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Zelenskyy Due In Saudi Arabia Of Crucial Ukraine-U.S. Talks; 600+ Killed In Brutal Reprisal Against Assad Regime Loyalists; Oil Tanker Catches Fire After Collision With Cargo Ship. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired March 10, 2025 - 10:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[10:00:23]
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi. This is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And welcome to the second hour of the show from our Middle East programming headquarters. I'm Becky Anderson.
It's 6:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy arrives in Saudi Arabia soon to meet with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also traveling to Jeddah to restart talks on ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
In Syria, the worst outbreak of violence since Bashar al-Assad was ousted last year. The interim government now saying it has restored some order.
Serious questions about who's behind the mass killings remain.
And U.S. Immigration authorities arrest a Palestinian activist who helped lead protests at Columbia University last spring. That marks a major
escalation of the Trump administration's pledge to crack down on students who joined protests against the war in Gaza across U.S. college campuses.
Just up now, we start with breaking news out of the United Kingdom. Rescue and firefighting operations are underway now in the North Sea after a
collision between oil tanker and a cargo ship. This happened off England's northeastern coast. This video circulating on social media, appears to show
a vessel on fire. The video has been aired by several British broadcasters seen and they cannot independently verify or geolocate it.
Well, Anna Stewart following developments for us. What do we know at this point?
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: So, information is still pretty scarce. What you can see from that video, though, is, of course, a vessel on fire. A
cargo ship and an oil tanker colliding. The first call, the alarm call came at 9:48 a.m. this morning. And the Coast Guard says that it has responded
with fixed wing aircraft and nearby vessels with firefighting capability. At this stage, we know that 32 casualties have been brought to shore.
And what we can really glean at this stage, Becky is looking at vessel finder and some of these marine tracking Web sites. We know, for instance,
the oil tanker is U.S. flag that's called the standard immaculate. It weighs nearly 30,000 tons. It's 183 meters long, and it's collided with so
long, which is a Portuguese flag cargo vessel, which is a bit smaller. You can see, of course, the oil tanker being on fire there which we believe
came from a port in Greece and was actually anchored off the port of hull at this time.
And the cargo vessel was traveling from a port in Scotland and was on route to the Netherlands. Now, of course, there is so much we don't know at this
stage. We don't know why the collision happened. It happened in daylight this morning, so you'd imagine visibility wasn't too bad and both of these
vessels are showing up on various vessel finding Web sites. So, you'd think the radar was working.
We also, of course, don't know whether everybody has been accounted for. 32 casualties have been brought to shore. They are heading to hospitals as we
speak right now, we know that there are helicopters, you know, in the area, doing search and rescue, but we just don't know whether everyone is
accounted for at this stage. Becky?
ANDERSON: By my calculation, the first alarms on this then would have been about six hours ago. What more do we know about the emergency rescue
operations at this point?
STEWART: So, it's been led by the Coast Guard, and at this stage we know that it involves helicopters, planes. It involves many actual ships that
you can see on some of these radar Web sites. I can see about five or six tug boats right by these two big, big vessels, I imagine, trying to help
with search and rescue, but information is scarce, and at this stage, of course, no one's really getting into the question of why they collided.
It's very much a sort of search and rescue mission right now.
ANDERSON: Yes. Wonders and we'll let you go to get more information on exactly what is going on. It's good to have you, Anna. Thank you.
Ready to move forward with peace negotiations. That is how a senior U.S. State Department official is describing Ukraine's position. As it said,
President arrives in Saudi Arabia today ahead of what are seen to be key talks.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before negotiators from Ukraine and the U.S. sit down in Jeddah on Tuesday.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be among the high-level officials from both countries at those meetings. U.S. President Donald Trump after
pausing aid and intelligence sharing for Ukraine is expressing hope that the talks will yield progress.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[10:05:04]
DONALD TRUMP (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- see what happens with the whole Russia-Ukraine thing. I think you're going to have eventually and
maybe not in the distant future, you're going to have some pretty good results coming out of Saudi Arabia this week.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going to resume to Ukraine if they sign the minerals deal?
TRUMP: Well, I think they will sign the minerals deal, but we want them to -- I want them to want peace.
ANDERSON: CNN's -- our Alex Marquardt is in Jeddah and he's -- our CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robinson's in London, retired U.S. Army
Colonel Bob Hamilton is with us. He has just returned from a trip to Kyiv. Good to have you all on board this hour. Alex, let's start with you. What
are you hearing on the ground about the chances of getting to an agreement at this point?
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think Becky, the goal here is to move the ball forward rather than reaching any
kind of concrete agreement. Of course, this comes two weeks after that really dramatic, explosive meeting in the Oval Office. So, both sides,
essentially looking to get things back on track. We heard the President speaking yesterday saying very big things are going to happen in Jeddah
this week.
Just a short time ago, Becky, Steve Witkoff, the Middle East envoy. He spoke with Fox Business. He said that they do expect to make substantial
progress in these talks. Tomorrow, they will be discussing that military and intelligence assistance from the United States, which has been put on
hold, although he pushed back saying that anything that was defensive for Ukraine actually has not been put on hold.
So, a bit of clarification needed there. Marco Rubio due to land here in Jeddah in just a short time. He is expected to meet with the Saudi Crown
Prince. He's going to be joined by not just Witkoff, but the National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. All three of those men sitting down with their
counterparts from the Ukrainian side tomorrow. They do believe that Ukraine is in a better position to talk about -- to talk about a peaceful
resolution with Russia.
Of course, there have been accusations from the Trump administration that there was no evidence that Ukraine is ready for those discussions, but we
did hear from that senior official traveling with Rubio that the fact that they're sending this senior level delegation here to Jeddah shows that they
are indeed ready to sit down. But what exactly will be accomplished remains to be seen.
That minerals deal that was due to get signed in Washington two weeks ago still has not yet been signed. We have heard certainly no more promises
from the United States in terms of security guarantees that the U.S. will be offering. One can imagine that the Ukrainian side will be pushing
forward, perhaps adding more details to what we've heard from President Zelenskyy In terms of a partial ceasefire.
That's something that he floated last week. That would look like a ceasing of aerial bombardment of energy and civilian infrastructure, fighting, of
course, in the Black Sea as well. But of course, the big question is the Russians and whether they would agree to that. The U.S. still approaching
this on two tracks conversations with the Ukrainians and the Russians separately, and eventually they hope to bring them together, Becky.
ANDERSON: Good to have you, Alex. Nic, let me bring you in. These talks, of course, being mediated in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. When you talk to
your sources across the files here, what are they telling you about what progress would look like coming out of these meetings?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes. I think the sense of what progress could come could be bolstered by President Zelenskyy's
meetings in Europe over the past week and a half since that bombastic encounter inside the Oval Office with Donald Trump and J.D. Vance. So, in
that context, Zelenskyy and his team come with a better understanding of what Europe has to offer in terms of security support.
A long-term position, a short-term position. There will be more flesh on the bones of that this week when the European Union defense chiefs of staff
meet in Paris. Tomorrow, of course, Europe is no way going to be able to step up and immediately fill any vacuum in intelligence sharing equipment,
military equipment that's given to Ukraine. So, Zelenskyy doesn't really go into these meetings, perhaps any stronger, but there will be, perhaps an
incentive to get into talks that still have the outcomes that he wants to have because he needs to, in a way, for one of a better expression by time.
There isn't enough time for him to buy and he doesn't have the money to buy it, if you want to deal in those analogies. But he will go into that with a
better sense of where he stands, and therefore able to make some commitments in these conversations with the U.S. But, you know, at the
moment, it's anyone's guess precisely where he's going to land. This optimism that President Trump is speaking about, it's hard to know if it's
genuine optimism or pressure on the Ukrainian side.
Certainly, the Ukrainians have a better view of the ground reality of both U.S. position and European position now.
[10:10:04]
ANDERSON: Yes. Bob, it was only a couple of weeks ago. I mean, we always say a week is a long time in politics. It's a really long time in current
politics. It was just a couple of weeks ago that Rubio, Marco Rubio was there in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia talking to the Russians and the
Ukrainians very upset that they weren't at the table, as were, of course, the European says Zelenskyy gets an opportunity to talk with key U.S.
stakeholders at this point.
You've just returned from Kyiv. What was the feeling from officials you spoke with there?
ROBERT HAMILTON, HEAD OF EURASIA RESEARCH, FOREIGN POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE: Well, the feeling in Kyiv, Becky -- thank you for having me on.
It's good to be with you. The feeling in Kyiv right now is a little bit of confusion, some frustration and just a desire to understand what the U.S.
strategy is. There seems to have been so much chaos injected into this -- into the strategy.
And as you mentioned, we talked to the Russians before we talked to the Ukrainians or our NATO allies, and so there was concern about that. We
also, in a way, gave away to bargaining chips before we ever sat down with the Russians when the Secretary of Defense said Ukraine should give up on
restoring its territorial integrity and give up on NATO membership. Now leave aside whether those are realistic objectives but there's something
you might give away in the negotiation, not before the negotiation because the Russians, of course, still have are adhering to a number of what I
would consider to be unrealistic objectives.
They insist that they should get all of the four provinces that they've illegally annexed in any peace deal, even though they don't control 30
percent of three of them. They insist there can be no NATO forces on the ground in Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force. They still are talking
about the Nazification, demilitarization, which is Kremlin speak for Zelenskyy has to go and really draconian restrictions on Ukrainian military
capability in the aftermath of the war.
So, these are not positions right now that the Russians have the capability to implement or to gain, but they're not giving up on them before they sit
down with us or the Ukrainians.
ANDERSON: Nic, Donald Trump has repeated that Ukraine has very little negotiating power. Let's just have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I'm finding it more difficult, frankly, to deal with Ukraine and they don't have the cards. They don't have the cards. As you know, we're
meeting in Saudi Arabia on sometime next week early and we're talking-- would I find that in terms of getting a final settlement, it may be easier
dealing with Russia which is surprising, because they have all the cards. I mean, and they're bombing the hell out of them right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, it was Friday, of course. That was a week after he used that same term, Ukraine don't have any cards in this. He used that when he
was talking to Volodymyr Zelenskyy in that very contentious exchange at the Oval Office a week or so ago. Why does Mr. Trump believe that Vladimir
Putin will make any concessions for peace if he has all the cards? Is it clear at this point?
ROBERTSON: It isn't and, in many ways, you know, I was in Brussels last week speaking with both the European Union and NATO ambassadors, and that's
the question that they are asking themselves. Precisely, what does Donald Trump have in mind vis-a-vis his position on Russia, which they see
commonly as Trump aligning himself with Moscow, rather than trying to pressure them.
So, they're trying to figure that piece out. But a look over the weekend, Donald Trump also said that Russia has some weaknesses over the weekend,
this weekend, he spoke about the possibility of sanctions on the banking sector, tariffs, big sanctions on Russia. Typically, that's where Trump
goes. He knows that a way to twist Putin's arm would be through economic sanctions.
But I think when you have to balance and this is, I think, what European diplomats and others are doing. When they hear Donald Trump speak it sort
of keep calm and carry on, if you will, waiting to wait until you see if there's some substantial policy shift that's being put forward by this
current White House. So, in the absence of that, the only way to read the tea leaves is, what does he say more of? What is he referring to more
frequently?
And as you alluded to, that is more frequently returning, referring to Ukraine not having all the cards. It's clear that in his mind, there can be
pressure points on Russia. It's not clear to those who are watching him that this is actually the direction of travel that is on, and the Kremlin
is saying at a variance to what Donald Trump has said over the weekend that they are not party to any talks in Saudi Arabia this week.
[10:15:05]
They are, as we've seen with Russia, absolutely more intent in resolving outstanding obstacles, difficulties between them, Moscow and Washington and
seem to get -- want to get some gains there before they actually move on to engaging more decisively on the Ukraine issue. This is what makes Russia
such a difficult negotiator, incredibly experienced. A long track record of procrastination, of drawing things out, of drawing everyone else into the
weeds, of getting extracting every single possible concession before they even get to the table.
So, when Donald Trump says that there are pressure points on Russia, it doesn't seem that Russia is taking that threat at face value, yet.
ANDERSON: Nic Robertson is in London to you and to Bob, thank you very much indeed for joining us.
Well, Syria reeling from its most violent clashes since the fall of Bashar al-Assad mid-December, the government today says its crackdown is over, but
can its armed loyalists be reined in.
And also, a lot more on that, breaking news in the North Sea, a massive fire following a collision involving a tanker. More on that is coming up.
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ANDERSON: A quick outbreak on the breaking news out of the United Kingdom. Rescue and firefighting operations are underway in the North Sea after a
collision between an oil tanker and a cargo ship. This happened off England's northeastern coast. This video circulating on social media does
appear to show a vessel on fire. The video has been aired by several British broadcasters. CNN cannot at this point independently verify or
geolocate it.
We do expect to speak to a port official in North East Lincolnshire in England any moment now. And as soon as we can make contact, we will get
that interview to you. Before I do that, though, let's get you more on Syria. Disturbing details emerging from a brutal crackdown on Syria's
Alawite coast. Armed men loyal to Syria's new government are accused of setting fire to homes and carrying out extra judicial executions, leaving
bodies in the streets.
More than 700 people are said to have been killed since last week. And all of this happening in Bashar al-Assad's coastal heartland home to the
minority Alawites. The new Islamist government announced today that its operation to stamp out a potential insurgency is over. It said its goals
have been met. But interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa Ahmad is promising an investigation into the level of violence which has frankly shocked this
nation in transition and shocked the world.
[10:20:07]
Well, Gareth Brown is The Economist's Syria correspondent. He joins me now from Doha in Qatar. Last time you and I spoke you were in northern Syria,
it wasn't long after the fall of Bashar al-Assad or the former president fleeing, of course. You've just returned from Syria's coast. The
information landscape is incredibly murky at this point. Can you break down for us what you heard and saw and who you understand was involved in these
killings?
GARETH BROWN, THE ECONOMIST SYRIA CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Becky. I was in Latakia on Thursday when this all erupted. I was there working on a
different story. I was meeting with some prominent Alawites, and they had to cut short our meeting. It became clear that something was happening in
the villages, you know, around outside the coastal area, main cities. And I stayed in Latakia until Friday evening when I -- when I headed back to
Damascus.
And it seems that what began this sort of round of violence, if you like, was a series of coordinated ambushes by remnants of the Assad regime
speaking to sources in the Syrian interim government. A distress call was made to the Syrian security forces and a patrol went out to inspect this in
the villages outside of Latakia. That patrol was ambushed by remnants of the Assad regime.
Fifteen security service personnel were killed. And at the same time, there was a wave of other coordinated attacks on checkpoints and on government
positions across this coastal region. In response to that, we saw calls go out from various clerics in Syria, but also just on general social media
accounts for mass mobilization and in some cases, even jihad. And then we saw, you know, many thousands of people rushing to the coastal areas, some
from these Islamist Sunni factions, some comprised of these foreign fighters who Ahmed al-Sharaa is, you know, struggling to control.
And others were just regular civilians, people who have been displaced, people who've been living in the refugee camps in the North, who went
essentially looking for revenge. You know, for 50 years of oppression. Now that the situation is absolute chaos, but we know that many civilians have
been killed from all sides. I think it's so hard to determine precise figures
at the minute because many of these villages simply aren't accessible.
You know, I was in Latakia City but I couldn't get to villages just, you know, 10 miles or so away where these crimes were alleged to be taking
place. It seems now that the situation has calmed down, order has been restored. But, you know, the Syrian government is clear, this was an
attempted insurrection. But the response is it's really clear that they lost control and, you know, Syria is reeling from some really serious,
really devastating sectarian violence.
ANDERSON: And the Syrian government's military has said, as you point out, that it has regained control and people can prepare. And I quote them here,
"for the return of normal life." Certainly, there is normal to see possible after this brutal violence.
BROWN: I think that's a key question. I mean, I think a huge part of Ahmed al-Sharaa's project was about confidence building, particularly when it
comes to serious minorities, the Alawites, the Druze, the Christians, the Kurds, getting them to place their trust, their confidence in him,
especially given his background, you know, as a senior member of al Qaeda. And I think the events the last few days have absolutely ruptured that
confidence.
Now, what we saw yesterday was President al-Sharaa announced the formation of a seven-person committee which has been tasked to really look into this,
you know, the events of the past few days, and report back within 30 days. And they've been given authority to question anyone they need to. And
really, I think this committee, this report, is probably al-Sharaa's last chance not only to regain confidence with various minorities in Syria, but
also to reassure the international community.
And, you know, he was making, I think, baby steps on the international front. Sanctions hadn't been lifted yet but he was being integrated into
the community, you know, the Europeans, the Gulf States, America. He hadn't had much luck with nudging them yet but he was making progress in other
areas.
[10:25:08]
And, you know, the last few days have really have really brought that question. So now the challenge is, can he investigate this in an -- in a
credible fashion? Because if not, there's going to be real questions being asked about his rule.
ANDERSON: Yes. Not least from the United States. As you rightly point out, there have been no effort to look to raise sanctions that have been imposed
on Syria by the United States. Europeans and others certainly made some sort of effort. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued this statement.
I want to read it in its entirety because the Trump administration, in many ways, holds the key to Syria's future stability through whether it lifts or
keeps these sanctions on the country.
So let me -- let me read this from Marco Rubio. The United States condemns the radical Islamist terrorists, including foreign jihadis, murdered people
in western Syria in recent days. It stands with Syria's religious and ethnic minorities, including its Christian Druze, Alawite and Kurdish
communities, and offers its condolences to the victims and their families. Syria's interim authorities must hold the perpetrators of these massacres
against Syria's minority communities accountable.
And certainly, despite the fact that there has been a lot of outward support from much of the Gulf, certainly here in the UAE, there are
concerns about political Islam, about al-Sharaa's former allegiances, the fact that he was a jihadi fighter. What do you read between the lines of
that Rubio statement?
BROWN: I mean, if you interrogate, it's interesting in the sense that he's distinguishing between foreign jihadists and the interim government and
Syria. And I think the wording suggests or implies that there is a difference between some of these jihadists, you know, who are absolutely
extremists and al-Sharaa administration. And I think if you look at it in that light, there's an opportunity there for him to distinguish himself
from those radical elements by investigating this thoroughly.
But, you know, the United States is the backstop for all sanctions and Europe can lift sanctions, Gulf countries like Qatar, they have money ready
to pour into Syria to pay salaries to make life better for the people. But none of that will happen until there's clarity on the sanctions from
Washington. And, you know, until they, they feel that they can sort of interact with Sharaa's government with Washington's blessings.
So, Washington is the backstop. And I think if, if Sharaa's team are reading that statement, they will understand that they urgently need to
find a way to distinguish themselves from the -- from the jihadist groups, the extremist groups, the foreign fighters which are also part of his base.
You know, this is the contradiction. You know, these people helped him win the war. They helped topple Assad.
They helped bring him to power. But now, if he wants to win the international community over, he needs to marginalize them.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you, sir. Thank you very much indeed for your insight and your analysis. Gareth on the ground in Latakia when this
started last week on Thursday. Thank you.
Let me get you back to the breaking news out of the North Sea of the north east coast of England. A massive rescue operation underway there after a
collision between a U.S.-flagged tanker and a Madeira-flagged cargo ship. You can see, certainly from these images, that it's clear that the enormous
fire has broken out there on a vessel in the North Sea. I want to bring in Martyn Boyers of -- the CEO of the port of Grimsby.
And as I understand it, your port put on notice to receive those who are being rescued from that ship or from these ships. So, what do we know at
this point?
MARTYN BOYERS, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, PORTS OF GRIMSBY: Yes. Well, we were we were put on standby around about 11:00 this morning that we would
be accepting casualties from a collision out at seen. So, the actual collision was about 10 miles north east of the Humber of Grimsby where we
are. And then around about 1:00, we got the first casualties. The first one was an offshore wind farm vessel was in the vicinity and picked up 13
casualties that came in.
And then the second vessel that came in shortly afterwards was an ABP pilot vessel and that had 10 casualties. And then surely after that, another
vessel came in with nine casualties. So, a total of 32 casualties came and they were taken to Princess Diana Hospital in Grimsby.
[10:30:04]
There was a queue of ambulances ready on the key to take them away. All of -- all of the 32 were alive. So, we don't know of any -- I don't know of
any casualties. Any -- anybody that's lost a life or anything. But -- and I don't know how many crew were there were in total and we've also been told
that there might be another vessel with some more casualties to come.
ANDERSON: Do we know whether these casualties were plucked from the water or were taken from the car -- the vessels?
BOYERS: I would think it depends on how the there was a fireball. So, I would -- it just depends on what happened out there. And, of course, nobody
knows. Very few people were there at the time. I would imagine they were taken off the vessel. There would be evacuation procedures on the boat. So,
all the crew would know what to do and how to get off. But again, who knows what the actual incident was like? And I've seen a couple of the pictures
and it's fairly dramatic, so it looks terrible.
ANDERSON: How many rescue boats have gone out from your port, the port of Grimsby, and how many are still out looking?
BOYERS: Well, what happens in these circumstances may immediately there is a -- almost automatically, a mayday signal that goes out. So, what happens
is that all the vessels in the -- in the immediate vicinity will go to assist the crew and the vessels and the people on board. So, the first
vessel that came in was actually a crew transfer vessel for the offshore wind farms. So, he wasn't out there. He didn't go to rescue them
particularly.
He just happened to be there. And so, he was the first one there and then the call for the lifeboat. So, there's only one lifeboat on Humber, but one
went from the Humber, another one went from Cleethorpes and another lifeboat went from Bridlington. So, lifeboats went but luckily, there were
actually two or three vessels already out there. So, the -- some of the injured people, the casualties were able to get on board and come up --
come ashore.
ANDERSON: Understood. Do you have any more information on exactly what happened or what might have led to this?
BOYERS: The only thing I know is that the two vessels, the Stena Immaculate and the Solong,
the Stena Immaculate was a tanker, which means it was stationary. So, it was basically parked out in the North Sea. And the Solong was steaming. So,
it seems a mystery, really, because all the vessels now are very high sophisticated technical equipment to plot courses and to look at any
obstacles or any -- anything they've got to avoid.
So, the North Sea is actually a very busy stretch of water. It's a shallow sea as well. But there's lots of oil rigs, there's wind farms, there's
protected areas, there's all sorts of areas that vessels are not allowed to go. So, you've got to be -- you've got to have your wits about you. But
also with the vessels, they set a course. So, there will be a course that would have been set to you would presume that they would have known that
they were on a particular course.
So, you wouldn't expect that a vessel with birth would tie up as an anchor in a shipping lane. But I don't know, there's a lot of speculation but it's
difficult to actually suggest what went on, other than the fact it should never have happened.
ANDERSON: Understood. Well, look, it's good to have you. Thank you for giving us what you have to date. Obviously, more to come as the rescue
operation there progresses but 32 as we understand it, certainly through your port, from those vessels which thankfully were in the region and were
able to, you know, rescue those 32 as quickly as they did. Good to have you, sir. Thank you.
Still to come. Canada's soon to be next prime minister is not wasting any time pushing back against U.S. President Donald Trump.
And Mark Carney help Canada end its trade war with America.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:36:37]
ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me Becky Anderson from CNN Middle East programming headquarters where the time is 36
minutes past 6:00 in the evening. Your headlines.
And rescue and firefighting operations are underway in the North Sea after a collision between an oil tanker and a cargo ship. Video circulating on
social media appears to show this vessel on fire. CNN cannot independently confirm it. A port official says 32 people there have been brought ashore
and are all alive or certainly were when they were brought ashore.
Syria's interim government has announced that a military operation against Bashar al-Assad's loyalists is over. Reports from the Alawite dominated
coast have painted a picture of brutal, indiscriminate attacks leaving more than 700 people dead in recent days. A monitoring group says most of them
are civilians.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives in Saudi Arabia today ahead of crucial Ukrainian U.S. talks aimed at ending the war with Russia. We'll
meet with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before senior officials from both countries sit down. Both countries being the U.S. and
Ukraine, sit down on Tuesday. A senior U.S. official says it appears Ukraine is ready to move forwards on peace negotiations.
U.S. President Donald Trump again stoking uncertainty over his own trade policies saying that tariffs on some goods from Canada and Mexico planned
for April the 2nd "could go up." That comes after Mr. Trump twice over the weekend refused to rule out a U.S. recession. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA BARTIROMO, FOX BUSINESS NETWORK ANCHOR: Are you expecting a recession this year?
TRUMP: I hate to predict things like that. There is a period of transition because what we're doing is very big. We're bringing wealth back to
America. That's a big thing. And there are always periods of -- it takes a little time. It takes a little time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Canada's next prime minister is striking a defiant tone in the face of threats from the U.S. president in his liberal party victory
speech on Sunday. Mark Carney vowed to win the trade war with the United States. He will soon take over from the Outgoing Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau, who announced his resignation, of course, in January.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN LIBERAL PARTY LEADER: -- is strong. America is not Canada,
and Canada never, ever will be part of America in any way, shape or form.
We didn't ask for this fight, but Canadians are always ready when someone else drops the gloves. So, the Americans, they should make no mistake in
trade, as in hockey, Canada will win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, CNN's Paula Newton joins us now from Ottawa. Paula, some experts believe it's Carney's finance background that could make him
uniquely suited for this job as Canada, frankly, has to deal with what is this souring relationship with the United States. We are, it seems,
certainly from Donald Trump's position, potentially looking at an escalating trade war.
[10:40:07]
What did you make of what you heard from Mark Carney in that speech? Defiant tone, at least.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes. And there is no political loss to that on the ground here in Canada right now. It doesn't matter which
political party or which politician you speak to and Mark Carney, certainly, in his first days in office, and we expect him to be sworn in by
the end of the week will continue, really, to take aim at those threats coming from the Oval Office.
How this will work practically, Becky is a completely different situation. You know Mark Carney well from his time as governor of the Bank of England.
You know what he did to hold Britain's hand through that Brexit transition. In fact, they asked him to stay on a bit longer. That does not matter in
this kind of a trade war. We hear Donald Trump over and over and over again talk about so called globalists.
Mark Carney would certainly be a poster boy for a globalist and it may already be a relationship that is soured from the beginning. Having said
that, Mark Carney is calculating that by really not just talking tough, but acting tough, that he will get somewhere with the White House. I want you
to keep in mind he is a complete political novice, even though the world might know him as an accomplished banker.
In terms of all the hockey references, Becky, you can expect those to continue. He was the goalkeeper for the Harvard hockey team when he was
there. Those hockey cliches work well on Canadians, not just rhetorically, but in practice. And it is something that is a winning political strategy
at this point in time, not so good for the economies, whether it's for the United States or Canada.
I can tell you, Canada is expecting that trade war to continue and to escalate in the coming days and weeks.
ANDERSON: Briefly, what he isn't is Justin Trudeau. And Trump, frankly, dealt with Justin Trudeau as a sort of punch bag effectively. What does
Mark Carney's win for the Liberal Party mean for Canadian politics going forward? This isn't assuring, is it now?
NEWTON: Not at all, but it does resurrect the Liberal Party, and it is Mark Carney himself, right? You just described him. He is not Justin Trudeau.
There is no emotion there. This is a man who is known as an impeccable technocrat and he has proven that, not just in Canada, but in Britain and
more globally, Becky with the G20. He's going to rob Donald Trump the wrong way. We don't know.
But at the end of the day, his first opponent is Pierre Poilievre. He is the head of the Conservatives. He is still leading in the polls, although
that lead has narrowed. This is going to be a highly contested election, Becky, that we expect by the end of April, beginning of May, and then they
can turn the attention to how they deal with Donald Trump.
ANDERSON: You're absolutely right to say that Mark Carney held the British hand, as it were, the hand of Britain through those Brexit times. I
remember being very disappointed when he decided to leave the U.K. but that's just as a Brit because a subjective view from me, which I guess I'm
allowed to have every so often. It will be interesting to see here how he - - how he gets on in Canadian politics.
Really, really important times at this point, of course, for Canada and with what is going on with regard their nuisance neighbor. Good to have
you, Paula, thank you all.
After the break, a crackdown on pro-Palestinian protests escalates with the arrest of a Columbia graduate student in the United States. More on that is
after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:46:00]
ANDERSON: U.S. Immigration authorities have arrested Mahmoud Khalil. A prominent Palestinian activist who helped lead student protests at Columbia
University calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Well, the Department of Homeland Security said Khalil led activists aligned to Hamas, a designated
terrorist organization in the United States. Well, Khalil, a recent graduate student was at the forefront of the student led anti-war movement
last year on campus.
He was previously interviewed on CNN last year, the night the NYPD cleared out a Palestinian encampment in the university's Hamilton Hall. You may
remember that. Here's what he had to say at the time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAHMOUD KHALIL, PALESTINIAN STUDENT: The university did not deal with this -- with this movement as an actual movement, an anti-war movement. Instead,
they dealt with it as an internal student discipline matter. They've negotiated with us about bringing food and blankets to the encampment. They
refused to acknowledge that this is actually more than that. This is a nationwide movement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, this move follows the Trump administration's pledge to deport and imprison international students involved in illegal protests.
Let me bring in CNN's Gloria Pazmino who's closely watching this for us in New York. Gloria, what details do we know about Khalil's arrest and his
whereabouts now?
GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NEWSOURCE NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bucky, we've learned from Khalil's wife that he was taken into custody inside their
apartment. This is an apartment that's located on the campus of Columbia University. This took place on Saturday night, and we understand that
plainclothes Department of Homeland Security officers showed up to the apartment, told them that they were taking Khalil into custody and that
they were revoking his visa when he saw -- when he told them that he was actually a green card holder.
The officers said that they were revoking that too. Now we have gotten in touch with Khalil's attorney who has told us that she tried to communicate
with the officers about the fact that Khalil is a green card holder. They did not speak to her. And as of now, it's not clear where Khalil is being
held in custody. At one point, his family was told that he had been taken to Elizabeth, New Jersey to a detention facility there.
The wife went to visit him, and she was informed that he was no longer being held at that location. Now, one thing that is very confusing about
this so far, Becky, is that we do not know yet exactly what he has been charged with. We did get a statement from the Department of Homeland
Security and in that statement, there is a little bit of a clue about what they might be charging him with.
They reference activities aligned to Hamas which is a designated terrorist organization. Now, people who hold green cards here in the United States
and are accused of crimes can be eligible for deportation proceedings, but there is a whole due process that is supposed to happen in every single one
of these cases. And I've been speaking with advocates and lawyers all morning about how that is a primary concern in this case, that Khalil may
not get the due process that he is entitled to as a result of the Trump administration policies.
Now you mentioned the executive order that President Trump signed just two weeks after taking office where he directed universities to report these
kinds of activities. All of this is supposedly as a result of Khalil's role that he played in helping to lead the antiwar protests last year. So, a lot
of concerns regarding freedom of speech.
ANDERSON: And briefly, in a statement on X, the university said a warrant is required before entering Columbia property. Do we know if that school
had received a valid warrant for Khalil's arrest?
[10:50:07]
PAZMINO: We do not know yet, Becky. In fact, the university has not directly acknowledged the arrest of Khalil. They did send out that
statement acknowledging that ICE had in fact been on the campus of the university, they referenced the students to their protocols to make sure
that they understand that ICE officers are supposed to have judicial warrants. But the university has not yet said anything specifically about
the student arrest. Khalil has since graduated from the university and so far, they have not commented.
ANDERSON: Thank you, Gloria. I want to bring in Jameel Jaffer then. The executive director of the Unite First Amendment Institute at Columbia
University. Let's just -- excuse me, sir. Let's just start by talking about the legality of all of this. From what you understand, can the U.S.
government just revoke somebody's green card?
JAMEEL JAFFER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, KNIGHT FIRST AMENDMENT INSTITUTE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Well, there are a lot of steps that the administration
has to go through before being able to do something like that, but I think it's, you know, start by just stepping back and looking at what's going on
here. We have a student or a recent graduate who has been arrested detained, threatened with deportation for engagement in student protest
activity.
This is the kind of thing that we are accustomed to seeing, really, in the world's most repressive regimes. You know, this is -- this is the kind of
thing that you would expect in a place like China or Egypt or something like that, but the idea that students can be arrested and deported or
engaging in political speech, this is something that is really shocking to see this in our own backyard.
And your reporter mentioned this just now, but it's not just that this student has been arrested and threatened with deportation, but no
explanation has been given by the government of its actions here. There's no legal basis, no factual basis has been offered beyond this high-level
statement that he was, you know, pro-Hamas. But the administration has made very clear that they don't draw distinctions between people who were pro
ceasefire and people who are pro-Hamas.
People who are pro-Palestine to them are pro-Hamas. People who are anti-war are pro-Hamas. And so, for them to say, well, this guy is engaged in pro
Hamas activity doesn't tell us anything at all. I think it's really shocking that this is going on, and I hope that the universities around,
you know, across the country, will stand up to it.
ANDERSON: Yes. I mean, it may be very shocking, and to many people watching this, they will absolutely agree it is shocking. The Trump administration,
though, had warned of this, it has to be said. The Trump administration pulling 400 million in grants as well and contracts from Columbia
University because of what it describes as the school's failure to crack down on anti-Semitism on campus.
These protesters have repeatedly said that there is nothing anti-Semitic about criticizing Israel's actions over Gaza or expressing solidarity with
Palestinians in Gaza calling for a ceasefire. I say, you know, shocking but the -- but the concerns and the warnings were out there. How worried should Americans be? Students in America and then
Americans themselves be about freedom of speech at this point? Just how damaging will revoking these funds be, for example, for the university.
JAFFER: Right, right. Well, I mean, I do think that this arrest over the weekend of this graduate student or recent graduate of Columbia is part of
a much broader assault on free speech and the First Amendment. There's the use of federal funding to force universities to clamp down on dissent.
There are attacks on lawyers for their representation of people whom Trump perceives to be political enemies.
There's the expulsion of the Associated Press from the press pool. There's this extremely broad attack on free speech in the United States right now.
And free speech is so entangled with democracy that any attack on free speech is also an attack on democracy and that's what we're seeing in the
United States. It's actually, you know, quite alarming how quickly the Trump administration has managed to weaken important democratic
institutions.
And I think that unless civil society, and, you know, including universities, the media, human rights groups really come back in force over
the next, you know, over the next few weeks. It will be too late to prevent the Trump administration handling a lot of our democracy.
[10:55:15]
ANDERSON: It's good to have you, sir. Thank you very much indeed for joining us. We have run out of time on this show. That is it for CONNECT
THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. Now, "ONE WORLD" is up next.
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