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Trump Puts Onus on Zelenskyy to Accept Ukraine-Russia Peace Deal; Uvalde City Council Approves $2 Million Settlement with Victims' Families. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired April 23, 2025 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: The White House says President Trump is not giving Ukraine an ultimatum to accept a peace deal with Russia by the end of the day, but says the president is losing patience.

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?KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president's frustrated. His patience is running very thin. He wants to do what's right for the world. He wants to see peace. He wants to see the killing stopped. But you need both sides of the war willing to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: That thin patience, apparently a reference to what we see in president's latest -- in the president's latest post on Truth Social. He lashes out at President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine. He accuses him of making inflammatory comments that make it, quote, difficult to settle the war with Russia after Zelenskyy made it clear his country will not give up any territory to Russia, will not recognize the occupation of Crimea by Russia, which is a key part of the U.S. deal, we have learned.

With us now to discuss, we have CNN political and global affairs analyst Barak Ravid. He's also a politics and foreign policy reporter for Axios.

And Barak, we hear Trump blasting Zelenskyy there. He's not blasting Putin, notably. Where do these talks stand?

BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, you know, just, I think, two minutes ago, President Zelenskyy responded to President Trump by tweeting that emotions were running high today. I think it was, you know, an interesting description of the, you know, war of words between him and President Trump. And I think that, you know, Trump and Zelenskyy are stuck because Trump's plan, which is, you know, more or less what President Putin wants, is very, very far from what President Zelenskyy is willing to do.

And this is why at the moment it doesn't seem that there is a deal in the making. We have to also, you know, admit that Zelenskyy's response wasn't very accurate when it comes to what Trump proposed. Trump did not ask Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as part of Russia.

He just said that in a peace deal that ends the war, the U.S. will recognize Crimea as part of Russia. Obviously, that's something that the Ukrainians are very much against. But at least the way that Zelenskyy portrayed it wasn't very accurate.

KEILAR: Certainly not Ukraine recognizing Crimea as part of Russia there. OK, so talk to us about some of the hangups here, because you have the vice president this morning. He said the deal would freeze the territorial lines at some level close to where they are today and we're going to actually put in place the kind of long-term diplomatic settlement that hopefully will lead to long-term peace.

Is there an indication that Vladimir Putin would be placated by freezing those territorial lines close to where they are today?

[15:35:00]

RAVID: I think that Putin more or less signaled in his meetings with Steve Witkoff, Trump's envoy, that he's willing to, you know, freeze the war along those lines as long as the U.S. recognizes Crimea as part of Russia and as long as the U.S. de facto recognizes that the territory that Putin occupied since the invasion in 2022 will stay part of Russia, even if the U.S. doesn't recognize it officially.

So, on territory, the U.S. proposal almost matches what Putin wants. But Putin doesn't agree to the other part of Trump's proposal, which is that Ukraine will have a robust security guarantee, that international forces will be positioned inside Ukraine. Those are things that Putin completely rejects.

He wants Ukraine to be demilitarized, without an army, definitely without international forces. So, this is why, by the way, Putin still hasn't said yes to this proposal either. Witkoff is going to be again on Friday in Moscow to see Putin, and we'll see if he comes out with a yes from the Russian president. I'm not sure this will be the case.

KEILAR: This push we're hearing about of the Trump administration to get this done in the first hundred days of the president's tenure in the White House, that's according to a European official. That's coming up very quickly, next week. I mean, how are you viewing that as a deadline?

RAVID: Well, you know, we have to remember, during the campaign, Trump said he will end the war even during the transition, even before he's being inaugurated. That did not happen. I do not see -- we're very close to the hundred days, I think it's like in a week or so, or two weeks. It's not a realistic objective.

Trump and his team tried very hard in the last two, three weeks to get something, you know, which is short of ending the war. Just a 30-day ceasefire, they couldn't get that.

And I think that this is because Putin feels that in the battlefield, he has the upper hand at the moment. He sees that Zelenskyy is under a lot of pressure from the U.S., so Putin is not under any pressure and is not going to accept anything that is short of, you know, his maximalist demands.

KEILAR: Zelenskyy said he's opened a meeting with Trump. They're both going to be in Rome for Pope Francis's funeral, of course. Do you see that happening?

RAVID: I don't know. I just know one thing. Trump and Zelenskyy met several times over the last few months. I think the record shows that it might not be a good idea. I mean, we all remember what happened the last time we met -- last time they met in the Oval Office. And I know that people around Zelenskyy are urging him not to push for such a meeting because the conditions are not ripe and such a meeting could, once again, explode and create an even bigger crisis.

So I don't think that while Zelenskyy is saying that he wants to meet Trump in Rome, people around Zelenskyy are urging him not to do it.

KEILAR: Yes. It may not be a good idea. Barak, great to have you. Thanks so much.

RAVID: Thanks.

KEILAR: The Uvalde City Council unanimously approving a settlement with the families of the victims of the 2022 school shooting. We'll have details on that agreement next.

[15:40:00]

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: The city of Uvalde has reached a settlement with the families of the victims from the school shooting that devastated that Texas town and rocked the nation when two teachers and 19 students were killed in their classrooms at Robb Elementary School. Next month marks three years since that tragedy. Uvalde City Council unanimously approved a settlement that was announced last year.

CNN's Ed Lavandera joins us now with the details. So, Ed, walk us through the settlement.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a settlement worth two million dollars and it will go to the families of the 19 students that were killed in that attack at Robb Elementary back on May 24th, 2022, as well as the families of the children who survived that attack as well.

Victims' families have told us over the last several years that they have not sought a larger payout from the city of Uvalde because they were concerned that a larger settlement would cause financial harm to the city. And of course, this is a place that they call home.

In a statement, the mayor of Uvalde said that quote, Nothing can ever make up for the losses and harms these families endured on May 24, 2022. But today's agreement marks an important an important step forward in advancing community healing and ensuring our city forever honors the lives we tragically lost and supporting all surviving victims in the Robb Elementary shooting. There are a couple of other provisions to this settlement as well,

which calls for the city to set a, quote, fitness for duty standard for the city's police department, as well as making May 24th a day of remembrance in the city.

And it also calls for the city to continue supporting mental health services for the victims' families, as well as the survivors of the attack.

Now, Boris, it's important also to point out that this isn't the end of the legal fights in all of this. There are still a number of other pending civil lawsuits.

[15:45:02]

Victims' families have sued the Texas Department of Public Safety, as well as dozens of officers who responded to the shooting scene back there nearly three years ago.

So all of those -- many of those cases are still making their way through the courts and there have been no verdicts or settlements announced in any of those cases just yet -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Yes, still plenty to keep an eye on there. Ed Lavandera, thanks so much for the update -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Now to some of the other headlines that we're watching this hour. Evacuation orders for parts of New Jersey have been lifted as firefighters continue to fight a wildfire that has now burned more than 11,500 acres.

This started in Ocean Township. It was 30 percent contained as of this morning. And authorities are saying that no injuries have been reported. Only a handful of structures and vehicles have been damaged.

Also, office workers in Turkey reacting to a powerful earthquake that struck off the western coast of Istanbul today. Authorities say no residential buildings were damaged, but more than 150 people were injured after jumping from heights due to panic. CNN Turk was live on air when the quake happened. Here you can see the camera visibly shaking as it hit.

And in Southern California, a judge convicted of second degree murder in the 2023 shooting of his wife, Jeffrey Ferguson, took the stand. He admitted to shooting her. He said it was an accident, though. Prosecutors say the 74 year old had been drinking when he and his wife got into an argument at a restaurant that continued when they got home, where she was shot in front of their adult son. Judge Ferguson faces 40 years to life in prison when he is sentenced in June.

And we'll be right back.

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SANCHEZ: So, we have a new CNN Original Series that takes viewers through an immersive and exciting journey across the globe, through the eyes of some of those who bring you the news. It's called "MY HAPPY PLACE," and it takes you to some of the places that we are most passionate about and that have become something like personal sanctuaries. I, of course, being a Florida man, went to the Florida Keys to dive and kick it with some friends.

That's a place that makes me happy. Take a look.

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SANCHEZ: Florida oozes from my pores. It is home. And I feel special when I'm here. I feel right when I'm here.

I grew up in South Florida, not very far from the water. Got started with snorkeling, freediving. One thing led to another. I started scuba diving, and I've never looked back.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Got Fabio, Junior, John. These are my childhood friends. I've known them for many years. We've done dive trips down here now for seven years.

The ocean itself is like a mystery. You sort of see what's happening above the water, and while that is captivating, what's happening underneath is unbelievable.

Key Largo is a place unlike any other in the United States. You have these massive shipwrecks just offshore. These wrecks are not only historic, they're teeming with life.

SANCHEZ: We're right above the Spiegel Grove. It's an enormous wreck. It's about two football fields long, and it's like a haunted mansion underwater. It's been underwater for about two decades. Famously, the folks who sank it messed up, and it sank on its side.

Then a hurricane came in about 2005. It fixed the boat. It lifted it upright.

The second dive, we moved about six miles. We went to the Duane. This is a Coast Guard cutter. One of the cool things about the Duane it's sort of a thin vessel, and on the sides of it, you almost get this waterfall of fish. Hundreds and hundreds of fish all moving up and down the side of this wreck.

We saw this really big hawksbill turtle. They're gorgeous and hilarious, and also not shy around people. So we got to swim with it for a while and check out what it was doing.

I spend so much of my days talking to people. One of my favorite things about diving is that nobody can talk to you. You can't hear anybody. Diving is an amazing way to connect with Mother Nature and to forget about all the crazy stuff that's happening on land or in your personal life.

It's a fantastic way to be in the moment and to hang out with your friends and goof off.

Did a handful of dives, and right now we're kicking back, enjoying the reward, playing some dominoes. Food and booze is on the way.

Look at that! I had an amazing time, especially bringing a camera crew out here to document some of it, to share it with folks. It was unforgettable.

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SANCHEZ (on camera): Cheers! Shout out to my friend Jason, Cayman Jason, who shot that, and the crew that put it together. It was a good time.

KEILAR: That's awesome. I always love that you take us out with you, because you do have this great love of diving in the ocean. And it's so great that you share it.

SANCHEZ: It's a great place. And my favorite thing, again, I'll mention it, if anybody out there is looking to silence the noise around them, you can't hear anybody talk underwater, and you can forget about all the weird stuff that's happening here on land.

KEILAR: It's like simple hand signals, right?

SANCHEZ: That's it.

KEILAR: Are you OK? Yes, I'm OK. That's the end of it.

SANCHEZ: It's a meditative experience down there.

Hey, don't miss the premiere of "MY HAPPY PLACE" this Sunday at 10 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

And when we come back, researchers appear to have found a chimp's happy place. Believe it or not, like mine, it involves alcohol. Stay with us.

[15:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: So it turns out that humans may have at least one more thing in common with chimps, and that is bonding over booze. For the first time ever, wild chimpanzees were caught on video sharing this type of fermented fruit containing ethanol. But this wasn't just some one-off. The chimps were caught red-handed ten times.

SANCHEZ: It does the body good. Researchers at the University of Exeter tested the fruit, finding that even though the alcohol level was super low, binging the fruit over time really adds up. The research team stressed that the chimps really are not likely to get drunk the way that humans often get drunk.

[16:00:00]

They add that this behavior suggests that one way that chimps form and strengthen social bonds is through the sharing of the fermented fruit.

KEILAR: So it's like a fruit spritz, right?

SANCHEZ: Yes.

KEILAR: Sort of like a light spritz, and they just get a little bit of a buzz.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

KEILAR: And then they tell each other secrets.

SANCHEZ: They brunch, they chit-chat. They yap, as they say. They have a good time.

KEILAR: Chimp brunch. Totally, right?

SANCHEZ: Thanks so much for joining us.

KEILAR: "THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts right now.

END