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Ukraine, Russia Readies New Round of Peace Talks; Trump Announces Trade Deals with Japan and The Philippines; South Australian Coastal Waters Now Experiencing An Algae Bloom Disaster. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired July 23, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead.

Don't expect any miraculous breakthroughs. Russia downplays a new round of peace talks with Ukraine before they even begin. I'll speak with an expert about where that leaves efforts to end the war.

U.S. President Donald Trump announces a flurry of new trade deals and teases more to come ahead of next week's tariff deadline.

And starvation is spreading in Gaza as the Israeli military ramps up its offensive in the shattered enclave.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us.

Ukraine and Russia appear to be ready for their third round of direct peace talks, but exactly when that will happen is unclear right now.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said those talks would take place in Istanbul at some point today. But according to Russian state news, the meeting is set for Thursday. And the Kremlin has been vague, only saying they hope for more negotiations sometime this week, adding that the conflict is so complex, no one should expect any miraculous breakthroughs, regardless of when the meeting will take place.

Ukraine's President says his country's goals are set in stone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The release of our people from Russian captivity must continue. And it's exactly right now that the necessary procedures for a new exchange have already begun. The task is to work towards a ceasefire. This is what the world is

urging Russia to do. The task is to work on organizing a leaders meeting, this is something that will bring us closer to peace.

Ukraine has never wanted this war, and it is Russia that must end this war that it started itself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Michael Bociurkiw is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and is a former spokesperson for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He joins me now from Odessa in Ukraine. Appreciate you being with us.

MICHAEL BOCIURKIW, SR. FELLOW, ATLANTIC COUNCIL, AND FORMER SPOKESPERSON, ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: So there is this confusion about when a third round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine may get underway in Istanbul. If and when they happen today or tomorrow, what are you expecting out of them, given the Kremlin is warning not to expect any miraculous breakthroughs?

BOCIURKIW: Yes, good to be with you, Rosemary, as ever. Our expectations are very low. I think at best we will see an agreement for more exchange of prisoners, perhaps even, because the Holy Father, the Pope has got involved in this issue, a return of stolen Ukrainian children.

However, Mr. Zelenskyy's suggestion that a path be started for the two leaders to meet, thereby he meets with Vladimir Putin, doesn't seem to be having a lot of support in the Kremlin right now. I think for both sides, it will be showing the Trump administration that they are committed to some sort of peace path, but definitely the Russians, even by seemingly to stall the talks, maybe it'll be tomorrow or even the day after, they're trying to, as they always do, stretch things out as long as possible so they can get maximum gains here in Ukraine.

CHURCH: Right. I mean, U.S. President Donald Trump did give Russia a 50-day deadline last week to end the war in Ukraine or face 100 percent tariffs and secondary sanctions. So how far might Russia go in appearing to placate President Trump and perhaps give him some indication of progress in the direction of a ceasefire, or does Putin not really care about Trump's threat?

BOCIURKIW: I think it's that last option that they don't really care. They know that Mr. Trump blows hot and cold, those are their words. They know that he loses interest quickly, they know he's distracted by his own legal problems and other hot spots.

And as for the threatened tariffs, they don't believe it will happen. Even if it does, trade between Russia and the United States is minimal.

[03:05:04] And no one believes for a second that Trump will impose 100 percent tariffs on countries that do business with Russia, especially China and India.

CHURCH: And Michael, you did touch on this. President Zelenskyy also says Ukraine and its partners are working to organize a leaders' peace summit and secure the return of civilians and children detained by Russia. What do you expect to come from that?

BOCIURKIW: Well, we always say in the OSCE, talks are better than no talks. They are what we call confidence-building measures. And the two sides have come to these agreements before in terms of exchanging prisoners.

And from the Russian side, they want to keep the lid on possible opposition from the mothers, the wives of soldiers who have either died or held in captivity. So that will probably happen. But as for the stolen children, which numbers in the thousands, probably not as much progress immediately.

CHURCH: All right. We'll wait to see what happens. If indeed those talks happen today or on Thursday, we will watch very closely.

Michael Bociurkiw, many thanks for joining us.

BOCIURKIW: Thank you.

CHURCH: President Zelenskyy is facing pushback at home after signing a bill reducing the autonomy of two Ukrainian anti-corruption bureaus by placing them under the authority of a prosecutor he appoints.

Protesters denounced the new law outside the presidential office in Kyiv. European lawmakers are criticizing it as well. The move comes after Ukrainian authorities raided one of the bureaus, accusing two of its employees of working for Russia. President Zelenskyy, who campaigned as an anti-corruption candidate, says the two agencies will continue their work, but without Russian influences.

Global markets are reacting to new U.S. trade agreements with Japan and the Philippines. President Donald Trump announced the deals just days before steep new tariffs are set to take effect.

Let's take a look at U.S. futures and see where they stand right now. The Dow is up 0.31 percent, a similar lift for the S&P and the Nasdaq up 0.20 percent.

Let's turn to the markets across the Asia-Pacific. The Nikkei is up 3.51 percent in response to the deal between the U.S. and Japan, the Hang Seng added nearly 1.5 percent. And the Shanghai is fairly flat. Seoul's KOSPI up nearly 0.5 percent.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout takes a closer look at the new trade deals.

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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: U.S. President Donald Trump announced a long-awaited trade deal with Japan, just hours after reaching a deal with the Philippines. Now Trump says the deal with Japan includes a 15 percent reciprocal tariff and a $550 billion investment from Japan into the United States. And the two countries have also agreed to lower the auto tariff to 15 percent, this according to the Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

Now in a post on Truth Social, Trump also said that Japan will open up trade for cars, trucks, rice and other products from the U.S. After the deal was announced, Japan's top tariff negotiator praised the trade relationship.

RYOSEI AKAZAWA, JAPAN TARIFF NEGOTIATOR (through translator): It was not a simple negotiation, but today we reached an agreement that serves the interests of both countries on the basis of the mutual understanding and trust built through the close consultations between us.

LU STOUT: Now this is a significant deal. Japan is America's fifth largest source of imports and it holds some leverage, it is America's biggest foreign creditor. In fact, Japan holds $1.1 trillion in U.S. Treasuries.

Earlier in the day, Trump announced a new trade deal with the Philippines. It includes a 19 percent tariff rate for goods coming from the Philippines and zero tariffs on U.S. goods. That tariff rate matches the one for Indonesia and is lower than Vietnam's at 20 percent.

The deal was reached after what Trump described on True Social as a quote "beautiful visit by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to the White House." Now Trump also said that the two nations would work together militarily. Marcos hailed the U.S. as his country's most reliable ally.

FERDINAND MARCOS JR., PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT: Our strongest, closest, most reliable ally has always been the United States. That is something that we value, that we are grateful for, and that we will continue to foster.

LU STOUT: During the Oval Office event, Trump noted how the Philippines had tilted away from China. And Trump also said that he may visit China for a landmark trip in the near future.

Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.

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CHURCH: Starvation is surging in Gaza with more than a dozen deaths in a recent 24-hour period. How the U.N. and aid groups are responding to the crisis, that's just ahead.

And the U.S. is pulling out of a major United Nations body again. We will explain why the Trump administration is withdrawing the U.S. from UNESCO. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: The U.N. Secretary-General calls it a horror show with starvation knocking on every door in Gaza. A warning, the images you're about to see are disturbing.

[03:15:09]

Young children are often the first victims. Doctors say 15 people died of starvation in one recent 24-hour period. Aid agencies say their colleagues in Gaza are wasting away. And the AFP is working to evacuate its staff from Gaza, calling the situation untenable.

Simply trying to get help has become a deadly pursuit for Gaza residents. The U.N. reports more than 1,000 people seeking food aid have been killed by the Israeli military since late May. Israel admits firing warning shots toward crowds in some cases but denies responsibility for other incidents.

More now from CNN's Paula Hancocks reporting from Abu Dhabi.

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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As we hear reports of more deaths due to starvation in Gaza, we're also understanding that the Israeli military is ramping up its operations in central Gaza.

Now, this is significant. It's an area called Deir al-Balah and it's an area that the IDF has not operated in for 21 months in a ground operation.

Now, the IDF is not commenting on this operation at this point, but Israel Army Radio says that they believe there is one battalion that is operating there and the operation could last several weeks.

Now, there is concern for those on the ground. We know there have been evacuation orders for those in the area since Sunday. We have seen hundreds of people trying to leave the area carrying what they can.

We've heard as well from the U.N. human rights chief and he has said the operation will invariably lead to further civilian deaths. Also saying that just when you thought the nightmare couldn't get worse, it does.

So, there are concerns for those still on the ground in Deir al-Balah. Now, Israeli media had been reporting that they believed the reason the IDF hadn't gone into this area before is because they suspected some hostages were being held there.

So, we've heard from The Forum that represents those families of the hostages and they say that they are increasingly alarmed that this operation could harm their loved ones that are still being held by Hamas and other militant groups.

We also heard from World Health Organization. They say that in Deir al-Balah, their main warehouse and their staff residence were hit by the Israeli military. They say that the warehouse was looted by desperate crowds shortly afterwards.

So, they have lost their supplies and they also say that the women and children were forced to evacuate the staff residence and that the men were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot.

Now, there is increasing criticism across the board of the humanitarian situation. Israel has been saying through Cogat, its aid group or its agency that helps the distribution of aid, that the IDF is trying to facilitate the release of aid. But we're hearing from the Ministry of Health that 15 people, including four children, have died in just the past 24 hours.

We're hearing from hospital officials, this one the director of the main Al-Shifa hospital, saying that they are constantly having people coming in with malnutrition and with starvation symptoms and he said we are quote "heading towards terrifying death tolls."

Now, Israel has pushed back against the criticism but we are hearing increasing voices that say there needs to be a ceasefire and there needs to be more aid allowed in.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Ahmed Bayram is a media adviser for the Norwegian Refugee Council and he joins me now from Amman, Jordan. I appreciate you talking with us.

AHMED BAYRAM, MEDIA ADVISER, NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL: Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: So, Gaza's food crisis is worsening as Israel ramps up its offensive in the enclave and that deadly combination of starvation and war is hitting the children of Gaza very hard, isn't it? And how is your organization trying to help the people of Gaza in the midst of this horror?

BAYRAM: We're running out of ways to help really with this suffocating blockade imposed by Israel. We are providing some clean drinking water actually to thousands of people. This is also at risk following Israel's relocation orders in Deir al-Balah.

Deir al-Balah, for your viewers, it's the capital of displacement in Gaza. It's become also the capital of aid in Gaza and now Israel has attacked that part where exactly it has been calling on people to move to.

[03:20:02]

In terms of the food situation, I hear from my colleagues who are themselves starving that they now they have probably one meal a day and that should be before bedtime so that their children don't go to bed with empty stomachs.

I heard yesterday also from a colleague about a pregnant woman who was carrying a bag of flour when she was shot dead. So these kind of -- unfortunately, these kind of incidents, these kind of attacks are being normalized and that's the danger.

CHURCH: Yes, these are shocking stories.

And the U.N. is reporting that more than a thousand people, including children, have been killed by the Israeli military since late May just trying to get food at these aid distribution sites in the enclave. How are children being killed at these sites and under what circumstances, do you know?

BAYRAM: In the most desperate that they ever lived really, they are at their most desperate point. Now children are hungry, now you are, you know, in Gaza people are risking their lives, putting their lives on the line to get that bag of lentils and go back home. You see images of children trying to get whatever they can around these distribution sites where the shootings happened.

Of course, that's because they have not had anything, probably in days or in weeks, probably very little scraps, that's what they are surviving on. And the same situation, of course, for women, for the elderly, for people trying to find whatever they can.

People are scavenging now at this point. Of course, there's not much, if you walk for hours in a market in Gaza, you are unlikely to find anything to consume and if you find something it's probably going to be in $50 or $100 in terms of the items that are being sold in the market.

So yes, it's very much famine-like conditions that we are seeing in Gaza right now and the solution is very simple really. It's to open those land crossings and allow aid to gush in. There are thousands and thousands of tons of food, probably shorter than a commute to an office really, lying by the border.

CHURCH: This is the frustration, isn't it? Because of course that aid is not getting in and we were looking at images there of families, sometimes eight, sometimes 12, sitting around a small bowl of very thin soup with a spoon each trying to make that last for them to try and fill the bellies of the children.

So the U.N. Secretary-General is calling the situation in Gaza a horror show with famine knocking on every door. So what does need to be done to stop these killings at aid sites and of course the food crisis that's engulfing the enclave? As you mentioned of course they need to see that food get in but how do you stop these killings at these distribution sites?

BAYRAM: I mean that's the problem, that's the root of the problem. Trusting a securitized, militarized company being outsourced here to apparently fend off starvation and prevent a famine. This is a non- starter that we have always said was going to create chaos.

So probably the first thing that has to happen is for this scheme to go and the second thing, which is a simple thing really, is for Israel to open the gates and allow the professionals, the real humanitarians who have been doing the most difficult job probably anywhere in the world in this conflict zone to do their job again, to resume that job of providing hot meals for people in kitchens. We have seen it work during the ceasefire, it should happen again.

But we know that diplomatically there's not a decision yet and that is the most frustrating part. Israel's allies have let this carry on and that's a danger. These are taxpayer-provided aid parcels that people have sent so that they can go to those children and to those babies and Israel is stopping that and that has to stop through diplomatic pressure.

CHURCH: Ahmed Bayram, thank you so much for talking with us, we appreciate it and the work you do.

President Trump is pulling the U.S. out of a United Nations body that promotes science, education and culture again. The White House confirmed that the U.S. will withdraw from UNESCO by the end of 2026 because it, quote, "supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAMMY BRUCE, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: UNESCO's decision to admit the, quote, "state of Palestine," end quote, as a member state is highly problematic contrary to U.S. policy and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric within the organization.

[03:25:10]

Continued U.S. participation in international organizations will focus on advancing American interests with clarity and conviction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: This is the third time the U.S. will be withdrawing from UNESCO. It previously withdrew from the organization in 1984 and rejoined in 2003 before withdrawing again under the first Trump administration. A U.N. spokesperson denied the U.S. accusation that UNESCO was spreading anti-Semitism.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANE DUJARRIC, UNITED NATIONS SPOKESPERSON: I can tell you from UNESCO's standpoint they have been at the forefront and especially its director general personally in the fight against anti-Semitism. I think our comment to every member states is participate if you want to change things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Donald Trump takes aim at one of his predecessors for reasons that may involve Jeffrey Epstein. And now Barack Obama's office is firing back. We'll have details for you coming up.

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[03:30:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Rosemary Church. I want to check today's top stories for you.

Uncertainty surrounds a third round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said those talks will happen today, but Russian state news claims the meeting is set for Thursday. Regardless, the Kremlin says not to expect any miraculous breakthroughs.

Donald Trump has announced a new U.S. trade agreement with Japan just days before steep tariffs are set to kick in. The U.S. President says Japan will now pay reciprocal tariffs of 15 percent and invest $550 billion into the U.S., creating hundreds of thousands of jobs.

The U.N. reports more than 1000 people trying to access food aid in Gaza have been killed by the Israeli military. Secretary General Antonio Guterres calls the situation a horror show where famine is knocking on every door. Israel claims without evidence that Hamas is shooting at civilians.

The office of former U.S. President Barack Obama says Donald Trump's allegations of treason and sedition are bizarre and ridiculous. On Tuesday, the U.S. President declared his intention to, quote, "go after people, including Obama, for what he claims were attempts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election with allegations of Russian interference." But an Obama spokesperson says the claims are, quote, "a weak attempt at distraction."

Critics have accused Trump of trying to draw attention away from ongoing calls for the Justice Department to release files on convicted sex offender and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. CNN's Kristen Holmes has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Trump and the White House spending yet another day fielding questions about the Epstein investigation and really trying to change the subject.

Now, the day began when Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanchard, who first was President Trump's personal attorney before taking this role, announced that the Justice Department, at the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi, would be seeking a meeting with Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell. President Trump was asked about this while sitting next to the Filipino president. Here's what he said.

REPORTER: Your Deputy Attorney General has reached out to Ghislaine Maxwell's attorney asking to do an interview.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Yes, I don't know about it, but I think it's something that would be, sounds appropriate to do, Yes.

REPORTER: Do you have any concern that your Deputy Attorney General, who's your former attorney, would be conducting the interview, given --

TRUMP: No, I have no concern. He's a very talented person. He's very smart.

I didn't know that they were going to do it. I don't really follow that too much. It's sort of a witch hunt, just a continuation of the witch hunt.

The witch hunt that you should be talking about is they caught President Obama absolutely cold.

HOLMES: Now, you can see how quickly President Trump tried to pivot away from anything related to the Epstein investigation, then trying to shine a spotlight on President Barack Obama.

We've seen this from the White House for several days now. This case, the Epstein investigation, has put the White House in a position it doesn't often find itself, which is on the defense of it.

It's not just with Democrats. At this point, we're also starting to see more and more Republican lawmakers come forward and ask for more transparency around this investigation and the so-called Epstein files. And earlier in the day, a Republican-led effort to actually subpoena Maxwell passed within a committee, showing you where this is going.

[03:35:06]

So even if President Trump is trying to change the subject, it's becoming more clear by the day that Republicans are the ones who also might not let him do that.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still ahead, marine life dying by the thousands and tourism taking a big hit as well, all due to a massive algae bloom off South Australia's coast, with one official calling it a natural disaster.

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CHURCH: The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has pledged to follow President Trump's executive order by banning transgender athletes from women's sports. In February, President Trump issued an executive order called, quote, "keeping men out of women's sports."

And the committee has updated its athlete safety policy to align with the order. The policy says the committee will, quote, "ensure that women have a fair and safe competition environment," consistent with executive order 14201, referring to Mr. Trump's executive order banning transgender athletes from women's sports. The English national women's football team are advancing to the Euro

2025 final after narrowly defeating Italy 2-1 in Tuesday's semi-final. King Charles sent a message of congratulations on a journey which he says has inspired countless girls and women across the nation. The Lionesses will face either Spain or Germany in Sunday's final in Switzerland.

The National Ballet of Japan is set to perform in the U.K. for the first time. From Thursday to Sunday, Miyako Yoshida's production of "Giselle" will run at the Royal Opera House in London.

Created in 1841, "Giselle" is about a young peasant girl who gets deceived by a nobleman and dies of a broken heart. Yoshida launched her illustrious ballet career in the U.K. and says bringing the company with her to London is so special.

A massive algae bloom off South Australia's coast is devastating marine life and tourism in the region. Discovered in March, the bloom spans about 4500 square kilometers, more than four times the size of Hong Kong, and it's been made worse by rising ocean temperatures. The bloom sucks oxygen out of water as it decomposes, and officials say it has killed more than 400 types of marine species.

Australia is pledging $18 million to fight the outbreak, which one official calls a natural disaster. In all, nearly 14,000 dead animals have been recorded because of this bloom, including sharks and rays.

I want to thank you so much for your company, I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "Marketplace Europe" is coming up next.

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