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Leaders Meet to End War; Unrest in Gaza Ignites More Protests; Jimmy Lai's Trial Halted; Trump Ahead of Friday Summit: Putin "Going To Make A Deal"; Japan Marks 80 Years Since Its Surrender Ended WWII; Evacuations In Central, Northern Portugal As Wildfires Burn. Aired 2- 3a ET

Aired August 15, 2025 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNKNOWN: This is CNN breaking news.

KRIM BRUNHUBER, CNN HOST: Welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

We are just a few hours away from a rare summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. President Trump says he hopes the meeting will help bring an end to the grinding war in Ukraine, following Russia's full-scale invasion more than three years ago.

We expect to hear from both leaders at a joint news conference later, though, President Trump says he could do it by himself if the meeting

doesn't end well.

Now Trump, keeping expectations high, says he believes Putin wants to make a deal to end the war after White House officials earlier this week downplayed the one-on-one meeting as a listening exercise.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: 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, a 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)

BRUNHUBER: The summit will be held at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. Russia's foreign minister and its ambassador to the U.S. have already arrived for the meeting, according to Russian state media.

President Trump says the summit is an effort to set the table for a second meeting to include Ukraine's presence.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been meeting with European leaders as they emphasize that no decision about Ukraine should be made without them at the table. Russia's leader is heading into the summit hoping to make it about more than just Ukraine.

Putin and Russian officials are floating the idea of discussing nuclear agreements and economic cooperation. Whatever Putin's game plan is, he's setting the stage with something he's used before with President Trump, flattery.

Fred Pleitgen reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Russian state TV counting down the minutes to the landmark summit between President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. After days of silence, Putin with his first public remarks, meeting his most senior officials, praising President Trump.

The current American administration, he says, which is making, in my opinion, quite energetic and sincere efforts to stop the hostilities, stop the crisis and reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved in this conflict in order to create long-term conditions for peace between our countries.

But more than long term peace talks, President Trump says he wants an immediate ceasefire as the fighting on the battlefields in Ukraine grinds on. It's Trump threatening quote, "severe consequences" if the summit doesn't yield real progress towards a ceasefire.

I asked a member of Russia's delegation about the U.S.'s tough talk.

So, sir, President Trump has threatened severe consequences if there's no movement towards a ceasefire. What's Russia hoping to get out of this meeting?

KIRILL DMITRIEV, RUSSIAN SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY: Well, think dialogue is very important and I think it's a very positive meeting for the world because during Biden administration no dialogue was happening. So I think it's very important to hear Russian position directly and there's lots of misunderstandings, misinformation about the Russian position. And it's also a chance to sort of reset if the meeting goes well, U.S.-Russia relations.

PLEITGEN: Moscow hoping for sanctions relief and lucrative business deals with the U.S. in the future, especially in the Arctic. Russians fascinated by the summit venue Alaska once part of Russia till it was sold to the U.S. in the 19th century. Some Russians still bitter feeling Alaska should be theirs.

Neither in the Tsarist nor in the Soviet nor in the post-Soviet era have the top leaders of our country visited Alaska, a Russian state TV correspondent says in a report from Alaska. But should they not take back the land sold in 1867 by Alexander the Second for the colossal sum at the time of $7,200,000.

[02:04:58]

But for now, many Russians hope their president will be able to take back the diplomatic initiative and persuade President Trump into laying off possible severe sanctions and tariffs.

The Kremlin spokesman praising Putin's relations with the U.S. president. President Trump is demonstrating an unprecedentedly unusual approach to solving the most difficult issues, he says, which is highly praised by Moscow and President Putin personally.

While both Washington and Moscow say the personal chemistry between the two leaders is good, the coming hours will show if they're strong enough to move closer to ending the fighting in Ukraine.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And for more on this I want to bring in Ben Wedeman who's live in Kyiv. So Ben, I know there's hope from many Ukrainians ahead of the summit but plenty of worry as well because what President Trump might agree to. What have you been hearing?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there is a lot of skepticism, Kim. There is a lot of distrust in President Trump, who has a well-known history of dislike for Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, typified, of course, by that volatile Oval Office meeting earlier this year.

Now, when President Trump came into office back in January, there was, however, certain amount of optimism that perhaps he would be able to make good on his promise to end the war within 24 hours. Well, here we are in the middle of August of 2025. The war is still raging on and there is no sign that it's going to end anytime soon. And there's a feeling that perhaps President Trump's deal-making abilities aren't quite what he has boasted they are.

So now there is worry that when they meet one-on-one behind closed doors President Putin and President Trump may come to some sort of an agreement that is unacceptable to Ukraine. The worry is that President Trump is going to be pushing this idea of a land swap between Russia and Ukraine, keeping in mind of course that Ukraine doesn't occupy any Russian land that it is Russia that occupies Ukraine and therefore there's not really anything to swap.

Nonetheless, there is a certain amount of exhaustion here after two and half years and three and a half years of war. The feeling is among many that the war needs to come to an end. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, parts of Ukraine destroyed, and the hope is that somehow, they'll be able to come to an agreement. But as I said, there's real skepticism that President Trump can pull

it off. He says it's going to be after the initial sort of more dramatic statements he made about the summit. He's now saying it's going to be a listening exercise and that President Trump is hoping that it will immediately be followed by another summit that will involve President Zelenskyy, because it's somewhat ironic that the fate of Ukraine is being discussed between two men, the presidents of the United States and Russia, and Ukraine is not in the room. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Absolutely. All right. Ben Wedeman in Kyiv, thank you so much.

I want to bring in Michael Bociurkiw, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and former spokesperson for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He's also the creator of the World Briefing newsletter, a letter on Substack, and he joins us live from Rome.

Good to see you again. Thanks so much for speaking with us here.

So, President Trump has said Putin won't be messing around with him. But when you and I have spoken before, you've said that President Putin is really adept at playing President Trump. Is that what you're expecting here?

MICHAEL BOCIURKIW, FORMER SPOKESPERSON, OSCE: Good to be with you, Kim. Yes, absolutely. I think he's already played Mr. Trump. I mean, look at the huge diplomatic win he's achieved by being lifted out of the grave of diplomatic isolation and coming to US soil, a U.S. Air Force base, no less, to meet the leader, so-called leader of the democratic world.

I think the only way to top that is by getting Trump to come to Moscow. Now, I, judging by statements so far from both leaders, Putin will be sticking to his maximalist demands, as your correspondent Ben Wedeman said. I mean, these are a lot of things that Ukraine can never accept, and a lot of Ukrainian politicians have been saying the same thing.

[02:09:46]

So, we're not exactly sure where things will go, but I think all of us know this, too, that the White House has been very much tamping down expectations, calling this a fact-finding exercise, things like that. Well, that could be done virtually but, anyway you look at it this is a big, big achievement for Mr. Putin exactly who knows very well how to play Mr. Trump, I think.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. What should be we watching for, do you think, to see if this diplomatic push is genuine or just another delaying tactic by Moscow as many sort of expect.

BOCIURKIW: Yes. Great question, because a lot of Ukrainians I've been speaking to are looking for very, very clear definitions of what will be agreed to and of course, who will be a guarantor of any agreements.

I mean, the typical Russian playbook, of course, is to push for vague agreements so that they can manipulate whoever signs that piece of paper and also to gain more territory. There's no sign whatsoever that Russia is giving up its territorial ambitions to take more of Ukraine.

I think the other thing, Kim, that's important to put up here is lurking in the background is a Britain and world briefing is China. Minerals will most likely be on the table, whether they're minerals lying under the earth in Alaska, or more importantly for China is the minerals in Russian occupied territory in Ukraine. Things like neon that go into the making of semiconductor chips, things like lithium for car batteries.

I think that's something that Trump feels he can trade for concessions especially because he has a minerals deal with Ukraine which is suitably big as well.

BRUNHUBER: All right. President Putin has a history of using diplomatic pauses to rearm and reposition.

BOCIURKIW: Yes.

BRUNHUBER: So how can I go shears structure and agreement to prevent that from happening again?

BOCIURKIW: Well, I think the main thing here is verification. In other words, being able to have a team on the ground like the OSCE Special Monetary Mission that I was part of in 2014, 2015 to verify what exactly is going on in the ground.

But the main thing I think for the Russians is that they need to, any agreement needs to be crystal clear and with a timeline. So the typical way of, I think dealing with the Russians from what we know over the decades is you find something that they really, really want to get them to sign, but then you make it crystal clear to them that any violation whatsoever and we've gotten the weak spot with the Russians and that is going after their best buddies like India, China, Brazil, with secondary sanctions.

In other words, if Russia if you violate any terms of disagreement we will -- United States will slap very painful sanctions on these countries and that in turn will hurt Russia. It will hurt the funding of their war machine.

BRUNHUBER: There's been plenty of talks about you potential territorial concessions as part of a deal. I mean, you talked about your role in the in OSCE monitoring. And from your time for documenting what's happened in occupied territories, what with those concessions actually mean for the people living there? What must be going through their minds right now?

BOCIURKIW: Well, Kim, it's very sad, you know, lots and lots of Ukrainians who have been displaced and especially where I'm based usually in Odessa, who have fled Kherson, Mykolaiv, say living under Russian occupation is like on earth and it just isn't going to happen.

But then, you know, you have a lot of elderly people there, people who can't move, who are in territories right now that are being fought over. And they're very, very fearful because there's very good documented evidence by now of what the Russians are doing to territories they've gained from stealing or exporting Ukrainian children to Russifying everything. It's very, very painful for them to live in these sorts of conditions.

So, you know, and finally, on the way here to Rome, I stopped in Vilven (Ph). I visited one of the cemeteries there. And you can see in front of your very eyes, Kim, the extent of the Ukrainian losses. And there's no way that Ukrainians are going to go for any major concessions regarding territory, considering how much blood has been spilled. It's just so sad you see that all over Ukraine right now. And I think Mr. Zelenskyy realizes that he has to stand up for all of those men and women who have paid the ultimate cost.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, you're speaking to us from Rome right now. But usually when you and I are speaking, you're in Ukraine.

BOCIURKIW: Yes.

BRUNHUBER: So, I appreciate you bringing that perspective to us. Michael Bociurkiw in Rome, thank you so much.

BOCIURKIW: Thank you.

[02:14:59]

BRUNHUBER: Media tycoon Jimmy Lai appears in court but the proceedings were quickly adjourned. We'll have a live report from Hong Kong coming up. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Protesters burned tires and blocked traffic in Tel Aviv on Thursday. They were calling for the release of all Israeli hostages still held in Gaza. Police say at least a dozen people were detained during the demonstrations.

Now this comes after Israel's Ministry of Health warned this week that the hostages are in a quote, "immediate life-threatening situation." Twenty hostages out of the 50 that remain in Gaza are believed to be alive.

Mourners held funeral prayers for Palestinians who were killed by Israeli fire while trying to get food and supplies according to medics. They gathered outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Thursday. Some prayed over the relatives who were killed by what one Palestinian described as quote, "death aid." Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAHANI JABR JUNDIA, PALESTINIAN WHO LOST SON-IN-LAW (through translator): He was muttered 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, they want to eat.

[02:20:02]

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)

BRUNHUBER: The European Union and the U.K. are slamming Israel's controversial plan to build thousands of new homes in the occupied West Bank. They say it's a breach of international law which would split the West Bank in half.

Israel's far-right finance minister announced the move during a Thursday news conference on the site of the planned construction. He said it would, quote, "permanently bury" the idea of a Palestinian state.

The trial for Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai came to an abrupt halt earlier after a judge paused proceedings until Monday. Closing arguments were set to begin, but Lai's defense attorneys raised concerns about his health, specifically his heart.

The 77-year-old appeared thin and frail during court. The judge ruled that it wasn't prudent to carry on until Lai's medical needs had been attended to.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is following this lie from Hong Kong. So, Kristie, another delay in the hearing after yesterday's black rain alert this newest delay over Jimmy Lai's health. Walk us through what happened.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely, Kim. So, day one of closing arguments was adjourned today due to concerns over the health of Jimmy Lai. The court learned today that Jimmy Lai has not received medical treatment that was prescribed to him earlier today. We were at the court in West Kowloon. We surveyed the scene outside. We saw a line of supporters waiting to have that moment to get inside the court and to bear witness to today's proceedings that were again, adjourned because of health concerns.

We also saw the heavy security presence outside a number of police officers and police vehicles out in force inside the court. We saw Jimmy Lai who appeared visibly thinner wearing a white shirt and black spectacles.

This is a trial that's being closely watched in Hong Kong and around the world, including by the U.S. President Donald Trump. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: 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 and we'll put it down as part of the negotiation.

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

TRUMP: I'm going to do everything I can to save him.

LU STOUT: 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 of 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, FOUNDER, APPLE DAILY: Mr. President, you're the only one who can save us. If you save us and stop China's aggression, you also save the world.

LU STOUT: 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 is 77 years old. He has diabetes. He has been in custody since December of 2020. That's nearly half a decade and much of that time in solitary confinement.

I recently spoke to Sebastien Lai, the son of Jimmy Lai, who expressed his concerns about the health of his father and his father's solitary confinement. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIEN LAI, JIMMY'S LAI'S SON: If you put a 77-year-old man in a concrete box in solitary confinement, solitary confinement by the way is a form of torture, right? So, 15 days of solitary confinement is prolonged solitary confinement.

[02:24:54]

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 a conjecture. That's just a basic fact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now, the Hong Kong government disputes that. We did reach out to the Hong Kong government for their comment, their direct reaction to Sebastien Lai's comments. And they pointed out that Lai had requested to be removed from the general prison population while also giving us this statement.

Let's bring it up for you. Saying this, quote, "the remarks by Sebastien Lai regarding Lai Chee-ying's solitary confinement are completely fact-twisting, reflecting a malicious intention to smear and attack the Hong Kong SAR government," unquote.

Again, today was supposed to be day one of closing arguments in the national security trial of Jimmy Lai. They were adjourned because of health concerns, concerns about the health of Jimmy Lai. These closing statements are supposed to take several days or weeks and eventually lead to a verdict about the fate of Jimmy Lai.

Back to you, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Appreciate your coverage on this. Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. Thanks so much.

LU STOUT: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: Moscow has reportedly pushed for more territory in Ukraine ahead of the U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska.

Still ahead, we look at the situation on the front lines in the areas the Kremlin has its eyes on.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us all around the world.

I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

We are just a few hours away from a high-stakes summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. President Trump says he's convinced that his Russian counterpart wants to make a deal ending the war in Ukraine.

[02:29:57]

The U.S. president has threatened Russia with, quote, "very severe consequences if Putin doesn't agree to stop the war."

I want to bring in CNN's Sebastian Shukla live this hour from Berlin.

So, Sebastian, let's drill down on the Russian perspective. What are they saying about this summit?

SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: Yeah. Good morning, Kim.

I think we should start by looking at the optics of this summit for the Russian president. For since the 24th of February, 2022, President Putin has been on the diplomatic naughty step. Dare I say it? He's been categorized and viewed as a pariah.

So, the fact that today, later on today, he will take a press conference and meet with the U.S. president, means that that diplomatic isolationism that he was that was sort of self-imposed in that instance is over. He will be standing shoulder to shoulder with the most powerful man on the planet, with the most powerful country in the planet, at a U.S. military base in Alaska, a former Russian colony, so to speak, that was traded to the United States, where they will be discussing potentially one of the world's most consequential and significant issues at the time.

That is a goal when it comes to the Kremlin, and the way that the president has been talking yesterday, President Putin, he was almost demure. He was kind of glowing. He was praising in the words and the way that the Trump administration had been looking forward to this summit.

Take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The current American administration, which is everyone knows, is making, in my opinion, quite energetic and sincere efforts to stop the hostilities, stop the crisis, and reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved in this conflict.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHUKLA : The interests of all parties involved. There is an interesting line because, as we've seen throughout these, the lead up to the summit and the various phone calls and negotiations that have taken place, the two sides in this are diametrically opposed on paper, because the way that the Russians view this war in Ukraine and the way that President Putin sets out his demands for any ceasefire, negotiation and agreement, is that the core issues of the Ukraine conflict are an issue, as they call it, rather than invasion or war, is they have to be tackled head on.

And for Putin, the Ukraine question is existential to Russian national security. He views Ukraine as being part of Russia's natural sphere of influence. And that is not the way the Ukrainians and the Europeans see it either.

So there -- it will be very interesting to see today, later on, just whether President Trump has taken on us or he just takes the bait, as it may be, that President Putin may lay down to him and say, and just listen to what the Russian perspective is, what the Europeans have been trying to do over the last week, though, is tell the U.S. president that no -- the one of the negotiated agreements out of this summit must be ceasefire before any talks about territorial swaps, which has been one of those things that have been mooted, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, a strong message of solidarity from Europe there this week.

Sebastian Shukla in Berlin, thank you so much.

President Trump has suggested that a Ukraine ceasefire deal could involve some land swapping, but Ukraine made it clear that surrendering any territory to Russia is a nonstarter.

CNN's Clare Sebastian explains which areas could be on the table.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, here's what's at stake as Trump and Putin get ready to sit down in Alaska. Now, the territory you see in red, that is what Russia currently occupies. It's about 19 percent of Ukraine, according to the Institute for the study of war. And that includes these four regions here that Russia claimed to annex in 2022. And of course, Crimea down here, where it's had de facto control since occupying the territory in 2014.

The parts in yellow, meanwhile, is the land that Ukraine has recaptured from Russia since 2022. Now, patchy details have come out of a Russian peace offer, potentially involving Ukraine giving up the Donbas region, that is, these two regions here, Donetsk and Luhansk. But this week, Russia's foreign ministry also said that its war goals haven't changed, which involves Ukraine also ceding Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south.

But here's the thing. Take a look at this map. Large parts of Donetsk, as well as Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, are not occupied by Russia. They're still controlled by Ukraine. You can see that the regional borders run above that red section here.

And if Russia demands that Ukraine pull back from all of those regions, then in practice that would mean Ukraine withdrawing from cities that it spent three and a half years and thousands of human lives defending, abandoning some of its best defenses, including the so-called fortress belt. In this part of Donetsk, and pulling back to a less defensible line, something Zelenskyy said would simply create a springboard for future Russian aggression.

[02:35:02]

Now, it could also mean giving back territory like this down here in Kherson that Ukraine has actually taken back already from Russia militarily, in the first year of the war.

Now, this week, after over a year of trying to take the Donetsk town of Pokrovsk, if we zoom in there, Russia seems to have pushed through Ukrainian defensive lines just here, heading towards the town of Dobropillia. Though Ukraine has stressed that this is not a major breakthrough and

is now stabilized, Ukraine is still warning, though, that Russia in this area alone has about 110,000 troops stationed, a force larger than the entire British standing army.

So far from the ceasefire that Trump may push for an Alaska, it is, according to Ukraine, preparing to launch new offensives, in effort potentially to force Ukraine into big concessions.

Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: I want to get a Ukrainian perspective on this summit. Joining me now from Kyiv is Oleksandr Merezhko, a member of Ukraine's parliament and the chair of the parliament's foreign affairs committee.

Thank you, sir, for joining us. Really appreciate it.

I want to start with the topic we were just hearing about there from our correspondent. President Trump has repeatedly talked about having to swap land, essentially giving up some Ukrainian territory to get other Ukrainian territory back.

President Zelenskyy has repeatedly said he's not willing to do this, but realistically, I mean, he will have to, won't he?

OLEKSANDR MEREZHKO, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Well, first of all, its absolutely impossible to cede any territories of Ukraine because, again, its impossible from the constitutional perspective, it's impossible from the perspective of international law, let alone morality and political situation.

But the biggest mistake which President Trump seemingly is making is that he thinks that it's another kind of business deal, that if Ukraine cedes parts of its territory, it will appease the aggressor, it will appease Putin. Putin will stop and will agree to ceasefire or maybe peace.

It's a huge mistake because it's not about additional territories of Ukraine give to Russian empire. Thats absolutely different issue because Putin's ultimate goal is not about grabbing more territories of Ukraine. His goal is to subjugate Ukraine as a whole, to establish control over Ukraine, and then to move further, to reestablish hegemony of Russian empire over the whole Europe.

This is his primary goal. So, it's not about parts of Ukrainian territories, and it will not appease Putin.

BRUNHUBER: Given what you've said. Let me ask you this, because many experts we've spoken with here have expressed skepticism that there will be any kind of deal. But the there is fear that if there is one, it could be in Russia's favor.

So where are you on the scale of hopeful or fearful about what might come out of today's meeting, especially given what you've said about your skepticism over Donald Trump's ability or his wanting to make a type of business deal as you've said.

MEREZHKO: There is such a risk, unfortunately, because if President Trump wants to settle the matter quickly, hastily, of course, it can be done only at the expense of the weaker party, which is Ukraine, the victim of the aggression. And, sometimes it seems as if he wants to restart negotiations and restart relations with Russia and Ukraine is an obstacle for him. And if Ukraine is off the table, he can make a big deal with Russia with regard to natural resources doing business and so on. And again, it's a huge mistake. It will never happen.

BRUNHUBER: So I mean, you sound very skeptical and very pessimistic about what could come out of this. I mean, is there any, scenario in which you could see Ukraine getting a good deal coming out of this summit? What might that look like?

MEREZHKO: Well, first of all, we don't need to negotiate with Putin. It's absolutely useless, meaningless. And the whole history proved it many, many times. If you want to get something done by Putin, you need to impose a maximum pressure in the form of sanctions, including secondary sanctions against those countries which provide lifeline to Russian war machine.

So, if you want ceasefire, provide more military assistance to Ukraine and impose serious sanctions, which would stop Russian war machine. This is the only way to real ceasefire, genuine ceasefire.

BRUNHUBER: But Donald Trump has been reluctant to support Ukraine militarily. So that might not be on the deal, but part of a deal rather.

[02:40:00]

Russian peace promises -- I mean, you've talked about their history. I mean, making promises is one thing.

So, for any deal, presumably Ukraine would need security guarantees. Now, NATO membership not on the table now, but what would a sufficient guarantee for Ukraine look like?

MEREZHKO: The answer to this question depends on the Putin's mind, what is adequate deterrent for him to prevent his attack against Ukraine in the future? Only Putin can answer this question. So far, we know only one thing, that the only reliable, truly reliable deterrent against Putin's new attack, new invasion is NATO membership for Ukraine.

As for other security guarantees, I'm skeptical. I'm not sure whether they will work. They will be -- whether they will be powerful enough to deter Putin. It's an open question.

BRUNHUBER: Is the -- is salvation possibly from Europe here? I mean, certainly we've heard a very strong messages coming from European leaders in terms of their solidarity with Ukraine. If there is more of a schism between the U.S. and Ukraine as a result of what happens today, what role do you think Europe will play and can they go it alone?

MEREZHKO: Well, Europe is our reliable partner, our reliable ally, and we are truly grateful to European leaders, especially for everything what they are doing and their role in trying to bring the United States closer. But at the same time, there is a huge danger because Putin wants to drive a wedge between Europe and the United States. He hopes to undermine transatlantic solidarity between the United States and Europe. And there is a huge danger which is detrimental to American national interests. And that's why we should really care about transatlantic solidarity and unity. And Ukraine is important in this, in this respect.

BRUNHUBER: Really great to get your perspective, a Ukrainian perspective on this important day.

Oleksandr Merezhko in Kyiv, thank you so much.

MEREZHKO: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Still to come, Japan marks 80 years since it surrendered in World War II, ending the conflict. Look at how the country commemorated that historic day ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:36]

BRUNHUBER: Japan is marking the 80th anniversary of its surrender that ended 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. Other countries also have plans to commemorate the end of World War II in the Pacific.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery is live in Tokyo.

Hanako, a somber, emotional day in Japan. Take us through it.

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Kim, as you said, it's a very somber day here in Tokyo. And really in the entire country. It's a day of mourning to really remember the millions of lives lost during the Second World War. And we saw this ceremony marked in Tokyo by the Japanese Emperor Naruhito, and also by the Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Now, both of them delivered speeches really emphasizing the importance of peace and of course, also commemorating the millions of lives lost.

Here's part of the Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speech, delivered earlier on Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHIGERU ISHIBA, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER: No matter how much time passes, we will continue to pass on the painful memories of war and our unwavering determination to never again engage in war from generation to generation. And we will continue to take action to achieve lasting peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MONTGOMERY: Now, of course, this ceremony is very different from the way Japan's surrender is remembered by allied powers.

For instance, the United States, the U.K., parts of Europe, Australia, for example, because it really marked for them an end to the fighting, an end to the war. And soldiers didn't have to return to the front lines. They could stay at home with their families and if finally again meant an end to the fighting.

Now, significantly, Japan's surrender during World War II also marked a huge shift in Japan's history and also in its new era. It marked a departure from the country's military past, from its military might, to really a nation that emphasized the importance of peace.

It also marked the beginning of U.S. occupation in Japan, under which Japan was rebuilt as a Democratic country, and also one with a lot of industrial and economic might, remnants of which we still see to this very day. Japan's economy is the fifth largest in the world. But despite all of these changes, Kim, Japan really still hasn't fully acknowledged some of its wartime atrocities committed by its imperial army during the second world war. In parts of China, Korea, Taiwan, other countries in southeast Asia, for example.

And because of this lack of acknowledgment, it has caused some political tension and some headache for Japan and its Asian allies and neighbors.

So, it really just goes to show that even though its been 80 years since the end of the second world war, Japan's military past very much influences and shapes its present. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: I appreciate that. Hanako Montgomery in Tokyo.

And we'll be right back with more here on CNN NEWSROOM. Stay with us.

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[02:52:34]

BRUNHUBER: Wildfires in Portugal lit up the night on Thursday. Multiple fires are burning in the northern and central parts of the country, forcing evacuations. Fire officials say roughly 50,000 hectares, or 200 miles of burned so far this year. Hundreds of firefighters have been deployed this week to protect villages under threat from the flames. So far, no casualties have been reported.

A milestone for Hong Kong's first locally born giant panda cubs. This fluffy duo is officially turning one. The cubs are being bottle fed formula since they're still too young to digest solid food, but now big sister Jia Jia and little brother De De are playing around with bamboo, copying their mother by biting at the leaves. The park is inviting children who share the same birthday to join the festivities. History was made last year when their mom, Ying Ying, became the

worlds oldest first time panda mother at age 19, which is 57 in human years.

Robots are competing in the world's first humanoid robot games in China. The unique competition kicked off in Beijing Thursday. 280 teams from 16 countries are going head to head in 26 different events, including sports like soccer, track and field and boxing.

During the opening ceremony, the humanoid robots showed off their skills in martial arts. They also played keyboards, drums and guitars and dance to hip hop. When human team member described the rules for robotic apparel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GAO QIAN, DIRECTOR OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS, BEIJING DANCE ACADEMY: We definitely based it on the original terracotta warrior, including its appearance, color and material texture. At the same time, we had to take measurements for the robot. Since the robot wears the costume with added weights, it cannot exceed three kilograms. We also had to address heat dissipation on its back and ensure the robots 40 degrees of joint flexibility. Our costume cannot interfere with the robots joint movements.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The world's first humanoid robot games will feature a total of 487 matches before the event wraps up on Sunday. Meanwhile, scientists are witnessing some surprising moments as they use a robot to help them study the mating ritual of crabs.

CNN's Shannon Hodge introduces us to Wavy Dave.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHANNON HODGE, CNN SCIENCE CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): It's crab versus machine. As researchers at the University of Exeter built this robot, dubbed Wavy Dave, to study how male fiddler crabs compete for female attention.

DR. JOE WILDE, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE STATISTICIAN, BIOSS: Male fiddler crabs have an enlarged claw, and it can weigh up to 30 percent of their entire body mass. They wave it about to attract the attention of female crabs, and the female crabs prefer males that wave faster and have a longer reach.

HODGE: Scientists placed Wavy Dave on a mudflat teeming with thousands of crabs and gave the robot claws of varying sizes to wave near a real male's burrow.

WILDE: I was very surprised at how they reacted because the pessimist in me thought they won't see this as a crab, that, you know, they'll see through it, that we're essentially trying to pull a magic trick on them, and I didn't think that it would work. HODGE: Cameras captured how the crabs adapted, finding that the males abandoned their normal routines and continued waving their massive claw to compete with the robot.

WILDE: Adapting your strategy and kind of rolling with the punches, that's not something that's special to humans. We know how males are responding to this robot. They're lengthening their courtship bounce, so they're signaling for longer and they're spending less time in their burrow.

HODGE: The results of the study, published in the journal "Proceedings of the Royal Society B," show that while some males were less likely to compete when a rival had a larger claw, others would not back down from this robotic intruder.

WILDE: The fight between the fiddle crab and Wavy Dave, I wasn't expecting it when the individual did manage to break the claw off. I thought it wouldn't be strong enough. That just goes to show that you should never try and predict what's going to happen when you're working with animals.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Well, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back in a moment with more news.

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