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One World with Zain Asher
Peter Mandelson to Quit House of Lords Over Epstein Scandal; Columbian President at White House to Meet Trump; International Fallout from Release of Latest Epstein Files; Clintons Agree to In-person Depositions with Congress; Iran Conditionally Agrees to Nuclear Talks with U.S.; Russia Launches Missile & Drone Attacks on Ukraine Overnight. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired February 03, 2026 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
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ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Colombian President Gustavo Petro is set to meet with President Trump at the White House this hour. "One World"
starts right now. The meeting comes after a war of words between the two leaders. We'll take you live to Washington and Colombia for the very
latest.
Plus, Russia resumed missile and drone strikes across Ukraine overnight, just days ahead of the next round of trilateral peace talks between Russia,
Ukraine and the United States in Abu Dhabi. And Peter Mandelson, the Former UK Ambassador to the U.S., is set to quit the House of Lords over the
Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
All right, coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. This is "One World". Donald Trump has had some tense meetings at the White House with
world leaders, and this hour, there actually could be another one. He set to meet with Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
Over the past year, the two have traded insults and a lot of threats. At one point, Trump, without evidence, called Petro an illegal drug leader,
something that force he blatantly denies, but it's not an idle remark. In light of the U.S. removal of Venezuela Leader Nicolas Maduro.
In recent weeks, Trump and Petro have softened their tone, so this meeting is certainly crucial for Petro. He hopes to convince the U.S. that his
country is combating the drug trade there. Petro is also hoping to have U.S. sanctions against him overturned too. Our Stefano Pozzebon is covering
the story in Bogota.
We begin with Kevin Liptak in Washington. So, Kevin, as I mentioned, these two men have certainly traded barbs, particularly over social media, but
the fact that Gustavo Petro witnessed what happened in Venezuela, what happened to Nicolas Maduro, certainly has made him sort of sit up straight,
so to speak.
Just walk us through what this meeting is likely to focus on, especially as it pertains to narco-trafficking and the relationship between the two men
as well.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, and I think the intent for both sides heading into it is to try and de-escalate some of that fiery
rhetoric that we've seen play out over the last several months or so. You know, you see his car pulling in there on west executive drive.
It's going to pull into the back of the White House, and we're not actually going to see Gustavo Petro walk into the building. And the meeting as of
now, is closed press. It's meant to be private, which I think is an intentional way for them to try and paper over any differences that they
might have.
You know, these are two leaders that are sometimes prone to outbursts. They are both sort of triggered by the other side periodically and known to sort
of devolve into this fiery rhetoric. And I think the interest in both sides is to try and keep that behind closed doors, if that is, in fact, how this
meeting proceeds.
And I think both sides are hopeful that it does not. And there's a recognition on both sides as well that both of them have something to gain
from this. You know, for President Trump, he does need Petro's participation if he is looking to stem some of the flow of cocaine from
Colombia.
This has been something that the U.S. and Colombia have been partnering at for quite some time here. And I think for Petro, he's looking to
demonstrate that he is a good partner on that front. You know, they have been trying, for example, to convert some of the fields where coca is grown
into other crops.
And there is a suggestion that maybe he's bringing with him some coffee or chocolate that's grown on some of these fields that have been replanted as
a demonstration to the president that he's a willing partner in that area. I think the other issue that they're both going to want to get into some of
the nitty gritty on is the very long border that Colombia shares with Venezuela almost 1400 miles long.
It's in both of these men's interests that, that border remains secure, that it doesn't devolve into, you know, a place where potentially you could
see some of the Colombian group, the ELN, going after some of the American oil companies that the president is so interested in bringing into
Venezuela and reviving that country's oil industry.
And so, a lot of very important topics, on security, on narco-trafficking, on politics that they'll want to get down to discussing, none of which is
going to be possible if they're sort of sniping at each other and at each other's throats and really devolving into the threats and rhetoric that we
have seen sort of color the relationship for the better part of the last year.
[11:05:00]
I think it's notable, the U.S. did have to provide a waiver to a visa ban that had been in place on Gustavo Petro. The president had put that in
place after some fiery rhetoric that Petro made during last year's U.N. General Assembly, so that, of course, allowed him to come into the United
States.
The bigger question is whether perhaps some of these sanctions and some of these restrictions are lifted permanently in the you know, 6 months or so,
or 10 months or so that remains in Petro's term as president.
ASHER: All right. Kevin Liptak, live for us there. Stefano, let me bring you in, because, as Kevin noted there, these two leaders have traded really
sort of difficult rhetoric over the past few weeks, but even leading up to this meeting, we still heard some quite scathing comments by Gustavo Petro
towards Donald Trump, saying, for one thing, that Trump is an accomplice to genocide in the Gaza Strip, asserting that the capture of Nicolas Maduro
was a kidnapping.
And actually, calling on ordinary Colombians to take to the streets of Bogota during this particular meeting with the U.S. President. It's
interesting because it seems as though Petro is having to sort of juggle and balance trying to appease Donald Trump with also trying to cater to a
domestic audience.
Obviously, he is diametrically opposed when it comes to his political ideology from the U.S. President. So, some of his comments are targeting
his base at home as well.
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, Zain, I think that here, what you have is the recognition, at least from Petro, that, yes, he's ideologically
as opposed as you can be with the U.S. President Donald Trump. However, the United States is Colombia's number one trading partner, and has been that
for the last 50 years.
Think that, for example, more than 30 percent of all the exports from Colombia go up towards the U.S. I'm talking about coffee and chocolate,
just like Kevin was saying, but also oil, petrol, liquefied natural gas, timber, a lot of raw material. And in the delegation that we'll meet at the
Oval Office.
We understand he is also the president of Ecopetrol, which is the state company that controls the production and export of oil here in Colombia. Of
course, it's not just Venezuela that has a lot of oil. Colombia has their fair share of crude oil as well, and Petro probably knows that that is a
way to appease Donald Trump.
There are more than 650 U.S. companies that are active here in the Colombian market. So, there is the recognition that Petro says that he is
in disagreement with Donald Trump among most of his policies. He even dwelled into the situation in Minneapolis over the last few days and
criticizing the actions by I.C.E. up there in Minnesota.
However, there's also the recognition that one way or another, we are tied in this commercial partnership. And right now, for Colombia, there is no
alternative into finding an agreement, or at least an understanding with the United States. And for Petro as well, like the personal sanction the
OFAC list that where Donald Trump placed him last year after those five remarks.
As Kevin was saying at the UNGA is a personal sanction that affects him and his family, because other than him, is also his estranged wife and his son,
Nicolas Petro, are also being accused of colluding with narco-trafficking. That is something that really affects them.
That means that most of them, they cannot buy or have any interaction in U.S. Dollars. They cannot have any interaction with U.S. banks. We know,
for example, that the First Lady of Colombia had trouble traveling from Stockholm when she sometimes resides back to Bogota because no airline
wanted to sell her a ticket after her name was added to that list back in October last year, in October 2025.
And Petro knows personally that this is his chance to take his name and the one of his former wives, or a strange wife and his son out of that list. So
yes, we can disagree, but perhaps let's try together to disagree with civility, or at least with the understanding that our countries are, in one
way or another tied together.
And that is also, by the way, what is filtering out of the Colombian delegation. In the last couple of days, I was able to speak, for example,
with the Defense Minister of Colombia, Pedro Sanchez, who is, of course, at the table there because security is a big issue on the agenda.
And he's also shared with me that he's optimistic, that he hopes that despite the differences, this meeting could be a success. We will hear more
in a few hours from Petro himself. He has called for a press conference this afternoon, so Zain, stay tuned. We'll bring you everything we have
from Washington and from here in Bogota.
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ASHER: All right. Stefano Pozzebon live for us there. Kevin Liptak, thank you both so much. Let's take a closer look at this meeting that is set to
take place. We're joined by Elizabeth Dickinson from the International Crisis Group. Elizabeth, thank you so much for being with us.
As I was mentioning to Stefano Pozzebon, our report on the ground there in Bogota. It appears, though, quite interestingly, Gustavo Petro has
continued to trade barbs with the U.S. President, even leading up to this meeting, which I find interesting. I assume that part of that reasoning
behind that is because this is an election year for Gustavo Petro in Colombia.
The elections there are set to take place in May. And so, he's trying to appeal to a domestic audience. But given that context, explain what both of
these leaders are hoping to gain from this meeting?
ELIZABETH DICKINSON, INTERIM DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF LATAM REGION AT INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: You know, I think Trump and Petro have one
thing very much in common, which is that they both speak their mind. And I think that is what we've seen really in recent weeks.
And one of the reasons that I think since Trump came to office, Petro and Trump have found in one another useful sparring partners politically.
Trump, from his side, I think, has used Petro on numerous occasions to send messages to the region about the cost of pushing back against U.S. policy.
And Petro, for his part, as you mentioned, especially going into an election cycle, has tried to position himself in against some of Trump's
clear policies, for example, on migration, the war in Gaza, the attacks on supposed drug carrying boats in the Caribbean. And now, of course, this
meeting today, I think, is intended to sort of smooth over that situation.
I think Petro comes in with a clear objective, as your Reporter Stefano mentioned to remove himself from the Clinton list to ensure that he is not
under sanction when he does leave August, leave office in August, I think the United States is looking for some very clear concessions from Colombia.
One would be in terms of extraditions. There are individuals that the United States believes are involved in drug trafficking that they want
Colombia to send, in addition to other types of militaries and security cooperation in terms of counter drug policy.
ASHER: And when it comes to actually just sort of specifics, what Gustavo Petro might be offering the United States when it comes to counteracting
drug trafficking in his country. What are the types of things that he might end up offering Donald Trump, especially when it comes to coca eradication
and also reducing cocaine production too?
DICKINSON: So, as I mentioned, one of the key concessions I think, will be extraditions. There was an individual who has been wanted in the United
States extradited just this morning from a criminal organization on the Pacific Coast. In terms of counter drug policy more broadly, I think what
the United States and Colombia have had is a disagreement over form, rather than in terms of their fundamental goals.
Both countries prioritize reducing the supply of cocaine that is leaving Colombia, and they've had different strategies about how they think is the
best way to do that. The United States, I think, has a real focus on coca eradication. As you said, coca, the raw material that's used to produce
cocaine.
And Colombia today is the has more coca under cultivation than at any point in its history since it started tracking. And what the Petro Administration
has done has said, we want to focus a little bit higher up the supply chain and try to target the criminals themselves who are trafficking the final
product of cocaine.
Colombia, for that reason, has reached records levels of interdiction, seizures of drugs. But that fundamental disagreement, do you eradicate the
crop? Do you seize the final product? How do you go about tackling this monster of a problem, I think, is at the core of what they will discuss
today.
ASHER: And so just in terms of whether or not this meeting ends up becoming a success. I mean, how is that measure? Do you think? I mean, is it just
about managing disagreements, or are we expecting any kind of improvement in the diplomatic relationship between the two, as in, if we come out of
this meeting and the two leaders, there's a reduction in tone, for example, in the types of barbs or the extent and the number of barbs the two leaders
are trading on social media.
You know what? Just walk us through what are the sort of hallmarks to indicate that this meeting actually has been a success?
DICKINSON: Well, in my view, the most successful outcome here would be that this is, frankly, a very boring meeting that they go back to doing what
America and Colombia have been doing for decades, which is quietly cooperating against these shared challenges.
And here I really want to underline you know, despite this noise at a political level, this rhetorical dispute that Colombia and the United
States have maintained between the two presidents Trump and Petro, the bilateral relationship has fundamentally not changed.
These are two countries that work together very closely on a day-to-day basis, on Counter Narcotics policy. Really Colombia is the landing point
for U.S. Counter Narcotic Strategy in the broader region.
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Colombia, the sort of strongest military ally of Washington here in South America and so again, in many ways, this dispute, this feud, has been a
distraction to the hard work that these countries have done for decades combating criminal organizations as they spread their tentacles across this
region.
ASHER: Right, Elizabeth Dickinson live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, still to come, Bill and Hillary Clinton are ready to talk, but the
House Oversight Chairman ready to listen. Details ahead on the 11th hour offer. Plus, the Epstein files leave yet another high-profile person in
Britain out of a job.
Details of Peter Mandelson's resignation coming up after the break.
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ASHER: Right, the fallout from the release of the latest batch of the Epstein files is reverberating around the world. Britain is in an uproar
from the palace to Parliament. Peter Mandelson, who was fired as British Ambassador to the U.S., will resign Parliament's upper house.
It's according to the speaker it comes after the latest batch of documents suggest. He appeared to leak sensitive UK government tax plans to Epstein.
Earlier, Prince Edward commented on the issue at a panel in Dubai at the World Governments Summit. He told CNN's Eleni Giokos, of the need to
remember the victims.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRINCE EDWARD, MEMBER OF BRITISH ROYAL FAMILY: It's all really important always to remember the victims and who are the victims in all this?
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely.
EDWARD: A lot of victims in this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Elsewhere in Europe. Reuters reports, Poland's Prime Minister says the nation will launch an investigation into possible links between Epstein
and Russian intelligence. Meantime, Norway's royal family is in the spotlight as a rape trial for the Crown Princess, his son begins his mother
is facing fresh scrutiny over her past association with Epstein, something she says she now regrets.
For more on Lord Mandelson's resignation from the House of Lords. Let's bring in CNN's Melissa Bell, who joins us live now, from Paris. So, Peter
Mandelson has been under pressure to step down from the House of Lords. Now it appears that's finally happening, you have the prime minister
essentially saying that this is someone who really let the country down. Walk us through that, Melissa.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. He will not only be losing his seat, but also his period. His title will speak of
him henceforth as Peter Mandelson, no longer Lord Mendelson, as he'd become, Zain.
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And I think it's an indication of how strongly the British Prime Minister feels about having been let down, that he's putting forth legislation to
strip him of that title. After all, there have been examples of people who have been either accused or convicted of criminal activity, who kept their
seat in the House the Lords and the titles that went with it.
I think there is the potential for this to be pretty poisonous to the current government given the lack of judgment in the promotion of Peter
Mandelson over the course of the years. This is, after all, way back, going back a great -- a very long time. He's been at the heart of the Labor
Party.
He's been involved in scandals before. He's weathered them he survived. You'll remember that it was back in September that the release of some of
the Epstein files that led to his resignation as the British Ambassador to Washington and to his return to London.
But then these latest revelations. Remember, these 3 million documents released on Friday that the world has taken the last few days to sift
through, hence all the fallout that you mentioned in these very many different countries, Zain, has caught up with him in terms of his seat in
the House of Lords.
He had resigned from the Labor Party yesterday. At the heart of the latest revelations, there are a series of documents that suggest that he and his
partner may have received cash payments from the late Jeffrey Epstein, he says he has no memory of those and will be investigating them further.
But perhaps the most damaging thing to emerge from the latest tranche of documents is to do with his time when he was the minister for business in
the United Kingdom. This is 2009, the fallout from the 2008 financial crisis and the measures that were being taken by the British government at
the time to try and steady its ship and its economy.
Some of those were handed over to Jeffrey Epstein. That's what some of these latest emails that we have access to suggest. And these were simply
allegations. These were steps that had gone too far. He had overstepped the limits of what he was allowed to do as a minister. And hence the reason now
for this very latest resignation.
But this is a man who will have paid the price of two places in society. One is the ambassador to Washington now as a labor peer because of his
associations with Jeffrey Epstein, associations that he now says he deeply regrets, Zain.
ASHER: Melissa Bell, live for us there. Thank you so much. And an 11th hour offer, the Former U.S. President and Former Secretary of State is agreeing
to appear for in person depositions. And the congressional Jeffrey Epstein probe this move caves to the House Oversight Committees demand for
testimony.
It remains unclear how the Committee Chairman James Comer will move going forward. Some Democrats don't see how he can't.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): They've accepted every single term that's been laid out by Comer. I don't see a scenario where they can move forward with
the vote and so. We've been pushing -- for them. We've said we want them to testify, and now we'll get the --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Comer remain skeptical, writing in a statement, quote, The Clintons' counsel has said they agree to terms, but those terms lack clarity yet
again and they have provided no dates for their depositions. It's worth noting. Former President Clinton has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing
related to Epstein.
Annie Grayer is tracking these developments. Joins us live now from Capitol Hill. So, you don't know when these depositions are going to take place,
but just explain to us what the terms are that the Clintons have agreed to?
ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: So, the terms are unclear, and that's why House Oversight Chair James Comer is giving the Clintons until noon
today to see if they will confirm to his terms, and that includes a deposition in February that would be transcribed and videotaped.
And Comer says, if the Clintons agree to all those terms, that he will lift the contempt proceedings against them. But if they do not agree that, then
the House could move forward on content of Congress against the Clintons as soon as Wednesday, as soon as tomorrow.
And this has been a long, bumpy road back and forth between Comer and the Clintons. The Clintons have argued that they're being unfairly singled out,
because others who have been subpoenaed in this Jeffrey Epstein investigation were allowed to provide written statements, whereas the
Clintons have been repeatedly forced to come for in person depositions.
And they argue that they don't have anything more to add beyond their written statements, but this issue has brought a large democratic divide on
this issue, because there are Democrats who say the Clintons did not appear for their in-person depositions. We need to protect the power of the
subpoena, and we are going to hold them in contempt of Congress.
Now, other Democrats say that Comer is playing politics here by singling out the Clintons, and that if they are going to hold the Clintons in
contempt, this investigation should also look at holding Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt of Congress, whose Justice Department has still not
released all of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
So, the Clintons, as a result, have made a number of offers to try and appear voluntarily.
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But they wanted to control the scope who could appear for these interviews. How long it would last, they wanted to bring their own person to transcribe
the interviews, and Comer said that's not going to work. So, we'll see what happens with this noon deadline.
But clearly the Clintons are trying to do everything they can to avoid a final contempt vote from happening. The final offer from Comer is
outstanding, and we're waiting for the Clintons to respond.
ASHER: Right. Annie Grayer live for us there. Thank you. Right, still to come here on "One World", Russia carries out a ferocious attack on Ukraine
just before another round of trilateral talks, whilst the looming question, how serious is Russia about peace?
Plus, more talks, this time, U.S. Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, is set to meet with Iran's Foreign Minister in Istanbul. Can they avert possible U.S.
military action against Iran, asking the questions just ahead.
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ASHER: All right. Welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher in New York. Here are some of the headlines we are watching for you today, after a year
of tension, the presidents of the U.S. and Colombia are meeting at the White House. Gustavo Petro is expected to stress his country's anti-drug
trafficking efforts and seek to get U.S. sanctions against him lifted.
Partial U.S. government shutdown could be nearing an end. President Donald Trump has been pushing key Republican hardliners to stand down and advance
the bill to reopen. Trump and fellow Republican leaders have made it known they do not support attaching a strict Voter ID law to this funding
package.
President Trump says he's agreed a trade deal with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will cut some tariffs on Indian goods. Trump says that
India has also agreed to stop buying Russian oil, and will instead buy more from the United States and Venezuela. And the U.S. as dollar talking to
Cuba, that's according to President Trump.
While referring to the communist country as a failed nation, Trump says Cuba is not getting money from Venezuela or anywhere, and Mexico would stop
sending them oil.
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Cuban officials confirm that they're talking to the U.S., but nothing has evolved into formal dialog just yet. All right. Top U.S. and Iranian
officials are planning an incredibly rare face to face meeting this week. The first direct talk since the Trump Administration bombed three of Iran's
nuclear sites last summer.
Iran's President confirms Tehran has tentatively agreed to resume nuclear talks. The country's top diplomat is expected to meet with U.S. Envoy Steve
Witkoff here on the left this Friday in Turkey. U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening new strikes on Iran if it doesn't accept his demands.
And last month he also warned of possible military action in response to Tehran's deadly crackdown on nationwide protests. A U.S. Carrier Strike
Group is now in the Middle East region, not far from Iran. And many Ukrainians are struggling with dangerously cold temperatures and no heat
following the biggest Russian bombardment of the year.
Local officials say the Ukrainian cities and energy grids were pounded overnight as the Kremlin resumed its night strikes. This ends a brief
reprieve agreed to by Moscow and Washington as Ukrainians grapple with plummeting winter temperatures. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
says, quote, taking advantage of the coldest days of winter to terrorize people is more important to Russia than turning to diplomacy.
The attack comes as more trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. are set for Wednesday and Thursday in Abu Dhabi to try to end Moscow's
four-year-old war on Ukraine. CNN's Clare Sebastian is following these developments for us. So, these attacks overnight, specifically, as we've
seen many, many times, took aim at Ukraine's power grid.
It is unimaginably cold in Ukraine right now. And so just walk us through what message Russia is trying to send. I mean, you've got these attacks
overnight happening just a day before these trilateral talks are set to resume. Obviously, anyone watching this would conclude that Russia clearly
is not serious about peace.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Russia has said all along, Zain, that they are not in favor of any kind of interim ceasefire. They have
argued that that would give Ukraine the time to regroup and prepare for bigger attacks. So clearly, this is messaging that you know aligns with
that position.
I think what we're seeing today, in particular, though, is really aggressive messaging from the Ukrainian side, President Zelenskyy, arguing
that the Russia has actually broken its promise with the U.S. Obviously, there was a week-long -- it was a bit murky, honestly, but a week-long
ceasefire agreed with Trump relating to energy sites and the major cities.
He was saying that that actually only lasted four days, and they've done this time to the talks about start tomorrow in Abu Dhabi, really trying to
make the point that Russia is standing in the way of the peace process with these attacks. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: The Russians have once again disregarded the efforts of the American side. The President of the United
States requested that they refrain from attacking energy facilities and critical infrastructures during the meetings between our negotiating teams.
The American President said that they should refrain from attacks for a week. This was a very important and significant decision. In fact, it began
on Friday night, and tonight, in our opinion, the Russians broke their promise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: So, look that very brief and limited pause that we saw. And by the way, it didn't stop all attacks. We continue to see attacks on
Ukrainian logistics railways. There were even attacks on energy facilities near the front line, but they did pause these major targeted overnight
attacks on energy facilities that gave the Ukrainians a very small chunk of hope.
It also opened the door to sort of more intensive repairs of energy facilities over the last few days. Because, look, these talks are not only
at a crossroads because of the timing of this attack, they're at a crossroads at a very urgent point because of the humanitarian crisis that
Ukraine is teetering on the edge of.
I spoke to the CEO of Ukraine's largest private energy company on Monday before this latest attack, and he said he was already seeing signs of a
humanitarian crisis. So, we hear from Zelenskyy today saying that the work of the Ukrainian negotiating team, he said, will be adjusted accordingly.
I think the critical hope for Ukraine now is number one more air defense missile. This is something he was pushing for today in a meeting in Kyiv
with the NATO Secretary General. And secondly, that the U.S. will notice this and will use this moment to shift their strategy a little bit and to
get tougher on Moscow, Zain.
ASHER: All right. Clare Sebastian, live for us there. Thank you so much. We're joined now by CNN Military Analyst, Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel
Cedric Leighton. So, I want to just bring up what Clare Sebastian was saying there, that the Ukrainians are really hoping that the Americans
would see this, the fact that not only the sort of week-long ceasefire, which was supposed to be seven days, only lasted four days, if that.
[11:35:00]
But on top of that, this obsession with absolutely destroying the power grid, the energy infrastructure in Ukraine, in the dead of winter.
Ukrainians are hoping that the U.S. will see that and change course. How unlikely is that to happen based on what you've seen so far?
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yeah, basically what we've seen so far, Zain, it is fairly unlikely to happen, but there is the
possibility of some outcry within the United States, within Congress, particularly from both Democrats and Republicans, who realize that what the
Russians are doing, basically is a systematic attacking of the civilian infrastructure and the civilians themselves in Ukraine.
So, what that does, of course, is it puts the civilians that are in the major population centers like Kyiv and Kharkiv and Odessa and others, puts
them basically square in the target set of the Russians. And the Russians are doing this deliberately when they attack these civilian living areas,
when they attack these apartment buildings.
What they're doing is they're trying to coerce the Ukrainians into surrendering, and that is something that you know certainly would not be in
the interest of the United States or of NATO. And the Ukrainians, of course, hope that, that understanding will make its way to the
administration bit unlikely.
But certainly, within Congress, there's a chance that it might force the hand of the administration, and it might result in the movement of other
weapon systems into Ukraine, not only from the U.S., but from NATO itself.
ASHER: Talk to us about the weapon systems that are needed, because what we saw overnight was essentially a swarm tactic by the Russians, because it
involved over 5 regions, 70 missiles, 450 attack drones, and this is completely designed to completely overwhelm their air defense system.
Just explain to us what sort of military power the U.S., rather Ukraine is going to need. If this is Russia's playbook going forward?
LEIGHTON: Yeah, it's definitely Russia's playbook going forward, Zain, and you know, saying exactly what's going on here, because those swarm tactics
that you referred to, using both drones and missiles, that is basically the Russian playbook. They are having very much great difficulty going after
the military targets on the Eastern Front, for example, and even in the north and in the south, they're having a lot of difficulty with that.
So, they're picking the vulnerable areas, and that basically is the civilian population. So, what the Ukrainians need is they need air defense
systems that are going to be capable of shooting down as many drones and missiles as possible. And they've gotten an agreement with the Swedes to
get something that is basically known as the Trident system.
That Trident system is a system that is designed using a 40-millimeter cannon to shoot down drones, cruise missiles, even aircraft, and in a
ground mode, can attack armored vehicles as well. So that system is something that the Ukrainians can use to basically create or extend what
would be known as an integrated air defense system, and that is precisely what the Ukrainians need, in this case, in order to overcome what the
Russians are doing to them.
ASHER: I just teched the weather right now in Ukraine. I mean, it is just depending on what part you're in obviously. It is somewhere between minus 5
degrees Celsius, in some parts minus 10 degrees Celsius. The fact that they're experiencing repeated attacks on the energy infrastructure.
This is really designed to break their resistance. It is designed to completely destroy the will, the will to fight of the Ukrainian population.
Walk us through what that does to a population, psychologically.
LEIGHTON: Yes, psychologically, this is a really difficult thing for the people to deal with there. And as you mentioned, there are 3 out of 5 of
the plants that the Russian that the Ukrainian energy providers have that are basically operational to some level, but two of them have been knocked
out.
So that is going to create a real problem for the population. You know, if you're cold, if you're hungry, if you can't sleep through the night, you're
going to be fatigued, and that plays a large role in determining whether or not you're going to stay in the fight. It plays a large role in your
ability to concentrate.
And one of the key advantages that the Ukrainians have had up until this point, it has been their ability to think, their ability to create, their
ability to innovate.
[11:40:00]
And the fact that the Russians are basically making it difficult for people to think beyond the mere fact of existence, that creates a real problem for
the Ukrainians. Now it can be overcome, but it's going to be at a considerable cost to them psychologically, and it's going to take years,
years to overcome the adverse effects of these kinds of attacks.
ASHER: I want to switch to Iran. Iran's President said Tuesday, that the country really wants to pursue fair and equitable negotiations with the
United States. Steve Witkoff is meeting with the Iranian Foreign Minister on Friday. We know that Steve Witkoff is also meeting with Netanyahu.
And part of the discussions around Iran is going to be the Israelis talking to the U.S. about making sure that Iran gives up enriched uranium. Just
explain to us how likely there is to be a diplomatic off ramp to the current tensions between both countries.
LEIGHTON: Yeah, so it seems to be about a 50-50, Proposition between a diplomatic off ramp and some kind of military action at the moment, at
least, but Zain, what we're looking at right now is, I think, a sincere effort on both sides to have some kind of negotiating, settled negotiated
settlement here.
And the fact that they're picking the nuclear aspect to talk about is interesting because, of course, we remember that President Trump withdrew
the United States from the JCPOA agreement, the original Iran nuclear agreement that involved not only the United States and Iran, but also
Europe, Russia and China.
And the U.S. withdrawal has basically killed that agreement, but the attack by the U.S. and by Israel on Iranian facilities in June in the so called
12-day war that put some things at risk that the Iranians are doing. It did not eliminate the nuclear program, but it may have made some elements of it
inaccessible to them.
In other words, buried it underground, based on some of the strikes that the U.S. conducted there. So, what the Iranians are probably doing is
they're looking at this as a way to buy some time, to create a system where they can keep other parts of their defensive posture intact, such as their
missile system, but then also have the ability at some point in the future to re-energize their nuclear program should they feel the need to do so.
Right now, they believe that they can, in essence, offer the concession of no nuclear weapons for Iran, at least on paper, and that will buy them time
for other activities that the Iranians are known for, whether it's their missile system or some of their proxy efforts using groups like Hezbollah
and Hamas.
Those are the kinds of things that the Iranians are very good at, and they're willing to make some sacrifices on the nuclear side in order to
basically keep their regime in power and their ability to exercise influence throughout the region intact.
ASHER: Right. CNN's Military Analyst, Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton, thank you so much. Right, still to come, a crucial crossing for
Gaza has now reopened. Details ahead and what this moment means to Palestinians living in the war-ravaged enclave.
[11:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, turning attention to the Middle East now. Today, U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff is set to talk about Iran with Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu. That's according to two Israeli officials. This comes as Gaza's only border crossing with Egypt open to a twinkle of traffic on
Monday, but the reopening is largely symbolic.
So far, only a handful of people have gotten in and out. The Rafah crossing was closed by Israel nearly two years ago. The EU is operating the Rafah
crossing as part of the U.S. brokered ceasefire agreement. CNN's Nic Robertson takes a closer look at what this means for Palestinians in Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): For a lucky few of Gaza's war wounded a day they dreamed of boarding busses in
Gaza to take them to treatment in Egypt. Farid Halid Al-Kases (ph) says hoping he'd make it a cross.
We want proper, lasting treatment, he says. We are people who want life and love peace. The once bustling Rafah border post closed by Israel 20 months
ago and still controlled by them, opening for the first time. According to Gaza's Ministry of Health, an estimated 20,000 Gazans need medical
treatment outside of the war-torn enclave.
Ibrahim Al Batand (ph) is war wounded and needs dialysis, is hoping to get out soon too. There used to be a hospital in the north, another in the city
center, all of them destroyed, he says. I came out of intensive care two days ago. There is no treatment at all. So, what am I supposed to do.
On the Egyptian side, more hopefuls. Gazans, who fled the war, desperate to go home facing Egyptian then EU and then IDF controls before they're free
to reunite with loved ones. Omar Zarab (ph) left with a sick relative last year and is desperate to go back.
I own a piece of land, he says. But when the war began, it was too dangerous to work there, and now I struggle for regular contact with
relatives. Israeli officials said the border could only reopen once the remains of the last hostage were returned. That was a week ago.
But Rafah is far from back to pre-war business as usual, no trucks crossing. And for now, only a few dozen carefully vetted Gazans able to do
so. Nic Robertson, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right, still to come with just a few days before the start of the Winter Olympics, American skier Lindsey Vonn shares an update on her
condition after crashing at the World Cup last week.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:50:00]
ASHER: Right. American skier Lindsey Vonn says that she will compete in the Winter Olympics following a crash at the World Cup on Friday. She made the
announcement short time ago, adding that her ACL had ruptured. The 41-year- old says that she understands her chances are not the same as they were before she was injured.
CNN's Patrick Snell joins us live now. I mean, so many people are really rooting for her.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah.
ASHER: She's 41 years old. She's doing an incredibly brave thing by competing in the first place. And then now, obviously, last week, you
brought us the news that she had ruptured her ACL which we found out. Just walk us through A how she's doing. And obviously this is huge news, that
she's still willing to fight and compete here.
SNELL: Yeah. Zain, you're absolutely right. It's extraordinary news. This is absolutely extraordinary. The revelation, this is a ruptured ACL and she
is still deciding to compete. I'd love to know what the medical advice is on that, but no one knows her own body like Lindsey Vonn.
I want to make that point very, very clearly, and nothing should surprise us when it comes to Vonn, right? There's a reason that at age 41 she
remains one of the biggest stars, if not the biggest star, going into these Olympics. She is pure box office. And we now know, as you've just said, the
outcome of a crash Friday when she was competing in Switzerland, the 2010 Olympic gold medalist.
Just to recap, she suffered a completely ruptured ACL in her left knee. She also suffered meniscus tears as well, just after landing a jump at a World
Cup race in Crown Montana last week on Friday, she's seen crashing into the safety net. It's really jarring and painful, and the concern etched over
everyone's faces there.
Treated by medics, she did actually complete the race. She was able to ski slowly down to the finish line, visibly in pain, they stopped the race. She
had to be air lifted to hospital for further evaluation. Then later that day, there was a message of hope from her fans.
She took to social media to say her Olympic dream is not over. So, people may be wondering, Zain, how can she compete with such a serious knee
injury, but remember, this is Lindsey Vonn we're talking about. She redefines the meaning of the word courage and indeed, the ability to
triumph against all the odds.
Vonn made a remarkable comeback. It was last season after nearly remember when she was out away from the sport for six years following retirement,
despite undergoing a partial knee replacement surgery, she's currently leading as well. This is what's so impressive, currently leading the world
cup downhill season standings.
And Vonn revealing today she actually went for a ski. She went skiing earlier on Tuesday. She said she felt the knee was overall feeling stable
to her, not swollen. She added that with a knee brace, she's confident she can compete on Sunday in the women's downhill.
And then just a short while ago, just a few minutes ago, in fact, Vonn taken to Instagram again to say, I know what my chances in these Olympics
were before the crash, and even though my chances aren't the same now, there is still a chance. And as long as I have a chance, I will not lose
hope.
I will not give up. It's not over yet. This is typical Lindsey Vonn. It is tough, and it's fighting talk from her. Remember, Vonn just loves Cortina
d'Ampezzo, where the women's Olympic skiing is held. She's got a record. It's over 10, I think it's 12 World Cup wins there over the years.
And just reflect on this, Zain, a downhill medal that Milan Cortina would break Vonn's own record that she set there in 2018 as the oldest woman to
make the podium in the discipline at a Winter Games.
[11:55:00]
I'll say it again, with Lindsey Vonn toute a possible, anything is possible. Back to you.
ASHER: No. I mean, absolutely. She retired from the sport in 2019. She was retired for about six years because she had a career that was filled with
injuries.
SNELL: Yeah.
ASHER: And then she made a comeback in 2024.
SNELL: Yeah.
ASHER: And then now this so many people around the world.
SNELL: Yeah. I'll tell you this, Zain, if she meddles, they're making a movie about it, right?
ASHER: I know. It's incredible. Patrick Snell, live for us. Thank you. And finally, this hour, NASA is delaying the launch of its Artemis II lunar
mission after conducting a wet dress rehearsal with the rocket loaded with fuel. Hydrogen leaks and other problems were detected during the test the
same problem impacted the uncrewed Artemis I test flight in 2022.
The space agency is now targeting March for the earliest possible launch of Artemis II. The mission will send four astronauts on a 10-day journey
beyond the far side of the Moon. NASA leaders will hold a news conference next hour to discuss the initial results from the wet dress rehearsal.
Former NASA Astronaut Leroy Chiao is going to be joining us in the next hour of "One World". All right, stay with us. There is more "One World". My
colleague and I, Bianna Golodryga, after this short break, don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
