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Ukrainian Defense Ministry Describes 'Productive' Talks with U.S.; Canadian Prime Minister Announces Snap Federal Election for April 28; Jailed Istanbul Mayor Vows to Fight Charges; Gerard Depardieu to Stand Trial for Sexual Assault. Aired 12-12:45a ET
Aired March 24, 2025 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BEN HUNTE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello. Wherever you are in the world, you are now in the CNN NEWSROOM with me, Ben Hunte, in Atlanta. And it is so good to have you with me.
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Coming up on the show, the U.S. is set to meet with Russia to discuss a possible ceasefire after a weekend of Russian airstrikes across Ukraine.
And Israel hits Gaza's largest functioning hospital as the death toll there reaches a dire milestone.
Plus, renowned French actor Gerard Depardieu is expected in court as his sexual assault trial begins in Paris.
Diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war in Ukraine are set to resume in Riyadh in just the hours ahead, with U.S. officials planning to sit down for talks with Russia.
The Kremlin says those discussions will mainly focus on reviving the Black Sea grain initiative and will come one day after Ukraine held its own talks with the U.S.
Ukraine says it's working to make lasting peace a reality and described Sunday's talks as productive and focused, with key points including energy being discussed.
Diplomats are trying to sort out the details of a proposed limited ceasefire, even as strikes inside Ukraine continue.
CNN's Kevin Liptak has more from Washington.
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HUNTE: We're just going to come back to you in just a moment with that.
As IDF operations in Gaza are intensifying -- no -- Israel says it has Washington's unwavering support.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday and discussed the release of hostages and Israel's new offensive in the enclave.
There were some minor scuffles when large crowds protested outside Netanyahu's home.
This came as the Israeli cabinet took the first step toward dismissing the attorney general, who has been at odds with the government.
A section of Gaza's largest functioning hospital went up in flames after an Israeli airstrike on Sunday. Israel claims a key Hamas figure who was operating inside the hospital was killed, but Hamas-affiliated Al Aqsa TV reports that he had been receiving medical treatment there.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry. More than 50,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began. And the new strikes come as doctors are struggling to treat patients due to a lack of supplies.
We're going to go to a quick commercial break now. Back in a moment.
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HUNTE: We are back. Let's get back to our top story. Diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war in Ukraine are set to resume in Riyadh in the hours ahead, with U.S. officials planning to sit down for talks with Russia.
CNN's Kevin Liptak reports from Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: American officials on Sunday continued to put a positive spin on their attempts to negotiate a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine --
LIPTAK (voice-over): -- as technical teams from the United States met in Saudi Arabia with their Ukrainian counterparts, those talks ending late Sunday.
They will continue on Monday as the U.S. team meets with Russian negotiators to try and work out some of the modalities of the ceasefire that President Trump is trying to put into effect, including this pause on attacks on energy infrastructure that President Trump and President Putin agreed to in their telephone call last week.
It remains to be seen exactly when that will go into effect and who would enforce it. And that will be a key point of discussion between all three of these teams as they continue their talks in Riyadh.
We also heard on Sunday from the American national security advisor, Mike Waltz, as well as President Trump's foreign envoy, Steve Witkoff, that they wanted to discuss the issue of a ceasefire in the Black Sea to enable ships to continue shipments of grain and fuel to restart trade in that area.
That is another component of this ceasefire that President Trump wants to see take effect.
All of this is building to a larger pause in the fighting: in President Trump's view, potentially a 30-day pause that would allow for more negotiations to reach a more durable, lasting peace in Ukraine.
What we have heard so far is the Ukrainians sign off on that type of 30-day ceasefire without any conditions. But President Putin still has a number of conditions before he agrees to end the fighting, including maintaining Russian control over territories in Ukraine that he has seized since the start of invasion, and including a provision that Ukraine never be allowed to join NATO.
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These are Putin's maximalist positions that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says are nonstarters as he works towards ending this conflict.
So, it still remains to be seen how a number of those items will be resolved, and certainly, not all of them will be resolved in these technical talks that are unfolding in Saudi Arabia.
But what is clear --
LIPTAK: -- is that President Trump very much wants this conflict to end. He just said in an interview over the weekend with a podcast host on Air Force One that he continues to believe he is the only person who could resolve this conflict.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTE: Let's dig deeper with CNN global affairs analyst Kim Dozier.
Thank you so much for being with me, Kim. How are you doing?
KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Good to be here.
HUNTE: Thank you.
DOZIER: Tough -- tough stuff to talk about.
HUNTE: Oh, yes. There's so much to talk about. I mean, after a weekend of continued attacks in the region, how optimistic should we be with any kind of breakthrough from these upcoming talks?
DOZIER: We might see a technical breakthrough working towards that 30- day partial ceasefire, maybe an announcement as the envoy, Steve Witkoff, has said, about the Black Sea and traffic there.
But that's not an area where there's been sort of active fighting. The Ukrainians have actually driven many Russian naval vessels out of the area. They've had to retreat because of guerrilla attacks, et cetera, that have sunken much of the Russian naval fleet. So, yes, we could see something on that.
But Russia has sent these messages over and over that it really needs to deal with what it calls the root causes of this conflict. And that's code for a lot of things that Kyiv is not ready and willing to negotiate over, like giving up all the contested territory that Russia is now fighting for.
HUNTE: Yes, indeed. And the Kremlin admitted President Trump and Vladimir Putin have spoken more than once.
How would you describe their relationship, and do you think that the U.S. president has what it takes to actually get this deal through?
DOZIER: Well, many of the Russia watchers watching all of this are disturbed at how Putin and Russian media is sort of winking at the camera and starting to describe Donald Trump as a bit of a stooge, as their guy, someone who's in their pocket.
You saw that Putin last week even made Donald Trump wait for an hour before a phone call that the whole world knew was scheduled.
And he was doing a public event in Russia, and the moderator at the event said, but don't you have a phone call to get to? And Putin did this gesture. It can wait.
So, it's that kind of derision that Donald Trump and the White House team don't seem to have absorbed yet that leads you to believe that perhaps Moscow is a little too arrogant about its chances at this point. And an arrogant nation will not make the tough sacrifices that lead to a ceasefire and a long-lasting peace.
HUNTE: Mm-hmm. Well, we are learning today.
If there are, eventually, pushes by the U.S. for Ukraine to concede land, do you think that Ukraine will actually agree to it?
DOZIER: Witkoff gave what is being seen by Russia watchers, Kyiv, Europe, as a very disturbing interview to Tucker -- Tucker Carlson last week, where one of the things he said was the Russians are, de facto, in control of these territories. The question is, will the world acknowledge that those are Russian territories? As if the White House has already accepted this.
So, when Ukrainians hear that, they're like, this doesn't sound like a neutral mediator. It sounds like Witkoff is spouting a lot of the things that we consider Russian disinformation and is dividing us up like a turkey on a platter so that Trump can get a quick win. Ukrainians aren't going to agree to that.
HUNTE: Where do we go next, if there aren't any breakthroughs? If Ukraine is like, this just isn't a good deal?
DOZIER: We could see a 30-day partial ceasefire, but the next steps are the toughest steps. And that's when Ukraine would be asked to make major territorial concessions, as the White House has described it, without any security guarantees from the United States.
And Russia has also objected to the peacekeeping force that Britain, France, and other European allies are trying to put together.
I think you're going to see Europe line up behind Ukraine and say, this isn't fair; this isn't right. And at that point, I don't know where you go from there, because Europe doesn't yet have the manufacturing power to replace the U.S. entirely and keep the Ukrainian war going.
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HUNTE: Mm-hmm. I just learned so much from that. I appreciate that, Kim. Thank you so much.
Let's see what happens. Things are changing on a daily basis. I'm sure we'll be talking very, very soon. Kim Dozier, thank you.
DOZIER: Cheers.
HUNTE: A section of Gaza's largest functioning hospital went up in flames after an Israeli airstrike on Sunday.
The new strikes come as doctors are struggling to treat patients due to a lack of supplies.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more. And a quick warning: the images you're about to see are graphic.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Four-year- old Janine (ph) drifts in and out of consciousness. An Israeli airstrike hit her home last week while she was sleeping, killing her mother and 25 other family members.
Bleeding from her brain, she desperately needs surgery, but her doctor says she won't survive that surgery in this Gaza hospital. They don't have the specialized equipment that's needed.
For over two weeks, Israel hasn't allowed anything into Gaza. No food, no fuel, and no medical supplies. A blockade that is pushing hospitals here to the brink once again, endangering their ability to treat patients like Janine (ph).
DR. MOHAMMED MOSTAFA, DOCTOR VOLUNTEERING AT AL-AHLI HOSPITAL: So, this is the drugs that we have in the department.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Doctor Mohammed Mostafa, an Australian doctor volunteering at al-Ahli Hospital, says they are quickly running out of basic pain medications and anesthetics. And this is now the main hospital in Northern Gaza.
He says diagnostic equipment is also in short supply. The E.R. has no ventilators, one working ECG machine, and only one heart monitor can measure blood pressure. MOSTAFA: When we have these drone attacks and these missile strikes,
we could have up to about 100 patients in here and only one area that can do blood pressure.
DIAMOND (voice-over): And so, when crisis hits, you can feel this already strained hospital buckling under the weight of it all.
On the night Israel breaks the ceasefire with a massive aerial attack, every inch of this hospital is packed with casualties. In one corner, a relative pumps oxygen to keep his loved one alive. In another, a child screams out in pain.
MOSTAFA: That didn't stop for about four or five hours. We were getting bodies continually coming in.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Dr. Mostafa is two weeks into his second volunteer tour in Gaza, where the lack of resources is forcing him to make impossible choices.
MOSTAFA: I remember I was putting in a chest drain into a man who had a -- had a collapsed lung. And I felt someone grab my ankle, and it was -- because there were so many bodies. There was a woman underneath the bed that had half a leg missing, who was holding onto my ankle, and she was asking me to help her.
And I'm already halfway through the procedure with him that will save his life. And I've not even -- even assessed. I don't know if he's got other injuries, as well.
So, I continued putting the chest drain in him, and she bled out on the floor holding my ankle. And you know, that's been very difficult for me to process.
DIAMOND: Where do you think things will be in two weeks? Will your hospital, will the healthcare system be able to survive?
MOSTAFA: Unfortunately, I think, if there isn't a resolution in the next few days and with regards to food, water, electricity, and medicine and the ramp-up of medical personnel, a lot of people are going to die.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Gaza's healthcare system crumbling once again, just as the situation had begun to improve after six weeks of ceasefire that saw a surge of humanitarian aid.
MAHMOUD SHALABI, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS, MEDICAL AID FOR PALESTINIANS: We were able to bring in many medications and many medical disposables during the six weeks. It is true it has improved.
The situation has drastically worsened, unfortunately, in the last two weeks, due to the fact that the crossings are closed. You are talking about fuel for the movement of ambulances. It doesn't exist. And people are operating on whatever scarce resources are left from the six weeks of the ceasefire.
DIAMOND (voice-over): As hospitals begin limiting ambulance transfers, due to a lack of fuel, casualties now arriving at hospitals on horse- drawn carts.
Patients needing specialized care are left in limbo, facing sky-high risks of infection and an uncertain future as Israel ramps up its attacks. Yesterday's survivors risk becoming tomorrow's dead.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
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HUNTE: Welcome back. I'm Ben Hunte. Let's take a look at today's top stories.
U.S. officials are set to meet with Russian delegates in Riyadh in the hours ahead, amid efforts to iron out the details of the proposed limited ceasefire in Ukraine.
This will come one day after the U.S. team met with Ukrainian officials in what the country's defense minister described as productive talks.
A key Hamas figure has been reportedly killed after an Israeli airstrike hit a Gaza hospital on Sunday. The Israeli military claims the man was operating from inside the building. There were multiple casualties, and the building suffered major fire damage.
South Korea's top court has struck down the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-Soo and has restored his powers as acting president.
Han was impeached by opposition party lawmakers in December after serving as acting president for 13 days. Han replaced then-President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was suspended for declaring martial law.
The court is now deciding whether to uphold or reject Yoon's impeachment.
Canada's new prime minister announced a snap federal election. Mark Carney says the country is facing, quote, "the most significant crisis of our lifetimes," forged by U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and promises to turn Canada into the 51st U.S. state.
On April 28, Canadians will elect a new government to counter those existential threats. CNN's Paula Newton has all the details.
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT/ANCHOR: Canadians will head to the polls April 28. It is one of the shortest campaigns in Canadian history --
NEWTON (voice-over): -- but really, one of the most important, if you listen to any of the politicians. And the reason is because of someone who is clearly not on the ballot:
U.S. President Donald Trump. And I am quoting Mark Carney here when he says that the U.S. president wants to, break us so Americans can own us.
And he is talking about not just the threat of tariffing Canada and doing it severely, so that Canada is essentially broken economically, but also the fact that he continues to talk about annexing Canada and the fact that it would be much better off as a 51st state.
NEWTON: I want you to listen to the two frontrunners now. One is Prime Minister Mark Carney. He's only been prime minister for about ten days. And Pierre Poilievre, who is his main challenger. He's the Conservative Party leader. Listen.
PIERRE POILIEVRE, CONSERVATIVE PARTY LEADER: I will insist that the president recognize the independence and sovereignty of Canada. I will insist that he stop tariffing our nation.
And at the same time, I will strengthen our country, so that we can be capable of standing our own two feet and standing up to the Americans, where and when necessary.
MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: I'm asking Canadians for a strong positive mandate to deal with President Trump and to build a new Canadian economy that works for everyone.
Because I know we need change. Big change. Positive change.
NEWTON: You can hear the tone and the approach to Donald Trump are quite similar. And yet, in terms of the approach, in terms of the Canadian economy, vastly different.
NEWTON (voice-over): Now, remember, Pierre Poilievre actually looked like he would sail to election victory when Justin Trudeau was prime minister. Not so anymore. And now, this is a virtual tie between these two leaders.
There are, in fact, four other national parties. And just because they're in a virtual tie in the popular vote may not translate into parliamentary seats.
Again, we will see how this election will pivot, especially on April 2, when Donald Trump promises to actually release what he believes are going to be those punishing reciprocal tariffs on countries like Canada.
What's interesting here is that Canadians have been united in fighting against the United States, and they've been using quite a cliche. It is "elbows up," a hockey term.
NEWTON: The Liberal Party of Canada managed to enlist comedian Mike Myers on one of their campaign ads. Listen.
MIKE MYERS, COMEDIAN: But let me ask you, Mr. Prime Minister, will there always be a Canada? CARNEY: There will always be a Canada.
MYERS: All right. Elbows up.
CARNEY: Elbows up.
(MYERS TURNS AND REVEALS HOCKEY JERSEY READING "NEVER 51.")
GRAPHIC: Canada strong.
NEWTON: And you see written on the back there, "Never."
And look it was a joke. It does kind of dive into all of those trite but true Canadian stereo -- stereotypes.
But Canadians are deadly serious at this point in time. The rise of anti-Americanism continues, and we will see that be a theme throughout this election.
Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTE: Turkey is at a critical juncture in the days following the arrest of President Erdogan's most serious political rival.
Speaking outside an Istanbul courtroom on Sunday, the wife of Istanbul's jailed mayor said the decision to detain her husband was politically motivated, and that's an opinion shared by many thousands of protesters across the country.
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HUNTE (voice-over): The jailing of a popular opposition figure in Turkey is being called undemocratic by his supporters and fueling fiery nightly protests in Istanbul and other cities.
Tens of thousands of people filled the streets on Sunday, despite a government ban against street gatherings. Hundreds have been detained.
[00:30:04]
The formal arrest of Istanbul's mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, who is Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, is outraging his supporters.
On Sunday, a Turkish court dealt blow after blow to Imamoglu, officially charging him with corruption and ordering him to jail, pending trial.
He was also removed from office by the Turkish interior ministry.
Imamoglu denies the charges, saying they're politically motivated and wrote on X after he was arrested that this was a black stain on democracy and vowed that he will not bow down. Many Turks say it's dubious that Imamoglu was jailed on the same day
his party, the Republican People's Party, or CHP, held its primary and nominated him to be its next presidential candidate.
OZGUR OZEL, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN PEOPLE'S PARTY (CHP) (through translator): Just like the methods of the Italian mafia, a message is sent by having him arrested on the day of his candidacy.
HUNTE (voice-over): Last year in local elections, Imamoglu was reelected mayor by a wide margin, and his CHP party outperformed Erdogan's Justice and Development Party in Istanbul and Ankara, a stinging defeat for the longtime Turkish leader, which is why some CHP supporters think Imamoglu is under so much scrutiny.
BELGIN DOGRU, RETIRED TEACHER (through translator): Imamoglu took Istanbul. Whoever takes Istanbul takes Turkey. This has always been said. With these accusations, the aim is to defeat Ekrem Imamoglu, reduce his power, and capture Istanbul, I think.
HUNTE (voice-over): Because of term limits, Erdogan can't run for office again unless there are early elections or a change to the constitution.
Erdogan and his party deny the actions against Imamoglu are politically motivated and insist Turkey's judiciary is independent. And he also gave a stern warning to the opposition about what he called theatrics and slogans.
RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, TURKISH PRESIDENT (through translator): We will certainly not allow the CHP and its cronies to disrupt public order and disturb the peace of our people through provocations.
HUNTE (voice-over): But for many Turks, the threat to Imamoglu is also a threat to democracy and a potentially concerning turning point in Turkeys future.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stand by.
HUNTE: Ahead on CNN, he's one of France's most famous actors. Gerard Depardieu is expected in court today as his sexual assault trial begins in Paris.
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HUNTE: Gerard Depardieu is expected in court later today as his sexual assault trial begins in Paris.
The case is attracting attention for reasons beyond Depardieu's status as one of France's most famous actors. It's also reigniting the MeToo movement in a country where it previously stalled.
CNN's Saskya Vandoorne explains. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's Frances best-known actor.
GERARD DEPARDIEU, ACTOR: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
VANDOORNE (voice-over): Now on trial, accused of sexual assault by two women who claim Gerard Depardieu attacked them on a film set in 2021, according to the prosecutor's office.
Both women allege that on separate occasions, the actor pinned them between his legs and touched their genitals, buttocks, and chest over their clothes.
While Depardieu has denied the allegations, the case has reignited the MeToo movement, stalled in France as prominent actresses supported men's freedom to pester and defended art.
Actress Judith Godreche says art is no excuse for crime.
JUDITH GODRECHE, ACTRESS: In this country, I feel that it's not just the men who are the abuser, who are trying to shut down the women. It's the society.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): But now, a societal reckoning brought on by the Pelicot trial. Dominique Pelicot was found guilty of the drugging and mass rape of his then-wife, Gisele Pelicot, in abuse that spanned nearly a decade.
The case sparked a national discussion around sexual violence and consent.
MARINE TURCHI, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST, MEDIAPART (through translator): The Depardieu and Pelicot cases have played an important role in raising public awareness and changing how we view certain behaviors.
That they are not about seduction, but rather about power dynamics and domination. It is now a collective issue, not just a women's problem.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): The plight of household name Depardieu has gripped the nation.
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: I'm a great admirer of Gerard Depardieu. He makes France proud.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): The president's defense over two years ago still sparking outrage today.
(CHANTING)
GRAPHIC: He does not make France proud. VANDOORNE: And this trial may not be Depardieu's last. Lawyers say he's been accused of assault by over a dozen other women and is embroiled in a separate case where he's accused of rape.
JEREMIE ASSOUS, LAWYER FOR GERARD DEPARDIEU (through translator): These are nothing but slanderous accusations, each more serious than the last. So, he's been deeply affected.
But he will finally have the chance to defend himself in a setting where the principle of fairness is upheld, as for months, even years, he's been facing numerous accusations.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): If convicted, Depardieu faces up to five years behind bars.
A verdict is still months away, but in the court of public opinion, especially in the wake of the Pelicot rape trial, the pedestal Gerard Depardieu once stood on so proudly is already long gone, while the MeToo movement has been truly resuscitated.
[00:40:05]
Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTE: Disney's live-action "Snow White" got off to a sleepy start at the box office, earning $43 million in the U.S. and Canada in its opening weekend.
That is lower than analysts predicted for a film that cost about $270 million to make.
The film was already facing headwinds, with political opinions surrounding its stars Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, as well as its controversial handling of the Seven Dwarfs characters.
But experts say there is still time to turn a profit, since there's not much competition for family films in theaters right now.
Yes, I need to go out and get there and see that.
Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. Let's do it again in a short while. WORLD SPORT is up next.
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(WORLD SPORT)
