Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Ukraine is at the Front and Center of NATO Summit; NoKor Launches an Apparent Missile while SoKor and Allies Held a Meeting; Extreme Weather Felt Across Asia; Ukrainian President to meet Joe Biden and Other Leaders at the NATO Summit's Final Day in Lithuania; Israel Holds Their Day of Disruption Despite the Government's Push for Judicial Overhaul; PGA Tour Officials Grilled on the Hearing Regarding the LIV Golf Merger. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired July 12, 2023 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LAILA HARRAK, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from the United States and all around the world. I'm Laila Harrak.
As leaders meet on the second and final day of the NATO Summit, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's frustration grows as Ukraine is not invited to join the alliance. We're live in Vilnius.
North Korea launches an apparent intercontinental ballistic missile on the same day the U.S., Japan, and South Korea are meeting to discuss defense efforts.
Plus extreme weather across Asia. Heavy rain and deadly flooding hit Japan and India while cities in China are sweltering in one of their hottest summers ever.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Laila Harrak.
HARRAK: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is meeting with key NATO leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, amid growing pressure from Kyiv in its bid to join the military alliance.
While this comes on the second and final day of a crucial NATO summit, now underway in Lithuania's capital. Ukraine has been dominating discussions there. On Tuesday, Mr. Zelenskyy was greeted by cheering crowds in Vilnius, where he appeared to put pressure on NATO members to provide a concrete timeframe on when Ukraine could join the alliance.
In a statement, NATO leaders said Ukraine's future is in NATO as they reaffirmed their support for Kyiv's bid, but remained vague about the timing. Ukraine did win one major concession as NATO agreed to streamline the accession process by removing the requirement for a membership action plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: This will change Ukraine's membership path from a two-step process to a one-step process. We also made clear that we will issue an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO when allies agree and conditions are met.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRAK: CNN's Melissa Bell is in the Lithuanian capital and joins us now with the very latest. And Melissa, I understand Mr. Zelenskyy has just arrived for his bilateral meeting?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. What you're going to see today is President Zelenskyy meeting not only with President Biden in that very important bilateral meeting, but also with a number of other key NATO leaders. And what we understand is going to be pledged today are that some of those key allies, namely the United States, Britain, France, Germany, will be pledging extra long term aid to Kyiv.
You're also going to see, Laila, G7 efforts announced -- extra efforts announced in terms of ensuring the long-term stability of Kyiv. So you're going to see a lot of extra commitments today beyond the ones that were announced yesterday specifically by France and Germany in terms of extra military aid.
You're also going to see a little bit later on that speech by President Biden outlining what we understand will be about what this summit has been about, essentially the achievements so far, which are not insubstantial, even if President Zelenskyy would have wished for more and specifically that concrete timetable, from NATO's point of view, the fact now of Swedish accession, which is now only a matter of time with Turkey having lifted the possibility of its veto, but also that beyond its expansion it should have chosen to strengthen so much.
And what this represents now in terms of the rules-based order, what you're likely to hear at the heart of the American president's speech is that even as we've been hearing throughout the day as fighting continues in Ukraine, various pronouncement from key Russian officials about exactly what this meeting represents to them. Threatening that there will be consequences even as NATO vows more unity and more strength going forward.
HARRAK: And as you're reporting, Melissa, we're showing pictures from literally just moments ago of the Ukrainian president arriving at the NATO summit and Dmitry Kuleba, the foreign minister there as well.
Melissa, I mean, it's no secret, President Zelenskyy did not manage to secure that all-important formal NATO invitation. He was very, very indignant, very, very disappointed and skeptical about the decision that was made.
[03:05:07]
Going as far as to say that he has faith, but not confidence in this decision, how difficult will his conversation be with President Biden? BELL: I think a lot of that he's made very public, that frustration,
which when you look at it from the Ukrainian point of view, the promises that were made back in Bucharest in 2008 in terms of the future possibility or rather efforts towards Ukrainian and Georgian accession at the time, now the Ukrainian frustration is that for the 15 years that have passed and for all the blood that has been spilled over the course of the last 16 months in Ukraine, they would have wanted something much more tangible, a timetable.
And yet, the pictures that you're seeing there of President Zelenskyy, welcome to this, the second day of the NATO heads of state meeting, are significant in themselves. This is an important signal that's being sent. And again, those efforts that you're going to see from individual states, from groups like the G7, are substantial in terms of what they will bring to Ukraine and its ability to continue waging the defense of its territory and its attempts to try and regain those parts of the territory that have been lost to Russia.
And that was very much at the heart of what Jens Stoltenberg had to say yesterday in direct response to the frustrations expressed by President Zelenskyy, that the efforts made so far have been huge, that they will continue, that they will be long standing, and that whatever the details of the timetable or not and the possibility of when Ukraine will find out when it is likely to be able to start to consider the actual fact of its joining NATO, if you side, the commitments will be substantial and long-standing and crucial to ensuring the survival of Ukraine. Laila.
HARRAK: Melissa Bell, reporting live from Vilnius. Thank you.
And joining me now from Kyiv is Tymofiy Mylovanov, a president of the Kyiv School of Economics and former Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine. Sir, a very warm welcome to see you.
Now, let me get your reaction first to NATO affirming Ukraine's future is in the alliance, but stopping short of saying how or when it will be invited to join.
TYMOFIY MYLOVANOV, PRESIDENT, KYIV SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: Yes, I think many Ukrainians here in Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine feel frustrated, to put it diplomatically, exactly because there is no clarity on what needs to be done. There is language about the reforms, both security and democratic reforms, but there is no indication about what those pertain.
If we compare it with the E.U. candidacy, when there is a discussion about that, the E.U. put forward seven specific criteria that Ukraine has to- meet and Ukrainians on pass forward to meeting them. So the discussion is ongoing there. So at the very least many Ukrainians expected that there would be more specificity about what needs to be done to get into NATO. Now it appears a little bit hollow.
HARRAK: So there's disappointment. But is coming up with a timeline at this moment just simply impossible because nobody knows when Russia is going to withdraw? MYLOVANOV: Well, I agree with you completely about the timeline, but
it would have been impossible to come up with criteria.
HARRAK: Now, Ukraine's strongest supporter in this war is the United States, but unfortunately it does not support Kyiv's bid to join NATO, at least not yet while the war is going on. What do you make of that?
MYLOVANOV: Yeah, that's going to generate some tension between Kyiv and Washington, at least in the nearest future. But I don't think this tension will be long lasting, you know, maybe days or weeks. And the allies will figure out a way to move forward.
Also, there is discussion about specificity in about concrete steps in security guarantees. That's not as highlighted as it in my view should have been, because, for example, comprehensive action plan by NATO has been declared, it's even in communique, to become sustainable and funded over the years. There is a NATO-Ukraine Council, which is established and it has met for the first time yesterday. So there are some specific, very technocratic steps to ensure continuous and formalized relationship between NATO and Ukraine.
HARRAK: So, taking all of that, what you just said right now, and considering the U.S. commitment to support Ukraine and allies' arms flow to Ukraine and the security guarantees that you also just mentioned, does Kyiv even need to become a NATO member, taking all of that into consideration?
MYLOVANOV: So, there are two aspects to it. There's the weapons, the actual defense security mechanisms, and I think those would indeed be done outside of the formal NATO umbrella.
[03:10:08]
And in some ways, actually, I've seen some commentators, and partly I agree with them. There's more freedom for countries to do bilateral support without Ukraine for now being a part of member because there will be less constraint.
On the other hand, there is a political signal, geopolitical signal to Russia that, and this is where many of Ukrainians are concerned that NATO has sent the wrong signal, that, you know, if you continue Russia, the signal to Russia is if you continue to push of the West and continue to pressure the West not to admit Ukraine. Because of the fear of escalation, the West will actually cave in. And that can embolden Russia, and this is my concern.
HARRAK: Now, do you think it's ever going to happen, Ukraine joining NATO?
MYLOVANOV: It depends on the outcome of the war. If Ukraine is victorious, and, you know, there is a separate discussion what the definition of realistic victory could be, Ukraine wants to liberate all of its territories, because otherwise it thinks it will be just one episode and another invasion will be coming in the future. But, you know, that apart, if there is a victory and Ukraine continues to be democratic, pro-E.U., pro-Western country. I think there is absolutely no doubt that it will happen. I don't know how soon it will happen.
And I have been involved in multiple closed-door discussions with some politicians in the West where we debated what's going to happen first, the E.U. for Ukraine or NATO, and most of the Westerners thinking that the E.U. is going to happen faster because there's political consensus on that, but on NATO, not yet.
HARRAK: Tymofiy Mylovanov, thank you so much for speaking to us.
Ukraine's military says it shot down 11 Iranian-made drones launched by Russia in the early hours of Wednesday. But some still did manage to damage infrastructure in central Ukraine, and two people were hospitalized with burns. Well, this comes after Ukraine says its air defenses also repelled Russian attack drones launched toward the Kyiv region for the second night in a row.
(VIDEO PLAYING)
Meanwhile, on the front lines, Ukraine's military says it's making further progress retaking territory around the city of Bakhmut. Ukrainian officials say they've liberated more than a kilometer of territory. For their part, Russian sources have claimed success further east around the town of Liman. On either side, has been able to make any meaningful breakthrough along the eastern front lines in recent weeks with small amounts of territory changing hands.
CNN's Clare Sebastian joins us now live from London. Claire, as NATO leaders meet in Lithuania, the sirens have been sounding in Ukraine once again and the grueling counteroffensive continues unabated.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Leila, perhaps no coincidence, a second consecutive night of overnight drone attacks. However, NATO summit or not, these are part of a continuing pattern that we see from Russia. Ukraine's air defenses continue to be relatively effective. They, according to the Air Force, shot down 11 out of 15 of the drones launched at the country. But meanwhile, as you say, the counteroffensive continues to be extremely difficult.
Ukraine is pushing hard around the edges of Bakhmut, the villages and towns around that they are not, to be clear, yet trying to take the actual town itself, more trying to encircle, trap Russian forces within the town, gain control of the higher ground around that area.
So, they say they're making small amounts of progress there, about a kilometer taken in the last day. Down in the south, they continue to come up against those heavy fortifications. Russian forces had months, don't forget, to dig in, to build those minefields and things like that. They're having to essentially demine as they go down there but still inching forward.
And all of this is why we just heard from President Zelenskyy walking into the second day of the NATO summit saying that his top priority is weapons packages. Ukraine continues to run short of ammunition, needs those long-range missiles. We saw that announcement from France that they had already started providing them on Tuesday, all of this highly significant. The Russian side, though, the defense minister is saying that Ukraine is not meeting any of its goals in any direction in this counteroffensive. Laila?
HARRAK: And do we know, has Russia acted on Ukraine securing a formal invitation to join NATO?
SEBASTIAN: There's been some reaction. There was a newspaper headline I saw that said Ukraine's hopes have been dashed. The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman talked about the humiliation of Ukraine. But I would say that there's actually been an equal or even greater focus on these weapons packages, the promises by France and Germany that we saw on Tuesday, and the general expansion of NATO with the steps forward taken on Sweden, and the overall promises on eventual membership for Ukraine.
Russia obviously sees this as the central threat, the central justification. For this war, the Kremlin spokesman on Tuesday, Dmitry Peskov, saying that the NATO summit had an anti-Russian character.
[03:15:25]
He said the French decision to supply long-range missiles to Ukraine was an erroneous decision fraught with consequences. He said for Ukraine, we've also heard from the Russian ambassador to Washington overnight, who said that all the resources of NATO are being thrown into the fight against Russia. On the issue of weapons, we heard a particular focus on the U.S. decision to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine, the defense minister himself threatening retaliation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SERGEI SHOIGU, RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): In case of the U.S. applying cluster bombs to Ukraine, the Russian armed forces will be forced to use similar weapons as a countermeasure against the Ukrainian army. I want to mark that Russia has cluster bombs for all occasions. They are more effective than American and more widely varied.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: Cluster bombs for all occasions, says the Russian defense minister. Now obviously these are controversial and we have seen certainly the Russian media picking up on the divisions in NATO over that. Obviously this is why it's so important for NATO to try to put on a united front. Laila.
HARRAK: Clare Sebastian reporting from London. Thank you.
North Korea has fired what's believed to be another intercontinental ballistic missile. The Japanese Defense Ministry says it flew for more than 70 minutes before landing in the waters near Japan, while the flight time marks a slight advancement over similar missile tests in March and April.
And the timing may be no coincidence, with the U.S., Japan and South Korea meeting to discuss security issues at the NATO summit and ramping up their defense cooperation. CNN's Marc Stewart comes to us live now from Tokyo where he's tracking developments for us. Mark, talk to us a little bit more about the timing that these
suspected long-range missiles were launched.
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Laila. Good to see you. Look, as we know from reporting on this story for years now that North Korea craves global attention.
Well, a launch like this is certainly captivating and getting the attention of nations around the world. As you mentioned, this NATO summit is taking place. Even before today's launch, North Korea was a point of discussion. We heard the Secretary General in his opening keynote express reservations and concern about the North Korean missile program.
Now, we have the suspected launch today, putting again North Korea into the discussion phase, including at the NATO summit. It has generated responses from Lithuania, from both representatives of South Korea and Japan, who are there now.
In addition, we heard from Japan's chief cabinet secretary, typically based here in Tokyo. He made remarks condemning this launch. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HIROKAZU MATSUNO, JAPANESE CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY (through translator): Such ballistic missile launches violate relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and are a serious security issue for our citizens. We have lodged a strong protest against North Korea through our embassy in Beijing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEWART: Again, this missile was in the air for 74 minutes. That flight time is significant because it suggests some advancement in the North Korean missile program.
Also, it's important to point out the angle, the trajectory of this missile was done so to travel a short distance. But speaking, looking at the logistics of this program, this is a type of missile that, in theory, could travel across the ocean to other continents. That obviously did not happen here. But again, it is showing that North Korea's program is very intense and forward-moving, Laila.
HARRAK: And can you also tell us about what has been contributing to tensions in the region?
STEWART: Sure, I mean, North Korea is trying to stay relevant, that is for sure. But as that is happening, the world is also paying attention. So for example, concerns because of China, because of North Korea, has prompted Japan and South Korea to form an alliance that we have never seen before. For years, these are two nations that had a lot of tension dating back to World War II. Well, because of these threats to North Korea, these two nations have gotten together.
In fact earlier, though, this week, we saw North Korea respond with some very strong pointed language after it says an American plane flew into its economic zone. So it's one of many things, not just one thing, but there is definitely attention in this region of the potential threat from North Korea.
HARRAK: Marc Stewart reporting from Tokyo. Thank you so much for your continued coverage.
[03:20:02]
Still ahead. Dangerous heat in China, deadly flooding and mudslides in Japan and India. All of it, experts warn, being made more intense due to climate change.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRAK: Much of Asia is dealing with extreme summer weather. In northern India, officials say heavy rain, flash flooding, and landslides in recent days have left more than 40 people dead.
In southwestern Japan, at least eight people have been killed amid record-breaking rainfall and flooding since the start of the month. And in China, they're grappling with excessive heat, with major cities facing what could be one of their hottest summers on record.
Let's get you more now from CNN's Anna Coren, live for us in Hong Kong. Anna, much of Asia dealing with extreme weather, you'd expect heavy rains and flooding this time of year in some parts, monsoons in India, but what makes this all so very different this summer?
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, experts are saying this is the direct result of climate change. Let's begin in Japan, Laila. Unusually heavy rain in the country's southernmost main island, Kyushu, has caused extensive flooding and landslides.
Homes have been washed away, as you can see hospitals flooded, electricity and water cut off. The Japan meteorology -- Meteorological Agency has described this as the heaviest rain ever on the island. Eight people are dead, four missing. These are the latest numbers from authorities.
Now, Kyushu is prone to deadly landslides because of its mountainous terrain. We understand rescue and recovery operations are underway. More rain and storms are forecast for the island and for southwestern Japan.
Let's now turn our attention to China that is experiencing extreme heat. Temperatures are in the mid-30s. They're expected to climb even higher for the rest of the week, possibly reaching 40 degrees in parts of southern China.
The China Energy Investment Corporation, that is the world's largest coal-fired power generation company, said that the volume of power generated on Monday reached a historic high, with energy loads continuing to rise in southern and eastern China. And we have some footage for you, Laila, some zookeepers in Shanxi Province in northern China trying to keep their animals cool by giving them blocks of ice to hug and to lick.
Other parts of China are experiencing, you know, heavy rain and flooding. This extreme weather across China comes as U.S. climate envoy John Kerry travels to Beijing this weekend for climate talks with Chinese officials.
Meanwhile, we have extreme weather also in India. Heavy rainfall has caused flash floods and landslides in Himachal Pradesh, where the death toll stands at 31 and more than 2,000 people have been evacuated. That is the latest information that we are getting, the government said relief efforts are underway and crews are trying to reopen roads affected by landslides, Laila.
[03:25:11]
HARRAK: Anna Coren, reporting in Hong Kong, thank you so much.
Now for more on the impact of global warming on all these extreme weather events, here's our meteorologist Chad Myers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, there are a couple things going on. I think probably the greatest of all of them would be the warming of the planet, 1.2 degrees C above pre-industrial levels. That's just a little bit above two degrees Fahrenheit. That has allowed the earth to hold the atmosphere to hold more water vapor.
If there's more water vapor, there's more water condensation. And therefore that rain can be heavier and just maybe not 7 percent, but you can actually multiply that out as some of this rain runs up hills. Not that there wouldn't have been a flood anyway, but certainly increased amounts of rainfall possible when you have increased amounts of water vapor.
Here's the rainfall and the flood in Kyushu. This is in Japan, the southern island of Japan. This was a major flood right along the Mayubayu front. The Mayubayu front sets up every year, kind of a stationary front, but right here in the southern part of this island, right there, that's where day after day of rainfall put down over 400 millimeters in three days. There's the front right there.
The plumb rains come from this. Warm moist air to the south, the front sets up, and then the rain stays in the same place for many, many days in a row. And as we look ahead here for the rest of the week, it looks like South Korea is going to get involved with this. Also, possibly even the western coast of Japan, that's part of the rain that comes off of mainland China, and it's going to rain in mainland China as well. But look there for Seoul. There will be places, 200 millimeters over the next three days.
Someplace else that's picked up an awful lot of rainfall, but this is kind of expected, because it is monsoon. Here's India. Spots in here 300 millimeters over the past couple of days. And the monsoon over the past couple of weeks has really exceeded expectations over all of India. And I don't see that going away anytime soon. When the monsoon comes in, the humidity comes in, the sun heats the
ground, the air goes up causing thunderstorms and causing significant amounts of rainfall. Central India, those purple spots are greater than 250 millimeters of rainfall just over a very short amount of time.
Across parts of the southwestern part of the United States, very hot weather coming in, 115 degrees, won't be out of the question in almost any city here in the desert, that's 43 in Vegas, 44 for Thursday, and 45 on Friday, temperatures just continue to go up, even for Phoenix, the high on Sunday, could be 48 degrees in the afternoon, that's an awful lot of heat, and those temperatures are in the shade, and there won't be any cloud cover.
So, if you're out in the sunshine, when it feels like 48 it might feel a whole lot warmer than that and the temperature outlook for parts of the meta training going to be very warm as well and Rome you're going to start to ramp up look at this how's that going to feel on Tuesday a high in the shade again of 39 degrees hot in parts of Europe as well.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: Our thanks to Chad Myers.
Ukraine has dominated the agenda at the NATO summit in Lithuania and with the final day of the gathering underway, Ukraine's president is looking for more assurances from Western allies, including U.S. President Joe Biden.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LAILA HARRAK, CNN ANCHOR: Ukraine's president is set to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden and other key leaders with the second and final day of the NATO summit underway in Lithuania. Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressing the urgency for his country to join the alliance.
But Western officials are saying not quite yet. Kyiv did make some progress though. The country's defense minister says Ukraine has reached an agreement with 11 partner states to train Ukrainian pilots on the F-16 fighter jet.
So far no government has committed to providing the aircraft. Still, Mr. Zelenskyy is expressing his gratitude for NATO's support amid an uncertain future in the bloc. CNN's Alex Marquardt has the latest from Kyiv.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SR. NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ukraine's president taking the stage at the NATO summit, thanking flag-waving Lithuanians for their support, saying Ukraine's flag is still alive and free. Ukraine will give Ukraine security, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
said. Ukraine will make NATO stronger.
But as Zelenskyy mingled with NATO leaders, his country's future in NATO remains uncertain, simmering underneath his deep frustration over the lack of urgency and clarity to join the alliance.
It's unprecedented and absurd when time frame is not set, neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine's membership, he tweeted. It seems there is no readiness neither to invite Ukraine to NATO nor to make it a member of the alliance.
NATO's secretary general stated clearly that Ukraine will join NATO, but in the future, quote, "when conditions are met."
JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: And if you look at all the membership processes, there have not been time lines for those processes. They are conditions-based, has always been.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): The first condition for the U.S. The war with Russia needs to end before an invitation can be made. As Zelenskyy made clear in a recent interview, that isn't soon enough.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Invitation, just technical thing, just wording. Invitation Ukraine to NATO.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR, ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT: Not down the line, now?
ZELENSKYY: Now. It's very important. It will push Russia.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): As the NATO summit opened, Russia sent a wave of almost 30 attack drones towards Kyiv and the critical port city of Odessa.
Air defenses managed to shoot down most of them and no one was killed, but buildings were severely damaged. Ukraine firing missiles deep behind the front lines, hitting the city of Berdyansk in the south, plumes of black smoke rising.
Nearby, yet another Russian general, Oleg Tsokov, was killed with a long-range rocket. According to Ukrainian officials and a Russian Telegram channel, General Tsokov would be the most senior Russian general to be killed in Ukraine so far, and would deprive Russia of one of its most experienced generals.
And while the list of mysterious attacks inside Russia grows, a one- time submarine commander, Stanislav Vershitsky, was murdered while out running in southern Russia. His regular jogs recorded on the Strava app and his route, according to a Russian media outlet was tracked by the killer.
Alex Marquardt, CNN, Kyiv.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRAK: Joining me now from Brussels is Camille Grand, distinguished policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Sir, a very warm welcome. Thank you for joining us. Good morning.
As a former NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defense Investment, what are your reflections on NATO extending a hand but not an invitation to Ukraine? Are they kicking the can down the road?
CAMILLE GRAND, DISTINGUISHED POLICY FELLOW, EUROPEAN COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: I think it's a little better than that. There are some very positive news for the Ukrainians. The establishment of a NATO-Ukraine Council, for instance, will enable the Ukraine partnership to deepen. And the message of your welcoming to NATO has been strongly reaffirmed and is going a little beyond what was said since 2008.
[03:35:05]
Yet, I do understand the frustration of the Ukrainians who are hoping for something a little more specific and a little more precise. And that's probably where we hear -- why we hear President Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian leaders expressing some regret at the outcome of the summit so far.
HARRAK: Yes, because Ukraine does feel slighted. I mean you say that you understand President Zelenskyy's indignation at Ukraine not receiving a timeline for an invitation. Do Western allies owe it to Ukraine? Do they have an obligation to Kyiv to go beyond just sending arms?
GRAND: I think we could have done collectively better. Of course, there was obviously no clear consensus within the alliance for setting a date, but short of a date, we could have established a clear process.
I think it is not sufficient to say, you're going to be welcome when the conditions are met. We could have said, we're working on these conditions and we are establishing a process under which Ukraine has a clear sign that once peace is established in a shape or form, the path to its membership will be faster.
HARRAK: Because it's clear that NATO allies will not go to war for Ukraine. The U.S. and other leaders do not want to go to war with Russia. Yet it's also stopping the alliance from creating an arrangement that, you know, could be unique to Ukraine, as you point out.
GRAND: It is the issue. Of course, nobody, including President Zelenskyy, had been calling for an immediate membership that would have thrown NATO into the war with Russia.
On the other hand, it is important for the future of Ukrainian security, of European security as well, to pass a message that once the conditions are met, but those conditions being probably the moment where there is a ceasefire, Ukraine is welcoming the NATO family and that there is a strong willingness to bring them on board on a fast track to make sure that the war doesn't resume, to make sure that the security guarantees that NATO provides are granted to Ukraine on sort of an immediate basis.
So this is where the language is very diplomatic and reflects probably the balance between the 31 NATO allies, but in my view could have been a bit stronger.
HARRAK: Now the Ukrainians say that this decision might have the unintended consequence of prolonging the war. Because -- When is Ukraine considered safe enough to join NATO?
GRAND: I guess the issue there is to find the fine balance between not telling Russia, as long as Ukraine is at war, it won't be welcoming NATO, which could be an incentive for Russia to continue the war forever.
On the other hand, to create a, to recognize that we need some sort of a ceasefire or a situation where the line of control between the two belligerent is stable enough before bringing Ukraine into NATO.
I'm not sure it would have been wise to be that specific, but I think it would have been good to say that we were working very closely together, that we were not ruling out anything, that we were not sort of creating preconditions that are impossible to meet for Ukraine without Russia agreeing to a ceasefire or a peace.
HARRAK: Now as someone who has been part of the inner workings of NATO, what is the risk that we could see a rift growing within the alliance between members who feel Ukraine, you know, should have gotten a formal invitation and those who don't think the country is ready? Could we see separate alliances being formed going forward?
GRAND: NATO has had many debates within the alliance and the whole process of NATO is about consensus building. So the allies are quite used to the fact that their views don't always prevail. Having said this, I think it is important that the group of the friends of Ukraine, the Baltic States, Poland and so on, make their voice heard.
They got support from other countries. The U.K., France were quite supportive of that view, while Washington and Berlin were more cautious. I think it is important that we keep, of course, the unity of the Alliance, that we recognize that we've achieved some progress collectively, but also that we prepare for the next steps with a clear message.
HARRAK: Camille Grand in Brussels. Sir, thank you for your time.
GRAND: Thank you.
HARRAK: Well, as Russia faces widespread condemnation over its war in Ukraine, Cuba has emerged as one of Moscow's biggest supporters. The two countries, both subject to U.S. sanctions, are seeking to deepen economic ties through trade and investment.
CNN's Patrick Oppmann reports now from Havana. [03:40:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Russian warship sails into Havana. Cuba greets the ship the Perikop, the first Russian naval vessel to make an official visit in years, with a cannon fire salute.
It's just the latest sign of the reforging of ties between Russia and Cuba. While much of the rest of the world has denounced Russia for their invasion of Ukraine, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, seen here alongside Vladimir Putin, inaugurating a statue of Fidel Castro in Moscow in November, defends Russia's war.
We are condemning, we are rejecting the expansion of NATO towards Russia's borders. He told Russia today. We condemn all the measures and sanctions that have been applied as a way to coerce the Russian Federation.
And Russia increasingly is throwing a lifeline to their old ally just 90 miles from the United States.
(on-camera): Since the war in Ukraine began, Russia and Cuba have signed a flurry of new agreements that would open the first supermarket selling Russian food here, increase oil shipments to the island, even develop this beachside community outside of Havana. It appears to be the most significant Russian investment in Cuba in decades.
(voice-over): In February, after Russia donated 25,000 tons of wheat, Russia's then ambassador to Cuba said the aid will continue to flow.
In spite of the challenges, he says, Russia and Cuba continue developing their strategic relationship based on the historic friendship, solidarity and mutual sympathy between our two countries.
The warming of ties for many Cubans feels like a trip back to the future. In this video from the 1960s narrated by Fidel Castro, Cubans are told how visiting Russian experts would modernize the island.
Instead, Cuba grew dependent on Soviet aid. The USSR collapsed and, facing punishing U.S. economic sanctions, the island plunged into a financial abyss from which it is yet to emerge.
While Russian officials have suggested reestablishing a military presence on the island. Some analysts feel that Moscow no longer has the capability to do so.
SERGEY RADCHENKO, PROFESSOR, JOHN HOPKINS SCHOOL OF ADVANCED INT'L STUDIES: I think this kind of threats are used more for taunting the United States and for kind of, for, it's a kind of a form of psychological warfare, kind of a cy-op against the United States.
OPPMANN (voice-over): Whatever the future of the renewed ties, it's clear Russia is once again staking a claim in Cuba.
Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: Huge crowds of Israelis send a message to their government. Ahead, the day of resistance, as the prime minister's coalition pushes ahead with its judicial overhaul.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
Despite a day of disturbance and resistance that saw tens of thousands of Israelis protest nationwide, the Israeli Prime Minister's coalition intends to push ahead with its highly controversial overhaul of the courts.
[03:45:09]
Massive crowds waving flags, blocked highways and intersections, joined hands on the beach, marched in Jerusalem and rallied at the main airport. Well, that's after the coalition's legislative majority gave preliminary approval to a bill stripping the courts of their power to nullify government edicts they find unreasonable. The bill still needs two more votes to become law. Those are scheduled for July 24.
And CNN's Hadas Gold takes us now to the protest at the airport.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Here at Ben Gurion Airport, this is Israel's main airport. Thousands of Israelis have essentially taken over. We're here at the arrivals level. As you can see, no cars are passing through to be able to pick up passengers. And this is part of the protesters' national day of disruption. Protests have been going on all day, from the morning through the evening, all across the country.
Now, protests have been going on here for months against the government's plan to completely overhaul the judiciary. But the reason that they've been particularly amped up now is because of legislation that was passed Monday night. It's the first of three readings on just one aspect of this massive judicial overhaul.
This particular legislation has to do with stripping the Supreme Court's ability of declaring government actions unreasonable, but it almost doesn't matter what the legislative steps were. It's just the fact that the legislation is back on the table because they had actually been frozen for several months after those massive general strikes and protests and the defense minister coming out against the overhaul back in March.
There were some attempts at compromise negotiations with the opposition, but those have clearly gone nowhere. The coalition government led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are now pushing forward once again with this legislation.
It's going to be done in a slower, more piecemeal fashion but for these protesters they essentially don't leave anything that comes out of Benjamin Netanyahu or the coalition government's mouth when they say this will be a slower process when they say that even partial legislation have been softened watered down these protesters and the opposition want the judicial overhaul essentially completely off the table they say they will continue coming out to the streets and continue protesting.
Now, the government and Benjamin Netanyahu say the judiciary desperately needs some sort of reform they say they've won the election. They have the votes in parliament to make this happen.
But the protesters here at the opposition and even some of Israel's biggest allies like the United States have expressed grave concern about what exactly this reform will do. And these protesters, they say they will continue coming out. Some have even said that they plan to pitch tents in downtown Tel Aviv to make their protest even more permanent.
Hadas Gold, CNN, Ben Gurion Airport.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: Not long after Russia invaded Ukraine last year, more than a thousand major companies pledged to leave Russia, taking a moral stand against the war. But nearly a year and a half into the conflict, a Yale professor claims some big names haven't made good on their promise.
Our Tom Foreman has a CNN exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Russia marched into Ukraine, hundreds of companies from other nations announced plans to march out of Moscow, hitting Vladimir Putin's government in the pocketbook and hobbling his war effort. But one year, four and a half months after the invasion, some others are still doing brisk business in Russia, according to Yale professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld.
JEFFREY SONNENFIELD, YALE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT: These are companies that said they were leaving and then reneged, saying, oh, it's too much trouble. It's wartime profiteering, and it is actually aiding, sadly, helping to fuel Putin's war machine.
FOREMAN (voice-over): His research finds, although many companies followed through on their pledges, taking millions of dollars out of Russia, some big players did not, among them Heineken.
Sonnenfeld's researchers say the Dutch company has seven facilities in Russia, 1800 employees, and is still launching new brands there. Heineken calls the war a terrible human tragedy and says the company remains committed to leaving, but so far has not secured Russian regulatory approval to sell its assets.
Also on the list, Mondelez, the company that makes Oreos, among other things, with 3,000 employees and products still moving in Russian markets, the company is being boycotted by some Europeans. Even as it said in a statement last month, it is scaling back in Russia. And there are more. Unilever has called the war brutal and senseless.
Philip Morris has said the situation is complex. Nestle last year pledged to sell only essential items.
But Yale researchers say non-essential items are still being sold. And all of those companies continue doing business with the Russians.
[03:50:05]
Many suggest divesting themselves from Russia is more costly and complicated than outsiders might imagine, and they don't want to hurt their Russian employees. Sonnenfeld's response?
SONNENFELD: The whole point of the sanctions and the business exits is to put pressure on the average Russian so that the humanitarian thing is to motivate them to act.
FOREMAN (on-camera): Many of these companies online say they really do stand with the Ukrainians. They've donated money to Ukrainian causes. But critics like Sonnenfeld and others say you got a lot of good press by saying you would also stand against the Russians. And now it's time to pay up.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: Still to come, PGA Tour officials defend their plans to merge with Saudi-backed LIV Golf. A deal some lawmakers call a betrayal.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRAK: PGA Tour officials have told a U.S. Senate subcommittee that they would have faced a real threat if they didn't team up with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf. Democratic lawmakers slammed the proposed deal as a betrayal of American values.
CNN's Andy Scholes explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Defensive PGA Tour officials telling lawmakers today they had no choice but to join forces with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Tour.
JIMMY DUNNE, PGA TOUR BOARD MEMBER: We got to the table because of the existence of LIV, they own one hundred percent of LIV, they have billions of dollars in LIV, they have no economic constraint, they have no time constraint, they sued us we did not decide to sue them, they took our players. Their entire existence is based on taking more of our players. That's just the reality.
SCHOLES (voice-over): For more than a year, PGA Tour officials and players slammed the LIV tour. But in the end, PGA Tour executive Ron Price says U.S. professional golf as we knew it would not survive without a merger. RON PRICE, PGA TOUR CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER: We faced a real threat
that LIV Golf, which is 100 percent financed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, would become the leader of professional golf.
SCHOLES (voice-over): But that was not enough for some angry lawmakers.
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): Today's hearing is about much more than the game of golf. It's about how a brutal, repressive regime can by influence indeed even take over a cherished American institution to cleanse its public image.
SCHOLES (voice-over): 15 of the 19 hijackers in the 9-11 attack were Saudi Arabian citizens leading survivor's families to sue the regime over it. And more recently, the regime was condemned worldwide for brutally murdering journalist Jamal Khashoggi with a bone saw. A U.S. intelligence report claimed Khashoggi was killed by agents of Saudi Arabia in 2018.
The Saudi investment fund is backed by more than $600 billion. Price says the Saudis' investment in the new merger will be north of $1 billion, adding that the exact details are still being worked out. In front of families of 9-11 victims, Senator Ron Johnson, defending the PGA Tour's decisions, saying it shouldn't be up to them to be sports moral compass.
[03:54:58]
SEN. RON JOHNSON (R-WI): The PGA Tour accurately viewed the LIV as an existential threat. It would be grossly unfair to expect the PGA Tour to bear the full burden of holding Saudi Arabia accountable. After all, anyone who drives a car or uses oil-based products has helped fill the coffers of the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
SCHOLES (voice-over): And the framework agreement between the Saudis and the PGA Tour must still be approved by the PGA Tour's 10 member policy board, which includes star Roy McIlroy and four other PGA Tour players. But when and if it does go through, it will be tough to heal the wounds of the last year.
ROY MCILROY, FOUR-TIME MAJOR WINNER: I still hit LIV, like I hit LIV, like I -- I hope it goes away and I would fully expect that it does.
JON RAHM, TWO-TIME MAJOR WINNER: I want to have faith that this is the best thing for all of us but it's clear that does not the consensus.
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU, 2020 U.S. OPEN WINNER: As it's come to fruition now, I think that this is the best thing that could ever happen for the game of golf and I'm extremely proud to be a part of that, but I truly believe in the end the game of golf wins.
SCHOLES (on-camera): As a part of today's hearing, the subcommittee releasing documents revealing the secret negotiations between the two sides and one of the proposals from the Saudi Investment Fund had Tiger Woods and Roy McIlroy owning LIV teams and playing 10 LIV events a year. Tiger Woods is likely not doing that. Another proposal regressive that the governor of the Saudi fund, Yassir Al-Rumayan obtained membership at the ultra exclusive Augusta national and the Royal and ancient golf club. And while they do have the framework for this deal, the exact terms have yet to be decided.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: The battle over Aretha Franklin's estate has finally come to an end.
(VIDEO PLAYING)
The jury has decided to respect a 2014 note signed by the singer, considering it her last will and testament. It was found under a sofa cushion after Franklin's death in 2018. Well Franklin didn't leave a formal will, but two handwritten notes were found in her home, including another from 2010. Her sons were battling over how her estate would be divided, including her music royalties.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie have welcomed their third child together. She posted this photo on Instagram Tuesday and wrote, welcome to the world, Frank Alfred Odysseus Johnson. The name Odysseus comes from Greek mythology. Boris Johnson has often used classical references in his public speeches.
And that wraps up this hour of "CNN Newsroom." I'm Laila Harrak. Newsroom continues with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo after a quick break. I'll see you next time.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
