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Trump On U.S.-Ukraine Ceasefire Deal: It's Up To Russia Now; Canada's PM-Designate Discusses Conditions For Talks With Trump; E.U. Retaliates Against 25 Percent Trump Tariffs On Steel, Aluminum; Judge Says Palestinian Activist Will Remain In U.S. Custody; Nearly Half Of Workforce Cut From U.S. Education Department; Philippines' Duterte Lands In Netherlands For ICC Trial. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired March 12, 2025 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:41]
ISA SOARES, CNN HOST: Hello, and welcome to our viewers right around the world. I'm Isa Soares, and this is CNN NEWSROOM.
It's up to Russia now. U.S. President Donald Trump putting the ball squarely in Moscow's court when it comes to the U.S. proposal for a temporary ceasefire agreed by Ukraine. So far, the Kremlin has said very little about the plan, with a spokesperson saying Moscow is awaiting more details from the United States.
A short while ago at the White House, Mr. Trump urged Russia to accept the deal to bring an end to three years of fighting.
Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: People are going to Russia right now as we speak, and hopefully we can get a cease fire from Russia. And if we do, I think that would be 80 percent of the way to getting this horrible bloodbath finished. It's a bloodbath is taking place over there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And despite some movement toward a ceasefire, it's clear there's still much work ahead on the diplomatic front, Ukrainian president, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says ceding territory to Moscow would cross a red line, and Kyiv expects the United States to take, quote, strong steps against Russia if it rejects the proposal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Today, it depends on this country 100 percent, because America has demonstrated its steps and its position. Ukraine has demonstrated its position, responded without any different interpretations, very directly. And today, Russia will have to respond to this.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SOARES: Let's get more now on the Russian perspective, our senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen, who is in Moscow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): A brazen attack, Russian troops sneaking through a gas pipeline to target Ukrainian positions.
The assault is starting, the soldier says. The Russians saying thanks to this assault, they've all but taken the town, Sudzha, one of Ukraine's last footholds on Russian territory.
Kremlin controlled TV in breaking news mode, hailing the gains.
This is what the most important victory of the Russian spirit and weapons looks like, the host says.
The Russians have been taking territory in multiple areas along the front line in recent days, leaving some in Moscow wondering why they should even bother with a Trump administration ceasefire deal.
Now, Trump, like an ultimatum, says you stop the war because Ukraine is ready for a ceasefire, this man says. But what's the point? What ultimatum? We're dominating on the battlefield.
After the Ukrainians agreed to a 30-day ceasefire in meetings with the Trump administrations negotiators, the U.S. says now it's time for Moscow to do the same.
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: They're probably processing the news the same as the rest of the world is. So we hope to have a positive answer from them. The ball is truly in their court.
PLEITGEN: But so far, the Kremlin hasn't even picked the ball up yet. Russian President Vladimir Putin silent on the issue and his spokesman saying they're waiting to hear from the U.S., while the foreign minister, in an interview with U.S. bloggers, merely stated what Russia isn't willing to allow, like tolerating NATO peacekeepers in Ukraine.
SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Under any conditions, well, nobody is talking to us. They keep saying nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine, but they do everything about Russia without Russia.
PLEITGEN: This, as the Trump administration is saying, it's eagerly waiting to hear from the Russians, whose forces continue to grind down Ukraine's defenses.
Fred Pleitgen CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Let's get more on this.
I want to welcome in Nina Khrushcheva, professor of international affairs at the New School and the great granddaughter of former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.
Nina, great to see you. Great to have you on the show.
So as we heard from Secretary Rubio, just, about 24 hours ago, the ball is now in Russia's court. How do you see Putin responding? And what would persuade him or not persuade him to accept it?
NINA KHRUSHCHEVA, INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS PROFESSOR, THE NEW SCHOOL: Well, thank you.
I mean, isn't it $1,000, a million dollar question? We don't know.
I would imagine that the Russians would accept the proposal. They would certainly. And as President Trump said, my people are going to Moscow as we speak. So tomorrow, I think there's going to be some more, kind of detailed conversation.
[15:05:01]
I would imagine that dealing with the Russians would be much quieter than dealing with the -- with the Ukrainians. And I think if Donald Trump speaks to Putin is going to be more in private, and we wouldn't know exactly what -- what has been said. I think that were accepting potentially the proposal, Putin would want already start negotiating on the peace terms. And I think the sanctions -- lifting of some sanctions probably would be part of that conversation and stop armament or at least partially stop armament of Ukraine, certainly from the American side. I think that would be very serious conditions that Russians would put forward.
SOARES: And I imagine as I was speaking to a Ukrainian guest, Tymofiy Mylovanov, just in the last hour, was saying that the pressure should really be on Europeans and Ukrainians to say no on the question of sanctions, of course. This is going to be something that I would imagine that we would hear.
But, you know, let me just put this to you, Nina. My colleague Nick Paton Walsh, this is what he writes for CNN.com. As Marco Rubio, U.S. secretary of state, said of Moscow, the ball is now in their court. This is true and admirable as an outcome. But it is also the case that Russia excels at grabbing the ball, pocketing it, debating the rules of the game and points lost three sets ago before claiming the ball has in fact been stolen clean from them by the other team. The White House is about to get a master class in real Kremlin diplomacy.
I mean, so just talk us through. They will accept, but they will accept with asking for some sort of concessions. I mean, can the Kremlin even be trusted at this stage to kind of engage in any sort of meaningful diplomacy? Because we have been here before when it comes to ceasefires?
KHRUSHCHEVA: Well, it seems to me that the ceasefire is no conditions on all sides.
SOARES: Yeah. KHRUSHCHEVA: And so for Putin, if he accepts it, that's already a giant step because he's not -- he's not an unconditional man. There's always conditions. So he accepts that probably Donald Trump would have to do or his people, as he said, would have to do some massaging there.
And it is possible. But I would imagine if there is a conversation between Putin and Trump even before the ceasefire is accepted, they will already be next steps of further negotiations, which potentially Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his people didn't get because we do know that Donald Trump is very partial to people like Vladimir Putin, like Recep Erdogan, like Narendra Modi. He likes people with a strong hand.
So these are his peers. And so he talks to them differently than he does talk to, say, Ursula von der Leyen of Europe.
But Russia would feel that it is now has a somewhat winning hand, which, by the way, Donald Trump one time said that Russia has cards. Then he said Russia doesn't have cards. Putin thinks he has cards. And actually, in your story, they already almost liberated the Kursk region.
And that's probably -- they would want to do to agree on any ceasefire. So Ukraine would have less potential to kind of say we're going to exchange territory for territory. But I agree -- I mean, I think Donald Trump is going to get a master class in this kind of KGB type of diplomacy, when you take things that you want, but also take things that nobody was even going to get it to you in the first place.
But it is possible that ceasefire is coming, because if Putin accepts no conditions for ceasefire, that's already a big step forward.
SOARES: Indeed. And President Trump, you know, he did say that he has holds the cards. I think he said that last week. Are you a spot on Nina?
He also said that -- and he's repeatedly said this, that he believes that the Putin -- President Putin wants peace. But what we've heard so far from the Russians, is there's no NATO troops to monitor the ceasefire that that Ukraine can't be in NATO. These are kind of all seem to be all nonstarters for Putin.
So if he agrees, how would he then sell this at home? Because I'm guessing he needs some sort of victory to sell the losses so far, and his continuous idea that the West poses a threat to him and to Russia.
KHRUSHCHEVA: Well, he already sort of has victory. So if Kursk region is liberated, that's victory. Russians have been moving in many parts of the front. That's victory. They're willing to stop.
I mean, they're willing to stop if conditions are right, if. And already we heard that from, I think, Marco Rubio we heard -- we heard it from Pete Hegseth. We heard it from Donald Trump that Ukraine and NATO probably are not going to happen, at least in the near future.
So that's victory. Territory, and already we also heard from Marco Rubio that Ukraine would have to cede some territory. So Putin would -- Putin is actually not in a very bad position if he -- and if he can get some sanctions lifted, that's fine with him.
[15:10:06]
But so far, I think he's willing to end the war because so far, it's ending on his terms, not on his perfect terms, but on his terms, not on the Ukrainian terms.
SOARES: Yeah, it's -- so far, it seems he hasn't made any concessions. And like you said, he's getting potentially getting what he really wants. Nina, great to get your perspective and insight so important. Thank you very much, Nina.
And some of America's closest allies are pushing back on President Trump's sweeping tariffs. Canada has announced a series of retaliatory measures set to take effect on Thursday, this just hours after Mr. Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on all steel as well as aluminum.
Earlier, the U.S. president defended his constant flip flopping over tariffs. This is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Let me just tell you the inconsistency. I have the right -- I have the right to adjust. I'm not like a block that just I won't delay. I have -- it's called flexibility. It's not called inconsistency. It's called flexibility.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, despite Trump's repeated remarks of wanting Canada to become America's 51st state, the newly elected leader of Canada's Liberal Party says he looks forward to speaking with the U.S. counterpart, but with some conditions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER-DESIGNATE: I'm ready to sit down with President Trump at the appropriate time under a position where there's respect for Canadian sovereignty, and we're working for a common approach, a much more comprehensive approach for a trade. We're all going to be better off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Kevin Liptak is at the White House tracking this trade war.
And, Kevin, week two, and here we are again on this on and off trade flip flopping. President Trump, we heard there, talked about flexibility. What else is he saying about these new trade tariffs? And how concerned critically is he -- if he is at all about any sort of economic repercussions here?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, he's not evincing any concern in public. But certainly, I can tell you behind the scenes, he is hearing from business leaders and Republicans, even some members of his own administration, who do want to get a better sense from him, where he sees this all going.
Obviously, the markets have had a whipsaw week due in part to this haphazard approach to tariffs. And you see the president there really on the defensive, saying that in his view, this is all called flexibility. Obviously, in the view of investors, it's called uncertainty.
So you don't hear the president backing off in any way from what he plans to do. And in fact, he did say and reiterated that April 2nd will be what he calls the big day, the day that those reciprocal tariffs will go into place. But certainly these tariffs were the backdrop to this meeting that the president held today here at the White House with the Taoiseach of Ireland, Micheal Martin.
Obviously, Ireland is a member of the E.U. So the timing of all of this I think was very notable as the E.U. put in place those new reciprocal tariffs on American products, some of the most American products you can think of like bourbon and Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
Obviously, this is normally a visit that is quite lighthearted. There's the presentation of the bowl of shamrocks. Talk about all of the Irish Americans. Talk about those historic ties between the U.S. and Ireland.
But the tensions that the trade war and that the tariffs have caused were very notable. And you heard the president throughout his meeting with Martin, talk about how, in his view, the E.U. was designed to hurt the United States and that, in his view, his predecessors had handled this all wrong, had allowed, for example, American pharmaceutical companies to leave the United States for Ireland because of its favorable tax structure.
So certainly, this economic competition has really colored every aspect of the -- of Donald Trump's worldview, even with some of its staunchest allies like Ireland, it has seeped into these meetings that are normally very friendly and very sort of easygoing.
And I think it just gives you a sense of how the president is approaching all of this. He's not backing off. He is defending this approach, and he is all its all building up to this day, April 2nd, that these reciprocal tariffs that he is promising will go into place.
SOARES: And I wonder then, how Americans feeling about this, this strategy, you know, that what we keep hearing from this administration, Kevin, that this is an economy in transition. How are Americans responding to -- to this tit for tat that we're seeing in tariffs -- on tariffs here?
LIPTAK: Yeah. Not responding particularly well. There's a CNN poll out today that shows the president's approval ratings on the economy essentially underwater. Americans do not believe that this approach is necessarily working. And I think in part that's because its doing nothing to curb the higher prices that they have been facing for the last several years.
Donald Trump himself said that higher prices on things like groceries were why he was elected president. And I think he's having a hard time explaining how applying these new tariffs is necessarily going to help Americans in their own pocketbooks.
Obviously, today in the U.S., we saw some improving inflation numbers that the White House was very quick to come out and get behind and trumpet those numbers. But at the end of the day, there's this economic turmoil I think is creating a lot of confusion for people who thought that Trump was coming into office with the express goal of bringing down prices. Tariffs, of course, would do the opposite of that.
And so I think there is a challenge for the president in front of him in explaining to people what this transition period means and exactly how long it will last and exactly what it would mean for prices on all kinds of goods. And so the polls are showing some skepticism creeping into the president's approach here from the American public. And that will be an ongoing issue for this White House as they continue on this tariff plan.
SOARES: Yeah. And we know he loves tariffs. He also keeps an eye on the markets. I'm sure he'll keep an eye on the polls. The latest polls just for our viewers say that 56 percent majority of the public disapproves of his handling of the economy, to see how, if he reacts to any of this, including the markets.
Kevin Liptak, as always, appreciate it.
There was a big sell off on Wall Street, if you remember, on Tuesday and on Monday, in response to Trump trade wars. I want to check in on how the markets are doing.
And actually, this is the first time I'm seeing green arrows across the board this week. So, kind of flat to be honest. The Dow Jones is flat. S&P 500 up half a percent. Slightly better picture with the Nasdaq.
Keeping an eye on all of this is Anna.
And, Anna, my goodness what a roller coaster it's been on the markets. It is kind of been everything is moving at such a dizzying speed with Trump. Talk us through how, first of all, how the markets have been reacting, what you have been hearing from investors even.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, markets have to say have had a much more settled day. But let's not forget that I think we've had five days this month where the Dow has traded 400-plus points down, and we're only on day eight in terms of trading sessions for the month. So it's been really very volatile.
Today for investors has been about looking at things like inflation numbers for the U.S., which came in slightly better than expected, but also keeping an ear to the ground because we've had retaliation and reaction to the tariffs all day long. Kicking off with the E.U. -- E.U. is retaliating because there are really two strategies to go here. Either you say this is very disappointing, but we're friends with the U.S. and you hope that maybe tariffs end there, or you take the E.U. approach which is to say absolutely not.
We're going to retaliate. Here is how were going to do it. We're going to reimpose tariffs that were lifted in previous years. We're going to add even more on. And this will be a great way to negotiate.
Not so sure it's going to work. The president said the E.U. know what they have to do. This was in the last couple of hours. They will not -- this will not be a tough battle. Just like Ontario changed. I said it would only be an hour and that's his thinking on this.
SOARES: And we've heard repeatedly from President Trump today, he said as he was meeting Taoiseach the E.U. treats us very badly. Not fair. It's our turn. This is something that we've been hearing for weeks now.
So Europe has kind of been getting their ducks in a row, but speak here to the impact that this potentially could have on, on the U.S. consumer.
STEWART: Well, this is what's going to be really interesting is, for instance, we've just focused on steel and aluminum tariffs like we are seeing today. Now this is designed of course to boost steel and aluminum in the U.S. and it's likely to do that. We're already seeing prices though for steel and aluminum much, much higher.
Now what does that mean? That means all of the manufacturers that use steel and aluminum -- yes, they will pay more if they import it, but they're also going to have to pay a lot more, even if they use what is made in the United States. That increases prices across the board. And history actually tells us that when steel prices are really high, you often actually see a net loss in jobs, or you see added jobs, but those jobs cost an absolute fortune to the U.S. consumer.
SOARES: History, right. So I don't think it's something that its part of this administration's book. But we shall see. I shall eat my words because according to President Trump, this kind of a long term strategy, right? An economy in transition.
Anna, appreciate it. Thank you very much.
And still to come right here, supporters look on attorneys for detained student activists demand access to their client. A live report from New York, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil is to remain in U.S. custody. A federal judge in New York ordering that Khalil must have more access to his lawyers, as they contend they've never been able to speak to even their clients. Supporters gathered outside the chambers. You can see there waving banners as well as flags as this Trump administration seeks to punish pro-Palestinian activists for campus protests. Khalil is apparently being held at a detention facility in Louisiana.
He is a Palestinian who is married to an American and was legally living in the United States.
One of his attorneys addressed supporters after the hearing. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BAHER AZMY, ATTORNEY FOR MAHMOUD KHALIL: Mr. Khalil's detention has nothing to do with security. It is only about repression. We will be fighting in the courts and fighting in the streets to bring Mahmoud home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Let's get the very latest.
Gloria Pazmino is in New York for the very latest.
And what from I understand, this was procedural. So talk us through what we heard and whether we heard any sort of argument from the government side here.
GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Isa, frankly, I went into that courtroom today hoping that we would learn a little bit more about the government's justification for detaining Khalil. But we did not get any of that information today. As you said, the judge sort of stuck to the procedural aspect of it all, at least for now. He has instructed both parties to file motions by the end of the week.
Specifically, the government wants to argue that the state of New York does not have jurisdiction over this case because Khalil was transferred to a New Jersey facility shortly after he was arrested here on Saturday, and eventually to another ICE detention facility in the state of Louisiana.
So the government wants to argue that the case should be heard in front of a different judge. The judge here in New York seemed to at least be open to that possibility, but he essentially encouraged the parties to file their motion and get this done so that the case can start proceeding. So we did not learn anything about the government -- government's motivations, certainly nothing about what they plan to charge Khalil with if a crime at all.
But we know that Trump administration officials have said that Khalil supposedly engaged in support for Hamas, a terrorist organization, and that he did this through his participation in Columbia University protests last year.
[15:25:03]
That has raised a lot of concern regarding First Amendment rights, the right to political speech and the right to protest.
Take a listen to his attorneys speaking shortly after today's hearing. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AZMY: The United States government has taken the position that it can arrest, detain and seek to deport a lawful permanent resident exclusively because of his peaceful, constitutionally protected activism -- in this case, activism in support of Palestinian human rights and an end to the genocide in Gaza.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAZMINO: Is that one important bit of guidance that the judge issued today, does mean that the government is going to have to make sure that Khalil is getting access to his attorneys, something they complained about today. They said they have not been able to have privileged phone calls with him at the detention center in Louisiana. That's part of the reason that they're also going to file a motion to bring him back to New York.
So for now, the judge directing the government to ensure that Khalil has access to his attorneys. But for now, it looks like were going to have to go through a bit more procedure here to at least find out exactly what the government plans to allege here -- Isa.
SOARES: Yeah, it does seem like that is the case. I know you'll stay across it for us. Gloria Pazmino, thank you very much.
Let's get more on this. Corey Brettschneider is a political science professor at Brown University and author of "The Presidents and the People".
Really appreciate, Corey, you bring with us.
I'm just reading and hearing what Gloria had to say. The Trump administration told the court they will submit a motion to transfer or dismiss Khalil's petition, arguing the Southern District of New York is an improper venue and has no jurisdiction over Khalil's case.
Let's take it from there. What do you make of this motion that we've heard today?
COREY BRETTSCHNEIDER, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR, BROWN UNIVERSITY: Well, the government can try all the procedural motions that it wants, but in the end, there's one thing that really matters in American law, and that's the meaning of the First Amendment and specifically the free speech protection in the first amendment guarantees that everyone, regardless of their opinion or in the courts language, their viewpoint, cant be punished for that opinion. And it doesn't matter how horrific even your opinion is.
So in the famous case in Illinois, Skokie, Illinois, even the Nazi party was protected with its swastika. So we don't know a lot about what this detainee has said. But even if in the hypothetical situation, he was an advocate for Hamas, he still would be protected. And that's the bottom line.
There will be a lot of procedural moves over time. The government is going to argue that there's a statute that gives them the right to deport someone for essentially advocating things that are against American foreign policy. In other words, they're saying they have the right to shut down speech.
And to my mind, that's just wrong. It doesn't matter what any law says, the Constitution is the supreme law, and especially there, the right to free speech.
SOARES: And, Corey, I mean, the White House press secretary said roughly at this time yesterday that Secretary Rubio has the authority to revoke a green card for a visa for those, quote, whose activities in the United States would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences to the country. I mean, this is a pretty kind of nebulous to start off argument.
But I mean, first of all, for our viewers right around the world here, Corey, can -- can a green card be revoked? What kind of protections do its holders even have?
BRETTSCHNEIDER: They have due process rights. And certainly the American Constitution doesn't single out citizens for protection under the First Amendment free speech clause. It talks about a limit on government.
And this isn't an undocumented person. He's here legally, as you said, he has a green card. And no matter what the press secretary says, who seems to know nothing of our Constitution or our system of laws, or even the president, who seemed to suggest that, yes, he's being removed because of his opinions and his viewpoint, that doesn't matter. In the end, what matters is what the First Amendment says.
And the First Amendment says, plain as day, that there is a right to free speech and that we can't discriminate in this country. We don't trust our leaders, and certainly not this president, to make opinions about who's opinion is correct and who's isn't when it comes to questions of punishment or deportation.
SOARES: Yeah. Political speech, not really a valid reason for rescinding a green card, but we have heard, Corey, and you know this well because you and I have spoken about this before, this administration pretty much bragging about his arrest, insinuating even that others could be next. This is a very chilling message to be sending.
BRETTSCHNEIDER: Thank you, Isa. I think that's an important message to the world that what we're facing in the United States isn't just a one off violation of a piece of the Constitution. It's an administration and a president who is really intentionally trying to destroy our system.
[15:30:00]
I've used the word auto-coup to describe -- it's not a violent coup, but his attempt to really ignore the Constitution, what it says explicitly, ignore the courts, usurp the power of Congress. So we saw, for instance, in the attempt to revoke birthright citizenship, which is guaranteed exclusively, explicitly in our 14th Amendment. He doesn't care. He had an executive order to try to wipe it away. And he's trying to do the same thing here when it comes to the right to dissent, the right to free speech, because this is a wannabe autocrat.
And what do autocrats do? They try to shut down the opposition.
SOARES: Corey Brettschneider, as always, appreciate your insight. Good to see you, Corey.
BRETTSCHNEIDER: Thank you, Isa.
SOARES: And still to come, hopes for a ceasefire in Ukraine hinge on Russia's next move. We'll go live to Kyiv for reaction there. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone.
U.S. President Donald Trump says members of his administration are on their way to Russia right now for talks on a ceasefire proposal with Ukraine. Mr. Trump says the next move belongs to Moscow. The deal will include a 30-day pause in the fighting that has resulted in the loss of so many lives, of course, as well as the destruction of entire communities weary from three years of war.
Here's how some of the on the streets of Kyiv feel about the prospects for peace. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDRIY VASKO, MUSICIAN (through translator): I think that negotiations are certainly necessary, and any conditions can be considered. The only thing is that there should be security guarantees. If there are none, then we can talk, of course, but it is unlikely to lead to any consensus.
VALENTYN DIDENKO, RETIRED SERVICEMAN (through translator): It was the right decision. We passed the ball to the Russians. Now let the Russians think as they should, and we will show them what we can do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[15:35:02]
SOARES: Some of the views there from Kyiv.
Let's get more reaction from Kyiv with our chief international correspondent, Clarissa Ward.
And, Clarissa, you know, I've been speaking to Fred in the last hour who is in Moscow. And so far, it seems the Kremlin has kind of refused to comment on this plan.
But President Zelenskyy has said today that he expects the U.S. to take, quote, strong steps against Moscow if it rejects this truce. What would those measures, potentially those strong steps look like?
Because we have seen sanctions. I mean, Russia's heavily sanctioned. What else could we be looking at here?
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it's interesting, Isa. I think President Zelenskyy was choosing his words very carefully today during that press conference. He only spoke Ukrainian. He did not do any riffing in English. He refused to be sort of drawn into a back and forth with various reporters about previous comments he's made about President Trump living in a disinformation space.
He really wanted to make sure that he projected the exact image and response that was desired, so he couldn't say exactly what those strong steps, as he called them, would be in terms of punitive action against Russia if they don't accept this cease fire. He did indicate that further sanctions could be on the table. And he also talked about the possibility of further military assistance to Ukraine or strengthening Ukraine's deterrent capabilities.
So far, people here are waiting kind of not exactly with bated breath because I don't think there's a huge amount of optimism that peace is around the corner, but there is a definite sense of people sighing with relief that, at the very least, the relationship between Ukraine and the U.S. is back on track, and also that Ukraine has kind of taken control of the narrative again, is that they have made it clear to the U.S. and to the world that they want peace, that they are not the obstacle to peace, and that it now really is up to President Vladimir Putin whether peace will actually be possible, Isa.
SOARES: And as we heard from Secretary Rubio yesterday, Clarissa, you know, made it very clear and we heard from President Trump as he sat in the Oval Office today with Taoiseach, was that the ball is very much in Russia's court. But the ball, Clarissa, and you know this, you've covered this, has been in Russia's court before. And they just take the ball and they go their own way.
So I wonder then what you think from covering both sides would persuade Putin to accept this deal given, as President Trump said just last week, Clarissa, that Russia has all the cards.
And in fact, in the last few minutes, we're hearing that Ukrainian troops in Russia's Kursk region have been surrounded. This is, of course, coming from Russia's top general. This is what he's claiming. We have no way to independently verify these claims.
Just put this into context for us.
WARD: Well, I think that Russia is now essentially trying to buy itself some time. I think they were a little bit blindsided by this, particularly by the immediate resumption of U.S. military assistance and also intelligence sharing. President Putin knows that he's not going to get a better deal than he is with President Trump. And so I think he's very keen to show that they're cooperative.
But internally, domestically, he's been projecting a very strong message that we need a peace that suits us and that we need to talk about negotiations before we can talk about a ceasefire. There's a lot of speculation that, at the very least, the Russian side would demand that all weapons assistance would halt, at least during that 30-day ceasefire. But according to the rules of this proposed ceasefire, there would be no preconditions in advance. It would start and then the negotiations would begin.
Another factor that you just mentioned, of course, is Kursk. The Russians might not want a ceasefire right now because they do have the momentum in Kursk. We saw today just in the last hour, actually, the first video of President Vladimir Putin wearing military fatigues, which is not something that we see very often inside Kursk in that conclave talking to Gerasimov, who basically was saying that 86 percent of the territory that Ukraine took last August has now been taken back by Russian forces.
Now, Ukrainian officials are saying that combat operations continue, that it's still very much dynamic and in play, but it is entirely possible that Russia will want to try to finish the job, so to speak, and at least claw back the remaining parts of that territory, thereby taking one of Ukraine's crucial bargaining chips completely off the table -- Isa.
SOARES: Yeah. And in the meantime, we heard from the White House just in the last 45 minutes or so, basically saying -- the White House press secretary saying that the White House won't say if there are enforcement mechanisms to prevent Russia from breaking the proposed ceasefire. I mean, we're not even talking about backstops or long term proposals here, but we are talking about mechanism and that is unclear at this stage.
Clarissa, appreciate it as always. Clarissa Ward there for us in Kyiv this hour.
[15:40:01]
Well, a short time ago, I spoke with Tymofiy Mylovanov. He's the president of the Kyiv School of Economics. He says the proposed ceasefire deal is better than expected and goes a long way towards restoring what Clarissa was talking about there, the U.S.-Ukraine relations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TYMOFIY MYLOVANOV, PRESIDENT, KYIV SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: My reaction is very positive. I think the meeting was a success, especially against the benchmark of this fight in the Oval Office. But we also see that Ukrainians are overwhelmingly or uniformly welcomed this move, and there is still a lot of apprehension about what the Russian move will be.
SOARES: And, of course, this comes as well with intelligence sharing back on track support, U.S. support, that is critical as well as the relationship, of course, that you're talking about here.
MYLOVANOV: Absolutely. I think this intelligence sharing block has done a lot of damage to the trust between the countries, and it's an insult in the following sense. You know, politicians can fight, okay. You know, we have different views about our own politicians, about each other politicians. That's fine.
Aid, okay, we can understand that. We are hurting, but we can understand that no one owes us a dollar. And we are very grateful for every dollar, pound, to euro or anything.
But intelligence sharing, you know, it doesn't hurt you. It's already there. Why are you making a point? And if people die? So some people start saying that there's blood on the U.S. hand and that damaged trust. So I'm very happy its back. And it was very temporary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Tymofiy Mylovanov speaking to me earlier.
Well, nearly 50 percent of the workforce is being cut from the U.S. Education Department. On Tuesday, the department notified roughly 1,300 employees of their layoffs. That will happen approximately the next 90 days. That's in addition to those who already took remember those voluntary buyouts?
Education Secretary Linda McMahon says the reduction is just the first course of action before completely shutting down the agency.
Our Sunlen Serfaty is in Washington with the very latest.
And, Sunlen, President Trump promised on the campaign trail that he would do this. Talk us -- talk us through the plan here. What more are you learning?
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Isa. So this is a first step of an overall process that President Trump has said he wants that will ultimately he says, lead to the dismantling of the Department of Education. And these cuts that happened starting last night at the agency were significant.
It's worth repeating the numbers, 1,300 employees at the Department of Education., out of just over 4,000 employees. That means 50 percent of the workforce cut overnight, and many regional offices, a significant amount of them shuttered, completely closed doors and entire staffs laid off at the regional offices in San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, New York, among many others.
And I've heard from many of the employees that are still at the Department of Education today, really expressing concerns about their ability to carry on their mission, their mission with this dramatic reduction in the size of their staff as President Trump works to drastically shrink the size of the government, not only at their agency, but others.
Now the question is what happens next? Now we know there's this first round of layoffs that happened last night, and Trump has been very clear here, though his mission is going to be to dismantle the agency writ large. And the secretary of education said that this is just one step in that overall goal.
There was a draft executive order that had been drafted last week. It was the expectation that it would be released last week where President Trump directed the secretary to begin the process of dismantling the agency. But that was never announced.
And Linda McMahon, the secretary of education, acknowledging that in essence, she can't move on that without Congress, but says that she will be working with them and other federal departments on the next step. So very clear here is that massive changes are underway at the department of education already. And more additional changes are to come.
SOARES: We shall see, of course, in the next few days, how the unions who represent these teachers, how they respond.
Sunlen Serfaty, appreciate it. Thank you, Sunlen.
SERFATY: Thank you.
SOARES: Now, local police from Virginia, as well as FBI investigators are now in the Dominican Republic to help search for a missing U.S. college student, 20 year old Sudiksha Konanki was last seen nearly a week ago. She was on spring break in the resort of Punta Cana with a group of friends.
This is believed to be the last known footage that you're seeing there of her. Police say she disappeared last Thursday after a late night visit to the beach with friends.
Dominican authorities say the young man, who was last seen with her, is not being treated as a suspect. We'll stay across that story, of course, for you.
And still to come here, former president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, is now in the custody of the international criminal court in The Hague. We'll tell you about the charges he faces, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:48:03]
SOARES: Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has landed in the Netherlands to face charges of crimes against humanity at The Hague. He was arrested Tuesday on a warrant by the International Criminal Court. The ICC has been investigating Duterte's brutal crackdown on drugs while in office that killed thousands. Duterte has repeatedly denied the extrajudicial killing of drug suspects. His daughter says he was, quote, forcibly taken onto a plane hours after his arrest.
Our Melissa Bell has the very latest for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Far from the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, the country's former president, now in The Hague and accused of crimes against humanity.
His dramatic arrest in Manila on Tuesday, the result of an International Criminal Court warrant, only served after a U-turn by the country's current president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
RODRIGO DUTERTE, FORMER FILIPINO PRESIDENT (through translator): My order to them was that if they are holding a gun, kill them immediately, so there will be one less criminal.
BELL: Dubbed "The Punisher", Duterte oversaw a brutal years-long crackdown on drug pushers that allegedly left thousands dead. More than 6,000 people were killed, according to police data, but independent monitors believe that the number could be into the tens of thousands, including bystanders caught in the crossfire.
DUTERTE: What is the crime that I committed?
BELL: Duterte has repeatedly denied the extrajudicial killing of alleged drug suspects, and although the verdict could take years, his arrest is significant.
First, because the former Filipino president will be one of a very small number of former leaders to have ever been taken to trial, but also because the Philippines had actually withdrawn from the ICC under Duterte in 2019. The court argues, however, that the crimes were allegedly committed when it did have jurisdiction.
[15:50:06]
And the ICC has plans for other world leaders, too, though it relies on the cooperation of national governments to execute its warrants. It's seeking the arrest of both Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for Israel's actions in Gaza, and Russian President Vladimir Putin for his invasion of Ukraine.
PROTESTER: Justice for all the victims of Duterte's crime.
BELL: Outside the ICC, celebrations of a step that some say means that justice will at last be done.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Twenty-seven hostages on a passenger train in Pakistan have been killed after a standoff between militants and the Pakistani military on Tuesday. A separatist group called the Baloch liberation army took over the train in the southwestern part of the country and opened fire.
A security source tells us nearly 350 hostages were rescued and at least 35 militants were killed in the rescue operation. Sources have accused the militants of being in contact with handlers in Afghanistan. The Taliban have long denied helping militant groups in Pakistan. We are learning more about the man British police have arrested in
connection with Monday's -- Monday's tanker ship collision, if you remember, in the North Sea. The owner of the cargo ship says the 59 year old man was the captain of the Solong. He is a Russian national and is being held on suspicion of, quote, gross negligence as well as manslaughter. One crew member of the Solong is presumed dead. The Solong was en route from a port in Scotland to the Netherlands when it struck the ship, the Stena Immaculate, an anchored tanker carrying jet fuel.
We're going to take a short break. We're back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Legendary golf pro Tiger Woods says he has hurt his Achilles tendon, forcing him off the course until he recovers. And he says on X, I felt a sharp pain in my left Achilles, which was deemed to be ruptured. He says his doctor performed a minimally invasive procedure and that he is back home and will focus on recovery. The golfer was training to come back after a back surgery through September that ended his 2024 season.
And it may sound like a story from the Wizard of Oz, but unlike the tin man, this patient did not have to follow Dorothy down the yellow brick road to find a new heart.
[15:55:01]
An Australian man was able to live for 100 days with the help of a titanium heart. Doctors in Sydney not only used the implant to keep the patient alive, but it also allowed him to leave the hospital while waiting for a donor heart to become available. The patient, who is in his 40s, had severe heart failure.
And finally today, a happy reunion for one of the victims of the California wildfires. This cat you're seeing there named Aggie had been missing and feared dead since the family home burned down in the Palisades Fire. If you remember back, that was back in January.
But on Saturday, the west Los Angeles animal shelter reunited Aggie with her 82-year-old owner Katherine. Aggie was not in good shape and has extensive vet bills, but thanks to social media users, more than $26,000 has been raised to help. That is wonderful.
That does it from me right here on CNN NEWSROOM. Do stay right here. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" with my colleague Erica Hill is up next. Have a wonderful evening. I shall see you tomorrow.
