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Trump To Meet Putin In Alaska To Discuss Russia-Ukraine War; Protesters Demand Release Of Israeli Hostages Held In Gaza; Netanyahu Pushing Voluntary Migration From Gaza; Hong Kong Court Postpones Jimmy Lai's Trial Over Health Issues. Hong Kong Court Adjourns Hearing for Jimmy Lai Until Monday; Trump to Meet with Putin in Alaska in Coming Hours; Interview with Kremlin Economic Envoy; State of the Russian Economy on the Eve of Alaska Summit; Japan Marks 80 Years Since Its Surrender Ended WWII. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired August 15, 2025 - 01:00   ET

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

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[01:00:34]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN NACHOR: Hello and welcome to CNN Newsroom. I'm Jim Sciutto live in Anchorage, Alaska, where we are just a few hours away from a rare summit meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin here in Alaska, in fact, at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson behind me here.

President Trump says he hopes the meeting will help bring an end to the grinding war in Ukraine this following Russia's full scale invasion more than three years ago. We do expect to hear from both leaders at a joint news conference after they meet, though President Trump said earlier on Thursday that he could do it by himself that press conference if the meeting with Putin doesn't end well.

Trump has kept expectations somewhat high, saying he believes that Putin does want to make a deal to end the war, this after White House officials earlier in the week seem to manage expectations, downplaying the one on one meeting as quote, just a listening exercise.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I think President Putin will make peace. I think President Zelenskyy will make peace. We'll see if they can get along and if they can, it'll be great. You know, I've solved six wars in the last six months, little more than six months now. And I'm very proud of it. I thought the easiest one would be this one. It's actually the most difficult.

President Putin would like to see a deal. I think if I weren't president, he would take over all of Ukraine. But I am president and he's not going to mess around with me.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SCIUTTO: The summit will be held at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson here in Alaska. Russia's foreign minister and its ambassador to the U.S. have already arrived for that meeting, this according to Russian state media. On Thursday, President Putin praised the Trump administration for what he called, quote, energetic efforts to stop the fighting in Ukraine and reach some sort of resolution.

President Trump says the summit is an effort to set the table for a second meeting which would include then Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been meeting with European leaders as they emphasize that no decision about Ukraine can be made without Ukrainian leaders at the table.

CNN has reporters around the world covering the summit are Sebastian Shukla in Berlin, Ben Wedeman in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. We do begin, though, with Alayna Treene reporting from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: As President Donald Trump prepares to head to Alaska for this high stakes meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he's been raising the expectations on what could come out of this. On Thursday, while speaking with Fox News, Brian Kilman, he said that he was hoping that there could potentially be a peace deal. He said, quote, I believe now he, referring to Putin, is convinced that he's going to make a deal. He went on to say he believes that he wants peace.

He also added, however, though, that he's not sure that they will be able to reach an immediate ceasefire during the summit. Something, of course, we know that European leaders as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said is a necessary concession in order for these talks to move forward.

But what the president also said, which will be welcome to some of the United States, European allies and Zelenskyy alike, is that he said that even though this meeting is important, he thinks the next meeting, he said the second meeting will be even more important. Listen to what he said.

TRUMP: We have a meeting with President Putin tomorrow. I think it's going to be a good meeting, but the more important meeting will be the second meeting that we're having. We're going to have a meeting with President Putin, President Zelenskyy, myself, and maybe we'll bring some of the European leaders along. Maybe not. I don't know that it's going to be very important.

TREENE: So as you can hear there, the president sounding optimistic that if this Friday summit with Vladimir Putin goes well, the next meeting will include Zelenskyy and he said even some European leaders. Now, the reason that's so important is because we know that European leaders and Zelenskyy, who spoke with the president on Wednesday during a phone call, have really been trying to bend his ear ahead of this.

They are wary of not having a seat at the table in Alaska on Friday and want to ensure that not too much is not promised in that meeting before they can become a part of it. Now, we also heard the president kind of share some of his mindset on this.

[01:05:00]

He said that there are many different wars that he's intervened in during his second term and he thought that this one would be the easiest. However, he said it's proven to be the most difficult. And that's really, I think what is important to note as we look at this meeting on Friday is that the president has for months tried to negotiate with the Russian leader, only to be disappointed and frustrated by his actions and by his duplicity of what Trump says is saying one thing on the phone with him and then continuing his bombing campaign on Kyiv after wrapping up their call.

So it's very unclear what's going to happen. But also just to give you a sense of what to look for on Friday. We know that there is going to be a one on one meeting between Trump and Putin that is going to take place first, we're told, and then after that, there will be a bilateral lunch with both the United States and Russia's respective delegations.

And then after that, they are expected to hold a joint press conference, something that is, of course, pretty remarkable that not only you're going to have the Russian leader on American soil, but that there's an opportunity for him to stand side by side with President Donald Trump and address the media.

Now, the president did also say that there is a chance things could go, you know, downward. They could go sour. And he expects to know that within the first few minutes of that one on one meeting.

He said there's a 25 percent chance that this summit could end in failure. And he said if that happens, he is willing and ready to impose economic pain, potentially sanctions on Russia as a response. All to say, though, it's very clear that right now neither side, the United States or Russia knows exactly what is going to happen on Friday.

But at least from President Donald Trump's point of view, he's looking at this as hopefully a first step in what could be a longer process to getting to an eventual peace deal. Alayna Treene, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: Joining me now, CNN, Sebastian Shukla and Ben Wedeman. Let's begin with you, Sebastian, in Berlin. I know there's been a lot of communication between Washington and capitals in Europe, but when you speak to European officials, do they believe that the US President and European leaders are on the same page as Trump heads into this meeting with Putin?

SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: Well, good morning, Jim. I think the diplomatic shuttling that we've seen over the past week has been an effort to try to impress upon Donald Trump that the European leaders want to try to get their view across to him to make it very clear before he goes into the summit later today about what the red lines are and what the concessions he can and cannot make.

And as the course of this week, we saw here in Berlin, the Ukrainian president stood alongside Friedrich Merz, very symbolic messaging here to the United States, which was Europe is standing beside the Ukrainian president before all of this and the summit that you are holding, which he is not invited to. And the message was from Friedrich Merz. You cannot agree to any territorial concessions without agreeing a ceasefire first.

According to the Europeans, that message was delivered and was a resounding success. And the meeting, the takeaway from those calls was that President Trump had listened. And actually, this morning we have heard from Friedrich Merz impressing again that position. He released a statement which said the goal must be a summit in which President Zelenskyy also participates. A ceasefire must be agreed. Ukraine needs strong security guarantees. Territorial issues can only be decided with the consent of the Ukrainians.

But, Jim, when we go back to look at this summit in particular, I can't state how big a diplomatic coup this is for the Russian president. Up until the beginning of the Trump administration, Russia had been frozen out of the Western diplomatic community. Being on a stage with President Putin would have been seen as unthinkable. He was and is potentially still a pariah.

This marks the end of that international isolationism, where he will stand alongside the most powerful country and person on the planet to be able to discuss economic or the beginning of the end of this war in Ukraine, potential economic cooperation.

But what is being clear, and we are hearing slowly now, as the Russian delegation begins to arrive in Anchorage. We know that the longtime stalwart, very shrewd diplomat, Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, has arrived, according to Russian state media. And I want you to take a listen to what one of the lead negotiators, Kirill Dmitriev, had to say to CNN's Matthew Chance in Anchorage earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIRILL DMITRIEV, KREMLIN ECNOMIC ENVOY: Yes, I think we understand that unless there is major progress on Ukraine and diplomatic efforts succeed, then economic cooperation will take a while to be relaunched. So we completely understand that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[01:10:10]

SHUKLA: So seems to be very clear then that Ukraine will be at the very top of this agenda. But Jim, the two sides here are diametrically opposed on how they view this, the way for this war to end. We've seen from the various calls and conversations that have been held between the Kremlin and the White House that often what President Putin says is that the base issues, the core issues of the reason for the Ukraine crisis, as the Kremlin calls it, not an invasion, which he started in February 2022, need to be addressed.

That, though, may just mean that President Putin embarks on a long diatribe about how Ukraine is supposed to be part of the Russian sphere, the Russian sphere of orbit, whereas the Ukrainians and the Europeans very much view Ukraine as being part of the European fabric and they want the security guarantees that come with that. Jim.

SCIUTTO: Well, and listen, does President Trump repeat or veer into Russian talking points on the war, the origins of the war, as he has at times in the past. Thanks so much, Sebastian in Berlin. Ben Wedeman in Kyiv.

Ben, when I speak to Ukrainian contacts, I heard two thoughts in advance of this summit with some consistency. One is skepticism that Putin and Trump will make significant progress. But two, some fear among Ukrainians that Trump might give more than they want to give. Certainly. And I wonder if you're hearing the same there.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, people are really holding their breath, Jim, hoping that is not what happens, that when Trump and Putin meet behind closed doors, Trump might give in or agree to something that Ukraine is simply not ready to agree with.

The worry is that he's going to, as he mentioned earlier this week, as President Trump mentioned earlier this week, pondering the possibility of what he called land swaps, keeping in mind, of course, that Ukraine does not have any land that it occupies in Russia that it can swap. And we're really talking about parts of Ukraine that are occupied by Russia. That's about 20 percent of the total land mass.

So the worry is that Trump, who has never really hidden his dislike for Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, is going to yet again go back to his default position of putting a priority on his friendship with or so called friendship with President Putin.

Now, keep in mind that this is coming at a time when we're seeing advances by Russian forces in the eastern part of Ukraine around the town of Dobropillya, where of course, they have advanced one could say dramatically, there is sort of a large area of land that they've been able to capture in the recent weeks.

And the worry is that Putin is going to go into this summit and tell President Trump, look, I've managed to gain more territory, that it's time to just give in to reality, that Russia has four times the population of the Ukraine, that it has the ability to fight on much longer than Ukraine, and therefore, perhaps now is the time simply to give in to the Russian demands, give Luhansk and Donetsk oblast over to the Russians and call it quits. So there is profound worry.

And keep in mind that when President Trump began his second term, there was a certain amount of optimism among Ukrainians that despite President Trump's obvious dislike for the Ukrainian leader, that he said he was going to solve this war, end this war within 24 hours. Here we are in July of 2025. The war is still raging on, and there is no sign at this point that

there could be a breakthrough. So the hope has been turned into disappointment. And that disappointment has now transformed into fear that in this summit that is taking place a week after sanctions, Trump had threatened to impose more sanctions on Russia.

Now a week later, we see that President Putin is going to enjoy a spotlight next to the president of the United States that would not have been imaginable one year ago. Jim.

[01:15:02]

SCIUTTO: No, no question, the Russian president welcomed back in from the diplomatic cold, as it were, by the U.S. President for that meeting here in Anchorage. Ben Wedeman in Kyiv, Sebastian Shukla in Berlin, thanks so much to both of you. We will have much more ahead on the Trump Putin summit to begin just hours from now.

But let's first get to other news. John Vause has that from Atlanta. John?

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Jim, thank you. We'll take a short break now, but when we come back, why has there been only denials and silence from the countries which Israel says are in active discussions to resettle Palestinians from Gaza?

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VAUSE: Protesters in Tel Aviv set tires on fire and blocked traffic Thursday, demanding the Israeli government make good on a deal and bring home hostages still being held in Gaza. Israel's health ministry has warned up to 677 days. held captive, the hostages are facing an immediate life threatening situation. Of the 50 Israelis who are yet to come home, 20 are believed to be alive.

In Gaza City, mourners gathered outside Shifa Hospital for funeral prayers for those killed by Israel while trying to find food and other supplies. One Palestinian has described humanitarian assistance as death aid.

[01:20:06]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAHANI JABR JUNDIA, PALESTINIAN WHO LOST SON-IN-LAW (through translator): He was martyred as he went to bring flour for his children, to feed his children. He doesn't have money to buy. He went to bring aid like the ones going to bring aid. His children were crying, they want to eat, they want to eat. He went to bring some food for his children. What can he do? He couldn't see his children struggling. May he rest in peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The Israeli prime minister calls it voluntary migration, encouraging Palestinians in Gaza to leave the war torn territory. And he says several countries are in active discussions as possible destinations. But there has been only denials or silence from those countries, perhaps because for Palestinians, rights groups, the United Nations, many countries in the region, Netanyahu's plan amounts to forced mass relocation and a war crime. More now from CNN's Oren Liebermann.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has several times talked about what he has described as a voluntary emigration from Gaza, something he says other countries should accept and be willing to take in Palestinians who want to leave. But he's never given any real details on this, and it's never been clear if this plan might actually come to fruition or if there's even any traction behind it.

What we've learned from a senior Israeli official that Israel is in talks with at least five different countries about the possibility of this plan. Those countries include South Sudan, Libya, Ethiopia, Somaliland and Indonesia.

The problem is a number of these countries have already rejected these talks. For example, South Sudan just a few days ago rejected the idea of talks about the displacement of Palestinians. Somaliland did the same several months ago.

And Indonesia within the last week or two said they could take in about 2,000 Gazans, but it would be for temporary treatment and then they would return to Gaza. So it's not clear that any of the countries with which this official tells us Israel is discussing this plan are willing to entertain this beyond mere discussions.

Still, Netanyahu is pursuing this. We first really heard about this in terms of a goal of Israel, when it was in fact President Donald Trump who mentioned it earlier in his term at the beginning of the year. But he appears to have since cooled on the idea.

Israel, meanwhile, is pushing forward, insisting this is not an ethnic cleansing of Gaza, it's not forcing people out. Netanyahu saying this would be voluntary.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): First of all, inside Gaza, we are not pushing them out either, but we are allowing them to leave.

It is happening very slowly. You need the receiving countries. We're talking to several countries, I can't detail it here. The most natural thing would be for all those who say they're concerned for the Palestinians and want to help the Palestinians to open their doors. Why are they coming and preaching to us? Open your doors.

LIEBERMANN: Israel has never laid out a clear day after plan for Gaza. What would happen for more than 2 million Palestinians in the besieged territory? This potentially is as close to a day after plan for what to do with the Palestinians in Gaza as Israel has ever come. The problem is it's unclear if this really has any possibility of

happening. Not to mention the fact that for this to happen, you need Palestinians willing to permanently leave their home and permanently leave Gaza. And it's simply not clear that's the case. Oren Liebermann, CNN in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: With much of the world focused on the war in Gaza, Israel has announced plans to build thousands of new homes in the occupied West Bank, drawing severe criticism from the E.U. and the U.K. saying it's a clear violation of international law and it would split the west bank in half.

Israel's far right finance minister traveled to the proposed site of the construction and he said it would, quote, permanently bury the idea of a Palestinian state.

To Hong Kong now, where the trial of media tycoon and pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai has been delayed again. The second time this week. 77-year-old Lai appeared frail and thin as he arrived in court for the start of closing arguments. But the hearing was quickly adjourned after defense lawyers raised concerns over his health, in particular his heart.

The judge ruling it was not prudent to continue until life's medical needs were attended to. Lai has been in a maximum security prison since 2020 when he was charged under Hong Kong's National Security Law, the same controversial law which saw Lai and hundreds of thousands of others take to the streets in protest.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout following developments live from Hong Kong. So, another delay in this hearing. Yesterday it was because of the weather, now it's because of his health. What do we know about his current condition? How serious is all of this?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there are a lot of serious concerns about his health. And as you said just moments ago, John, you know, Jimmy Lai, he appeared in court earlier today noticeably thinner, wearing a white shirt and these black spectacles.

Look, this is supposed to be day of the closing statements of the national security trial of Jimmy Lai and it was adjourned due to concerns over Jimmy Lai's health. The court learned today that medical treatment that was prescribed to Jimmy Lai was something that he has yet to receive.

We were down at the courthouse earlier today. We surveyed the scene outside. We saw family members of Jimmy Lai enter the court.

[01:25:00]

We also saw a number of supporters standing in line for opportunity to bear witness to events today. And we also saw the heavy security presence of quite a number of police officers, police vehicles out in force. This is a trial that is being closely monitored around the world. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT (voice-over): Jimmy Lai was the media mogul who risked his fortune for Hong Kong's freedom. Now awaiting his fate in jail, he is a flashpoint between the U.S. and China. Before his victory in October 2024, Donald Trump, in a phone interview with Hugh Hewitt, vowed to secure Lai's release, saying he would do so, quote, 100 percent, yes. And as President Trump pledged to raise Lai's case in trade talks with China.

TRUMP: I think talking about Jimmy Lai is a very good idea. We'll put it down or we'll put it down as part of the negotiation.

LU STOUT (voice-over): In a radio interview with Fox News this week, Trump said --

TRUMP: I am going to do everything I can to save him.

LU STOUT (voice-over): Two people campaigning for Lai's release say that they were told U.S. Officials did bring up Lai's case during the talks. Since those talks, the U.S.-China trade truce has been extended, but China is standing firm. Its U.S. embassy spokesman saying, we strongly oppose external forces using judicial cases as a pretext to interfere in China's internal affairs or to smear and undermine Hong Kong's rule of law.

A rabble rousing tycoon behind a popular pro-democracy tabloid, Jimmy Lai had long been a thorn in the side Beijing. His high profile trial, which began nearly two years ago, is now coming to an end. He's charged with two counts of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security, along with a separate charge of sedition. He's pleaded not guilty.

His arrest after a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing, which China and local leaders said restored stability to Hong Kong after months of anti-government protests in 2019.

At that time, Lai had lobbied foreign governments to apply pressure on China and made this direct appeal to President Trump.

JIMMY LAI, FOUDER, APPLE DAILY: Mr. President, you're the only one who can save us. If you save us and stop China suppression, you also save the world.

LU STOUT (voice-over): Prosecutors say Lai's actions amount to lobbying for sanctions against Hong Kong and China, which is banned under the National Security Law. His lawyers argue he stopped doing so after the law came into effect. Lai faces a possible sentence of life in prison. And for the 77-year-old, life would most likely mean life. Lai has already been in jail for nearly five years.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Jimmy Lai, 77 years old. He has diabetes. He has been in custody for nearly half a decade. Much of that time in solitary confinement. And earlier this week I spoke with Sebastian Lai, the son of Jimmy Lai, who is deeply concerned about his father's health and added that his solitary confinement conditions are, according to Sebastian, equivalent to a form of torture. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN LAI, JIMMY LAI'S SON: If you put a 77-year-old man in a concrete box in solid confinement, by the way, is a form of torture, right? So 15 days of solid confinement is prolonged solid confinement. You put him in a concrete box under the Hong Kong sun for essentially close to half a decade. It is detrimental to his life. That's not conjecture. That's just a basic fact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now, the Hong Kong government disputes that and we reached out to the Hong Kong government for comment, they pointed out that Lai had requested to be removed from the general prison population while also adding this in his statement to CNN. Let's bring it up for you. The Hong Kong government saying, quote, the remarks by Sebastian Lai regarding Lai Chee-ying, that is referring to Jimmy Lai, his solitary confinement are completely fact twisting, reflecting a malicious intention to smear and attack the Hong Kong SAR government, unquote.

Now again, this was supposed to be day one of closing arguments. They were adjourned because of concerns about the health of Jimmy Lai. But closing statements could last anywhere between several days or weeks leading up to the verdict. Back to you.

VAUSE: Kristie Lu Stout, thank you. I think Jimmy Lai, what? He's one of 300 people or so who've been arrested under this National Security Law.

LU STOUT: Yes.

VAUSE: He's the most prominent out of all of them. Back in 2020, he warned the law would be the end of Hong Kong in many ways. How has Hong Kong changed since that law was introduced?

LU STOUT: You know, Hong Kong has fundamentally been transformed as a result of the National Security Law that was imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong and you mentioned that number is true. Since the imposition of this law, over 300 people in Hong Kong have been arrested under the NSL. The opposition has been basically wiped out. We've seen the disbandment of opposition parties as well as opposition leaders are either in jail or they're living in exile.

We've also seen civil society groups be disbanded, dismantled on education for national security promotion has been rolled out, artworks have been removed, a song has been banned, an online video game has been banned. The list goes on and on.

On top of that, there was that homegrown article 23 National Security Law that was fast tracked last year.

But it's important to note this. Even though the National Security Law was imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong nearly five years ago, in 2020, the repercussions are still being felt today. And that is coming to the fore now as we once again put the spotlight on the fate of Jimmy Lai, John.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Kristie, thank you. Kristie Lu Stout live in Hong Kong.

STOUT: Thank you.

VAUSE: We'll take a short break. We're counting down to a presidential summit, which will focus on ending Russia's war in Ukraine.

Our coverage with Jim Sciutto continues after a short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: We are now just a few hours away from a crucial summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin, right here in Anchorage, Alaska.

[01:34:46]

SCIUTTO: President Trump says he believes his Russian counterpart does want to make a deal to end the war in Ukraine. The U.S. president has threatened Russia with, quote, "very severe consequences" if Putin does not agree to stop the fighting although President Trump has set deadlines before and broken through them.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Trump hopes to achieve, quote, "some stoppage" in fighting from this summit to then create space for full negotiations for a broader peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine's president, is not scheduled to attend Friday's summit. Some European officials say they are concerned that Trump could be swayed by Putin, perhaps make a deal above the Ukrainian's heads.

Robert English is the director of Central European Studies at the University of Southern California, and he joins us from La Spezia, Italy. Robert, thanks so much for taking the time.

ROBERT ENGLISH, DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL EUROPEAN STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: My pleasure.

SCIUTTO: So Robert, as I understand it, there's been a great deal of communication between Washington and European capitals to attempt to get the U.S. leader on the same page with European leaders as they go into this summit.

And I wonder, do you believe that they are on the same page? Because sometimes there have been quite public differences between President Trump and his European counterparts?

ENGLISH: No, you're correct. I don't think they're on the same page. The Europeans have done what they can to try to reinforce the need to stand up for a better deal for Ukraine. And maybe that has some slight impact on Trump, but ultimately, he's going to make a deal between the big boys and we know he does not have much regard for Ukraine and its leader. And that hasn't changed.

SCIUTTO: Given that Trump to some degree surprised on the upside at the NATO summit a number of weeks ago, there was concern. I mean, even at the outside, there was some concern that Trump might pull the U.S. entirely out of NATO in his second term. That hasn't happened.

And following the NATO summit, he had -- he had quite positive things to say about Europe, the alliance, the U.S. relationship with the alliance. Is it possible that Trump surprises Europe on the upside here in Anchorage?

ENGLISH: It's possible, but I don't think it's likely. Trump's fundamental beliefs about how the world operates, his beliefs about Russia, Europe and the sources of this conflict haven't changed.

And we saw him revert after some positive words about Ukraine, some supportive words and critical words towards Putin. We've seen him recently retreat back to the earlier position that Ukraine is to blame. Ukraine has to concede.

So deep down I don't think much has changed. And we can only hope that he'll not make a worse deal, but it's going to be a bad deal, a difficult deal for Ukraine.

And that second summit, right where Ukraine is asked to sign on to whatever comes out of Alaska, is the really difficult one.

SCIUTTO: Given the collection of Trump's decisions and statements so far in his second term, there's a school of thought that Trump's view of the world is a -- is a sphere's of influence view of the world that he's quite happy to defy -- divide up spheres with Russia and China as well with something of an attitude as whatever you do in your backyard is fine with me, just don't interfere in my backyard.

And I wonder, is Putin perhaps trying to take advantage of that by offering a broader discussion here in Anchorage, beyond Ukraine, about U.S.-Russia economic ties, the possibility of further nuclear negotiations, for instance?

ENGLISH: Exactly. That's exactly right. Trump does have that great powers make deals view of the world that's much less concerned about our allies, about the camp that is democratic and liberal versus autocratic.

And he's attracted to big deals. He's attracted to a minerals investment, reopening an air corridor and all the kind of bells and whistles that don't really get at the substance of this confrontation between an aggressive Russia and a weak and wounded Ukraine.

He doesn't see it that way. Ukraine is secondary to him.

SCIUTTO: In Trump's first administration he, of course, met the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un three times and ultimately did not make a deal.

And in that third summit and I was covering it, Trump walked away because it was his view that Kim wasn't serious enough, wasn't willing to give enough ground.

[01:39:46]

SCIUTTO: And I wonder, do you believe that's possible here as well? Trump has recently said that he might walk away if he doesn't hear enough progress at their meeting. But do you think that he'd be willing to do that?

ENGLISH: This is a tougher one for Trump because it's a big war in the middle of Europe. We all know that. And because he wants that Nobel Peace Prize. It really is important to him to follow on his small victories with Armenia-Azerbaijan, India-Pakistan. He wants the big one. And he made a campaign promise.

So he's put much more pressure on himself not to walk away from this one and to somehow be able to claim a win. It's really hurting him. The criticism that he's failed here.

SCIUTTO: Sure. Yes. Of course, the trouble is there are a lot of forces here that even the U.S. president cannot entirely control.

Robert English, thanks so much for joining.

Well, President Trump is expected to attempt to use economic leverage in order to bring Russia to a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine. Ahead, we're going to look at the state of Russia's economy to see if it can withstand more U.S. and western economic pressure.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: Russia has become an economic pariah in the West since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. However, despite massive economic sanctions, Moscow is still doing billions of dollars' worth of business, not just with Europe, but even the U.S.

The U.S. has imported more than $900 million worth of fertilizers so far this year. It has also bought some $750 million of uranium and plutonium.

Europe has imported $850 million of Russian iron and steel just in the first quarter of this year and purchased about $300 million worth of nickel.

[01:44:46]

SCIUTTO: However, Russia's top economic envoy is hoping that those numbers will grow even higher if the summit here in Anchorage goes well. He says the event is an opportunity to reset U.S.-Russian relations and repair economic ties.

CNN's Matthew Chance spoke with him just after he landed here in Alaska. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: You've come all this way from Moscow. You've talked a lot about, you know, the various areas in which there can Be cooperation between the United States and Russia -- The space exploration, the economic cooperation.

But is all that really just trying to draw President Trump away from focusing on Ukraine?

KIRILL DMITRIEV, KREMLIN ECONOMIC ENVOY: No, of course not. I think the Americans are very clear that Ukraine issue needs to be resolved for any economic progress to be made.

But it is true that there are lots of economic progress to be made. And I think it's very important. As you know, that U.S. companies lost more than $300 billion from leaving Russia.

And I think the whole world benefits from the U.S.-Russia relations. And many people try to make it sinister to talk about U.S. Russia relations. But we believe it's important to restore U.S.-Russia relations.

CHANCE: And what will you be raising at these talks that are taking place on Friday in terms of how best to restore those relations, what kind of specific deals are you looking at? Which kinds of areas are you wanting to explore?

DMITRIEV: Yes. I think let's wait for the discussions to happen. I think there is general discussion about arctic and many other possibilities.

But again, Ukraine is the main focus. Our political leaders, our diplomats, will be at the front stage and then we'll see. Even if we get to economic questions or not.

CHANCE: But do you think it's even possible for there to be progress on economic questions? You know, if the question of Ukraine remains unanswered, do you -- do you accept that, that there will be no economic cooperation unless Ukraine is answered?

DMITRIEV: Yes. I think we understand that unless there is major progress on Ukraine and diplomatic efforts succeed, then economic cooperation will take a while to be relaunched. So we completely understand that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: President Trump has been threatening, quote, "serious consequences" if Russia does not come around to a deal to end the war in Ukraine. Tighter sanctions are one of the options at the president's disposal, though he has missed several of his own deadlines to impose new economic penalties on Russia.

CNN's Anna Cooban examines just how effective new sanctions might be.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COOBAN, CNN REPORTER: When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Western countries rushed to respond with tough economic measures, targeting everything from trade to finance.

Russia is now the most sanctioned major economy in the world. And this had an instant economic impact. You can see that just after the invasion in 2022, Russian GDP plunged and Moscow was forced to take emergency measures to keep its economy going.

Since then, the Russian economy has managed to recover. But that's really down to two major factors.

So firstly, the country really switched to a wartime economy. Military spending has more than doubled since before the invasion and now counts for about 7 percent of Russian GDP.

And then when Europe began sanctioning Russian energy in 2022, Russia focused on selling its barrels of oil to Asia. China has bought around 47 percent of Russia's crude exports, while India has bought around 38 percent, with the oil and gas sector still accounting for around one- fifth of Russian GDP.

Now the average Russian has been hit by shortages of Western goods, travel restrictions and rising prices but they have adapted. Copycat Western brands have emerged, and a wartime surge in production has meant that unemployment is at a record low.

But there are concerns that Russia's apparent economic strength is actually just a mirage. In June, Russia's economy minister warned of a possible recession. And it's that economic weakness that President Trump is capitalizing on when he threatens additional sanctions on Russia and those who purchase Russian energy.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What will those consequences be?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There will be consequences.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Sanctions, tariffs?

TRUMP: There will -- I don't have to say. There will be very severe consequences. Yes.

COOBAN: Analysts say that one of Putin's key aims in the Alaska talks will be to do just enough to avoid these additional sanctions. Expectations of a peace deal are a way off.

Anna Cooban, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: We do have much more ahead on the upcoming Trump-Putin summit. I'll be back in just a few hours as those events, the talks get underway.

Please do stay with CNN for our special coverage, which kicks off at 2 p.m. Eastern time.

For now, let's go back to Atlanta and my colleague John Vause.

VAUSE: It will be a very long day for you, Jim, and all our other colleagues there in Anchorage. Thank you.

[01:49:44]

VAUSE: We'll take a break. When we come back, high in the Himalayas rescuers are searching for hundreds of people swept away in a heavy rainstorm. Details on the second deadly flooding disaster in the region in a week.

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VAUSE: Sudden heavy rain in the Himalayas has killed at least 46 people. 200 others remain unaccounted for in India controlled Kashmir. The flood washed away a community kitchen at a stopover on a popular pilgrimage route in the Himalayas.

Local officials say the downpour occurred around lunchtime, when many people had gathered to eat when they were hit by the flooding. It is the second major flooding event in India in just over a week after a mudslide engulfed another village in the Himalayas.

Japan marking the 80th anniversary of its surrender to end World War II. In Tokyo, the country's emperor and prime minister took part in a solemn ceremony.

The events coincided with a series of memorials across Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where survivors from the nuclear bombings advocated for nuclear disarmament.

Joining us now live from Tokyo, CNN's Hanako Montgomery.

So this is actually the day that the emperor announced the plans to surrender. The signing came about ten days later, September 2nd on board the USS Missouri. So what actually happened today with this ceremony?

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John. So today with the ceremony of the 80th anniversary of Japan surrendering, we heard from the Japanese Emperor Naruhito, who gave his annual address to the country.

[01:54:53]

MONTGOMERY: In the speech he really delivered a message of the importance of peace and also commemorated the millions of lives lost during the Second World War.

Now we also heard a very similar speech from the Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who also emphasized just how important peace is and how important it is to not fight wars.

Now, during today's ceremony, also, the families of those who were killed during World War II were in attendance, and they also had a moment of silence to remember those who died in this war.

Now in Japan, this anniversary is very somber. It's a solemn moment and really one of mourning. But of course, for Allied Countries, like, for instance, the United States, the U.K. and Australia, this was a moment that really marked the end of the war, that marked the end of fighting.

Veterans and those soldiers who were on the front lines could finally come home, back to their family members, back to their loved ones.

In fact, here's what the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, said earlier today about that moment, 80 years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: 80 years ago today, Prime Minister Ben Chifley began his address to the nation. It was a sentence of perfect simplicity but infinite power. Fellow citizens, the war is over.

The signing of the surrender -- surrender was some weeks off, but the darkness that had engulfed the world and made its last stand in the Pacific was at last lifted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MONTGOMERY: Now, the end of World War II also marked a new era for Japan. It was a departure from its past as a militarily mighty country to a nation that really emphasized peace.

And it also marked the moment that the U.S. began to occupy Japan, and under which Japan was rebuilt as a democratic nation, and one with a lot of industrial and economic might.

But despite all of these changes John, Japan still hasn't really fully acknowledged the wartime atrocities that its imperial army committed during World War II. In places like China, Korea, Taiwan and other parts of Southeast Asia. So -- and these tensions really still emphasize and are really quite important to Japan's relationship with its neighboring Asian countries.

VAUSE: Hanako --

MONTGOMERY: So it goes to show that despite its military past, it's still very much influences its present.

VAUSE: Absolutely. Hanako Montgomery there in Tokyo. Thank you.

And thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.

We'll have a short break now. Kim Brunhuber takes over after that.

[01:57:23]

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