Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
Expected to Sign Investment Agreements Totalling Hundreds of Billions of Dollars; Syrian and U.S. Leaders Discuss Path to Recovery and Rebuilding; Trump Announces Plan to Lift Sanctions on Syria; Trump in Qatar on Second Leg of Middle East Tour; Trump: Putin "Would Like me to be There" for Peace Talks. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired May 14, 2025 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, the U.S. President is on the ground in Qatar this hour, greeted by category officials in what was an
elaborate welcome ceremony just hours ago for the second leg of his Middle East tour. It's 04:00 p.m. in Doha, I'm Becky Anderson. This is a special
edition of "Connect the World" for you.
Well, it is a busy day here before disembarking Air Force One, President Trump spoke highly of the Syrian president after their historic meeting in
Riyadh with the Saudi Crown Prince. Earlier there, Trump said he would lift sanctions on Syria and threatened new sanctions on Iran.
Well, the stock market in New York opens about 30 minutes from now. We will get you the bell at the bottom of the hour. Looks like a pretty decent
start to the day. Remember those S&P 500 stocks erasing all their -- let their losses from the year back where they started for 2025 and the market
in a relatively positive mood.
We begin this hour with the U.S. President here in Doha on the second leg of a Middle East tour that has made an awful lot of news in this region and
beyond. Donald Trump arriving to pomp and circumstance, similar to what we saw yesterday in Saudi Arabia, this time, including camels and red cyber
trucks, a nod to Elon Musk.
Bilateral meetings are planned here, along with what are expected to be investment agreements that could reach hundreds of billions of dollars.
Well before leaving Air Force One the president talked about his extraordinary meeting in Riyadh on Tuesday with Syrian President Ahmed al-
Sharaa.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How did you find a Syrian President?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Great, great, I think, very good. Young, attractive guy, tough guy, you know. Strong past,
very strong pass. Fighter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Does that worry you at all?
TRUMP: But he's got a he's got a real shot at pulling it together. I spoke with President Erdogan who I'm very friendly with, and he feels he's got a
shot at doing a good job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Before their meeting, President Trump announced plans to lift punishing U.S. sanctions on Syria, he says, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman, who attended in person, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who you just heard mentioned, and he joined that meeting on the phone, both
played an instrumental role in his decision.
Well, Mr. Trump later joined a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the GCC lavishing praise on the nations in attendance, and this whole region,
frankly. CNN's Senior White House Reporter Betsy Klein, joining me again today. It's good to have you. You and I were in Riyadh yesterday. We're in
Doha today.
Take us through the play by play, as it were, today, with this pomp and circumstance and also what the expectations are here in Qatar?
BESTY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Certainly, there was so much fanfare this morning in Doha as President Trump making his arrival the
second stop of a three stop Middle East tour, and his host really understood the assignment. Here we saw a fleet of cyber trucks directing
the motorcade a red-carpet arrival.
He was greeted by the Emir. There was a cavalry of mounted camels as he pulled in to his destination. So really understanding what it is that makes
President Trump --
ANDERSON: Are you suggesting he likes a bit of pomp and circumstance?
KLEIN: This is the reality television president, and he is so keenly aware of stage craft and what things look like on television and being welcomed.
It's his hosts really understand that that is a key priority for them as they seek to curry favor with the president. We also have seen Qatar really
emerge as a key mediator here for the United States, particularly in this Israel-Hamas conflict.
And I think President Trump really wanted to come here and roll out some kind of big deal to end this conflict, to release the hostages that just
has proven so elusive. And so, in the absence of that, the president, as you reported, is dispatching his top envoy, Steve Witkoff. He's going to be
meeting with top Israeli officials here in Doha today.
ANDERSON: Yeah, that is really a delegation on the ground. Steve Witkoff is here, as you rightly suggest, Adam Boehler is here, the chief hostage
negotiator. And these are indirect talks with Hamas.
[09:05:00]
They seem to have gained some momentum. Once again, these talks have been ongoing, but certainly some momentum as President Trump arrives in Doha.
Let's talk about this Syria story, Mr. Trump making waves for one, meeting the president, the new president, and two, lifting sanctions on the
country.
This is a crippled economy, and what happens in Syria doesn't stay in Syria. We know that a revitalized economy in Syria can help with regional
stability and security, of course.
KLEIN: Right. And I think that is why the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as the Turkish President, really put some pressure on
President Trump to make this decision to lift these sanctions, as we heard him announce last night in Riyadh. But also, we saw him today meeting with
the Interim President of Syria.
He says he is exploring normalizing relations. They had a quick hello and a tea. It lasted about 30 minutes, according to a White House official,
really the highest-level engagement to date between the Trump administration and this Interim Syrian President. And President Trump gave
him a series of directives.
I just want to read to you. He included signing on to the Abraham Accords to normalize relations with Israel, telling all foreign terrorists to leave
Syria, deporting Palestinian terrorists help the United States to prevent the resurgence of ISIS and assume responsibility for ISIS detention centers
in Northern Syria.
Now, the Syrian Interim President said yes, when asked about joining that Abraham Accords pact, eventually, according to Trump, telling reporters on
Air Force One that he had a very positive meeting.
ANDERSON: Right, that would be quite seismic. We know that Donald Trump had originally hoped that normalization, which is a key pillar for his Middle
East policy, would be possible between Saudi Arabia and Israel. He has to concede that, that is not possible at this stage, not with the ongoing
crisis in Gaza, the conflict in Gaza and no credible pathway to a Palestinian state.
No partner in peace, is how it's described in this region, no partner in peace in Israel at present for the Saudis. So that part, for the time
being, certainly this directive now to the Syrian President, get inside those Abraham Accords as well. Let's see what happens with that.
It's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed for joining us. Look, we can't underscore how important this trip is. President Trump announcing the
lifting of all sanctions on Syria, following that historic meeting in Riyadh, with the interim president. Joining me now to unpack what this
means for Syria and the region is Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, Ibrahim al-Assil.
The interim president once branded a terrorist, now stands alongside President Trump in Riyadh. This, you could argue, legitimizes a person who
wants fought U.S. troops. That's one argument or the other argument, I guess conversely, is this is a pragmatic step towards stabilizing Syria.
How do you view this?
IBRAHIM AL-ASSIL, SENIOR FELLOW AT THE MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: It's a huge step for stabilizing Syria, and it's something that Syrians have been
asking for a long time. And I want to highlight that while, of course, the Saudi role was huge, and many Syrians appreciate that, and same for the
Turkish role.
But also, many Syrians have been working on that, from the students to academics to activists to business leaders and journalists writing and
talking about this and pushing more and more towards lifting sanctions. Why because it allows Syrians to breathe again. Usually, when we think about
sanctions, we think of them as on the macro level, as something huge on a country.
But we forget that they affect the lives of the individuals on the tiny details, from medicine to connectivity and being able to check their email
normally and download an update for an app, also to what industries they can have, where they can travel, what kind of machines they can buy for
their factories.
All of that Syrians were facing immense challenges. And now the road seems to be with the less challenge. It's still challenging, but one and the
major obstacle seems to be moved out from the way for Syrians to move ahead and rebuild their country and improve the dynamics, including the political
dynamic inside Syria.
ANDERSON: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia reportedly urging President Trump to engage with Al-Sharaa.
[09:10:00]
Saudi Arabia has gone from opposing Assad's regime to championing Syria's reintegration into the Arab fold. Why? And what does this pivot reveal
about Riyadh's evolving strategy in this region?
AL-ASSIL: It's because of the location of Syria and the potential of Syria in the region, and in the regional aspiration of the Saudis, and the
economic prosperity that Syria could contribute to this. Syria is a very -- at a very sensitive spot on the map, stabilizing Syria could help
stabilizing the Middle East, and not only that, allowing Syrians to rebuild their economy would certainly contribute to the prosperity of the Middle
East.
I think any improvement in the Syrian economy would be felt directly in Lebanon would be felt directly in Jordan, and that would also open the
doors for the Syrian refugees to go back to their countries, similar for Turkey, also Syria connects Turkey and Europe to Arabia and the rest of the
Middle East.
Many major economic projects inside the Middle East require stability in Syria. And all of that would certainly be reflected on the rest of the
region, and would allow to shift the mentality and the reality of the region, from conflicts, from wars, from violence, into more of economic
oriented, business-oriented development and prosperity mentality in Syria and in the region.
ANDERSON: How, Ibrahim, the streets of Damascus celebrating, as are other cities across the country after 50 years of economic isolation and more
than a decade of war? The hope is that the shattered institutions of Syria can be revived. I wonder how you see the idea of Syria normalizing
relations with Israel and gifting President Trump an Abraham Accord?
Is that a leap of faith at this point? If so, how much of a leap of faith? Certainly, a directive from President Trump and ask.
AL-ASSIL: Becky, the majority of Syrians, they want to have peace at home and they want to have peace in the neighborhood. They do want to have peace
with their neighbors. The issue with Israel is indeed complicated, but it's not impossible to resolve the issue of the Golan Heights, the issue of the
borders, the concerns of both sides are deep and real and serious.
However, that means, there is a potential for these talks, and there is a potential for having better relationships on both sides, the Israeli side
and the Syrian side, and that requires both sides to start a long journey of negotiations between both of them, and to have -- and to believe that a
better relationship is possible between both of them.
Yesterday, we've seen Syrians celebrating in the streets, hoping, really, that their children will have a better life than the ones they had over the
last few decades, and they will be able to have peace with their neighbors. They will be able to have peace in their country, and they will be able to
focus more about how to rebuild this country, rather than going from one conflict to another and from one cycle of violence to another.
ANDERSON: What does this say about U.S. foreign policy, and how might this affect Washington's relationships with its more traditional allies? And I
am thinking very specifically about Israel. It does feel as if we are turning a page with Donald Trump in U.S. policy on the Middle East.
AL-ASSIL: I think the nature or the way of striking deals is clearly different between President Trump and the presidents before him. He's
clearly not hesitant to take big steps and big leaps in relationships, like meeting with Ahmed al-Sharaa, like announcing that he's going to lift all
sanctions on Syria.
But I also would like to highlight that Syria, before the Baath regime and the Assad dynasty, was a western oriented nation when it comes to the
political institutions, to the economic policy, to education and to the foreign alignment. And I think opening the door for Syria to go back and
become more integrated in the region and have friendlier relationships with the west is a huge opportunity.
[09:15:00]
And I'm glad President Trump recognized that and built on that. I'm still watching the rest of the trip to see what kind of deals President Trump is
going to strike and what kind of understandings he is building in the region. But there is a huge momentum in the region.
There is a huge shift and a huge opportunity and the United States, no matter who the president is, no matter what party and political party is in
the White House or in the Congress. The United States should recognize this opportunity, because it builds for better relation between the United
States and the whole Middle East as a region, after a decade of troubling relationship.
ANDERSON: We've been talking now for sort of 72 hours during this trip and before on this show about whether this is a pivotal opportunity to
reimagine U.S., Gulf relations in into a new era, whether we are witnessing what many of us in who live in this region see as this sort of increasing
assertiveness of these Gulf nations, cash rich with huge economic ambitions.
But who don't see the relationship with the U.S. is simply a blank check these days, a one-way sort of trip for investment money into the U.S. There
are, you know, there are serious sort of opportunities in this region and they want the U.S. to recognize those. So, I think we're seeing a new era,
certainly, of Saudi assertiveness at this point.
Let's talk about Qatar, because you've said you're looking forward to seeing what happens next on this trip. Donald Trump is now here in Qatar.
We've been reporting this morning that his Middle East Envoy, Steve Witkoff, his hostage negotiator, Adam Boehler, and the Israeli delegation,
or an Israeli high level Israeli delegation, is on the ground in indirect talks with Hamas once again.
And while I'm not getting a sense that we should expect any big news, necessarily, there is always that opportunity. But this role that Qatar
plays both in mediating between Israel and Hamas, for example. It has been playing a huge role in supporting Syria and Lebanon.
It in fact, it had, as you will be well aware, it got the U.S. to lift some sanctions recently. So, it could pay the civil servants wages monthly in
Syria to keep the place ticking over before this decision by Donald Trump to completely lift U.S. sanctions. Just walk me through what your
expectations are for the rest of this trip and very specifically, where you see this sort of regional and global mediation file for Qatar as very
useful for the United States?
AL-ASSIL: Qatar, like other countries in the region, has been trying to improve or strengthen its role in the global diplomacy. You've seen that
also with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar specifically, is keen on playing a mediating role in conflicts in the
region and beyond.
When we look at President Trump and his visit to Qatar, we're looking at least three different dimensions. We have the business side. We are
expecting business deals. All of that is important for both sides and for the Qataris they want to show that they have strong relationship with the
President Trump and that they can actually offer huge business deals similar to the ones their neighbors have been offering, especially when it
comes to the aviation sector.
The other dimension is the regional dimension, Gaza and Syria. The Qataris have been playing a role in Syria and stabilizing Syria in opening channels
between Damascus and other states in the region and outside the region, and certainly lifting sanctions, give momentum to the Qatari effort as well.
And the other section in this dimension is the war in Gaza. The war in Gaza is an open wound in the Middle East, and it's very important for
Palestinians, for Israelis, for everyone in the region, to find the solution and to end this conflict. I think the Qataris are going to try to
push, not publicly, for this issue, but I expect it to be in private meetings with President Trump, to push more for humanitarian aid and to
push more for a potential of a solution in this conflict.
And finally, of course, the third dimension is the Qatari-American relationship.
[09:20:00]
And the Qataris after the first term of President Trump, they had rough time in the region and in their relationship with Washington D.C. This
time, they are trying to shift the model, to have a different approach to build a better relationship with Washington D.C., and they are depending
mainly on also having better relationships with their neighbors, with other Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, hoping that would also help
having better relationships with the United States.
ANDERSON: Yeah, it's good to have you. Thank you very much. An in-depth conversation from -- with Ibrahim, whose analysis and insight are so
important to us as we continue to cover this Donald Trump trip to the Gulf region. Well, thank you. Israeli strikes in Gaza killed more than 50 people
overnight.
I've got to warn you, the video that you are about to see is graphic. These are body bags lining the corridors of one hospital in Northern Gaza. A
nurse there says the majority of the victims were women and children from the Jabalia refugee camp. The missile barrage began less than an hour after
Israel issued an evacuation order for the area.
Now those strikes came shortly after Israel bombed a hospital in Southern Gaza, and Israeli officials saying it was targeting Mohammed Sinwar. He is
the de facto leader of Hamas' militant wing since his brother's death last October. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is in Jerusalem, Jeremy.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Becky, we are learning now that the death toll from that strike on the European Hospital has now risen
to 28 people who were killed and more than 50 people injured when these enormous, very likely, bunker busting bombs struck the courtyard of that
European hospital in Khan Yunis as well as the surrounding area.
Some videos from the scene show these enormous craters that were made by these bombs. We've actually even just seen some CCTV footage in which you
can see some of the individuals who are standing in that courtyard be absolutely thrown into the air by the power of that blast.
The Israeli military has yet to actually say officially that they were targeting Mohammed Sinwar. They have yet to say whether he was successfully
killed in this attack, but my sources have indeed told me that Mohammed Sinwar, Hamas is leader in Gaza, was indeed the target of these very
powerful Israeli strikes at that European hospital.
And of course, it comes at a really quite extraordinary time. Just one day after Hamas released, Edan Alexander, the last living American held hostage
in Gaza, an Israeli soldier whose release was designed to kind of jump start these hostages and ceasefire negotiations.
We understand that those negotiations are still happening today in Doha, Qatar, but nonetheless, the fact that Israel has now tried to kill Hamas'
leader in Gaza who would need to approve this deal in order for it to go forward, raises serious questions about Israel's commitment to these
negotiations.
And simply, just at a basic level, about how a deal could move forward in the coming days, if indeed, there is some kind of agreement without a clear
leader in the Gaza Strip. Again, if indeed Mohammed Sinwar was killed in these Israeli strikes.
ANDERSON: And those talks, as we now know, are ongoing here. And as we get more on those, of course, we will get it to our viewers. Jeremy, I want to
circle back to Donald Trump's meeting with Al-Sharaa, the Syrian President, the lifting of sanctions and the directive, if you want to call it that,
certainly the White House is by the U.S. President that Syria should normalize relations with Israel, that would gift him an Abraham Accord, for
example.
That's a key part of his foreign policies we've been discussing here in the Middle East. What is -- where does this put the relationship between Israel
and the United States at this point? There is clearly no normalization as of yet between Syria and Israel. It's just a suggestion at this point.
DIAMOND: Yeah, and I think if you look at the president's decision to lift sanctions on Syria, you can really add that to what is rapidly becoming a
very long list of actions that the United States has taken, even just in the last two weeks, that have either bypassed Israel, gone against what
Israel wanted to do, or simply done without, you know, including or cluing Israel into those steps.
[09:25:00]
In this case, an Israeli official has told us that the Israeli Prime Minister actually urged the White House urged President Trump not to lift
sanctions on Syria due to concerns over the Syrian President's past ties to Islamist groups in the region, including going all the way back to al-
Qaeda.
But President Trump said that he decided to move forward with it, to give Syria a chance to stabilize and to begin to build a new. He said that he
did inform the Israelis that he was going to take this step, which came at the urging. He said of the Turkish President, as well as the Crown Prince
of Saudi Arabia.
Of course, the longer-term notion of Syria normalizing with Israel, obviously, that's something that Israel would likely welcome, but it would
depend under what circumstances and getting to that place is going to be a very long road. And a complicated one, in particular as Israel not only has
annexed Syrian territory the Golan Heights several years back, which President Trump actually recognized that annexation.
But also, of course, Israel, in recent months, has taken more Syrian territory, taking over that buffer zone, not annexing outright, but
nonetheless, having Israeli troops within Syrian territory, occupying swaths of lands there, that is going to be a very contentious issue to work
out between these two countries.
So, I think a very long road before Syria becomes part of these kind of expanded Abraham Accords. But President Trump, when asked, you know what
all of this means for Israel, the one you know significant U.S. ally in the region, whom he is not visiting during this trip.
And he said that he believes that his positive relationships with all of these Arab countries in the region will ultimately be good for Israel. That
was his response to that question, Becky.
ANDERSON: Fascinating, isn't it? Such a busy time, and we are seeing the tectonic plates shifting all over the place at present, and certainly we
expect more on this trip. President, of course, is here in Doha. And we will get back to that after this short break. We're going to take a closer
look at the regional power brokers aiming to build stronger bridges with U.S. President. That's next here on "Connect the World".
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. We're in Doha in Qatar today, this hour, we're tracking the second leg of the U.S. President swing through this gulf
region. Donald Trump arrived here in Qatar just a couple of hours ago. He was greeted by royals and other government officials with a state dinner on
tap for later.
[09:30:00]
This comes after a full day of wheeling and dealing Saudi Arabia. And a face-to-face meeting with Syria's new leader that happened in Riyadh,
speaking to Gulf Arab leaders earlier today, President Trump said it was his honor to announce that the U.S. is lifting sanctions, which have
financially crippled Syria for so long.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: That was the thing that got the biggest applause from the room. We had a very crowded room with thousands of people, and the statement they
got the biggest applause was dropping the sanctions on Syria.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Qatar has taken center stage as a diplomatic-ally for Mr. Trump in this region, becoming a key mediator in important conflict
resolution talks. Of course, our Senior Reporter Stephen Collinson wrote this in his new digital piece on Qatar's role in part, saying, quote, the
tiny state, smaller than Connecticut and home to 2.5 million people, is now a fulcrum of diplomacy and has made itself indispensable to the foreign
policies of Republican and Democratic presidents.
Well, if there's a war that needs to be ended or a hostage to be freed, Qatar, acting almost as a mini-United Nations, will be involved. I want to
bring in H. A. Hellyer. He's a Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies. He joins us from
Cairo. I just wonder what motivates Qatar to take on this regional and frankly, global mediating role?
H. A. HELLYER, SENIOR ASSOCIATE FELLOW AT THE ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE: Well, thank you, Becky. It's always a pleasure to be on your
program. I think Qatar, for many years has seen that if it wants to distinguish itself in the region, then this is a very effective way of
doing so. Keeping in mind, it has the mediation role.
It also has a very strong relationship with the United States. It has, of course, huge financial resources the mediation role, however, I think
distinguishes it in terms of projecting its influence far beyond its size. And I think that it's been served quite valuably in that regard.
You saw that with regards to the negotiations in Gaza, although, of course, it didn't go according to plan, as far as the Qataris are concerned, and
the region remains hopeful that there will be progress there. With regards to Ukraine and Russia, the countries have tried to engage on Afghanistan
with the Taliban.
That was something that was very clearly engaged with by the Qataris. So, it's more about distinguishing Qatar in the region where, of course, it's
small, and it's been able to leverage this huge financial largess and this ability to mediate, I think, really quite well.
ANDERSON: We know that the U.S. President has been meeting with the Qatar Emir just in the past hour. I wonder how much the U.S.-Qatar relationship
has transformed since the first Trump presidency. When Donald Trump sided with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, there was a blockade on Qatar imposed by
both those countries. How have things developed and why?
HELLYER: I think that it's a very, very different time, not simply vis a vis the relationship on Qatar and the United States, but the region more
generally, if you go back to the first Trump Administration, escalation was really the name of the game in terms of the regional paradigm.
And you saw that with regards to Saudi and the UAE's boycott blockade of Qatar. You saw that with relationships between the GCC and Iran. You saw
that when it came to Turkey and other powers in the region. By the end of the Trump Administration, the region, I think, had just become really
exhausted with this sort of paradigm and moved towards the escalation on almost every file.
And you saw normalization of relationships very, very quickly unfold the Turks, with regards to, for example, the Egyptians and the Saudis, the
boycott block aid, ending relationships between Tehran and GCC capitals, including Riyadh, including Abu Dhabi, really de-escalating in terms of
tension.
And the Trump Administration is coming in to a region where, generally speaking, that continues to be the paradigm that most powers in the region
want.
[09:35:00]
Of course, there's a big gaping sore in this regard, and that's the fact that there's one power in the region that does not seek that and has
actually been escalating when it comes to Gaza, when it comes to Lebanon, when it comes to Syria, and that, of course, is Tel Aviv.
But I think what you've seen over the last couple of days is a desire from Washington to proceed down this transactional based America first approach,
irrespective of what calculations in Tel Aviv might look like. It's not going down well among the Israelis.
You mentioned some of that early on your report, but I think that they'll expect to see more happening on that front, at least when it comes to Iran,
I'm less sanguine about what comes to Gaza.
ANDERSON: Yeah, it's good to have you. H. A., thank you. We are a small country, but we have a long outreach. The words of the academy Foreign
Minister in a Washington Post interview published on Monday, quote, sometimes being a small country enables you to move fast and to be able to
engage with everybody.
Well certainly, Donald Trump is seeing, as he describes it, a new generation of leaders transcending ancient conflict and tired divisions of
the past and forging a new Middle East defined by commerce, he says, not chaos. We're at exports technology, not terrorism.
We are following all of the developments for you as U.S. President's trip continues. We are now in Doha. We are back with more after this. Plus, we
will check in on the day's other stories, including the latest on crucial talks between Russia and Ukraine. Where will they take place? We're live in
Kyiv.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London. With a look at the day's other main stories, we are one day away
from potential peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, and we still don't know who could be there. U.S. President Donald Trump told CNN a short time
ago that it's possible he could attend talks in Turkey on Thursday, and that he doesn't know if Vladimir Putin would show up if he isn't there.
[09:40:00]
Meanwhile, Ukraine's President says he will travel to Turkey on Thursday, and may sit down with Russia's President, but only with him. The Kremlin
still won't say who it's sending. Well CNN's Chief International Security Correspondent Nick Paton Walsh is joining us from Kyiv.
So, Nick the Kremlin refusing to say for the third straight day here whether or not Vladimir Putin will be in Istanbul tomorrow. It does feel as
though it's Russia who are holding all the cards in this moment, this waiting game that we're in.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. I mean, it's remarkable the theater that we seem to be caught in now.
Reminder so many days after the weekend, demand by European leaders in Ukraine for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire. Putin's response to that was,
let's have direct Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul on Thursday.
Zelenskyy upped that by saying, I'll attend myself. He said yesterday that he would simply go to Ankara to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and then go on to Istanbul if indeed Putin turned up. But he'd only talk to Putin then enter Trump, who said earlier he'd like to see two
leaders attending there.
That's essentially, I think, adding to the pressure to Putin to attend. Trump later said that he thinks Vladimir Putin would like him to attend,
and he may well show up indeed, to facilitate to stop some of the killing here. We've just heard from the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, the
suggestion that nobody will know how this meeting begins until it begins.
That's, I think, adding to the frankly conflicted drama around this. Surely the Kremlin know if they wish to send their head to it or not, maybe this
later stage they're looking to negotiate, perhaps twist a bilateral with Trump out of this. But it is remarkable how we simply don't know if this
meeting, key, as it will be, will go ahead, Christina.
MACFARLANE: All right. Nick, thank you for that. We will be back after this short break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: And we will have much more on Donald Trump's Middle East visit at the top of the next hour with my colleague Becky Anderson, live in Doha.
And I'll be back with the rest of the day's top headlines right now, after a short break. It's CNN's "World Sport". Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:45:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
[10:00:00]
END
