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Marco Rubio Says U.S. Peace Proposal Is Evolving As Talks Progress; Donald Trump On Peace Plan Talks: Something Good May Be Happening; Hezbollah's Chief Of Staff Killed In Beirut Strike; U.S. Labels Nicolas Maduro And Allies Members Of Foreign Terrorist Organization; Marjorie Taylor Greene Says She Doesn't Want To Run For President In 2028. Israel: Hezbollah's Chief Of Staff Killed In Beirut Strike; European Union Foreign Policy Chief Speaks To CNN On Ukraine Proposal; Anna Wintour Defends Choice Of Bezos Couple As Sponsors. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired November 24, 2025 - 10:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:44]
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Well, you're back with us for the second hour of the show from our Middle East programming headquarters. I'm Becky
Anderson in Abu Dhabi, where the time is just after 7:00 in the evening. Wherever you are watching, you are more than welcome.
Coming up this hour, U.S. President Donald Trump making a big diplomatic push on the war in Ukraine. Can the American leader extract any compromises
from either Kyiv or the Kremlin.
Plus, Israel kills this key Hezbollah leader in Beirut, the first strike on the Lebanese capital in months. We'll look at why the IDF acted now.
And the U.S. designates Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro as a member of a terror group. The very latest details coming up from Washington.
Well, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that he is awaiting a full report from his country's delegation in Geneva now returning home
from what Mr. Zelenskyy earlier called substantive talks on U.S.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As Americans, there's one thing we can all agree on, the promise of our Constitution and the hope that liberty and justice is for
all people. But here's the truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Rubio says that President Trump's proposal is evolving after being criticized as too favorable towards Russia.
President Zelenskyy says Ukraine is willing to compromise to a point.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: We all continue working with partners, especially the United States, and look for compromises that
strengthen but not weaken us, and we will continue explaining how dangerous it is to pretend that aggression is something one can simply overlook and
move on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, CNN's Matthew Chance asked the U.S. Secretary of State whether there were changes to the more contentious elements of the peace
plan. Here is how the top U.S. diplomat responded.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Has Ukraine indicated to you that it's prepared to compromise, for instance, some of
those key issues, like territory in exchange for peace with Russia? They suggested that they are prepared to --
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, I'm not going to -- look, it's not because for purposes of evasion, it's just, I'm not going to get into
the details of the topics that were discussed, because this is an ongoing process.
What is important to understand and how these things work is you have to -- in order to have a proposal, you have to write it. You know, if it's just
verbal, it's in the air, you have to put it down on a piece of paper. And just because it's printed on a piece of paper doesn't indicate finality.
So, you get input, and based on that input, you make adjustments, and then you get more input, or you -- or you make a counter offer, and you get more
adjustments. That's an ongoing process. There's a lot more of that to happen.
So, I'm not going to speculate or go into the details of any of the specific items in the latest version of the proposal, because, frankly, by
tomorrow or the next day, that may have evolved and changed further and -- but I can tell you, I guess, that I feel very optimistic that we can get
something done here, because we made a tremendous amount of progress.
CHANCE: What are you going to tell President Trump about the attitude of the Ukrainians during these negotiations?
RUBIO: Oh, it was very positive. I'm telling you. Today was the most productive day we have had.
CHANCE: Because he said they were ungrateful earlier.
RUBIO: Well, today, and we've talked to him since, I think he's quite pleased at the reports we've given him about the amount of progress that's
been made.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Matthew explained more last hour about what the U.S. Secretary of State said in that news conference, and what he was not able
to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHANCE: What he was not been be able to do -- what he wasn't able to do, though, was to give us any details about what exactly had been agreed, what
had been put into the proposals, what had been taken out to make it more palatable, potentially, for the -- for the Ukrainians, indeed, for the
Europeans as well, who are very concerned about not being closer involved - - more involved in the -- in the negotiations with Ukraine to try and bring an end to the war.
But you know, there are big issues that still remain. Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, saying he doesn't believe those issues are
insurmountable, but, you know, they are still huge. Things like territorial concessions from Ukraine, things like the limitations being put on its
armed forces, like the general kind of state of the country post war, what that Ukrainian state is going to look like.
[10:05:19]
These are issues that are extremely contentious, and if a new peace proposal, which is currently being negotiated, we're told, addresses those
Ukrainian concerns, it might create another problem as well. Will the Kremlin, which has been utterly, you know, refusing to make any compromises
on its demands so far, will they accept that?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, last hour, I spoke to the European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas about the U.S. plan and Europe's counter proposal to it.
Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAJA KALLAS, EUROPEAN UNION FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF: We welcome all the efforts to achieve this peace, but we shouldn't take the focus of who
doesn't want the peace, which is Russia.
I mean, we haven't heard of Russia making any concessions, or any concessions to be asked from Russia, because, you know, we should, should
be discussing on how Russia would not invade again and how Russia would stop this war, and not what Ukraine could or should give up, because
there's one victim and one aggressor in this war.
ANDERSON: A European official has confirmed to CNN that the reported text of a U.K., French and German counter proposal is accurate. That text
removed the U.S. proposals recognition of three eastern Ukrainian territories as de facto Russian territory, and it removed references to
territorial concessions.
Is there a possibility of the E.U. supporting a plan in any way that forces Ukraine to cede territory?
KALLAS: Well, what we have to understand that, if Russia could conquer Ukraine, they would have already done so. So, to offer them something that
they even -- haven't conquered militarily is, you know, offering something on top of what they already have, or what is definitely rewarding, or
rewarding them for the aggression, which is a very bad sign.
So, again, you know, I think we shouldn't fall into the straps to discuss all what Ukraine should give away, but, you know, bring the discussion back
to the territory, what Russia should concede, because they have started this war and they are doing the killing.
ANDERSON: OK, what about what Russia has conquered militarily?
KALLAS: Well, we have called and Ukraine has agreed to unconditional cease fire already in February this year. So, of course, you mean there should be
a cease fire in order to start the real talks. I mean, there is clear distinction also between de jure and de facto. So, one is what Ukrainians
are able to conquer back. But the other one is the stalemate where the things actually stand, and not recognizing any territories, or conquering
of the territories, de jure, because that would go really in conflict with all the agreements that we have.
ANDERSON: Can you confirm that all European countries are on board with this document and together? And if not, how do you expect Ukraine-Russia --
Ukraine and Russia to agree if the E.U. doesn't?
KALLAS: Well, we have on Wednesday the meeting with the foreign affairs ministers of European Union. I mean, to also steer this process back to the
discussion what Russia should concede. So, to really -- I mean, have the approach from the European side, what we want to see from Russian side, so
that this would not happen again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And more from that interview that I conducted last hour on the European perspective coming up as we move through this show.
Now, as we've been reporting, the U.S. president sounding very optimistic. In a social media post, Donald Trump saying that, "Something good just may
be happening in those talks in Geneva."
Let's get the view from the White House and Alayna Treene Joining me now, we have had a very positive message from President Donald Trump earlier
today about where things stand with these talks. We've also just heard that the President of Russia has said in a phone call with the Turkish President
that the U.S. plan could, in principle, form the basis towards the end of the war in Ukraine.
But later in terms of what Donald Trump is saying, do we know what his optimism is based on at this point?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: It's based on his conversations with the Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Becky, who has really been key to
this process at this point. He is the one who was in Geneva talking with both with the Ukrainians and the Europeans, about what this could mean,
trying to massage this plan that was, we should note, quietly hammered out initially with the Russians, trying to see how they can get to some sort of
compromise.
[10:10:21]
And some of what we had heard from Rubio following those negotiations in Geneva were far more optimistic than I think many people were expecting. He
had said at one point that they made substantial progress. He said, "Today was the best day we've had in our entire 10 months of working on these
issues."
And so, I think it was that phone call, Becky, to answer your question with Rubio, that really, in the president's mind, made things seem more
positive, especially after we kind of saw whiplash from Donald Trump over the weekend on how he believed these negotiations were going, there was
that point where he was trying to argue that perhaps Ukraine wasn't being grateful enough, not showing enough gratitude for U.S. involvement in
trying to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. Very much a different statement today.
And look, I think one of the key things to keep in mind is where this has progressed, because many people, of course, Ukraine, but also the United
States, European allies, and even many lawmakers here in Washington were very wary of the 28-point plan that essentially got leaked last week
because it looked like it heavily was favoring Russia, offering a lot of concessions that Russia has been touting. Things like having NATO
membership for Ukraine off the table, having a cap on the number of Ukrainian troops that could stay active in the aftermath of a peace deal.
And also, having Ukraine, I think, the biggest one, ceding territory to Russia, even some territory that has not been ceded already through the
fighting.
And so, there's still a lot that needs to be discussed from my conversations with Trump administration officials, but they're hoping that
this is the start of really trying to accelerate on some of these key sticking points and make sure the momentum is there to keep talks going
when they've been dormant for so many weeks now.
ANDERSON: Busy day in Geneva, it is also a busy day there at the White House. Separately, we are just learning that President Donald Trump spoke
with the Chinese leader earlier today. Do we have any idea about what it was that they discussed at this point?
TREENE: We're still waiting to get some more details on this, Becky. I spoke with one senior White House official who confirmed that both the
president and Xi Jinping spoke by phone.
But look, this is the first conversation we know that they are having ever since they met in person on the sidelines of that APEC summit in South
Korea last month. And one of the key things I know from my conversations with Trump administration officials has been they want to ensure that the
terms that were agreed to in that summit, essentially that China lives up to them, that they stay true to the commitments that they have made,
particularly on areas of trade.
Another big one being they had agreed to buy a substantial amount of soybeans, something that was really their pause on doing so, really hurting
Americans, American farmers specifically in the U.S., making sure that they follow through on that as well.
And so, we'll have to see and get more details of what exactly was discussed. We've heard some of the talk of trade from the Chinese side, but
all to say, I think a big focus really being on trying to ensure that China continues to live up to their commitments, especially when we know that
they have kind of faltered in some of those talks in the past.
And so, I'll take a lot of focus on that and making sure that the two continue this dialog that they've achieved.
ANDERSON: Alayna, it's good to have you, as I say, a busy day for you, a busy day there building behind you.
TREENE: Always.
ANDERSON: Thank you.
Well, Hezbollah calling the killing of its chief of staff a, "Treacherous Israeli attack on Southern Beirut." The Israeli military says it killed
Hezbollah's second most senior figure in the first air strike on the Lebanese capital in months. That strike came despite what has been a nearly
yearlong cease fire in place. Here's what the Israeli prime minister had to say about the attack earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): The policy I'm leading is absolutely clear, under my leadership, the State of Israel
will not allow Hezbollah to rebuild its power, and we will not allow it to once again pose a threat to the State of Israel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, CNN's Nic Robertson back with us from Jerusalem this hour. And Nic, why do -- is it clear at this point why Israel carried out this
strike now?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's not, we can look at what's been happening on the ground in southern Lebanon recently, where
Israel has had an increasing number of strikes against Hezbollah targets, where they think Hezbollah is breaking the cease fire, reconstituting a
military presence of some description, relatively close to the northern border of Israel.
[10:15:11]
That would sort of be the background, you know, when you look at situations like this, was it a military opportunity that they had actionable
intelligence? That Haytham Ali Tabatabai was in a location that they could target. Had they been waiting for the opportunity, or was there this -- did
it have other grounds behind it as well?
I mean, what we've heard the prime minister here say is very clearly that they believed he, as the military leader, was the sort of central point for
reconstituting Hezbollah's threat in Lebanon against Israel.
So, the backdrop has to be Israel perceives that the cease fire isn't being properly implemented. But switch sides and look at it from the Lebanese
perspective, and sources I've spoken to there over the months have said that they felt that the cease fire was unfairly, if you will, heavily
tilted in Israel's favor, that it was a long stretch for the already sort of meager Lebanese army to grow itself and put itself in a position where
it could, as the cease fire called it to do, control that border area, make sure that Hezbollah didn't re-stand up its units and command and control
and you know, military bases in that -- in that border area in the South of Lebanon, that that was always difficult for them to do, and the conditions
that they were working against the Lebanese army, the Lebanese Government, this was always going to be a stretch.
And Israel has been very clear with all its enemies, be it Hamas who, by the way, they struck inside Lebanon, just last week, killing 13 people at a
refugee camp there, Ain al-Hilweh, just outside of Sidon.
Israel is always on the front foot. And I think for many in Lebanon, there was always a feeling that Israel was going to take action on its own terms
when it was ready to. What does that mean? That means the cease fire looks shakier. We know there's been a military operation, a training operation
that's been long planned, going on in the north of Israel today. It all speaks to a readiness on the Israeli side to confront what they see as a
situation where Hezbollah is reconstituting.
ANDERSON: Nic, it's good to have you. Thank you, sir.
Well, United States has designated Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his allies, members of a foreign terrorist organization.
Now, the White House says that it means that President Trump will have further options to take military action inside Venezuela and allows for new
sanctions targeting Maduro's assets. To be clear, legal experts say it doesn't explicitly authorize the use of legal force.
The administration though basing its action on the allegation that Maduro is tied to a drug trafficking network called the Cartel de los solos --
Soles, sorry.
CNN National Security Correspondent Natasha Bertrand joining me from Washington, D.C. Good to have you. Is there any detail on what evidence the
U.S. has on these allegations that Maduro is linked to drug traffickers, Natasha?
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, so far, they haven't issued any direct evidence of this. They say instead that Maduro
and members of his regime are engaged in illicit trafficking, are engaged in facilitating the drug trade in Venezuela.
But this designation of Cartel de los Soles is controversial among legal experts because they say that this so-called cartel doesn't actually exist.
It is essentially a nickname that has been given to this kind of group of people within the Venezuelan regime since the '90s, that groups them
together based on corruption, based on the fact that they are engaged in some form of drug trafficking.
But it's not necessarily a cartel that is organized and that is driven by business interests as such. It is more a collection of individuals inside
the regime that are engaged in corruption.
And so, to designate them as a terrorist organization, by saying that they are a cartel has struck many experts as dishonest, to say the least,
because it is not the same as designating, say, a foreign terrorist organization, of a cartel that is organized, that is trying to send drugs
into the United States and that is motivated by business interests.
And so, many people see this as a way for the United States to justify expanded lethal military operations against Venezuela internally on land
itself. And legal experts, again, are saying that that is not the way that these foreign terrorist organization designation -- foreign terrorist
designations work.
Instead, as you said, it allows them to put enhanced sanctions on these individuals. It definitely is a very serious counterterrorism tool that the
State Department has in terms of prohibiting U.S. persons and companies from doing business with these individuals. But it is not the kind of
silver bullet that the administration wants it to be when it comes to allowing them and authorizing them to carry out military force against
Venezuelan leaders and military and government facilities inside Venezuela, Becky.
[10:20:28]
ANDERSON: And more on what is a developing story, of course, as we get it here on CNN. Thank you, Natasha.
Still to come this hour, Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene is shutting down speculation about her political future. Why it matters is
just ahead.
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ANDERSON: The outgoing Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is dismissing media reports that she has plans to run for U.S. President. In a
social media post on Sunday, Greene threw cold water on the idea, saying, I quote her here, I'm not running for president. Never said I wanted to, and
have only laughed about it when anyone would mention it. And she added, "I'm not motivated by power and titles." Greene announced Friday that she
was leaving office in January after clashing with President Trump over the release of the Epstein files and the future of the party heading into the
midterms. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): I love my family way too much, and I do not want my sweet district to have to endure a hurtful and hateful primary
against me by the president that we all fought for only to fight and win my election, while Republicans will likely lose the midterms. And in turn, be
expected to defend the president against impeachment, after he hatefully dumped tens of millions of dollars against me and tried to destroy me. It's
all so absurd and completely unserious. I refuse to be a battered wife hoping it all goes away and gets better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, CNN Politics Senior Reporter Stephen Collinson joining me now.
I mean, Stephen, she has become somewhat of a political superstar on the MAGA right these past few years, you wrote in an analysis piece that
Marjorie Taylor Greene or MTG, she's known, her exit shows President Trump still rules the Republican Party, but it's a warning he shouldn't ignore.
Just explain.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, so what President Trump has done is effectively drive Marjorie Taylor Greene out of the party
because she criticized him, most notably, over the release of the Epstein file. She was one of the Republican lawmakers that pushed this bill last
week that requires the Justice Department to release these files.
The other issue here, though, is that this clearly does show, even though Trump has great power still in the Republican Party, the threat of him
backing primary opponents to Republican lawmakers is very real. It is a split in the MAGA part of the party, which in many ways the president
created.
[10:25:20]
What Marjorie Taylor Greene is arguing is that she is now closer to America First Principles of American jobs for Americans, for example, than the
president is himself. And I think that points to the future of the Republican Party when President Trump is no longer its leader.
And I think he would be wise to listen to some of the other things she's saying. She's talking about the cost of health care, the president's
failure to fully address high prices for groceries and housing.
So, those are issues which are very pertinent, I think, to many voters in the United States, and that the president hasn't really shown that he's got
a plan to address.
ANDERSON: Fascinating, isn't it? I want to keep you on another high-profile politician while I've got you.
New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, he met with President Trump on Friday, and we saw very different messaging between the two men face-to-
face and that which we've heard before. Here's what Mamdani told CNN about the meeting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Talk to me about how you deciphered his language.
ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK MAYOR-ELECT: You know, I approached this meeting thinking about what I'd heard from New Yorkers who voted for the
president. And when I asked them why they did so last November, they told me, cost of living, cost of living.
Yes, we did speak about immigration, and I shared with the president directly that New Yorkers, we want to follow the laws of our city, and the
laws of our city say that in our sanctuary city policies, that city government can be in touch with the federal government on around 170
serious crimes. The concern comes from beyond those crimes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Stephen, what did you make of what you heard during his meeting with Donald Trump? Many have been quite surprised by this sort of
chumminess to a degree. And what did you make of what you just heard?
COLLINSON: Well, obviously, this guy is a pretty astute politician. I wasn't actually that surprised that the predicted blow up in the Oval
Office didn't take place, just because the president tends to respond quite favorably to people that are nice to him and show him respect and show his
voters respect.
At the same time, Mamdani is only the mayor-elect of New York. None of the big issues that are going to come up between him and Trump, policing in New
York, immigration are yet on the table. And I'm sure at some point there will become a crisis point.
What Trump's meeting really complicated was the strategy of Republicans who want to go into the 2026 midterm election, branding Mamdani as a communist,
the unacceptable, extreme face of the Democratic Party. He's not a communist, but he's a Democratic socialist.
Actually, a lot of his policies wouldn't really be considered that left wing in Europe. But you know, obviously United States is many ways to the
right of Europe in politics.
That is going to be an issue for someone like Elise Stefanik for example, a pro Trump lawmaker who's now decided to run for governor of New York, her
entire campaign in a year that probably could be tough for Republicans is running against Manhattan and Mamdani. So, Trump has really given her a
problem.
I think we just need to see how this evolves. It would not be at all surprising if this early show of comity between them is just the first step
in their relationship that does have the potential to deteriorate.
ANDERSON: Always good to have you, Stephen. Thank you. Stephen Collinson in the house for you.
Let's get you up to speed and some of the other stories that are on our radar right now, and rescue and recovery efforts are underway in central
Vietnam, after torrential rains and flooding had devastated the region. Some areas are receiving an outstanding astounding 1900 millimeters of
rain. Officials say 91 people are dead, 11 others are missing, and more than 235,000 houses were flooded, tens of thousands of hectares of crops
damaged.
Well, pioneer -- reggae pioneer Jimmy Cliff has died at the age of 81. Cliff was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, the only
Jamaican other than Bob Marley ever to be honored.
[10:29:59]
ANDERSON: In a message on Instagram, his wife wrote to all his fans around the world, please know that your support was his strength throughout his
whole career.
And one of India -- Indian cinema's most popular stars, Dharmendra has died. Often called Bollywood He-Man. He acted in more than 300 films in a
career spanning six decades.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, offered his condolences, calling him, "a phenomenal actor who brought charm and depth to every role he played."
Dharmendra was 89 years old.
You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson.
Still to come, Israel's strikes on Lebanon's capital for the first time in months. Why now? What's the risk of the situation escalating?
I'll be speaking with an expert on the region, good friend of this show just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
Welcome back. You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Here are your headlines this hour.
And Ukraine's president says that he is waiting for his team to return from talks in Geneva and he will determine the next steps after he has been
briefed. The discussion centered on U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal for a deal to end Russia's war against Ukraine.
The Trump administration has formally designated Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as a member of a foreign terrorist organization. The White
House claims Maduro's regime is tied to a vast drug cartel operation. The designation allows the Trump administration to impose new sanctions.
50 students kidnapped from a Nigerian Catholic school on Friday have escaped their captors, but hundreds of others are still being held.
Officials say armed bandits abducted more than 300 students and 12 teachers from St. Mary's private school. It's the latest in a series of attacks
targeting civilians that is drawn the ire of the U.S. president and his government.
The Israeli military says it has killed Hezbollah's chief of staff in the first strike on Lebanon's capital in months. Lebanon's Health Ministry says
five people were killed and more than two dozen injured in what was Sunday's attack. The IDF says the strike was meant to prevent Hezbollah
from regaining strength.
It was only the second Israeli strike on Beirut since Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in November of 2024, though Israel has continued to
carry out frequent attacks in southern Lebanon.
[10:35:03]
Let's discuss this further with -- Firas Maksad, managing director for the Middle East and North Africa practice at Eurasia Group. You are a regular
guest on this show, you will know Faras. Well, he is a good friend of this show. It's good to have you on sir.
This strike brings us to a very important question. Why would the IDF target this individual now? What do you read into the timing of this
attack?
FIRAS MAKSAD, MANAGING DIRECTOR FOR THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA PRACTICE AT EURASIA GROUP: Becky, it's always good to be on your show.
I think the message is that time is running out for the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire, which was inked just about a year ago. We are about a year into
the anniversary right now of that ceasefire.
What really is alarming from the Israeli and American perspective here in Washington is they are watching the dynamics on the ground. And there has
been a pledge and a commitment from the Lebanese government, the Lebanese military, to first disarm Hezbollah and dismantle its infrastructure in the
south of the country, south of the Litani River.
And then, the Lebanese want to do containment in the rest of the country, not allow Hezbollah to smuggle in further weapons for Iran to send in money
to the group.
What's been observed, according to American and Israeli intelligence, is quite the opposite.
Hezbollah and Iran behind it are rebuilding, reconstituting in Lebanon, faster than Israel is able to take out Hezbollah's capabilities or the
Lebanese army for that matter.
And because of these dynamics, we see Israel right now more willing to press Hezbollah and assassinate now its chief of staff.
ANDERSON: In the wake of the strike, you wrote on X, and I just want to quote here for our viewers, "Will Hezbollah respond?"
"Not responding," you said, and you went on to say, "means further proof of overwhelming Israeli escalation dominance. Responding could mean taking the
bait."
Can you just explain a little of your thinking there and what you believe is likely to happen next?
MAKSAD: Absolutely. And here, it's important to emphasize that it's not just Hezbollah. Hezbollah, in many ways, is a tool at the hands of Iran.
You know, built, armed, trained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. And even the gentleman that was, maybe or perhaps, not gentleman by many
accounts, but the person that was killed yesterday, Hezbollah's chief of staff is a dual national of his -- of Iran and Lebanon. And I think that
speaks volumes.
But here, the Iranians have seen this show before. In the last round of fighting over a year ago, Israel always had escalation dominance. The
Iranians on Hezbollah didn't want to escalate for the fear of a head on clash with Israel. Israel has the military advantage.
But the lesson from that was that Israel always drew that as a sign of weakness, and then, went on to escalate.
So, there is rationale for Hezbollah and Iran to respond.
The theory of the case is such. The reality is that Hezbollah has been much diminished, and then, therefore, if they do respond, they risk an
overwhelming Israeli retaliation.
ANDERSON: So, where does this leave Lebanon, the Lebanese, and the U.S.- backed efforts to try and find a solution for Lebanon at this point?
MAKSAD: Yes, I mean, Becky, the tragedy of Lebanon's situation is yet again, this is primarily an Iranian Israeli confrontation over Lebanese
territory and at the cost of Lebanese lives.
The Lebanese government and the Lebanese military have a responsibility to step up.
Disarming and dismantling Hezbollah and is primarily a Lebanese demand, not an Israeli demand. Most of the Lebanese, including Hezbollah's own support
base, no longer want a renewed conflict with Israel.
Hezbollah chose to open a front with Israel after October 7th. On October 8th, it attacked Israel.
And the entirety of Lebanon paid tremendously for the devastation that resulted of that.
So, again, it's incumbent on the Lebanese government to act. It's incumbent on U.S. diplomacy to step back in, because, you know, I had a sit down with
Tom Barrack, who was the envoy, the American envoy trying to settle this between the Lebanese and the Israelis.
And it was very clear since September of last year that he threw in the towel and felt that this was very much a lost cause.
We need a renewed American diplomatic effort to try and bring the Lebanese and the Israelis to the table to implement the ceasefire that was agreed to
just about a year ago.
ANDERSON: Yes, it's really important insight for us. Always a pleasure. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.
I want to get us back to our top story this hour.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says he is awaiting a full report from his country's delegation to Geneva.
[10:40:06]
He has called the talks on President Trump's peace plan substantive, and says Ukraine's next steps will be decided after he is briefed.
Look, we've been hearing a note of cautious optimism from various parties, including the European Union, a key stakeholder, of course.
Earlier, I spoke with Kaja Kallas, the E.U.'s foreign policy chief, and I asked her if Europe was united in its stance at this point.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KALLAS: Well, in Europe, we have 27 different member states and of course, also 27 different historical backgrounds, whereas, also 27 approaches when
it comes to, you know, historical background regarding Russia.
So, clearly, I mean, in order to rush into any agreements, we want to understand what is the price, and again, you know, shift the focus to
Russia, who is the aggressor here?
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Right. Can I ask you, have you spoken with Secretary of State Marco Rubio? If so, what's been your message to him?
And it is worth noting that Europe still buys oil from Russia. If European allies are in the talks, is this going to be one of the sticking points
that the U.S. is going to bring up time and again?
KALLAS: Well, President Trump gave exemption to his friend, who is buying the oil from Russia, so one of the member states. So, actually, I mean, it
is true that it is kind of strange that we are still buying oil from Russia that is funding this war.
And, you know, many member states have already ended it, whereas some haven't. And that also gives revenues for Russia, which is definitely not a
good thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Kaja Kallas speaking to me earlier on, what is clearly our top story today.
Well, in the race for -- or the global race for tech, Abu Dhabi wants to be a leader. I spoke with the adviser to the UAE president about that goal.
More on that is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, the headlines these days are often dominated by the A.I. and advanced tech arms race, if you will.
But I'm here In Abu Dhabi, CNN's Middle East programming hub.
This Emirates is determined to be a global leader in A.I. and robotics. Well, as part of our intelligent futures series, our series exploring how
A.I. and advanced tech is shaping our lives, I spoke with a man tasked with accomplishing this mission.
[10:45:00]
Faisal Al Bannai is the advisor to the UAE president, and I sat down with him at the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Summit recently to talk about the UAE's
ambitions.
Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: You are living and I assume dreaming --
(CROSSTALK)
FAISAL AL BANNAI, ADVISER TO THE UAE PRESIDENT: We get time to dream.
ANDERSON: Abu Dhabi's vision for an A.I. powered and autonomous future.
AL BANNAI: Yes.
ANDERSON: What keeps you awake at night?
Abu Dhabi has moved from being a buyer of technology to a builder of sovereign capabilities. The creation of ATRC, TII, the A.I. university
here, MBZUAI, G42, Edge, now recognized globally as one of the most coordinated tech ecosystems. And this is a play that has developed over the
past sort of decade or so.
So, what does it look like on the ground in 2025?
AL BANNAI: The city and the country is really going through a very interesting phase. And that phase started not yesterday, but started a
while ago.
Where we stand today is there is a foundational layer of yes, the universities, but really these are applied research ecosystem and
universities that are very focused. There is a number of industrial large players going on.
But now is the phase where we want to really unleash and unlock a massive growth when it comes to technology companies, in autonomous and robotics
and A.I. at scale, in my view, that was not happening even before.
So, you will start seeing more entities now where we are saying we have the foundation, we have the ecosystem system, how do we bring the regulator,
how do we bring the users, how do we bring other players in to really clear this flying wheel, where anyone coming in is immediately plugged into users
that want to test technology enablement, a regulator that is super effective.
I mean, regulators getting as close as giving you an 1,800 number, tell me what's your issue and I will solve it.
ANDERSON: You have talked about 2026 being a pivotal year.
So, walk me through what that means in terms of the investment in exponential technologies and how you maintain this momentum.
AL BANNAI: So, let's use few interesting examples. We talked about the foundation. We talked about few anchor players setting up. The current
phase is now unlocking a new generation of new anchor mega players that will launch now in the near future.
When I say launch, I'm talking about launch in the next three months or so, come out in the market.
And what does that mean? So, if we take examples like autonomous logistics, today, as a country, we're not a manufacturing country today. At scale, we
are not Germany today from manufacturing, but we are a very large service sector and we are a very large logistics sector.
So, cargo, using that as an example is fit right for our country.
I mean, we move goods by air, by land, by sea. And fusing this now with the technology of autonomous air, land, and sea cargo can unlock so much
potential in efficiency and accuracy and cost reduction and scaling.
What will change in '26 is we will move from pilot to scaling.
So, we are taking -- UAE is a large logistic country. Now, let's focus bringing autonomous to that.
UAE is a large service sector.
How are we going to bring robots and humanoids into the service sector?
So, this is a good segue into another discussion which is -- and the Nvidia partnership, as far as I know, is the first partnership for robotics in
this entire region that they are signing a joint lab with TII.
Because they got to see what others didn't see it in terms of what we are doing. And it's a heads up of what will possibly be announced as a future
robotics companies to be launched in the UAE.
ANDERSON: The CEO of Nvidia has recently suggested that China is on the cusp of taking the lead when it comes to A.I. advanced technology.
What's your sense of this global sort of A.I. advanced tech arms race that's going on at present?
AL BANNAI: I think, we can take two routes. Either we get tangled of who's leading, who's not leading, who's behind, X, frankly, personally, I don't
really care.
What matters to us here is UAE needs to become a leading player in the A.I. and robotics.
[10:50:02]
We have few key principles. We want to be a major deployer of A.I. and robotics. We want to be a major expert in AI and robotics. We have few key
principles of. We want to have an open platform that accepts technology to come in and our energy and time, we can either spend that energy trying to
figure out other races, or we spend our energy in doing this.
ANDERSON: You talk about, frankly not being bothered about what's going on in that wider race.
And when I get it, and I get that. But what is --
(CROSSTALK)
AL BANNAI: We don't want to be dragged and spend our energy in that --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Understood.
But what is important is about ensuring that you've identified an edge --
(CROSSTALK)
AL BANNAI: Yes.
ANDERSON: -- here in Abu Dhabi, and that you can execute on that edge.
AL BANNAI: I will say something that might sound like a cliche or -- but I hundred percent believe in it. I think our true advantage, the ultimate
advantage we have is, the ability of this country to say, this is the North Star, let's all march to that North Star.
So, the ability to execute of having the regulator, having the technology players, having the research centers, having the investment arms, having
everyone sing the same song and say, don't focus on anything else, this is the winning formula today.
ANDERSON: When I think about what's going on here and the work that I do regularly with entities here, we are talking about A.I. and advanced tech,
we are talking about robotics and autonomous vehicles, we are talking about quantum. How concerned are you that there is or could be an over-saturation
of technology at this point?
AL BANNAI: There is a serious bubble. Anyone that tells you not is kidding himself. It's what, what will matter is, is what you are building going to
have a very true proposition? Are you going to able to demonstrate value or you are just selling a dream?
And whoever is able to show value soon, sooner than others, show impact soon, will be the remaining players in this next phase. Many will vanish,
many will collapse, this bubble is going to settle. I think -- I think that saturation is fine, because it's going to separate the real players from
the storytellers.
ANDERSON: Last question to you. As a resident here, I see and live the ambition for innovation here. And I'm often asked by people outside of Abu
Dhabi and the UAE, how the leadership here is balancing innovation with public safety, regulation, and governance?
AL BANNAI: I think it's a fundamental question, and I think it boils down to a few things. We can either be too scared, and like some countries, no
need to name, that the regulators or whatever don't want to move until 10 other countries have done it, because they won't fired for doing so.
Or you say, look, let's launch it in sectors that are not catastrophic if it got delayed or there is a malfunction or whatever it may be.
And we build confidence through that, we build safety through that, we build security through that. And I think, but it's having a mindset that
says, we need to find a way to do it, what should we do?
Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, Anna Wintour is pushing back on those who are criticizing the lead sponsor for the 2026 Met Gala.
[10:55:02]
Now, next year's event will be sponsored by Amazon boss Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Bezos, alongside Conde Nast and Saint Laurent.
The choice has drawn much criticism. Some argue their involvement shows a shift towards billionaires controlling cultural institutions.
Well, Anna Wintour defended the choice. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is a bit of criticism about the Bezos' sponsoring next year's Met Gala. What do you think of that?
ANNA WINTOUR, GLOBAL EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, VOGUE: I think, Lauren is going be a wonderful asset to the museum and to the event, and very grateful for her
incredible generosity, and she is a great lover of costume and obviously of fashion. So, we're thrilled she is part of the night. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And she speak with --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, worth noting, tech firms have previously sponsored the Met Gala, including Amazon in 2012, where Bezos served as an honorary chair.
Anyone who sponsors the Met Gala obviously wants to make an impact on the world of fashion. And it's not, Sanchez Bezos' only attempt. Earth Fund is
also announced a $6 million partnership with the Council of Fashion Designers to promote sustainability in the industry.
All right. That's your lot from CONNECT THE WORLD, at least. I'm Becky Anderson here in Abu Dhabi. From the team working with me, it's a very good
evening. "ONE WORLD", though, is up next on CNN. So, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
