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The Brief with Jim Sciutto

CNN International: NATO Allies Agree to 5 Percent Defense Spending; U.S. and Iran to Hold Talks Next Week; Trump Praises Defense Spending Hikes; Trump Meets with Zelenskyy at NATO Summit; Mamdani Poised to Win NYC Primary; NATO Hikes Spending Benchmark; U.S., India, Poland, and Hungary Astronauts Heads to ICC. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired June 25, 2025 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all over the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. And you're watching "The

Brief."

Just ahead this hour, Donald Trump hails a NATO agreement for NATO members to spend 5 percent of their GDP on defense as, quote, "a big win." A young

progressive in New York City has poised become the Democratic candidate for mayor and perhaps set a new direction for the party. And astronauts from

the U.S., India, Poland, and Hungary, head towards the International Space Station on an historic mission. All of that and more coming up.

Well, we do begin though with President Donald Trump on his way back to Washington after praising the NATO alliance and its members. Before leaving

the summit in the Netherlands, the president set aside his skepticism about the alliance's value by getting them to agree to significantly increase

their defense spending from the goal of 2 percent of GDP to 5 percent over the course of 10 years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I came here because it was something I'm supposed to be doing, but I left here a little bit different --

differently. They need the United States. And without the United States, it's not going to be the same. I left here saying that these people really

love their countries. It's not a rip-off, and we are here to help them protect their country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: It's quite a change. Contrast that with the Trump record of writing off NATO as an attempt to ring resources from the United States to

protect nations, not the U.S. on the other side of an ocean.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Number one, NATO is obsolete. And number two, the people aren't paying their way. It's obsolete and we pay too much money. NATO, we're

going to have the people that aren't paying, they're going to start paying. It's obsolete, and we're getting ripped in NATO. They don't pay their

bills. They are delinquent. NATO is obsolete and has to be rejiggered.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Quite a change. The president also made much of the U.S. airstrikes on Iran and the ceasefire he helped broker between Israel and

Tehran, which appears to be holding.

And there was the president's fury over a leaked Pentagon report suggesting the strikes only set back Iran's nuclear program by months. He called that

initial intelligence assessment, quote, "inconclusive." He pointed to another report by Israel's Atomic Energy Commission saying the U.S. attack

on the Fordow facility destroyed the site's critical infrastructure. Iran itself also said its facilities had been badly damaged.

Joining us now, Jeff Zeleny at the White House. And, Jeff, have we heard the last word on this, do you think, this back and forth of over

intelligence reports, which frankly in the wake of military strikes always fail to answer every question?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Sure. That's why they are preliminary reports and they grow over time as more

information comes in, Jim, as you well know after we've covered so many strikes, certainly not one like this over the years, but similar in

different ways.

Look, I do not think we've heard the end of this, but the president and the White House clearly would like to move on. President Trump would like to

put a bow on this operation and move on to other things. He's flying back to Washington right now. He's going to be landing here this evening. And

tomorrow, I'm told he's going to be turning his attention back to his domestic policy bill that has some issues in the Senate.

But as for this, the president is also saying that he wants to have a meeting next week with Iran. No specifics about what level meeting that

would be, if it would be via Secretary of State Marco Rubio or the envoy, Steve Witkoff, or if Iran will send anyone high-level or even agree to this

meeting at all.

But the president, also interestingly, Jim said, as he has talked so much about needing to end their nuclear program, that was the auspices under

this entire military strike, you know, and what we've been talking about over the last week, he believes a handshake agreement, a gentleman's

agreement effectively is enough. He said that there does not need to be an agreement signed with Iran about the future of their nuclear program,

whatever shape it may or may not be in.

So, look, many, many questions are still to be raised about this, including from Capitol Hill. Lawmakers, certainly Democrats are speaking very openly

about this. Republicans a little bit more muted, but also concerned wanting a briefing on this.

[18:05:00]

So, we're told there will be now a briefing even as the White House is trying to limit some access to a classified information. So, I do not think

-- even though this has been extraordinary several days, I do not think that we have heard the end of this by any means. And the ceasefire is

holding for now, it's fragile, but fragile is probably the operative word.

SCIUTTO: Now, to the president's change, quite a remarkable change on NATO, given all the skepticism and outright anger he's often expressed at

the alliance, some positive words, but also at least a discussion of substantive steps such as additional aid to Ukraine. Is this a lasting

change for this president with regard to the alliance?

ZELENY: Jim, I would be surprised if it's a lasting change. There's been more consistency in his lashing out at NATO. This is certainly an outliner.

We shall see. But the -- there's no doubt that many steps were taken behind the scenes to get the American president to come to the NATO Summit. He was

thinking about skipping it, and that would've been certainly a very loud message for what he thinks of the alliance.

So, many agenda items and meetings were put in place to make him happy. And I think it was a success in that regard. I mean, he had the ceasefire deal.

He was praised by that, you know, sort of taking a bit of a victory lap. But if you look a little bit beneath that, I think that we will just have

to wait and see.

I was struck, Jim, by the fact that he had a meeting with the Volodymyr Zelenskyy that was off camera. He clearly likes to be on camera for his

meetings, did not want to -- did not want that image to be around the world. So, that remains a central challenge certainly facing the NATO

alliance and others. But I want to give it a little bit more time before we can definitively say he's turned a new leaf on NATO.

SCIUTTO: Smart. Jeff Zeleny, thanks so much, at the White House.

ZELENY: You bet.

SCIUTTO: Well, as we noted, also appearing at the notice summit, the Ukrainian president, a suited Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was praised by President

Trump who said he might provide Kyiv with much needed Patriot missiles subject, he said, to ongoing supply constraints. The U.S. president also

said that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, might have territorial aspirations beyond Ukraine, calling him misguided, but he says, still

interested in ending the war.

Oleksiy Goncharenko is a member of the Ukrainian Parliament. He is also president of the PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees, and Displaced

Persons. Good to have you on. Thanks so much for changing -- for joining.

OLEKSIY GONCHARENKO, PRESIDENT, PACE COMMITTEE ON MIGRATION, REFUGEES AND DISPLACED PERSONS AND UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: So, first question. You have heard, just as we have, over the months and years, President Trump's deep skepticism about NATO and

sometimes anger and resentment towards NATO. And also, the questions he's openly raised about continuing U.S. support for Ukraine. Now, you have him

praising NATO and saying he might deliver Patriot missiles. Do you take the president at his word on this? Do you welcome these comments?

GONCHARENKO: I welcome any comments in support of Ukraine, and if we'll receive more air defense, that will just save a lot of Ukrainian lives

because Russia -- unfortunately, Putin feels himself emboldened last time recently, and unfortunately, at least partly, he feels himself emboldened

because of the style our administration of president deals with him. And he is more aggressive in his rhetoric recently. And unfortunately, he's more

aggressive in his attacks.

Yesterday, 20 people were killed in Dnipro before this awful attack on Kyiv, Odessa, (INAUDIBLE) and other places. In general, if it will take

June, probably it'll be one of the worst months from the point of view of casualties between civilians because of Russian attacks. So, we need air

defense more than ever before. And if President Trump will make this decision, I would like to say thanks to him. But in general, what I would

like to ask President Trump is finally to put -- to draw attention and to put attention and put pressure on Vladimir Putin. Because without this,

we'll never achieve peace.

SCIUTTO: Yes. And it's good -- it's a good reminder, we've reported that on this broadcast, that Russian attacks amped up over the weekend, perhaps

trying to take advantage of the focus on Iran and the Middle East. Do you trust President Trump on supporting Ukraine? He's saying something new now,

but do you trust that he's going to come through for you?

[18:10:00]

GONCHARENKO: I believe in the actions. I trust that President Trump wants peace. I really trust this, his intention. But I think that in order to

achieve this peace, he is taking not right direction in speaking with Putin.

Putin understand only the language of force. And when I heard yesterday Secretary Rubio who said, we can't put more sanctions against Russia

because we want to be in touch with them in order to achieve peace. I really can't understand why at the same time to take Iran to negotiation

table, Iran was attacked, and it was just tough attitude to them.

And Putin is the same. He is the person, predator, the aggressor, which understands only this language, language of force. And I can't understand

why President Trump is not starting to speak this language with Putin.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

GONCHARENKO: I hope he will start soon, because we are paying our price every day. We want peace. And Ukraine supported all ideas of President

Trump. He said, you should accept unconditional ceasefire right now, and we accept it. He said, you need to speak with Russians, and we speak. So, we

are doing everything he wanted us to do. And now, it's time finally, to put pressure on Russia to make them to do what President Trump wants.

SCIUTTO: Given that even President Trump is now saying, he recognizes Putin doesn't seem to want peace, at least not now. He says he believes he

wants to end the war, but he's been frustrated with Russia's failure, for instance, to observe a ceasefire. What happens in the next several months?

Does this war continue unabated?

GONCHARENKO: Unfortunately, it looks like the war continues. And if President Trump will not put much pressure on Russia, Russia will at least

try to exploit summer and beginning of autumn for the new military attack against Ukraine, trying to take more territory and hoping just that Ukraine

will collapse.

Ukraine will not collapse, I'm sure about this, but during these months we will lose a lot of people. Probably will lose some territory. And the whole

world will lose, at least partly, believe in American leadership because President Trump said, I will finish this war in 24 hours. Yes, it is --

maybe it was rhetoric. It's impossible to finish such war in 24 hours. But now, it's already quite a lot of time.

And when Putin feels himself emboldened, it means that other dictators in the world and they are adversaries of United States, they hate United

States. Putin hates United States of America. All his allies, Iran, North Korea, hates United States of America, China standing behind them, doesn't

like United States of America. So, all of them are just watching how President Trump will deal with this situation.

And for the moment the signal is not clear, the signal is you can attack your neighbor. You can ignore what United States thinks. You can ignore

obligations because United States gave an obligation to Ukraine in 1994. Ukraine gave up its nuclear weaponry, and United States gave us promise to

support us in time of need and to protect our territorial integrity and sovereignty.

So, the question is, which the old world is asking now, is the United States, American country, you can rely on? Is this a partner you can rely

on or not?

SCIUTTO: Well, the test will be in actions. Oleksiy Goncharenko, we do appreciate you joining.

GONCHARENKO: Thank you very much.

SCIUTTO: President Trump says the U.S. will now hold a meeting with Iranian officials next week about a potential nuclear agreement. He

maintains that U.S. strikes destroyed Iran's nuclear facilities. Though sources told CNN that an early assessment from the Defense Intelligence

Agency suggests the program was only damaged, perhaps only set back by a number of months.

Israel has its own assessment. Its military chief of staff said the damage to the nuclear program is not a pinpoint strike, but a systemic one. The

cumulative achievement allows us to determine that Iran's nuclear project sustained severe, broad, and deep damage and has been set back by years.

Joining me now, the Israeli ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon. Ambassador, thanks so much for taking the time.

DANNY DANON, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: Thank you for having me. Jim.

[18:15:00]

SCIUTTO: I wonder if in the of all this back and forth over the initial intelligence assessments, that the bottom line is that the combination of

U.S. and Israeli strikes did damage to Iran's nuclear facilities, but didn't completely eliminate them. And by the way, no one expected the

strikes to completely eliminate them. I mean, is that a fair bottom line?

DANON: Jim, we are very content with the result of the operation, with our attacks and for sure with the U.S. attacks. When you look where we were a

few weeks ago, today, we don't have imminent expense from Iran. We don't have the same nuclear capabilities or the ballistic abilities. So, I agree

with you. It was pushed back not for by weeks or months, but by years. And that's that great achievement.

And we are aware of the mass destruction on those locations. So, you know, one can argue how long, you know, if they will have the intention and the

money and the desire, they can try to rebuild it. But we will be there, the U.S. will be there, and I hope the International Community will be there

also to make sure it'll not happen.

SCIUTTO: And is that the word, in effect, that if Iran attempts to reconstitute not only Israel, but perhaps the U.S. as well, might strike

again?

DANON: Absolutely. I think we heard very clear messages coming from President Trump. Let's be optimistic. You know, let's hope it'll not

happen. Let's hope that they will invest those hundreds of billions of dollars in -- for the people of Iran, you know. They live in poverty. So,

let's hope that they will not continue with those ambitious.

But if they will continue with the same direction, we are not going anywhere. We will look very carefully at what happening in Iran, and I'm

sure that the U.S. will do the same.

SCIUTTO: Does Israel have any knowledge at this point as to the location of the hundreds of kilograms of enriched uranium? Is it believed that some

of it escaped these sites, including the Fordow site?

DANON: Prime Minister Netanyahu said that we have some knowledge about it, but we cannot go into details. You know, we have very good intelligence. We

proved it already and I think we'll continue to follow up very carefully what's happening.

But, you know, I was at the security council the other day and I listened to the director general, Grossi, the director general of the IAEA. And

basically, the IAEA, they don't have eyes or inspectors are blind today. So, I think, you know, if you mention negotiations, you know, those

negotiations will have to include the mechanism of inspections, transparency, to make sure that Iran will not be able to continue with the

deception.

SCIUTTO: Do you believe that negotiations have hope of coming to some sort of agreement? I mean, within the last few days, Israel and Iran were

shooting at each other, right, and previous negotiations were scuttled, in effect, when Donald Trump ordered military strikes. Do Israeli officials

see the genuine possibility of a nuclear agreement now with Iran?

DANON: So, we are a peaceful nation. You know, we have no dispute with Iran. We have no border with them, but we have to protect ourselves. So,

yes, you know, once we saw the diplomacy failed and Iran was lying and they were like racing into a nuclear bomb, we took action. But now, I think it's

time for diplomacy and I hope that the talks will be meaningful and will actually -- the people who handle it will learn from the past that you

don't -- you can't trust the Iranian regime. You have to be very cautious about their intentions, and you have to look what they're doing, not what

they're saying. Because they lied so many times to so many people. I think now we have to be very cautious about what they're doing.

SCIUTTO: Before we go, it's been noted that the supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, has not tweeted in a number of days, somewhat surprising

given the severity of U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. Does Iran -- does Israel, rather, have any knowledge of the supreme leader's status?

DANON: Well, I think you should refer this question to the Iranian. You know, I have seen the minister of foreign affairs very active and very

vocal about everything that's happened. But it's up to them to decide who is representing their position.

SCIUTTO: Understood. But Israel has no knowledge about whether -- I mean, Israel did not attempt to strike him, did they?

DANON: No, no. We know he is very old. We know he was like hiding in a bunker for a while. But we don't know what's happening with him today.

SCIUTTO: OK. Ambassador Danny Danon, we always appreciate you taking the time. Thanks so much for joining.

DANON: Thank you very much, Jim.

[18:20:00]

SCIUTTO: Coming up, a political earthquake in this country. A young progressive Democrat poised to win his party's nomination for mayor of New

York City. How Democratic leaders are responding, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: In just a stunning political upset, a young left-leaning Democrat is poised to win the New York City mayoral primary for the Democratic

Party. Now, the primary uses what's known as ranked choice voting. So, the official winner won't be declared till later.

However, Zohran Mamdani, there he is, currently holds a seven-point lead. The runner up, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, has already conceded

the race. New York City, of course, heavily Democratic. Whoever wins the nomination likely will win the general in November.

Mamdani running on a platform of affordability, affordable housing, free childcare. Speaking on election night, he pitched himself as a mayor for

everyday New Yorkers. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZOHRAN MAMDANI, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: I will fight for a city that works for you. That is affordable for you. That is safe for

you. I will work to be a mayor you will be proud to call your own.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Quite a message. Gloria Pazmino has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A political stunner in the Democratic Party.

MAMDANI: We have won.

PAZMINO (voice-over): Zohran Mamdani on a path to clinch the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York City, poised to beat out former New York

State Governor Andrew Cuomo. The 33-year-old Ugandan immigrant served three terms in the state assembly. If Mamdani goes on to win in November, he will

be one of the youngest and the city's first Muslim mayor.

MAMDANI: I must thank those who brought me into this world.

PAZMINO (voice-over): Mamdani's mother is Mira Nair, a successful Indian- American filmmaker whose credits include "Mississippi Masala."

MAMDANI: I will fight for a city that works for you. That is affordable for you.

PAZMINO (voice-over): Mamdani is on the brink of a come from behind win, which would send shockwaves through a Democratic Party struggling with how

to run candidates in the age of Trump.

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), U.S. HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: What's clear is that the relentless focus on affordability, had great appeal.

PAZMINO (voice-over): The Republican Party already weaponizing the Democratic socialists likely win, as Democratic leaders extend their

congratulations to Mamdani.

[18:25:00]

Mamdani's campaign focused on affordability and spoke to working class New Yorkers often in their own language.

Mamdani's ground game was matched by a relentless social media campaign that captured the attention of the city's youngest voters.

MAMDANI: I'm freezing your rent as the next mayor of New York City. Let's plunge into the details.

PAZMINO (voice-over): Powered by an army of volunteers --

MAMDANI: We can knock a million doors by Saturday.

PAZMINO (voice-over): -- Mamdani eclipsed Cuomo's universal name recognition, his pitch for experienced leadership, and a campaign that cast

the city as being out of control.

ANDREW CUOMO, FORMER NEW YORK GOVERNOR: He put together a great campaign and he touched young people and inspired them.

PAZMINO (voice-over): The last days of the campaign were dominated by negative ads. Cuomo, casting Mamdani as a threat to Jewish New Yorkers and

public safety.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Zohran Mamdani, a risk New York can't afford.

PAZMINO (voice-over): Mamdani declining to condemn the phrase, globalize the intifada during an interview, instead, defending it as a cry for

Palestinian rights and freedom.

MAMDANI: You have my word to reach further, to understand the perspectives of those with whom I disagree, and to wrestle deeply with those

disagreements.

PAZMINO (voice-over): Cuomo has left the door open for an independent run in the general election.

CUOMO: We're going to take a look. We'll make some decisions.

PAZMINO (voice-over): It would mean competing for votes with incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, also running as an independent.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: Our thanks to Gloria Pazmino. Mamdani's campaign has rocked establishment Democrats, even beating political dynasty. Currently in

second place, former Governor Cuomo himself, the son, of course, Mario Cuomo, another governor, it could be a sign. Yet, one more sign that every

day Democrats want change. A recent Ipso/Reuters poll showed a whopping 62 percent of Democrats want to replace their party's leadership.

Joining me now, Democratic strategist, Joe Caiazzo, veteran of the Bernie Sanders presidential campaigns. Joe, thanks so much for joining.

JOE CAIAZZO, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Thanks for having me.

SCIUTTO: First of all, I wonder whether you believe this race has a message to national Democrats or is more about New York? Because, listen,

it's not the first time we've seen an anti-establishment candidate win. And by the way, not just in the Democratic Party, but the Republican Party as

well. I mean, is there a national message here?

CAIAZZO: That's a really good question. Look, you know, I'd like to start here. First and foremost, economic opportunity and hope has always been a

winning message for candidates, especially in Democratic primaries. I do -- you know, I would certainly like to tag this with a bit of caution here

because this is pretty liberal city in a pretty liberal state. I do think that economic opportunity does work across the board, but I'm not exactly

sure how much I would weigh this against upcoming races.

I do think that another major dynamic here is this incredible yearning for change, specifically around generational change. You have a Democratic

electorate who has been told, we are one election away from going and creating a system that works for everybody. Well, look, you know, I'm 38

years old and they've been telling us this my entire adult life.

And I think what we saw last night was an electorate who's fed up with the rhetoric of yesterday because elections are about the future.

SCIUTTO: Yes. I wonder if, you know, the age factor here played a role as well, and not just the candidates, but the endorsers, right? I mean, you

look at Cuomo, he's endorsed by Nancy Pelosi in her 80s. He's endorsed by Bill Clinton, nearly in his 80s. And that has a message as well beyond the

candidate, it -- for the larger party here.

CAIAZZO: Well, look, you know, this is also a pretty special circumstance. We had a super establishment, candidate with significant baggage from his

time as governor where you had to go and ultimately resign in disgrace.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

CAIAZZO: So, you had -- a whole -- she had a whole confluence of issues all kind of hitting at the same time, where you had the age factor, you had

the establishment factor, you had the tens of millions of dollars in corporate money, all kind of wrapped up in a candidate who left office in

disgrace not that long ago.

SCIUTTO: No question. And listen, you know, he lost the state governorship, right, now he is running for mayor. Trump has already

attacked Mamdani, social media posts, calling him, grading, a communist. There are a lot of folks who are saying Republicans are going to try to

take advantage of this and make him the poster boy for left-wing liberal woke Democrats. I mean, do you think that that has a risk factor for

Democrats nationally?

[18:30:00]

CAIAZZO: Look, you know, that's a Donald Trump special. Divide, divide. That's all he does. These hyperbolic problems that go and lead to

incredible amounts of division. And look, Donald Trump does not offer any sort of a message of hope or opportunity. That's why it's constantly

negative.

SCIUTTO: I wonder if I could ask you just one more straight up campaign question. I mean, he ran a good campaign, let's be honest, and he ran a

smart one in terms of just the way he used social media. I mean, his posts were pretty darn good. I mean, I imagine that's got to be a message to what

wins voters today, as opposed to like that attack campaign that Cuomo spent a lot of money on.

CAIAZZO: Look, I think we've got to meet people where they are. That means short form videos on your phone. That means TV ads. That means mailers.

That means you've got to do all the things you have to do to meet people exactly where they are. But even more importantly, you've got to have a

message that goes and resonates.

And the message that he had was one of hope and opportunity. It was one that really drove down on the fact that tomorrow will be better than today.

And that's always been a winning message for Democrats.

SCIUTTO: Yes. And listen, the affordability one is good. You know, just go out to dinner in New York City and that's an appealing message. Joe

Caiazzo, thanks so much for joining.

CAIAZZO: Thanks for having me.

SCIUTTO: Straight ahead, NATO members agreed to spend more on defense, much more. Will they be able to follow through? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto. Here are more international headlines we're watching today.

Donald Trump is doubling down on his insistence that key Iranian nuclear sites have been obliterated. At the NATO Summit, he said he believes Iran

did not have time to move its highly enriched uranium before those U.S. strikes. He also downplayed an early damage assessment from one of his own

intelligence agencies as quote, "inconclusive."

[18:35:00]

At least eight people are dead, hundreds injured after anti-government protests clashed with police across Kenya Wednesday. The demonstrations

took place on the first anniversary of massive demonstrations in Kenya over a proposed tax hike. Dozens of people were killed in those protests as

well.

U.S. officials are investigating an in-flight emergency involving an American Airlines jet earlier today. Smoke seen coming out of the plane's

engine shortly after takeoff from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. The plane returned to the airport soon after. Thankfully, no one

injured. The airline said a mechanical issue was to blame, that the engine had not however caught fire.

Well, as we mentioned earlier, NATO members have formally agreed to raise their defense spending to 5 percent up from a 2 percent goal. Have a listen

to the NATO secretary general, Mark Rutte.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: Allies have agreed to invest 5 percent of GDP in defense. This is a significant commitment in response to

significant threats to our security. It includes at least 3.5 percent of GDP invested in core defense requirements. A benchmark that until today was

set at 2 percent. A target that I'm pleased to say all allies will now meet this year or have already met.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: The question now is, can those allies pull off that hike? Members currently have set aside 2 percent of their budgets, as the secretary

general mentioned there. Nine members, however, have not even met that benchmark yet.

Joining me now is Seth Jones, director of the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Seth, good

to have you.

SETH JONES, DIRECTOR, CSIS INTERNATIONAL SECURITY PROGRAM: Great to be on, Jim. Thanks.

SCIUTTO: So, this is a big target, right? I mean, just getting to 2 percent took a lot of pushing and pressure and quite open pressure, public

pressure from President Trump, now doubling that by 2.5 percent, is that an achievable goal over the timeframe they're talking about?

JONES: Well, I think it'll be achievable for some of the countries, particularly countries on NATO's Eastern flank that are really the most

threatened by the Russians. But I do think the math is important here. What NATO countries are agreeing to is a defense budget, a defense budget of 3.5

percent and then 1.5 percent of their GDP to upgrading infrastructure. So, that's roads, bridges, and other types of infrastructure that armies are

going to need to move to the frontline.

So, there's a little bit of mysterious math going on because, obviously, bridges are going to be helpful for other kinds of things. So, I -- you

know, the 5 percent for me is a little bit overkill, but it is an improvement.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Such an important point distinction there. Because it's easier to sell to your populations, new roads and bridges perhaps than a

big investment in the military. I do want to ask you about the president's marked change of tone as it relates to NATO at this summit. And given that

this is a president who has attacked NATO and going back to 2018, some of his former advisers have told me and others, he nearly pulled the U.S. out

of NATO at that summit in his first term. Do you view this as a lasting change of view from Donald Trump as relates to NATO?

JONES: Jim, that is really tough to project. Certainly, true for this week. I think we have heard the president raise a lot of questions about

European countries, but I think the reality here is that European countries face a serious threat from Russia, and that is driving this. If you look at

the defense budgets from the Eastern flank countries, the highest ones are Poland as a percentage of GDP, which is over 4 percent, and the Baltic

states, Lavia, Lithuania, and Estonia.

So, I think seeing some progress -- and the NATO secretary general has been absolutely superb at working with Trump. He's got a lot on his table right

now with tariffs and other things. So, he may just for the moment decide he doesn't want another food fight.

But, Jim, one last comment on defense budgets. According to Senator Wicker, just earlier this week, Roger Wicker, a Republican from Mississippi, the

projections of the U.S. defense budget through 2029, based on what they've gotten on the hill, is a 2.65 percent defense budget per GDP, which is

lower than at any point in the Cold War. So, it is interesting that the Trump's own defense budget is very small right now.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

JONES: And that has caused some concern among Republicans on the Hill.

[18:40:00]

SCIUTTO: Yes. Listen, I mean, and their math is already difficult, right, on this big, beautiful bill in terms of how much it's adding to the

deficit. So, difficult to see how they, you know, make up that difference. Seth Jones, good to have you on.

JONES: Thanks, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Still ahead, a historic day for India, Poland, and Hungary. Astronauts from all three nations. Heading now to the International Space

Station. The first time those nations have sent astronauts to space in decades. We're going to have more on that mission, what it means for

private space firm Axiom next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." Checking the action now on Wall Street, U.S. stocks ended Wednesday session mixed. Tech stocks continue to

rally with A.I. chip giant NVIDIA hitting fresh record highs. Tesla shares pulled back on news that its European sales fell for a fifth straight month

down almost 28 percent year over year. The European Automated Mobile Manufacturers Association says that customers are now buying cheaper

Chinese EVs instead.

In the oil markets, both Brent and U.S. Crude are trading modestly higher after two days of sharp declines. Oil tumbled on Monday and Tuesday as

fears of Mideast supply disruptions due to military conflict there ease.

The highly anticipated movie, "F1" hits theaters around the world this week, Brad Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, a Formula 1 driver, making a comeback

decades after an accident nearly ended his career. "F1" distributed by Warner Brothers Pictures, which we should note shares the same parent

company as CNN. Elizabeth Perez has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some people look at Sonny Hayes, they see a guy who lives in the end, a gambling junkie who missed his shot. The best that

never was. What I see, possibility.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've seen trailer. It looks really, really cool.

ELIZABETH PEREZ, CNN ESPANOL: Brad Pitt in a Formula 1 car and some serious highest speed Hollywood magic. That's right. The Hollywood star is

starring in a brand-new Formula 1 movie named "F1" film at real Formula 1 races with real teams and real fans watching. This could be one of the

coolest racing movies ever made.

[18:45:00]

In the film, Brad plays a retired racing legend, Sonny Hayes, who is pulled back onto the grid for the last shot at glory behind the wheel. With Louis

Hamilton producing, the actual F1 teams involved and "Top Gun: Maverick" director Joseph Kosinski calling the shots, this movie promises a lot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Action.

GEORGE RUSSELL, MERCEDES DRIVER: It is very surreal for sure. You know, I've grown up seeing all of Brad Pitt's movies and he is obviously such a

worldwide superstar, but he came into our world and he wanted to hear from us. He wanted our views, our opinions, how they can make the movie better,

how they can make it as authentic as possible. So, you know, I really can't wait to see it. And I feel this movie is going to be the one that we are

going to love and everyone else will too.

TOTO WOLFF, MERCEDES TEAM PRINCIPAL: Such a good personality. Humble. He was really interested in the sport and learning about it. And it's always -

- you see when somebody's successful is that the character is also very good. And that was why working with Brad and with Javier and with Jerry

overall was just a pleasure.

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER, PRODUCER, "F1: THE MOVIE": We make movies that entertain audiences. We call it -- we're in the transportation business. We

transport them from one place to another, and we're transforming them inside Formula 1. What I love making, and I've made a lot of them, is take

you inside a world that you'll never be a part of and show it how it actually works.

You will see how these teams are run and how the teams come together, the drivers come together, and it's just, it's a fun experience.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When was the last time you won a race?

BRAD PITT, ACTOR, "F1: THE MOVIE": Sunday, Daytona.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, I'm sorry. I mean, Formula 1.

PITT: Oh, I'm sorry. Then same as you.

PEREZ (voice-over): And in addition to the enthusiasm of the teams, the cast of "F1" are also excited for this summer blockbuster to get to the

front of the grid.

SIMONE ASHLEY, ACTRESS IN "F1: THE MOVIE": I'm such a fan of Formula 1. So, to be able to attend all these races and be on the grid, shooting these

scenes amongst all of the chaos and the adrenaline and just so deeply grateful that I got to witness and experience with this.

KERRY CONDON, ACTRESS IN "F1: THE MOVIE": So, she's the technical director of the team, which is basically in charge of the car. Everything got to do

with the car comes through my character. So, the driver feedback about the car, if we need to change something on the car, is it going to work with

the rest of the car when we get to a track? Is our car good at straights or turns? It's like basically everything that to do with the car is on the

brains. And then also there's romance. I love a little romance.

PEREZ: Who are you kissing?

CONDON: You got to watch the movie.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Relapse. Relapse the lifetime.

PEREZ: The "F1" movie is already a pole position pick for motor sports fans. Catch it in theaters on June 25th, internationally and June 27th in

the United States.

Elizabeth Perez, from Miami, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: Looks like quite a ride. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:50:00]

SCIUTTO: It is set to be one of the splashiest and also the most divisive celebrity weddings in recent memory. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his

fiance Lauren Sanchez arrived in Venice today ahead of their wedding celebrations. Details have been deliberately kept under wraps, much like

the tent they entered there off the boats. But reports say the ceremony is being moved to a more isolated part of the city due to security concerns

and the risk of protests as well.

Venice residents opposed to the wedding and put up no space for Bezos posters and banners across the city. They say the wedding is an example of

overt tourism that has diminished their quality of life. And an example of global income equality as well. Activists also launched a float down the

Grand Canal, featuring a mannequin of Bezos clutching an Amazon box with a fist full of cash.

Well, a successful launch early Wednesday for the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station. Four astronauts set to dock at the ISS, a

little over 12 hours from now. Including private astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary. It's the first time in more than 40 years that

astronauts from those countries have been sent into space and the first time those countries have sent astronauts to the Space Station.

All this a very big deal in India where today's launch triggered celebrations. These are astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's parents celebrating.

The mission is an important milestone for the private space firm Axiom. It's the fourth time it has sent commercial astronauts to the Space

Station. Axiom also planning on building the world's first commercial Space Station.

Joining me now is Terry Virts. He's a former NASA astronaut, retired Air Force colonel. Also, we should note running for a Senate seat in the State

of Texas. Terry, good to have you.

TERRY VIRTS, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT AND U.S. AIR FORCE (RET.): Thanks for having me on.

SCIUTTO: So, first of all I wonder if someone who's flown into space for NASA, you've been watching, like we all have, the increased presence of

private space firms, and not just with astronauts, but also sending rockets up like SpaceX. Is that a good thing for space in your view?

VIRTS: Well, I think that growing the space economy is a very good thing. It's good for us here in Texas. There's a lot of private companies that do

a lot of business in Texas. So, the more money, the more engineers that are employed, the more scientists that are employed into the space industry, I

think is a very good thing.

It should be noted, Axiom is flying a private mission, although these three astronauts are all government astronauts. So, it's a private mission, but

in some ways it's very much like a traditional Space Station mission. They're going up to do research on behalf of their countries. As you

mentioned, India is very excited. Poland and Hungary are also very excited to have their own astronauts going up into space again, it's been a long

time for all three countries.

SCIUTTO: What does it mean to -- for those countries and also for the Space Station itself, to make it and keep it international and kind of

expand the community up there in space? What's the value of that, the impact?

VIRTS: Well, in my mind, there were three benefits to the International Space Station. The science that we learned, the reason we built the station

was to do science, the engineering that we learned, how do you build a Space Station and operate it. But I think the foreign affairs was the most

valuable contribution that the Space Station made because the 15 nations originally and now, these other countries are going to visit, have worked

together.

The Space Station was born over 30 years ago. The idea for it. We worked with Russia, you know, very well for decades. Unfortunately, Russia's gone

down a very dark path as a nation. But we've been working on the Space Station together. So, I think it's the international cooperation. That has

probably been one of the biggest, if not the most successful American foreign policy initiative in our history.

SCIUTTO: Yes. It's always amazed me that despite the extreme disagreements and hostilities between the U.S. and Russia, that they're still flying

around together in space. Axiom wants to build its own space station. Do you see -- do you envision a future where there, perhaps there are multiple

space stations, private and public?

VIRTS: Well, that's exactly the plans that NASA has. Right now, the International Space Station, the ISS, is supposed to be de-orbited in five

years. It's going to come down and splash down in the Pacific Ocean. And then, there's going to be several companies, probably two or three that

build private space stations where individual companies can send up astronauts to do research or manufacturing.

Also, NASA will be a customer. So, NASA astronauts won't be going to the ISS, they'll be going to these private space stations. So, Axiom is one of

the biggest. They're probably the best known because they've been launching missions, but there's several other companies also. So, I think that

private space station market will be the future of Lower Earth Orbit and NASA's plans is that it can focus on the moon and beyond while private

companies take over Lower Earth Orbit.

SCIUTTO: I was just going to ask you about that you know, to what degree is this a stepping stone for further exploration of space?

[18:55:00]

VIRTS: Well, you can learn a lot of things about how humans can survive in weightlessness or in the different environments that you get in space that

you don't have on Earth. So, that's an important thing. You can test that equipment, for example, carbon capture. It's something I've been working on

here on Earth, but in space it's super important because we don't have trees. So, you need to use mechanical machines to take the CO2 out of the

atmosphere. So, there's technologies you can test there.

We've proven that humans can live and work in space for extended periods of time. So, Lower Earth Orbit is a good stepping stone to the moon and

beyond.

SCIUTTO: Yes. I'll always remember that scene from Apollo 13, right, getting the carbon monoxide out of the module. Terry Virts, former --

VIRTS: The round hole in the square.

SCIUTTO: Exactly.

VIRTS: Yes, the round the square pay (ph), that was a big problem. If I could just add real quick, if folks are interested in my website's,

terryvirts.com, if they want to see my plans for the U.S. Senate in Texas.

SCIUTTO: All right. Well, thanks for sharing that. Thanks very much for joining. And thanks so much all of you for your company today. I'm Jim

Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." Please do stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:00:00]

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