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U.S., Russia And Ukraine Agree To Halt Black Sea Fighting; Trump Insists No Classified Information Shared On Signal Chain; Europe Considers Security Options After Trump Admin Insults; South Korea Battling Worst Forest Fires In Decades; Oscar-Winning Palestinian Director Freed From Israeli Custody; Pope Came So Close To Death Doctors Mulled Ending Treatment. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired March 26, 2025 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:15]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: And already pro-Russia ceasefire gets even friendlier, coming up on CNN NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In deep discussions with Russia and Ukraine. And I would say it's going well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Going well for Moscow after suffering significant naval losses in the Black Sea, the U.S. announces a maritime ceasefire.

Senior White House officials on Capitol Hill unable to recall details in a group chat about a military strike on Yemen. So how did they remember this?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN RATCLIFFE, CIA DIRECTOR: There was no classified information.

TULSI GABBARD, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: There was no classified information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: To fight for life or to die peacefully?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): A tough decision had to be taken whether to stop treatment and, quote, "let him go," or force it and try with all the drugs and therapies possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The worst night for a gravely ill Pope Francis and the decision doctors never had to make.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.

VAUSE: The White House is claiming another success in U.S. brokered talks for a temporary Russia-Ukraine ceasefire, with agreement to end maritime attacks in the Black Sea. Since Russia invaded Ukraine at least 15 Russian warships have either been damaged or destroyed by Ukrainian sea drones and cruise missiles, forcing Moscow to redeploy its entire Black Sea fleet.

The Kremlin has attached a number of conditions to the agreement anyway, notably lifting sanctions on Russian banks and exports of food and fertilizer. The deal also includes a 30-day pause by both sides in attacks on energy infrastructure. Notably, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says despite days of intensive talks in Saudi Arabia, there is still no agreement on what will happen to Ukrainian territory now under Russian occupation.

Zelenskyy adding he has no faith in Russia to stick to any ceasefire agreement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): If we see that someone violates we believe that we then appeal to the American side through all possible channels with the facts and evidence that the Russian side violated something.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Our man in Moscow is Fred Pleitgen.

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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The United States, Russia and Ukraine have essentially agreed to a ceasefire in the Black Sea. Now, all three sides say that they agree that fighting should stop in the Black Sea. The use of force should end. There should be freedom of navigation, and also that civilian ships should not be used for military purposes, and that all of that should be monitored.

However, while the Ukrainians say they believe that this deal went into force the moment that it was announced by the United States, the Russians are saying not so fast. They say that they want their agricultural bank taken off sanctions lists and they want it hooked back up to the Swift International payment system.

I was in touch with the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, and he says the Russians are taking this harder line because they felt the last time that a Black Sea initiative was in place in 2022 and 2023, that they got the shorter end of the stick and because all the sanctions that were on those Russian companies and banks, it was very difficult for them to export their goods. However, the Russians are saying that communications with the United States are continuing in a positive way.

And one of the things that Dmitry Peskov hailed as well is that both Ukraine and Russia have agreed to a list of critical energy infrastructure that should not be hit. That includes oil and gas installations, including pipelines, but also, of course, nuclear facilities as well.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Joining us now is Matthew Schmidt, associate professor of national security at the University of New Haven. He's also a former professor of strategic and operational planning at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.

Welcome back. It's good to see you.

It's always good to be here, John.

VAUSE: OK. So along with the ceasefire in the Black Sea, which we'll get to in a moment, the other deliverable, after two days of talks, is this. USA will facilitate the restoration of access of the Russian agricultural products and fertilizer export to the global market, lowering costs of insurance for maritime shipping, as well as broadening of access to the ports and payment systems in order to accomplish such transactions.

MATTHEW SCHMIDT, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, NATIONAL SECURITY, UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAVEN: OK, it's a lot there, but here's the U.S. president's assessment on the progress being made so far.

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TRUMP: So we've made a lot of progress on two fronts, on both sections that we call them. We call them sections, but they're much more than that. Russia, Ukraine, and also the Middle East. And we'll see what happens. We're in deep discussions with Russia and Ukraine. And I would say it's going well.

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VAUSE: It's a pretty low bar for going well, it seems, because, you know, Russia has a list of conditions before even recommitting to this grain deal, which is entirely in its own best interests. At the same time, Washington has promised to do all the heavy lifting here in reestablishing global trade ties for Russian exports.

SCHMIDT: Yes. This isn't really a deal about Ukraine. It is Russia reopening its markets, right? It's Russia using the United States to build out its economic structure again and reconnect it in all of these ways. It's not about Ukraine getting its agricultural products out. It's about Russia competing with Ukraine and getting those agricultural products out and around sanctions. It's really quite stunning how one-sided this is.

VAUSE: Yes. And the Ukrainian president, very delicately and with a great deal of understanding, pointed out the elephant in the room with this deal.

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ZELENSKYY (through translator): It doesn't say in the statement what happens if someone violates the agreements. I understand why, because the American side really wanted all this not to fall apart. These are the first agreements. They don't want them to fall apart. That is why they did not want to go into too many details.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Putin doesn't keep agreements even with enforcement mechanisms, but this just seems to be another example of how far the U.S. is willing to go just to keep Russia happy.

SCHMIDT: Well, again, if you look at what he's negotiating right now, he's negotiating for things that he wants, right? He's going to get economic access. He'll sell more ag products on the world market. And what's he being asked to do in return? He's being asked to basically wage a war that's not being waged in the Black Sea right now.

And further, it's to Russia's benefit to have a ceasefire in the Black Sea more than it is to Ukraine's, because Ukraine is the side, at least in this theater of the war, that threatens Russia more than the other way around. Right? Most of the Russian Black Sea fleet is on the bottom of the Black Sea right now in port in Sevastopol, or has been moved away from Ukraine because the Ukrainians have been so successful. So this is really -- this is really stopping Ukraine from hurting Russia, not the other way around.

VAUSE: And I guess the point that some U.S. officials may make here is that this is still early days. These negotiations are, you know, are still yet to -- are ongoing in many ways. Is there likely to be anything in these agreements which would benefit Ukraine?

SCHMIDT: Well, if Ukraine can get to a point to stop the fighting on better terms, right, then that's to Ukraine's benefit. I think Zelenskyy truly wants to do that. He's not trying to continue the fight. He's only trying to continue the fight right now because the terms are so bad. So if he can get those terms back around, he has good reason to agree to a ceasefire.

VAUSE: Well, we also heard from the chairman of Russia's second biggest bank. He told CNN with Donald Trump in the White House, relations between the United States and Russia could begin to improve. It will take time. As for Western businesses, which fled Russia because of international sanctions over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, this is what he had to say. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREY KOSTIN, CEO, VTB BANK: Well, I think we've got already a Russian Big Mac, so I'm not sure whether we very much need McDonald's anymore. But no, I expect that there will be process of coming back, though Mr. Putin recently said that there should be price to pay, particularly for those companies who left Russia abruptly and, you know, damaged Russian economy. But I think the process of normalization of relations will take some time.

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VAUSE: Yet that there will be a price to be paid from Putin. I mean, what chutzpah, arrogance, playing a winning hand, whatever you call it, right now Putin doesn't seem to be taking a backward step. And at this point, why would he?

SCHMIDT: Well, I think Putin in this way is a lot like President Trump. He's speaking to his domestic audience. Right? He's being tough for their ears more than he is for us. Look, there's not a lot of U.S. investment in the broader Russian economy except in oil and gas. And those companies are going to come back in, and they're not going to have to pay a price because it's far more beneficial for Putin to have them in than to keep them out. So I really think that's mostly a, you know, bluster and empty threat.

VAUSE: Matthew Schmidt, good to see you. Matthew Schmidt there in New Haven. Thanks.

Now to the ever-changing, continually evolving, often contradictory explanations for why senior Trump administration officials were discussing plans for military strikes on Yemen on a free, open source, non-government messaging app called Signal. The directors of the CIA and National Intelligence appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee Tuesday. After an initial reluctance to even concede the group chat actually happened both officials then struggled to recall specific details about the chat.

And yet, despite their hazy memories, they were certain no classified information was discussed. And then they threw the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth under the bus, saying he's ultimately responsible for deciding if information is classified or not.

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As for Secretary Hegseth, he continues to insist war plans were not discussed despite extensive reporting to the contrary by the editor of "The Atlantic" magazine, who was mistakenly included in the chat.

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PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Nobody is texting war plans. I know exactly what I'm doing, exactly what we're directing, and I'm really proud of what we accomplished. A successful missions that night and going forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Meantime, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz says he is to blame for adding the "Atlantic's" Jeffrey Goldberg to the group.

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MIKE WALTZ, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Look, a staffer wasn't responsible. And look, I take full responsibility. Have you ever had a -- have you ever had somebody's contact that shows their name? And then you have -- and then you have somebody else's number there?

LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: Oh, I never make those mistakes.

WALTZ: Right? You've got somebody else's number on someone else's contacts. So of course I didn't see this loser in the group.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: President Trump says Waltz has no reason to apologize, blaming a low-level staffer for the mix-up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: What it was, we believe, is somebody that was on the line with permission, somebody that was with Mike Waltz, worked for Mike Waltz, at a lower level, had, I guess, Goldberg's number or called through the app, and somehow this guy ended up on the call.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: CNN's Jeff Zeleny has the very latest now reporting in from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: President Trump and White House advisers worked feverishly throughout the day on Tuesday to contain the political fallout from really a rising scandal over a breach in national security. But the president, addressing reporters on Tuesday, said no classified information was contained in those messages.

TRUMP: There was no classified information, as I understand it. They used a, app, if you want to call it an app that a lot of people use. A lot of people in government use. A lot of people in the media use.

ZELENY: As questions were swirling about the fate of national security adviser Mike Waltz, the president invited Waltz to sit with him in the Cabinet room of the White House on Tuesday afternoon. He said Waltz has nothing to apologize for. However, he did say that lessons should be learned from this, and one of the lessons, he believes, is to not have such conversations on encrypted messaging systems, like Signal.

But it remains an open question what else there could be out there? Jeffrey Goldberg at "The Atlantic" was the subject of a deep and withering criticism from the White House that the president simply was trying to blame the messenger. It's a familiar page out of the Trump playbook. There is no doubt about it. But Goldberg says he does have other messages, and he indeed saw classified information.

So the bottom line to all of this is if Congress decides to pursue this, if an investigation does continue, that could unravel more of this. But for now, at least, the White House believes they contained at least the political fallout. The question is, if it's the national security fallout.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: This leaked group chat is further proof, if any, was needed, of the Trump administration's disdain for Europe and almost contempt for its reliance on U.S. security. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says longtime U.S. allies are freeloading, adding it's pathetic. In response, European leaders have again said they must take more responsibility for their own defense and stop relying so heavily on the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEXANDER STUBB, FINNISH PRESIDENT: How do you make sure that America stays engaged in European and Trans-Atlantic security, and that you need to work on by making NATO as appealing as possible and making the alternative cost of staying out of NATO too high. And I think that's what the American administration is trying to do. And I think they're actually doing the right thing. Europeans do need to take more responsibility for their own defense and their own security.

ALEXANDER VAN DER BELLEN, AUSTRIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The American situation is one more reason as to why we have to contemplate that we need a strong, confident Europe which takes its own path and secures the peace in Europe strategically by itself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: More details now from CNN's Clare Sebastian.

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CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now, Europe already knew that the Trump administration no longer wanted to pick up the tab for its security. President Trump has made that quite clear. But the Signal chat delivers the message again. The highest echelon of the U.S. government unfiltered. Take Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's comment on how he shared Vice President Vance's loathing of European freeloading, calling it, quote, "pathetic" in block capitals.

Well, it's hard to find a European official who doesn't broadly agree that Europe needs to do more to fund its defense. We hear this a lot when it comes to Ukraine, but for those European countries that have not sat on the fence when it comes to tackling the Houthis, this was still jarring. The U.K., along with the Netherlands, participated in strikes directed by the Biden administration last year and the U.K. actually provided air-to-air refueling for the very strikes discussed in this chat.

Add to that the comment which "The Atlantic's" Jeffrey Goldberg deduced came from Stephen Miller, Trump's Homeland Security adviser, about extracting an economic gain from the Europeans for these strikes because they believe, of course, that Europe also benefits.

[00:15:08] Well, that more evidence that the administration sees its alliances as transactional and not built on shared values. Well, this also raises, of course, practical concerns around the safety of sharing intelligence with the U.S. Here in the U.K., part of the Five Eyes alliance, of course, the prime minister's spokesperson said they're still confident they can share intelligence with the U.S., but they felt the need to make it clear that there are, quote, "strict rules and arrangements" for secure communications.

Well, the head of the opposition Liberal Democrat Party called for an urgent review of intelligence sharing with the U.S. Now European leaders for now seem to be holding their nerve on this, but it is another test for the Trans-Atlantic alliance they're trying to preserve. A former Belgian prime minister and MEP today calling it a wake-up call.

Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Coming up here on CNN, thousands of firefighters trying to control deadly wildfires across parts of South Korea. The very latest on their progress in just a moment.

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VAUSE: The worst wildfires in decades are sweeping across South Korea, claiming at least 18 lives since Friday. In a televised address to the nation, acting President Han Duck-soo says all available resources will be used to contain the fires in the country's south east. Thousands of firefighters and more than 100 helicopters have been deployed, so too the South Korean military as well as U.S. forces to battle these fires, which are being driven by strong, gusty winds.

Live to Seoul now, CNN's Mike Valerio standing by.

So, Mike, explain why these fires have been so destructive and what's the plan moving forward over the next couple of days?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's dry windy weather that started on Saturday, John. But I got to tell you a few seconds before we came on the air, we were able to confirm if a helicopter crashed. A crash with firefighters on board in one of the epicenters of this disaster area.

So, John, no word on casualty figures as of yet but we do have an unimaginable story line that's being added to this cultural devastation story line. Firefighters who are risking their lives for some of the worst fires that have gripped this nation in decades who are now dead. So we're going to be keeping our eye on that, trying to get more figures and details confirmed on what exactly has happened here.

But in terms of the cultural devastation, you're right, we're talking about a temple complex built in the year 681, the Gounsa Temple that has been lost so far. The good news, if there is any, at least from that tributary of what we're talking about here, is that firefighters and monks anticipated that the flames could get bad enough when this started on Saturday, and they moved many of the temple's treasures out of that building.

But in terms of how we got here, when spring very much arrived from Seoul to Busan, throughout this country on Saturday, that's when dry, very warm conditions fanned the flames. We have two major wildfires at this moment, North and South Gyeongsang Province is where we're talking about here. And if you think of South Korea as kind of like the palm of your hand, we're talking about the bottom right hand corner of the palm of your hand where these fires are right now.

And this transition, John, from really a local emergency to a national matter with the acting president, the prime minister of South Korea, Han Duck-soo, saying that this could be devastation from fires unlike South Korea has ever seen, telling firefighters to prepare for the worst case scenario. So where we're moving in terms of tracking what has happened with that firefighting helicopter that has crashed, there's also, John, a UNESCO world heritage site in the town of or I should say the city, excuse me, of Andong that is threatened.

This is a straw village that is from the 1300s, where scores of families, primary school students go every single day to learn about Korean heritage, what firefighters are doing right now, they're trying to dampen the landscape, dampen the straw roofs, to make sure that if there is an ember that travels a couple of kilometers from the front lines of these fires and God forbid lands on this UNESCO world heritage site, that the worst doesn't happen, that it doesn't go up in flames like that.

The good news here that we are looking to in the days ahead, we are expecting a little bit of rain tomorrow, John, across the country and then temperatures in Celsius to dive down into the single digits, perhaps wintry precipitation on Saturday. But again, this is something that we were fearing, another loss of human life with that helicopter crashing. So stand by. We'll be back with more on that -- John.

VAUSE: Mike, we appreciate the update. Mike Valerio there live for us in Seoul.

With that, we'll take a short break. In a moment, the latest in the case of the Oscar winning Palestinian director who was assaulted by Jewish settlers and detained by Israeli police.

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[00:29:22]

VAUSE: Welcome back. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Let's check today's top stories.

The White House says Ukraine and Russia have agreed to stop using military force in the Black Sea, as well as to a pause in attacks on energy facilities for 30 days. But the Kremlin has imposed conditions demanding sanctions relief on Russian banks, agriculture and fertilizer exports.

More than 1400 people have been arrested in Turkey after days of political protest deemed illegal by the government. Many have taken to the streets in outrage after the arrest of Istanbul's mayor, the main political rival to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Voters in Peru will go to the polls to elect a new president in April next year. President Dina Boluarte announced the election date with hopes of ending years of instability.

[00:30:11]

The president, as well as members of her government, have been accused of crimes against humanity in connection with a number of deaths which occurred during Peru's protest movement in 2022 and 2023.

In Northern Gaza, what appeared to be the largest anti-Hamas protest since the October 7th attacks. Images obtained by CNN show large crowds, possibly in the thousands, chanting, "For God's sake, Hamas out," and "We want an end to the war."

The protests come after the Gaza Health Ministry announced the death toll since the war began had surpassed 50,000 on Sunday in Gaza, with children accounting for nearly 16,000 deaths.

A message shared on social media appeared to call for nine anti-Hamas demonstrations across Gaza on Wednesday.

Hamdan Ballal, an Oscar-winning Palestinian director, is now free from Israeli custody and has returned home to his village in the occupied West Bank, where he was attacked by Israeli settlers and detained by the Israeli military, according to witnesses.

Ballal is a high-profile victim, but the assault is one of many that Israeli settlers have committed recently against Palestinians in the West Bank.

CNN's Nada Bashir tells us exactly what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, no, no!

NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jewish peace activists say these pictures show the moment they were attacked by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. CNN has geolocated the videos, which were captured in the area where Oscar winning director Hamdan Ballal was assaulted on Monday, according to colleagues and eyewitnesses.

Ballal's Palestinian co-director, Basel Adra, tells CNN Ballal had called him in distress on Monday, after which he went to visit Ballal's home.

When he arrived, Adra says he saw Ballal and at least one other person being taken away by Israeli soldiers. According to Adra, a group of Israeli settlers, some of whom were

throwing stones, had gathered outside Ballal's home, as well as Israeli soldiers who he says were firing at anyone who tried to get close.

The Israeli military described the scene as a violent confrontation between Palestinians and Israelis, who are throwing rocks at each other. It said the fight broke out after several, quote, "terrorists" hurled rocks at Israeli citizens, damaging their vehicles.

Three Palestinians and an Israeli were taken in for questioning. Yuval Abraham, an Israeli co-director of the film, who did not witness the incident, said Ballal sustained injuries to his head and abdomen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Some lawmakers in Florida are hoping child labor will fill jobs left vacant by deported undocumented immigrants.

Florida's immigration crackdown has left low-wage and many undesirable positions now open. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis backs easing laws which protect children in the workplace.

Last year, a new law allowed home-schooled 16-year-olds to work an hour -- any hour of the day, rather. Desantis supports a bill moving through the legislature now that would lower that age to 14.

Oh, Florida.

When we come back, Pope Francis's doctors say they faced a very difficult decision: let the pontiff die or double down on his treatment for double pneumonia. New details on what we're learning about the pope's health in just a moment.

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VAUSE: Doctors who treated Pope Francis for double pneumonia have revealed, at one point over the past five weeks, the Holy Father was so gravely ill they considered an end to treatment so he could die peacefully.

As CNN's Christopher Lamb reports, it was a decision they never had to make.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Five weeks after Pope Francis entered the hospital and was treated for double pneumonia, we are learning new details about how close the leader of the Catholic Church came to dying.

According to his doctor, Sergio Alfieri, the situation became so dire at one point, a tough decision had to be taken: whether to stop treatment and, quote, "let him go," or force it and try all the drugs and therapies possible.

Doctor Alfieri telling Italian newspaper "Corriere della Sera" the pope's health deteriorated after a serious breathing crisis, and the pontiff inhaled his own vomit.

But Alfieri says it was Francis's personal nurse, to whom the pope delegated medical decisions, who insisted they not give up and to continue trying all the drugs and therapies. A decision that saved the 88-year-old pontiff's life but risked damaging his other organs in the process.

Alfieri said the pontiff, alert throughout, knew he was facing the end, at one point holding onto the doctor's hand for comfort.

The doctor said the pope's inner strength helped him get through.

With daily updates of Francis's time in the hospital, it was an anxious period for the Vatican, as they only released this one photo of him during his 38 days of treatment.

The absence of a hands-on pontiff keenly felt across the church. Francis is a pope who regularly grabs the world's attention.

Appearing publicly for the first time on Sunday, the pope looked frail and is back at his residence in the Vatican. Doctors have ordered him to take two months of recovery. He must avoid meeting big groups, for risk of further infection.

It's unclear whether he will lead or be present at Holy Week and Easter celebrations, the high point of the Christian year. But given what he's been through, the pope is lucky to be alive.

[00:40:06]

Christopher Lamb, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Not one Vance, but now two. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance says he'll join his wife, the second lady, on her upcoming trip to Greenland on Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: There was so much excitement around Usha's visit to Greenland this Friday that I decided that I didn't want her to have all that fun by herself, and so I'm going to join her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Yay!

Vice President Vance claims the leaders of the United States and Denmark have ignored Greenland for far too long.

The outgoing prime minister of Greenland previously characterized the second lady's visit as highly aggressive.

Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Please stay with us. We'll have more CNN NEWSROOM at the top of the hour. In the meantime, WORLD SPORT starts after a short break.

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