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North Korea Successfully Fires Another ICBM; Trump Set to Meet Putin at G20; Syria and Ukraine Expected to Top the Agenda When Trump Meets Putin; A Parent's Agony as Pope Francis, President Trump Comment on Baby Gard. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired July 04, 2017 - 03:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:00:00] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN breaking news.

MAX FOSTER, HOST, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and around the world. I'm Max Foster in London. This is CNN NEWSROOM and we combine with breaking news.

North Korea saying it successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile. Earlier in a televised announcements said Kim Jong- un ordered the test, this comes hours after it launch the missile that may have landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone. South Korea's military says it landed in the waters east of the Korean Peninsula after traveling some 930 kilometers or about 600 miles.

U.S. President Donald Trump reacted to the launch on Twitter. "North Korea has just launched another missile. Does this guy have anything better to do with his life? Hard to believe that South Korea and Japan will put up with it much longer. Perhaps China will put a heavy move on North Korea and end this nonsense once and for all.

CNN is following this developing story for you with our correspondents in the region. Paula Hancocks is in Seoul, journalist Kaori Enjoji joins from us Tokyo. And Andrew Stevens is in Hong Kong. But, Paula, first to you, just take us through the vital statistics here on what we know.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Max, North Korea has claimed it had a successful test of an ICBM, an intercontinental ballistic missile. There was an announcement just an half hour ago they triumphantly by the news Sun-Gazette that it was called the Hwasong- 14, they say that the order for this test came directly from the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. And he was at the test site as well when it was tested.

We did see on North Korean television a photo of the North Korean leader signing something. We assume that was test order. This is something that we have seen North Korea do in the past as well, and then showing an image of his signature.

It also says it was conducted at 9 a.m. Pyongyang time, so it's about four and a half hours ago now the missile traveled for 39 minutes, for just over 930 kilometers the altitude just over 2,800 kilometers. Now as far as North Korea is concerned it has successful test fired an

ICBM. Experts now going through those numbers trying to figure out if technically it is an ICBM. But they are saying it is historic event for North Korea. North Korea in that announcement, also saying that they can now, with this ICBM, hit anywhere in the world.

Now this is a North Korean claim that they can hit anywhere in the world. Certainly experts will be looking to see how far the exact range would be for that though. And also, saying that North Korea is a nuclear state and will defend its nation against U.S. threats.

So this will be of great concern to all countries in the region. It will of great concern to the United States as well. Max, the fact that North Korea claims it does have an ICBM.

FOSTER: This is something Donald Trump said he would never let happen. Isn't it? And South Korea being the U.S. key ally in that region. What are they saying about this?

HANCOCKS: Well, we had a reaction from before the North Korean claim from the President Moon Jae-in, the South Korean President just after he had a national Security Council meeting. And he's the one that really first officially alerted the fact that it could have been an ICBM. Saying that's what the military was looking at.

And as he said that if that's the case then South Korea would look for appropriate action. Now we don't know what that appropriate action is at this point. It's difficult to see what more South Korea would be able to do beyond maybe sanctions going to the United Nations Security Council, asking for another resolution, asking for tighter sanctions.

But we've certain heard in recent days from President Moon when he was in Washington meeting with President Trump of the United States that -- that he wanted North Korea to come back to the negotiating table during his statement in front of world's media while standing next to the U.S. President, he had a direct call to North Korea saying come back to the negotiating table.

It's difficult to see how that would be possible now given the fact they have done an ICBM test. But President Moon also saying that he was disappointed that this came just a few days after the summit, but saying there would be appropriate action. We simply don't know what that is at this point, Max.

[03:05:03] FOSTER: OK. Let's go to the other ally then the U.S. ally there in the region, Japan let's go to Tokyo and speak to Kaori. Kaori, what sort of responses are we getting from them now, what sort of actions do they want in response to this?

KAORI ENJOJI, JOURNALIST: Well, a strong protest from the prime minister and the Japanese government regarding this latest missile launch of North Korea. And the language used by the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has noticeably strong calling it a clear sign that the threat from North Korea is increasing.

Growing frustration I think amongst the leaders here from -- within the Japanese cabinet, particularly because this missile launch comes just a day after telephone conversation between the Prime minister, Shinzo Abe and the U.S., President Donald Trump trying to present a united front and trying to present that cooperation is intact to try and deter North Korea from conducting these missile tests.

And I think the timing of course pass the leaders head out to Hamburg for the G20 meeting of course noticed of course of importance and the prime minister saying that he would go to the G20 this week and call for more what he called constructive action. From both countries like China and Russia, to try and contain this crisis.

So I think a great sense of alarm and frustration here in Japan especially if it did land in the exclusive economic zone, which is about 370 kilometers off the coast of the western shores of Japan, not the least of which because it frequented by ships and aircraft from the region. So a very strong response, and a quick response today from the Japanese leaders -- leader regarding this North Korean missile launch.

FOSTER: Is it likely that Japan would support U.S. military action against North Korea?

ENJOJI: I think it's far too early to say. But as you know the U.S., Japan alliance, the security alliance is the bedrock of Japan's security and national security agenda. So I think since the U.S. President came into office the Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made it clear that he wants to provide a very united front, that its cooperation is intact.

I think Japan has tried to -- to play the role of a mediator because so many nations are involved in this area at a very critical stage.

FOSTER: Well, thank you for that and all eyes really on that U.S. reaction. But also crucially the Chinese reaction. Because, Andrew it's probably true to say, isn't it, that Donald trump is going to say China needs to step out now.

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN ASIA-PACIFIC EDITOR: It would be surprising if he said something different, Max. And China as yet, has not made a public comment about the, a, that the launch, and b, news that North Korea is claiming it's an ICBM. But all along China has said very clearly a, that it does want to see a denuclearized Korean Peninsula, and b, the best way forward is through dialogue. And that is what not Donald Trump has been talking about.

He is saying that China needs to step up on the economic front. Mr. Trump is right in that China continues to hold the key to pressure on North Korea. So much more than any other country just because of its economic relationship it's got 90 percent of North Korea's foreign trade just to give you an idea just how important it is.

China will say we are doing everything under the sanctions which have been laid out by the United Nations, we are being a party to that so don't expect us to go beyond that. It now comes down to being dialogue. Interestingly, the new ambassador from China to the United Nations was

speaking less than 24 hours ago about dialogue. Just listen to what he had to say, Max.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIU JIEYI, CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: We have never stopped working on various parties so that dialogue and negotiations can take place to get us on the track of resolving the problems of denuclearization and peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. We cannot afford to wait for too long without dialogues taking place to see this occasion having the possibility of worsening still.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEVENS: Now one of the reasons that it's pushing for dialogue and not economic sanctions is the last thing China wants, Max, as we often talk about is a destabilized North Korea not only tens of millions of people potentially coming across the border into China but also the Korea -- reunified Korea which could include a bigger U.S. footprint right on China's doorstep.

So China is sticking to that line. Whether now we know now it's an ICBM the picture changes, the equation changes and China becomes more assertive and is prepared to push further. We'll wait and see hopefully we'll get a steer from MOFA, the ministry of foreign affairs in Beijing in probably 30, 40 minutes from now.

[03:10:09] FOSTER: OK. Andrew in Hong Kong, Kaori in Tokyo, and also Paula in Seoul. Thank you very much indeed.

We're going to go now though to Nic Robertson because he is there to cover the G20 meeting. We're talking about that the threat from North Korea sure to come up high now. As Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin and other world leaders there in Germany. Nic, do you think we are more likely to get a meeting of minds on what to do about North Korea?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: You know I think it's hard to see a meeting of minds in the G20 because on so many issues there are so many differences between so many of the protagonist and some of them in here are talking about President Trump, you know, the American leader is often the one that's looked to try to bring others together and perhaps set the agenda.

But President Trump -- his policies are being sort of interpreted more these days as sort of outlie -- outliers, if you will, his, you know, vision for how to do trade, for example, his vision for climate change is sort of, you know, out with the broader consensus. So in that context it's harder to see in the bigger picture of how you reach agreements.

But yes when you have, you know, North Korea on the Fourth of July, on the eve of the G20 testing its first ICBM, that certainly is going to get everyone's attention. If you just look at the last few days President Trump has been making a number of phone calls to try to, you know, to try to move along his ideas to contain North Korea on this issue and, you know, convince others to find a way, China, in particular as we were discussing here to get them -- to get China to lay more pressure on North Korea.

But to that effect President Trump was already planning at the G20 on the margins a trilateral meeting with the South Koreans and with the Japanese. But the focus until now had been very much on President Trump's meeting with Vladimir Putin, the first meeting between them. The agenda of the meeting not hard set. We were told it would be Ukraine, it would be Syria. But it wouldn't it appears be President Trump criticizing President Putin over the Russians hacking during the U.S. elections.

That topic we were told wouldn't come up. That's been the focus of discussion. But absolutely now it certainly will appear that the focus is going to shift to the most pressing issue right now which would seem to be North Korea.

FOSTER: OK. Nic, thank you. Certainly has changed the tone of those meetings, isn't it? Joining me now is Inderjeet Parmar, he's the professor of international politics, at City University here in London. Thank you very for joining us.

INDERJEET PARMAR PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS, CITY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON: Hi.

FOSTER: We had the news about North Korea just in the last hour. It happens on Independence Day as well. I mean, Nic there was saying it's July the Fourth. That's a real provocation to a president who responds to provocation, actually.

PARMAR: Well, the thing is that North Korea is a fiercely independent country. It sees itself as having been under siege for many, many decades. And every time they get an opportunity to send a signal that they are not going to take any aggression as they see it lying down, whether there is sanctions or whether there is talk of other kinds of intervention, regime change and things like that.

So, North Korea's attitude hasn't changed they are basically there. And I think around every July, August there is major military exercises just off their coast as well. So, they're quite...

(CROSSTALK)

FOSTER: Yes. So they are receiving provocation as well in their minds, right?

PARMAR: Yes.

FOSTER: But an intercontinental missile is something Donald Trump said he wouldn't accept and he has been pressuring China, hasn't he, to doing something about this and in his view.

PARMAR: Correct.

FOSTER: They haven't done enough.

PARMAR: Yes.

FOSTER: Is there a risk that he might go it alone with military action?

PARMAR: I think it's very difficult because North Korea is actually pretty well armed. And as a result of that the actual damage to the whole of the region, the number of casualties which are possible in Japan South Korea, North Korea and in China actually are in the millions.

So the idea that an American president would just launch an preemptive strike of some form on Korea which might then provoke a wider war I think that would be very, very dangerous.

FOSTER: Because a lot of fallout would be -- would be felt by China which is why it's resisting regime change.

PARMAR: Well I think there are different ideas about what China might be thinking about. Because the amount of pressure on China has increased since President Trump took office. And I think there is also a great deal of irritation that there are large -- larger questions for China and the United States in that region than North Korea and military sort of nuclear weapons.

And I think they are getting irritated with China and there are voices within the country which suggest well, maybe the best thing to do is actually to change the regime by at China's behest in order to get a friendly government there and in order to maintain the division of that country.

[03:15:04] FOSTER: Just explain the apprehension in China about getting too involved with North Korea. Because they don't want a nuclearized North Korea do they, we should emphasize that.

PARMAR: Yes.

FOSTER: So what's their issue with going in and responding?

PARMAR: Well, the big issue is that North Korea is dependent on China. China -- North Korea if you like geopolitically keeps that Peninsula divided. It means the United States is a little bit further than away than it could be. And that's why it might be better either to calm the situation down completely or in the longer run perhaps even get a more friendly regime which is more pliable and is pro- Chinese.

FOSTER: The point there being if North Korea -- if the regime collapsed then South Korea and the U.S. by default would fill that vacuum and that would take the border up to China.

PARMAR: That is the big problem. And the Yellow River we know since the 1950s and Korean War has been a major key point to keep the other forces at bay. And I think China is not willing to risk that.

FOSTER: So when we look ahead to the G20 does China try to avoid this conversation altogether and focus on those other issues. PARMAR: Well, I think you've got to focus on everything. Because the

theme of that G20 summit is an interconnected world. All of the issues are interconnected. I think the main thing is that there are very, very large relationship questions between the United States and China in question of trade, question of the military buildup which is going on in that region.

And you will recall that there are now three American aircraft carriers in that region. So, China is trying to be the big -- the big player in that region in its own region and it sees it at its backyard and it sees Trump as possibly somebody who is threatening that.

FOSTER: Yes going to -- it's an epic meeting, isn't it coming up in Germany. Obviously all eyes as well on that sideline meeting between Putin and Trump. What are you expecting from that? Because a suggestion that, you know, the soundings from the White House are that this issue of hacking the U.S. elections isn't going to come up.

PARMAR: Well, the fact is that Donald Trump denies that there is any kind of collusion with Vladimir Putin or the Russians of any form. He claims that he won fair and square and that the democrats are basically very sore and they're willing to try to blame a foreign power for his, for their defeat.

FOSTER: So why bring it up.

PARMAR: So why would he bring it up.

FOSTER: Yes.

PARMAR: The Russians I think from their point of view want to promote a particular kind of agenda as well which is the sort of agenda which I think Donald Trump would find valuable, which is basically abandon things like NATO and big international security alliances, rely more on balance of power, maybe look back to Henry Kissinger and sort of period of detente in the 1970s.

They've got their own ideas about the way in which Donald Trump and the United States should behave towards them. So I think they'd be trying to pull United States in that kind of direction.

FOSTER: It would be a fascinating meeting, isn't it?

PARMAR: I think so.

FOSTER: Lots to study. Thank you very much indeed. Much more on North Korea's latest missile launch there for you after this short break.

[03:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WORLD SPORTS)

FOSTER: A quick recap now on our breaking news. North Korea has announced it has successfully tested or test fired an intercontinental ballistic missile. Earlier in a televised announcement Pyongyang said Kim Jong-un ordered the test. The announcement comes a few hours after it launch the missile. It may have handed in Japan's exclusive economic zone.

South Korea's military says it landed in the waters east of the Korean Peninsula after traveling some 930 kilometers or about 600 miles.

Japan's defense ministry says the missile reached an altitude of 2,500 kilometers or just over 1500 miles. It's worth noting that just last week U.S. advisers updated military options for President Trump in dealing with North Korea. Mr. Trump says he is concerned about Pyongyang's ability to target the U.S. with one of its missiles and U.S. defense officials say they are worried about how North Korea is able to hide any testing until the last minute.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

H.R. MCMASTER, UNITED STATES NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: The threat is much more immediate now. And so -- so it's clear that we can't repeat the same approach, failed approach of the past. What we have to do is prepare all options because the president has made clear to us that he will not accept a nuclear power in North Korea with -- and a threat that can target the United States and target the American population. Of course he is equally concerned about our allies in South Korea, the South Korean population in particular.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well Jasper Kim is the founder of Asia Pacific global research group, he joins us now from Seoul, South Korea. And the way many people interpreted those words coming from the U.S. there is that a military option is on the table here. And if anything is going to prompt it, it is an intercontinental missile test.

JASPER KIM, PROFESSOR AND DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR CONFLICT MANAGEMENT: Well, Max, a military option is always one of the options that the president has. And it's also an option that the other leaders in this region would also have to consider but they will have a diametrically opposed view. They'll want to project peace but Trump will want to project action. So it will be interesting to see how this all kind of shakes out.

FOSTER: How is he going to respond do you think because we can never quite predict what he is going to do. But he has led up to this, hasn't he. There's been a lot of tweeting around, he's angry about, he is concerned about it and he wants China to do more. And if China doesn't do more the feeling is he has to respond in some way. And he can be quite aggressive.

KIM: Yes, and this is exactly why North Korea is timing as it is and with the level of technology he wants to show off to the world is that he wants to keep on going against Trump. Really what we have here is a clash of the titans. Two alpha males going head to head and in that respect one of the best options for these two is actually instead of going through the U.N. and sanctions and dialogue that could be one option.

But one -- another option could be if these two met face-to-face and basically sniff each other out and try to figure out what is a solution. Now both sides may say well that may not be the best option but from the U.S. perspective, from Trump's perspective he could package it as a trade deal, North Korea, South Korea or the U.S. and the Korean Peninsula and that's something that Trump is willing to talk about.

[03:25:08] Talking about trade, which will therefore bring peace. And that may also be a self-interest of Kim Jong-un, North Korea's leader.

FOSTER: Do you imagine the two men meeting? That might be an option on the table? It's probably something the North Korean leader would be up for. But do you think Donald Trump would go that far?

KIM: Well, past presidents haven't. But this president is different. We've seen it time and time again. I think because of that, because of Trump's brashness, his directness, his pride of himself as a negotiator this is exactly why he can differentiate from his presidential predecessors and say why shouldn't I be able to not talk with this North Korean leader.

I can't quite figure him out. But in the sense he wants power. I want to project power. Together we can meet together in the same room and basically try to figure out what common interests we have together.

And that's something that hasn't been really played out before it hasn't been done a lot of talk has been going on about it. But there hasn't been any action concerted action towards direct talks like this. We know from North Korea's perspective Kim Jong-un what he wants to do is talk with past presidents, and of course on top of that would be the current President, Donald Trump in front of him.

FOSTER: So you're thinking perhaps in buildup of rhetoric coming from Washington might not be building up towards any military action but might be building up to a deal effectively.

KIM: In a sense it's a deal. But sort of a deal proposition before is to anchor people on the other side. Kim Jong-un, North Korea's leader wants a perception of war, war that could break out on the brink here in the Korean Peninsula. And Trump he want something the opposite. He does not want war of course.

But what Kim Jong-un wants to project is power through his missile technology. And if he gets ICBM technology then that basically increases his bargaining chips by tenfold, it's a 10x proposition and everyone knows that. And so people are watching closely.

But any rate that's what my belief is, is that Kim Jong-un wants a deal. He doesn't want provocation that's really the fodder for other things that he really wants. He wants to sustain his power, basically have stability within his own regime but not at the cost of his power.

FOSTER: OK. Jasper Kim, thank you very much indeed for joining from us Seoul.

Now coming up, the fight against ISIS takes a major new turn. Syrian forces gain key ground in ISIS' self-declared capital. Details on that next. Plus, a month-long battle in Iraq comes down to the final days or maybe even hours. The latest on the fight to liberate Mosul from ISIS after this.

[03:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Welcome back to our viewers in the U.S. And around the world. I'm Max Foster updating you on our top stories this hour.

North Korea says it has successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile. Pyongyang state television reports that Kim Jong-un ordered the test. They say the missile flew 930 kilometers or about 580 miles for more than half an hour.

South Korea's military says it landed in the waters east of the Korean Peninsula.

Syria and Ukraine are expected to top the agenda when U.S. President Donald Trump meets with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin later this week. But White House officials say Mr. Trump probably won't bring up Russia's cyber-attack on the U.S. election last year.

And New Jersey Governor Chris Christie says he won't apologize for his visit to a closed empty beach with his family over the July Fourth holiday weekend. That beach and others were off limits to the public because of a state government shutdown. They will reopen later on Tuesday after legislators have reach the budget deal.

In northern Syria there is a major new development in the battle against ISIS in this de facto capital Raqqa.

The U.S. Central Command says U.S.-backed Syrian forces have now breached a wall surrounding Raqqa's old city. That's key because ISIS militant have been using the wall as a strategic fighting position.

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to talk about Syria when he meets with the Russian President Vladimir Putin in just a few days.

More now though from our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: U.S. marines in Syria firing artillery at ISIS positions. Unprecedented video, much of it shot from a drone overhead underscoring the growing danger for more than an estimated 700 U.S. combat forces on the ground.

The U.S. War against ISIS in Syria is at a critical stage. U.S.-backed forces including snipers are now inside Raqqa trying to end the Islamic state that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared three years ago this month, but tens of thousands of civilians are still at risk from ISIS and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

President Trump is about to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time. And the White House says the war in Syria is likely to be discussed the U.S. goals.

MCMASTER: The need to deescalate the Syrian civil where to defeat ISIS there and to end that humanitarian catastrophe. STARR: But it's all about to get a lot tougher.

CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Putin believes that he is in the cat bird seat at this point.

STARR: With the U.S. no longer regularly calling for Assad's removal there is little pressure on Putin's backing of Assad. And this recent firing of Russian cruise missiles also an indication that Moscow support for Assad fits Vladimir Putin's own goals.

LEIGHTON: He is going to seek to enhance that Russian influence because he believes Syria is the jumping off points for further Russian activity in the Middle East. I don't think President Trump necessarily understands that.

STARR: President Trump's special envoy Brett McGurk has just been to the outskirts of Raqqa to figure out what happens next. Raqqa will need money, organization and manpower but it's not likely the Trump administration would supply that full effort.

HEATHER ANN NAUERT, SPOKESWOMAN, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE: Once Raqqa is liberated that we believe it's critical for local officials from the area to take over responsibility. And take over responsibility for post liberation security but most importantly governance count the road.

STARR: But the fundamental question remains to what extent will the Trump administration expand the U.S. effort to help rebuild these war- torn areas.

[03:35:01] Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Well, eight months of fierce battles in Mosul, Iraq could end any moment. Iraqi troops are closely to completely ousting ISIS from the city. But on Monday fighting was still raging in that little yellow corridor you see there of the old city compare that though to a year ago when all the territory in green was under ISIS control.

It is believed there are just a few hundred militants left. Reuters report that Iraqi forces expect to have full control of Mosul by the end of the week. As the battle against ISIS plays out on the streets of Mosul up in the skies above the Persian Gulf a different mission to bring down the terror group is taking place. It's being commanded from the USS George H.W. Bush, that's a state-of-the-art aircraft carrier.

CNN was given exclusive access. Here's our Muhammad Lila.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MUHAMMAD LILA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are the unseen faces in the war on ISIS, America's fighter pilots 30,000 feet in the sky, providing air support to troops down below. We were given exclusive access to the USS George H.W. Bush home to a strike force of more than 40 F-18 fighter jets and the pilots who fly them. We're walking on the air deck right now take a look around you can see

the massive fire power that's all around us. This is the most advanced ship in the entire U.S. fleet. In fact, just from this runway to my side they launch anywhere from 12 to 20 airstrikes against ISIS targets every single day.

SCOTT WELLS, U.S. NAVY: It's pretty unique experience.

LILA: Scott Wells spoke to us down below in the ships hangar bay with engineers working around the clock. For him the hardest part of the job it's actually the job it's being away from his wife and two young daughters for seven months straight.

LILA: How do you stay in touch?

WELLS: Via e-mail, pictures, occasional phone calls. but while we're underway there is no Skype, chat, face time anything like that. So it's very challenging.

LILA: The ship runs like a small town powered by twin nuclear reactors with a crew of 5,000 onboard there is always activity with launches during the day and with infrared lighting at night. By the time their deployment is over the military says the pilots onboard will drop more than a million pounds of bombs in Iraq and Syria.

JAMES MCCALL, COMMANDER, AIR GROUP: At the end of the day we need to ensure that we're putting bombs in the correct positions to take out ISIS.

LILA: But that hasn't always happened. The Pentagon has been dogged by accusations that its airstrikes have killed hundreds of innocent civilians since the campaign began three years ago. One monitoring group says that number is well over a thousand.

The U.S. military maintains that it takes quote, "extraordinary measures to mitigate the loss of civilian life."

Thank you for your day.

Kenneth Whitesell is a rear admiral in the U.S. Navy's fifth fleet. He spoke to us while F-18s were taking off below.

KENNETH WHITESELL, U.S. NAVY: War is not a clean business. Some other times, you know, a motorcycle or a car can come into an area where the weapons fall.

LILA: Most air strikes are planned in days, even weeks in advance. But right up until the last second a pilot can abort the mission if they see unusual activity on the ground.

MCCALL: When something comes up and they see it someone who they haven't identified on the ground they know we're not going to drop that bomb and that bomb can wait maybe an hour maybe another day maybe and maybe another week.

LILA: For the pilots onboard it's a responsibility weighing heavily on their shoulders knowing their decisions can mean life and death.

Muhammad Lila, CNN, onboard the USS George H.W. Bush.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: The G20 summit is just a few days away in Germany but already two of the biggest players on the world stage are meeting in Moscow. What's on the agenda for Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping?

[03:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Recapping our top story. North Korea says it has successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile. Early in a televised announcement Pyongyang said Kim Jong-un ordered and supervised the test. The announcement comes a few hours after the launch of the missile, but it may have landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone.

North Korea says the missile flew 933 kilometers or about 580 miles, for more than half an hour. South Korea military says it landed in the waters of -- waters east of the Korean Peninsula.

Now the Russian President Vladimir Putin will likely discuss the North Korean threat when he meets again in a few hours with his Chinese counterpart. Xi Jinping is on a two-day visit to Moscow ahead of the G20 summit. The meetings come as Mr. Xi is expressing concern over what he calls negative factors straining U.S./China relations.

Let's bring in CNN's Matthew Chance live in Moscow. I guess the test is going to make North Korea more likely to be up the agenda now.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I expect so. Although they've already discussed Xi Jinping and President Putin of Russia they've already discussed the continuing escalation on the Korean Peninsula and they said that they need to maintain strategic cooperation, in other words -- in other words talk with one voice diplomatically when it comes to what needs to be done in the -- on the Korean Peninsula to try and resolve the situation there.

They've also both the Chinese and Russian leaders criticized the deployment by the United States of its antimissile defense system, the THAAD system in South Korea. They're concern, both Russia and China, that this upsets the strategic balance there. It undermines their own strategic defenses they say. And also it sort of puts the Peninsula into a cycle of escalation.

And that's the concern that the Chinese and the Russians are both expressing. And they're calling for dialogue and diplomacy, negotiation to try and bring an end to this escalating crisis.

FOSTER: So in terms of the -- what was on the long-term agenda for this meeting they're talking about deepening ties, right and that's based on trade deals.

CHANCE: Yes, absolutely. I mean, there's been a long running process which has been accelerating since 2014 really when the west imposed sanctions on Russia for its actions in Crimea and in eastern Ukraine. A long running process of closing relations between Russia and China. They've signed hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of trade deals particularly in the energy sector over the past several years.

On this occasion they're going to be signing later on today $10 billion U.S. dollars' worth of trade deals as well. So this is an increasingly close commercial relationship, it's also increasingly close military and diplomatic relationship as well. Obviously they speak with one voice on various issues, particularly the Korean Peninsula issue.

But Russia is also a major arms seller to China and they've engaged in joint military exercises in the past as well.

[03:45:00] And so they have very much forged that some kind of very delicate friendship over the past several years.

FOSTER: And has that also been in response to the tensions both countries have with the U.S.?

CHANCE: I think it has certainly from the Russian point of view. I mean, I think the Chinese are there to exploit whatever commercial opportunities there are available to them. And of course there is a diplomatic aspect as well.

But from the Russian point of view particularly since 2014 when the sanctions were imposed on Moscow over its annexation of Crimea and its continued involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Russia was basically, you know, saying, look, you know, you may try to isolate us in the west but we've got other powerful friends elsewhere. And it kind of accelerated this pivot to Asia that it's currently engaged in.

And so, yes, this is from the Russian point of view very much an opportunity to show the west that it's got a strategic opportunities elsewhere.

Now having said that, you know the relationship between Russia and China isn't without its tensions. I mean, Russia is a declining power and China is very much an emerging power and that creates its own kind of friction.

And so, you know, and there's been -- there's been a history as well of confrontation between the Russians and the Chinese particularly during the times of the Soviet Union. And so it's a delicate friendship, a delicate balance that the Russians and the Chinese are trying to strike -- they're not quite friends, they're not enemies, 'frenemies' is how they're often characterized here.

FOSTER: OK. Matthew in Moscow, thank you.

Now, any day now, doctors here in the U.K. plan to take a terminally infant off of life support after winning a legal dispute with his parents. They wanted to take him to the U.S. for experimental treatment.

Now CNN's Diana Magnay tells two of the world's most powerful people are weighing in on the battle the life and death battle over Charlie Gard.

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DIANA MAGNAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Max, such a painful story. This is pitching the U.K.'s top pediatricians against two desperate parents all of whom have Charlie's best interests at heart but they want to go about protecting him in fundamentally different ways.

The tubes that keep him alive will be turned off soon. His parent's last hope to take him to the States for highly experimental medical treatment blocked by the British and European courts. Their last wish refused to take him home to die.

CHRIS GARD, CHARLIE GARD'S FATHER: (Inaudible) real solar. He will fight -- he will fight to the very end and he still fight but we're not allowed to fight for him anymore. Our parental rights have been stripped away. We can't even take our home son home to die. We've been denied that. You don't think we've been through enough.

MAGNAY: Little Charlie Gard was born healthy but diagnosed the following month with a rare genetic disorder, a form of mitochondrial disease which has left him his doctors say with irreversible brain damage.

(CROWD CHANTING)

MAGNAY: At the weekend protests in London against the decision to turn off life support. And after the pope sent a message to the parents from the Vatican saying he was praying for them in the hope that their desire to accompany and care for their own child until the end will be respected. Now Donald Trump has weighed in, too. "If we can help little Charlie Gard as per our friends in the U.K. and the pope, we would be delighted to do so."

Charlie's case is extremely complicated the treatment that the U.S. is offering is called nuclear side bypass therapy and it's never been tested on a strain of the decease as rare as Charlie is. And even the U.S. specialists who is offering it says he thinks it's unlikely that they'll be able to reverse Charlie's brain damage.

And that's why the British courts ruled the way that they did. They said they didn't want Charlie to be the subject of medical experimentation if there is no chance of him getting better. That his right to die with dignity must come first.

But that's not the way his parents see it. Sadly, the pleas of the pope and the president already too late. Of course from the parent's point of view any chance of improvement in Charlie's condition they will jump at however small that might be.

But in this country if doctors and parents conflict over the care of a child then it goes to the courts. So, however, comforting these words from Donald Trump may be, he doesn't have authority over the British courts.

This has gone all the way up through the high court system to the court of appeal to the Supreme Court and the European court of justice, all of whom have sided with the doctor that is it is in Charlie's best interests to turn the life support off. Max.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Diana with the story of Charlie Gard there.

Now the Gulf diplomatic crisis will be top of the agenda next hour when Germany's foreign minister meets with Abu Dhabi's crowned prince. Saudi Arabia is considering Qatar's response to a list of demands made by Riyadh and three of its neighbors.

[03:49:58] They asked them hard to meet requirements which includes closing the Al Jazeera network or face further sanctions. Qatar's foreign ministry delivered his country's response to Kuwait which is mediating the dispute we don't yet know what Doha have decided though.

Still ahead, tennis star Venus Williams is competing again at Wimbledon but the terrible accident last month weighs heavily. Details next.

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(WEATHER REPORT)

FOSTER: Recapping our top story. North Korea says it has successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile. Earlier in the televised announcement Pyongyang said Kim Jong-un ordered and supervised the test. The announcement comes a few hours after the launch of the missile but may have landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone.

North Korea says it was a new Hwasong-14 ICBM and that it marks, quote, "the final stage to becoming a nuclear power state."

North Korea says the missile flew 933 kilometers or about 580 miles for more than half an hour. South Korea's military says it landed in the waters east of the Korean Peninsula.

Now Venus Williams is moving forwards at Wimbledon but when meeting with reporters to discuss her first round win on Monday, the tennis star fell apart when the questions turned to last month's car crash in which a man died.

[03:55:02] CNN's Christina MacFarlane reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: We weren't sure what to expect coming into the fourth night from the five time Wimbledon champion. Venus Williams has kept a low profile ahead of Wimbledon following the event of mid-June in Florida when she was involved in a car crash that led to the death of a 78-year-old man.

According to police she was at fault for the accident and now faces a wrongful death lawsuit from the victim's family. Monday marked her 20th Wimbledon start and in her opening round she face add tight match against Elise Mertens but went through in straight sets.

It wasn't until she faced the media for the first time in her press conference that it became apparently just how much the incident had taken a toll. After struggling to keep her composure it suddenly became too much.

VENUS WILLIAMS, TENNIS PLAYER: Yes, I mean, I'm just -- maybe I should go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

MACFARLANE: She composed herself briefly answered some tennis questions before wrapping up the news conference. She also mentioned how much she was missing her sister Serena Williams who is due to give berth birth to her first child later this year.

We expect Venus Williams to be back in action here on Wednesday in round two. But dispute the turmoil of the opening match she is still one of the favorites for the title.

Christina MacFarlane, CNN, Wimbledon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Thank you for joining us. I'm Max Foster in London. I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM right after this break.

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