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The Situation Room

Now, Trump Holds Virtual Call With Zelenskyy Ahead of Putin Meeting; Trump Set to Announce Kennedy Center Honorees; Three Dead, One Missing After Torrential Rain and Floods in Chattanooga. Aired 10- 10:30a ET

Aired August 13, 2025 - 10:00   ET

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

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news, a pitch for peace. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy joining an 11th hour call with President Trump.

Plus, deadly flash flooding, heavy rain swamping Eastern Tennessee, stranded vehicles and forcing people to be rescued.

And President Trump's stamp on Washington, D.C. Next hour, we'll learn his Kennedy Center honorees. His administration ordering a review also of the Smithsonian to make sure its exhibits align with his agenda, as federal agents here in Washington are deployed to patrol the streets of the nation's capital.

We want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and you're in The Situation Room.

And we begin this hour with the breaking news, a last ditch effort by Ukraine and Europe just two days before President Trump is scheduled to be face-to-face with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. We have new video just coming into The Situation Room of the show of unity. Only moments ago, European leaders and the Ukrainian president, Zelenskyy, speaking with President Trump, amid growing concerns, their interests could be compromised in a potential ceasefire deal with Putin.

CNN has reporters spread out around the world to bring you all the very latest developments on this very busy and historic day for diplomacy.

I want to start first with CNN's Chief International Security Correspondent Nick Paton Walsh. He's in Kyiv, Ukraine for us. Nick, Zelenskyy is personally in Germany. How symbolic is all of this as well?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, it's another attempt for him to use his personal presence to send a message to U.S. President Donald Trump, about how utterly important this moment is, and particularly Friday in Alaska when President Trump meets Russian and President Vladimir Putin.

Being in Berlin, even though this is a virtual conference, a sign of how close to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz Zelenskyy has become. I remember overhearing a hot mic situation during a visit in May, in which Mertz lent to Zelenskyy and said, just call me any time. This as all the European leaders standing together with Ukraine despite the alarming signs they've heard over the last week of what potentially a deal that the Kremlin had proposed might look like, demanding, it seems from reporting, that Ukraine cede territory, Ukraine fully against that, and concerns amongst these same European allies about how U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has handled this process. There's been days trying to work out what exactly did the Kremlin propose. Was it lesser than their maximalist demands or was it the same old story?

One European diplomat referring to Witkoff's role in this as amateurish on a matter of utmost importance, saying it's left European allies uneasy, uncomfortable. The White House, clearly, having full confidence though in Witkoff would reject that phrasing.

But these meetings about, again, European allies, Macron of France, Starmer of the United Kingdom, Merz of Germany, all close to Trump. They enjoy convivial relationships with him and they're hopefully trying to use that, I would imagine, in this virtual meeting to press again on Trump ahead of his key meeting in Alaska that Europe wants to see a ceasefire first.

It's been the U.S. position from months ago, but not implemented by Russia. They want the current contact line to be the starting point in negotiations, and most importantly, they want things about Ukraine to not be done without Ukraine.

This meeting in Alaska, something of a black hole, frankly, many deeply concerned that the impenetrable relationship between Trump and Putin might come out with a surprise, even though Trump himself has said he might know in the first two minutes of Putin wants a deal and also said he's not sure if Russia has given up its maximalist demands. Wolf?

BLITZER: Well, let's hope it stays quiet where you are in Kyiv. Nick Paton Walsh, thank you very, very much. Pamela?

BROWN: All right, Wolf. Now, let's go to CNN Senior Reporter and Writer Betsy Klein. She's at the White House for us. So, Betsy, President Trump is getting criticism, as we know, for his meeting this Friday with Vladimir Putin. How is he responding?

BETSKY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER AND WRITER: Well, a very critical meeting underway with the president and his European counterparts, as well as Ukraine's President Zelenskyy as his European counterparts seek to get the last word ahead of that high-stake summit in Alaska with President Putin.

The president, making clear ahead of this call today that he was receptive, he said they're great people who want to see a deal, but he also took aim at the media and skepticism expressed ahead of this meeting, saying in a post to social media, quote, very unfair, media is at work on my meeting with Putin, constantly quoting fired losers and really dumb people like John Bolton who just said that even though the meeting is on American soil, quote, Putin has already won.

[10:05:16]

What's that all about? We are winning on everything.

Of course, European allies have expressed concerns about the possibility of Ukraine ceding territory, and they want Ukraine to have a seat at the negotiating table. So, this is an effort by the White House to reassure them that they have a stake in all of this.

It's also unclear at this point if there's going to be any buy-in from Europe and whether they can have any sway on President Trump, but the White House already seeking to manage expectations ahead of this summit. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying that this is a listening exercise.

BROWN: All right, a listening exercise. Betsy Klein at the White House, thank you so much. Wolf?

BLITZER: I want to go right now to our Senior International Correspondent Frederik Pleitgen. He's in Moscow for us right now. Fred, are we getting any reaction so far from the Russians on this meeting?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the Russians said that that meeting is insignificant. This is a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry earlier today saying, essentially, that he thinks that the Europeans are trying to stop the diplomatic process that is now underway, of course, between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

And one of the things that the Russians seem to be doing again, is they seem to be broadening what they believe that this meeting between President Trump and Vladimir Putin is going to be about. The Russians are saying it's about accumulated issues between the two countries, of course, Ukraine being one of them. But they also say that the normalization of relations and what's in the way of that will also be on the agenda as well. So, certainly, the Russians are looking for a flurry of things to come out of this meeting.

Now, one of the interesting things, Wolf, that we picked up on as the Russians were speaking is they seem to be pouring cold water on one of the things that President Trump has been talking about over the past couple of days, and that is those territorial swaps that he kept mentioning at press conferences. The Russians saying this, again, the Russian foreign ministry, that Russia's territory is enshrined in its constitution.

Now, of course, we know those four Ukrainian areas that a lot of people are talking about, the Russians annexed those areas even though they don't actually control all the territory in those areas. The Ukrainians control a lot of it. So, it's unclear whether or not Vladimir Putin is going to move away from those maximalist demands, but that is the vibe that is coming out of Moscow right now, is that they could be taking a very hard line on that.

The Russians, of course, also in the past saying that they want Ukraine to remain a neutral nation, to not be a NATO and to essentially all but disarm as well. So, certainly, it seems as though the Russians could be taking a pretty tough line when it comes to that summit in Alaska. Wolf?

BLITZER: Yes, it's going to be a big, big deal indeed.

All right, Fred Pleitgen in Moscow, thank you very, very much. Pamela?

BROWN: And, Wolf, new this morning, President Trump is expected to announce this year's Kennedy Center honorees while visiting the story performing arts center. Earlier this year, President Trump took the unprecedented move to gut the Kennedy Center's board and going on to name himself as chairman. His visit today comes as he makes a broad push for control over the nation's capital.

Let's go live now to CNN White House Reporter Alayna Treene there at the Kennedy Center. Tell us more about the president's visit there today, Alayna.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. I mean, Pamela, Wolf, I really think that this visit just underscores how much the president is trying to put his imprint on cultural institutions in this city, really exerting his influence over the Kennedy Center. And what we're going to see him announce in a little over an hour now is the first recipients of the Kennedy Center's honorees since he kind of took over the institution's board.

I'd remind you, he became the chairman of the Kennedy Center's board back in February. He also appointed Ric Grenell, a loyalist, someone who's very close to the President, as the Kennedy Center's president as well.

And, look, we did hear the president kind of tout this on social media today or yesterday, excuse me. He also kind of alluded in this post on social media to what Republicans are trying to do in Congress, which is rename the Kennedy Center after the president or potentially First Lady Melania Trump. He wrote, essentially, great nominees for the Trump Kennedy Center, and then he said, whoops, I mean, Kennedy Center Awards.

We also saw the Kennedy Center try to tease who some of these honorees could be potentially. They said a country music icon, an Englishman, a dance queen, and a multi-billion dollar actor.

But I think what's really important to note is how different this type of announcement is when you look back at the president's first term. He had declined, Donald Trump, back during his first administration to attend the Kennedy Center honors all four years of his first term, very different from what he's trying to do now.

And I think you're exactly right. What we're seeing him do with the Kennedy Center and kind of this big event that he's trying to, you know, garner a lot of media attention around, it's very similar to what we're seeing him do with other culture institutions.

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We just saw yesterday that he is trying to recast, kind of pressure the Smithsonian and different museums and culture institutions in D.C., to recast some of the history, kind of keeping in line with an executive order he signed earlier this year, and, of course, what we're seeing him do with the federal takeover of Washington and having federal law enforcement in the streets of D.C., another sign of kind of him pushing his influence on this city. Pamela?

BROWN: All right. Alayna Treene, thanks so much. Wolf?

BLITZER: And there's breaking news unfolding right now in Southern Tennessee, deadly flashfloods and storms have killed three people, including a child when a tree fell on their car, another man is missing right now.

Heavy rain continues to fall in Chattanooga with more than six inches of rain in just a single day. This shocking video, take a look at this, shows an officer rescuing a woman from her stranded car on the interstate. He carries her on his back to get her to safety from the rushing flood.

Let's go live right now to our Meteorologist Allison Chinchar. Allison, first of all, can you tell us more about these deadly floods in Tennessee?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, again, it really just came from an intense amount of rain that fell during a very short period of time yesterday. Again, they got basically double what they would have for the entire month of August in just a few short hours, and that led to scenes like this. Again, you can see the roadways not just with a little bit of water, but completely underwater.

And this was in Chattanooga, but a lot of the surrounding towns had similar types of scope when you talk about the amount of rain that was really in some of these areas. The unfortunate part is we're going to be adding more rain on top of it.

So here's a look at the radar, estimated rainfall over just the last 24 hours. Again, more than 6.5 inches fell in Chattanooga. But also some similar colored areas just to the west where they also had more than four, five, or even six inches of rain in that very short period of time.

The worst news, though, is that we have more rain on the way already falling in just to the west of Chattanooga, but all of that rain is starting to slide to the north and east. Knoxville is under a flashflood warning in addition to some of those counties just to the west of Chattanooga, because they are anticipating that all of this water has to go somewhere. The problem is the ground is already saturated, so it's just going to start to pile up.

So, this is going to be the concern today, not just in those areas, but anywhere you see here on this map in the green color has the potential for flooding, which is why they are under the flood watch.

BLITZER: All right. Allison Chinchar, thanks for that update very much. Pamela?

BROWN: Still ahead right here in The Situation Room, federal agents and National Guard troops posted right outside D.C. landmarks as President Trump's police takeover forges on.

BLITZER: And up next, Israel's military chief has approved the, quote, main concept, that's a quote, main concept for a new attack plan in Gaza. We're live in Jerusalem with the very latest development.

Stay with us. You're in The Situation Room.

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BROWN: Well, happening now, Israel announces that its military chief of staff has approved the, quote, main concept for its new attack plan in Gaza. No details have been released yet, but this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the controversial plan to seize and occupied Gaza City.

Meanwhile, Israel's military says it struck an armed group posing as aid workers, and as you can see, they were using a vehicle mark with the logo of the World Central Kitchen. That's a U.S.-based nonprofit that has been providing food relief in Gaza.

So, let's go live now to scene in Jerusalem Bureau Chief Oren Liebermann. Oren, what more can you tell us about this Israeli strike?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Pam, the Israeli military, called the IDF, says this strike happened last week as they were tracking this vehicle in the video released yesterday by the IDF. You can see about eight people standing around the vehicle wearing yellow vests, a vest traditionally associated with aid workers, and you can also clearly see a World Central Kitchen logo on top of the a car there.

It appears that at least several of them are armed. The IDF says, first, they checked with WCK to see if this vehicle and those people were associated with the humanitarian aid organization, WCK said in a statement we strongly condemn anyone posing as World Central Kitchen or other humanitarians, as this endangered civilians and aid workers. The safety and security of our teams are our top priority.

WCK says, they told the Israeli military that there was no affiliation between that car marked as theirs and the people there. The IDF says, as that car approached an Israeli military post in Gaza, they carried out an airstrike on that vehicle. The military says they killed five armed terrorists, as they described them. They said this was the cynical use by armed militant groups inside of Gaza of the humanitarian aid that's going in. BROWN: I want to follow up with something else about this Hamas delegation that will discuss Gaza ceasefire negotiations. What do you know about that?

LIEBERMANN: So, this has been just over the course of the past day or two. According to three Hamas sources, there is a Hamas group in Egypt at the invitation of Egyptian officials and intelligence there to discuss the possibility of ceasefire negotiations.

The last round of negotiations fell apart on July 24th. There was quite a bit of optimism around that. And then the U.S. and Israel pulled out what was quite a surprise, saying Hamas was not negotiating in good faith. This has been an effort to restart that, especially after we saw over the course of the past few days Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced their plans to take over and occupy Gaza City.

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So, there is an effort to see if it's possible to avert the invasion of Gaza City in Northern Gaza. Pam, this doesn't have the optimism that we saw several weeks ago, but that effort continues with the U.S. as well, maybe, and the Qataris and Spain over the past weekend.

BROWN: All right. Oren Liebermann, thanks for bringing us the latest. We appreciate it. Wolf?

BLITZER: And happening now, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is holding a press conference with Germany's Chancellor following their virtual talks with President Donald Trump and European leaders just two days before Trump is scheduled to meet with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. The White House says Friday's summit will focus on ending Russia's war in Ukraine. Trump has said there could be some, quote, land swapping between Russia and Ukraine, but Zelenskyy says Ukraine will not relinquish its territory. And a Kremlin official has poured cold water on the idea of Russia giving up land.

Joining us now is Nina Khrushcheva. She's a professor of international affairs at the New School in New York, and the great granddaughter of the former Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev. Professor, thanks so much for joining us.

You're an expert in this area. What must President Zelenskyy accomplish today to ensure ceding Ukrainian territory is not, repeat, not a condition for peace?

NINA KHRUSHCHEVA, GREAT GRANDDAUGHTER OF FORMER SOVIET LEADER NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV: I don't think he can do much because already he has his European colleagues, he has their ear. We also know that Donald Trump keeps blowing hot and cold on Zelenskyy more than he does on Putin. I think President Trump thinks that, first, he will see what he can do with Putin and only then he will listen to Zelenskyy, or how he can actually handle this situation.

So, I do not believe that they can, in that conversation, that accomplish much because it does seem that President Trump does know, or at least he thinks he knows what he needs to do. That is to size up Putin, to see whether he can be negotiated with, and then try to convince him that whatever Trump is going to offer, or whatever Trump is going to then discuss with Zelenskyy and then they offer is the best for Putin.

So, I think that, unfortunately, in this particular case, it is first Trump and Putin, and then it is the interest of Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his European allies.

BLITZER: And as we're speaking, Nina, I just want to point out that the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and President Zelenskyy are holding a joint news conference right now. We're monitoring that. We'll bring you the highlights, the news that's unfolding there. That's coming up. I just wanted to show our viewers that this news conference has now started.

And, Nina, what role are the European leaders playing in these conversations between the leaders of the U.S. and Ukraine today?

KHRUSHCHEVA: Well, we already know that Vice President J.D. Vance met with Europeans and sort of discussed it with them, and was very firm in saying we are no longer going to be part of the war effort. You can buy our weapons, but we are not part of the war effort. We are going to concentrate on diplomacy. So, basically, once again, Europeans were told, you are on your own.

I don't think much has changed.

BLITZER: Nina, I just want to interrupt. Sorry, I just want to interrupt for a moment. Zelenskyy is speaking. I want hear what he's saying.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: I want to us thank all the partners for supporting Ukraine. And we spoke with President Trump today and Mark Rutte, president of (INAUDIBLE), Emmanuel Macron, president of France and head of government of Italy, Meloni, president of Poland, the whole week as of last Wednesday. We were communicating quite intensely among the European leaders between Europe and the U.S., between us and the representative of other parts of the world who wants one thing, peace in Ukraine, peace in Europe.

Today, common positions were discussed with the president of the U.S. Before that, we had a coordination to talk about five common points, which Friedrich mentioned. I want to ask -- to thank you for your leadership in this direction. This is the format of our negotiation, everything about Ukraine will be discussed with Ukraine. We have to get prepared the three-side format of the conversation. There should be ceasefire first, then the security guarantees, real security guarantees.

And, by the way, President Trump expressed his supports for that. Also among those principles, Russia cannot have a veto as to European or NATO perspectives of Ukraine. And we have to combine the negotiations with the pressure against Russia. Sanctions should be strengthened if Russia will not go for ceasefire in Alaska.

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It's very important for these things to work.

Of course, we discussed the battlefields today. I told President Trump and all European allies Putin is bluffing. He's trying to push before the Alaska meeting on all directions of frontline. Russia wants to occupy the whole Ukraine. This is his wish. And Putin is bluffing that sanctions is nothing and they don't work. In fact, sanctions are hitting Russian war economy hard.

It's true. Russia has a lot of weapons many times over than we have, (INAUDIBLE) let's say, three times more, but they sustaining three times more losses. And as said about it to our European friends, to President Trump, that Putin definitely does not want peace. He wants to occupy Ukraine. And we all understand that Putin cannot fool anyone. We need future and further pressure and European and American sanctions against Russia. And together, our union of partners can stop war of Putin's.

We spoke about the, the Alaska summit. We hope that the central topic will be that ceasefire, immediate cease fire with -- President Trump was mentioning it many times. He suggested that after the Alaska meeting, we will have a contact and we'll discuss all the results, if there will be results. And we'll decide our next common steps. We'll have the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, and this is our way (ph), that's why we work.

Thank you everyone who helps us. Thanks again, Friedrich. Glory through Ukraine.

BLITZER: All right. So, there's President Zelenskyy. Very, very strong words coming from President Zelenskyy, saying that Putin is bluffing that the sanctions -- when he says that sanctions are nothing. He wants stronger sanctions by the U.S. and the Europeans against Russia. He says the only thing the Russians want is Ukrainian territory and do not want peace, very strong words.

Nina Khrushcheva is still with us, professor at the New School in New York, the great granddaughter of the former Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev.

Give us your immediate reaction to what we just heard from President Zelenskyy.

KHRUSHCHEVA: Well, it's what we always hear from President Zelenskyy. He always says this, and he always says that Putin is bluffing, that he doesn't want peace, that needs to be sanctioned, he needs to be stopped. It has been 3.5 years that hasn't happened. And I think, in my view, the more you push President Trump, the more with this kind of declarations, the more President Trump would think because he thinks he's the best negotiator in the universe. And suddenly he's continued to be reminded that there is no point of talking to Putin. And so he will be talking to Putin and he will be deciding.

And another thing, I find it always interesting when Volodymyr Zelenskyy does say that by -- also says that he wants to meet with Putin. I'm not really quite understanding what it is he's planning to discuss with him. Because with the declarations he's making, there's no point of meeting with Putin. And Putin is not going to meet after this declaration. So, we do seem to have this little bit of a conundrum that, on one hand you need to push Russia and destroy it. On the other hand, you need to talk to Russia, so it want -- it would end peace. And I think what Trump is trying to do is that, let's see whether we can have some peace, otherwise it will be continuous war.

BLITZER: How concerned, Nina are the European leaders that Trump, during his talks with Putin, that Trump could make concessions that would be very much against Ukraine?

KHRUSHCHEVA: I think everybody should be very concerned because it doesn't seem that Trump really cares that much. He wants -- I mean, we've seen today, or was it today or yesterday, the White House nominated the president of the White House to the Noble Peace Prize and kind of listing everybody who nominated him and basically sort of this little piece, another little piece.

So, he wants that. That's his -- he wants to do something anti-Joe Biden. It's Joe Biden's worries, he says, so now it's going to be -- he's going to make peace. I don't think he cares that much of what kind of exact result would be he wants, I mean, in terms of territory. He says we need swapping. Both sides said we're not swapping any anything. So, I don't quite understand exactly what swapping is, but I think he really thinks that he's a deal-maker.

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He's now going to convince Putin and then he'll convince everybody else. I'm concerned just because I don't think Putin is willing to blink.