on disinformation, on hybrid attack, attacks on the critical infrastructure,

undersea, terrestrial, sabotages. So, I think they are trying to do two things. First, to undermine the trust of people, of the citizen, for the

authorities, and undermine the support of the European countries towards Ukraine.

SCIUTTO: How likely do you believe it is that Russia would directly attack a NATO member? Do you believe Russia would go that far?

DAN: I think it's not very probable in the next one, two years, but we must be prepared, because nobody believed that, if you would ask in 2020,

2021, that if Russia will attack Ukraine, trying to conquer Kyiv, the answer would be no.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

DAN: And I'm glad that the leaders and the leading politician understand that threat in Europe, and they increase the expenses for defense. They

begin to cooperate more. They understand that we have to rebalance the effort with the United States. And I think our deterrence, it's important

for the Russian decision.

SCIUTTO: Romania, of course, has had its own experience of the U.S. reducing forces in Europe. Does that reduction, in your view, encourage

Russia to attack more?

DAN: So, first of all, we had 1,000 and a half American soldiers, and 500 of that have been a rotational troop in Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary. And

that 500 have been withdrawn. I think, and as we have a good relations, military diplomatic relation with the United States, I think it would be a

good signal to have proportional displacement of American troops inside Europe, yes.

[18:45:00]

SCIUTTO: Right. Now, when you have proposed that or discussed that with your American counterparts, including with President Trump, is he open to

that idea? Because when I speak to him, and when you hear him speak in public, what he says most often is, that's Europe's responsibility,

Europe's problem.

DAN: Well, first of all, first of all, after the two summits on hard glass ceilings, last year, Ankara, this year, some of the American administration

requests have been fulfilled by the European, increased the cost for defense. So, that's the first part of the answer.

Secondly, to have, as that epic fury operation proved, to have American soldier close to the Black Sea -- at the border of Black Sea, close to the

Middle East, close to the Mediterranean area, it's a benefit for United States also.

SCIUTTO: I was just in Germany last week, and when you speak to German officials, they will say, and they're not alone in this in Europe, that

they don't trust the U.S. anymore to come to their defense. If, say, Russia were to attack, they doubt, they doubt that commitment. Do you, does

Romania doubt that commitment?

DAN: So, first of all, what happened is for a long period, the United States defend or contribute at the defense of Europe. And in terms, in

economical terms, that contribution was not proportional. And here, the President Trump -- President Trump is right. Yes, we have to rebalance that

contribution. But what President Trump said in the Ankara Summit one, two months ago, he reaffirmed his commitment for the Article Five.

SCIUTTO: Ukraine right now is suffering, of course, and they're very short of air defenses. What more do you believe Ukraine, sorry, Europe and NATO

can do?

DAN: So, first of all, what we are doing, and what we have done for Ukraine is first contributing to their effort to defense, aiding the

refugees. And right now, we are aiding them for the transit of their grains because they cannot anymore use their ports. We are all support. They have

that question of anti-ballistic interceptors. And here it's not a question of support, it's a question of production.

SCIUTTO: Yes, supply.

DAN: And we are not -- yes, we are not altogether. We have not been prepared for that. I think the Russian economy is suffering, and that's a

good reason for Russia to come to negotiate in some moment. Not, I do not see that that moment is now, but I hope that it will be quite soon.

SCIUTTO: There are some who have noted that, for instance, you have a Romanian F-16 shoot down a drone coming from Russia over its territory. We

saw that in Lithuania, elsewhere. There's some suggested, why can't NATO shoot down Russian drones over Ukraine? Would that be too dangerous an

escalation in your view?

DAN: As I understand that there are some international rules that said that if you do that, it will be considered as co-belligerence. And it's the

answer I receive when they ask our military, if we are, we can or we cannot do that, yes.

SCIUTTO: Understood, OK. Final question. Do you believe that Russia is ready to truly negotiate to end the war?

DAN: In this very moment, no. But we have to continue both, to support Ukraine and put sanction against Russia. And I think that the Russian

society begins to in the pools to say explicitly, they do not support the war anymore. And they increase this significantly for 40 percent to 60

percent. So, Ukraine is an independent state that has been attacked and they have to support it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[18:50:00]

SCIUTTO: My conversation there with the president of Romania, Nicusor Dan. We will be right back after this with more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: In today's Business Breakout, a mixed day on Wall Street. The Dow fell a little over a quarter of a percent, but the NASDAQ finished at yet

more record highs for a second straight session. Stocks getting a boost from another pullback in oil prices with Brent crude settling below $100 a

barrel. Oil fell onward. The crude is flowing once again through Saudi Arabia's damaged East-West pipeline.

Checking some of today's other business headlines, the secretary general of the United Nations is calling on world leaders to better cooperate on A.I.

safety. The plea from Antonio Guterres comes as A.I. industry officials get set to address the U.N. on A.I. technology later in the week. President

Donald Trump reiterated his opposition to new A.I. regulations Tuesday, telling global leaders that U.S. law enforcement agencies will be able to

police the sector on their own if needed. He calls recent A.I. safety fears a hoax.

The Trump administration is proposing a new multinational fund to help repair and boost energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf. According to

documents obtained by CNN, the fund's aim will be to decrease the Gulf's reliance on the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. says it could contribute some $5

billion if other countries join. Sovereign wealth funds and private investment companies could also take part.

President Trump and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent say they are considering a ban on U.S. diesel fuel exports, and just a growing number of

Senate Republicans are urging the White House to ban such exports as diesel prices continue to rise to record highs across the globe. Analysts say an

export ban could provide only temporary relief as well as hurt U.S. refiners and raise gas prices.

Back here in New York, it is all about finding common ground, ending differences, at least among some. President Trump held his third in-person

meeting in less than a year with the New York mayor, Zohran Mamdani, on Monday despite their opposing politics. Both leaders appeared to end each

of their encounters on a positive note. Speaking with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Mamdani gave his perspective on his unexpected connection with

Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: It looks like the president is on his best behavior when he's around you. He is dignified,

polite, speaks gently and of substance. It seems like he quite likes you. It's quite a rare thing for a leader to have that kind of encounter with

his president.

[18:55:00]

So, I just want to know whether you have a trick, whether you have a sort of a way of dealing with him. What do you talk about of substance behind

closed doors?

MAMDANI: Well, I think of the many differences of opinion the president and I have, we have one thing that brings us together, which is the love of

New York City. And we are both New Yorkers. And what I focus on in those conversations with the president is how we can make life better for the

people who call this city their home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Well, I'm a New Yorker as well. Finally, tonight, amid all the name calling and animosity we've seen and heard on the first day of the

U.N. General Assembly, it came down to the president of Finland to remind us all or try to, to mind our manners and be a little nicer to each other.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEXANDER STUBB, FINNISH PRESIDENT: Unfortunately, there's no shortage of examples of those who use dismissive language to describe others and entire

groups of people. Too often, those with the most provocative rhetoric receive the greatest visibility. Provocation is rewarded with attention.

Excess is misinterpreted as courage and exaggeration as truth.

Language can foster cooperation, but it can also break the trust and turn competition into conflict. The recipe is simple, but necessary. Avoid

polarization, strengthen trust, and listen to others.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Let's hope folks were listening to him. Thanks so much for joining us tonight. I'm Jim Sciutto at the United Nations. You've been

watching "The Brief." Please do stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:00:00]

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