Podcast Summary: Amanpour – "From COP30 to Ukraine: Power, Resistance, and Resilience"

Host: Christiane Amanpour, CNN International
Date: November 15, 2025

Overview

This episode of Amanpour centers on global leadership, resilience, and the fight for justice—from climate negotiations at COP30 to war-torn Ukraine, cultural power in New York and London, and lessons in courage from history and politics. Christiane Amanpour interviews leading voices including Al Gore, Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, Ukrainian restaurateurs, and Dutch Holocaust survivor Selma van der Per, probing the intersections of power, culture, and survival.

Key Segments and Insights

1. COP30, Climate Leadership, and US Absence

[03:12–10:38] Al Gore Interview

Highlights

• COP30’s Big Leadership Gap: Amanpour notes President Trump, President Xi, and Prime Minister Modi—leaders from the world’s biggest polluters—skipped the summit. Al Gore was the only present/former US executive at the talks.
• Al Gore’s Disappointment:

  "It's disappointing, of course, that the present administration has turned its back on the climate crisis." (Al Gore, 03:29)

• Trump’s continued alignment with fossil fuel interests is condemned by Gore, who notes, "He is following through on that and even doing some things that go far beyond what they want." (03:32)
• Optimism and Warnings:
  • Gore expresses cautious optimism, citing global progress:

    "93% of all the new electricity generation installed...last year...was renewable, solar and wind." (Al Gore, 04:26)

  • But he insists, "We're in danger of crossing some very dangerous negative tipping points." (Al Gore, 04:11)
• Gore Responds to Bill Gates’ Comments:

  "It was disappointing, and to some it was surprising...The only person who gave Bill Gates a rave review for his about face on climate was Donald Trump." (Al Gore, 05:53)

• America’s Waning Climate Leadership/China Pulls Ahead:
  • China’s green tech exports now surpass the US’ fossil fuel exports—a strategic shift with huge economic implications.

  • "We're seeing this transition away from fossil fuels...these exciting new technologies...create three times as many jobs..." (Al Gore, 08:00)

• 2025 Election Results:
  Gore interprets recent Democratic victories as rebukes of Trump-era policies and a hopeful sign for upcoming Congressional elections.

  "It was a surprisingly huge landslide against all of the candidates Donald Trump was for...people in the elections last week sent a very powerful message." (Al Gore, 09:39) "He says up is down, black is white, the climate crisis is a hoax." (Al Gore, 09:44)

2. Broadway Reimagined – Waiting for Godot with Keanu Reeves & Alex Winter

[11:49–19:33] Interview Segment

Highlights

• Why 'Godot,' Why Now?
  • Reeves and Winter bring existential classic to Manhattan, drawing on the play’s themes of meaning and absurdity.

  • "It is a play about two very close and old friends...trying to find a reason to live and survive...interrogates the questions of meaning and life and spirituality and friendship..." (Alex Winter, 12:32)

  • "And it's a comedy." (Keanu Reeves, 12:55)

  • "And it's a tragedy." (Alex Winter, 12:56)

  • "It's a tragic comedy." (Keanu Reeves, 12:58)

• Playful Banter – Sample Dialogue:
  (Cast quote playful Godot insults, 13:12–13:25)
• Exploring the Refugee Experience:
  • Winter connects the characters’ sense of exile to the refugee experience:

    "There is a refugee component to who we are in the world that we live in..." (Alex Winter, 13:49)

  • The play’s resonance with modern issues—autocracy, surveillance, and exclusion of refugees—feels urgent in today’s world.

  • "It speaks to autocracy and fascism and state violence and surveillance. I mean, this stuff is in the text, so you can't not feel it." (Alex Winter, 17:08)

• Art as Response to Crisis:
  • Amanpour recalls Susan Sontag’s wartime Sarajevo staging as “doing something tangible,” referencing Godot’s potential as resistance.

  • "I was in Sarajevo in 93 when Susan Sontag put on Waiting for Godot in Sarajevo, under siege...her way of pitching in..." (Christiane Amanpour, 18:00)

3. Violence in the West Bank – Olive Harvest Under Attack

[19:35–23:25] Special Report

Highlights

• Palestinian Olive Growers Targeted:
  • Hundreds of attacks by Israeli settlers documented during the harvest season. Latest outrage: mosque arson, livestock attacks, and beatings.

  • "We're here in the occupied west bank where dozens of Israeli settlers stormed this dairy distribution facility, setting several trucks on fire..." (CNN Reporter, 20:44)

• Palestinian Voices:

  • "It's not confidence. It's not confidence. We hope that doesn't happen again...there's no guarantees." (Eugene Korolev, 21:51)

• UN Records and Growing Impunity:
  • Over 264 attacks in October alone, the highest since 2006.

  • "This speaks to a growing problem of impunity for these settlers." (CNN Reporter, 22:04)

4. Soft Power and Ukrainian Identity – Cooking Through Conflict

[24:32–32:01] Interview: Eugene Korolev (Chef) & Paulina Sichova (Founder), Sino Restaurant

Highlights

• A Ukrainian Restaurant Born from War:
  • Chef Eugene Korolev left his newly opened restaurant in Dnipro to fight; the team pivoted to feed the army before relocating to London.
  • Founder Sichova’s vision: to challenge Soviet stereotypes and reveal the complexity of Ukrainian cuisine.

  • "We want to break this idea of what Ukrainian food is...because Ukrainian food is actually food that has been...cooking for centuries...sophisticated. It's elegant. It's layered..." (Paulina Sichova, 25:31)

• Life on the Frontlines:

  "Sometimes when you're just like lying on a position or like holding position...Of course we are joking...if I'm chef. So I will tell...funny stories from the kitchen...so that was like normal life behind what's going on." (Eugene Korolev, 28:16)

• Adaptation & Resilience:
  • Sichova reflects on Ukrainians’ ability to adapt:

    "You look at Ukraine, people adapt, People still live, people keep going. And that's partly very scary because...we as a human beings adapt to the most terrifying things. And partly it gives us power." (Paulina Sichova, 29:02)

• Celebrating Victory through Food:
  • Sino is honored in the Michelin Guide—"That's a victory," says Amanpour, given Russia’s claims Ukraine “doesn’t exist.”

  • "That's what we are trying to say with the cuisine...we can destroy Russia propaganda and show them and tell them, look, you...are not what you are telling about. And we are much more stronger." (Eugene Korolev, 31:14)

5. Remembering Selma van der Per – Resisting Fear and Fascism

[32:17–36:16] Archive Conversation

Highlights

• Holocaust Survivor, Dutch Resistance Hero:
  • Van der Per recounts her will to survive:

    "I didn't want the Germans to have the satisfaction of killing me." (Selma van der Per, 32:17)

  • On life under constant threat:

    "You forget about fear because I was busy as well, like I am now. You can't live in constant fear. Even fear is something to which you become accustomed." (Selma van der Per, 33:30)

• Hope and Loss:

  • "So you try to do your best to survive...I was beaten once unconscious...the food and the drinks we got was terrible or hardly anything." (Selma van der Per, 35:02)

  • On irreconcilable loss:

    "Well, I haven't reconciled with that at all. I think of them every day, every night...I try not to because...you can't make it undone. But I can't help it." (Selma van der Per, 35:41)

6. Jacinda Ardern and Redefining Leadership

[36:16–End] Archive Clip

Highlights

• Empathy in Power:
  • Amanpour describes Ardern as a symbol of "compassionate leadership."

  • "I do think you can be both strong and compassionate. I do think success is not just about economic but about your social indicators of success." (Jacinda Ardern, 37:39)

• Personal Integrity:
  • Ardern on stepping down:

    "You cannot and should not do that job unless you have a full tank. I no longer have enough in the tank to do the job." (Amanpour quoting Ardern, 37:59)

Notable Quotes and Moments

• Al Gore on American Climate Leadership:

  "China is now exporting to other countries more green technology...far exceeds the exports from the United States to the rest of the world of all of the fossil fuels." (07:59)

• Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter’s Godot Back-and-Forth:

  "Finish a phrase, I tell you." (Alex Winter, 13:15)
  "Finish your own. Moron. That's the idea. Let's abuse each other." (Keanu Reeves, 13:16)

• Paulina Sichova on Ukrainian Adaptation:

  "We as human beings adapt to the most terrifying things. And partly it gives us the power." (29:02)

• Selma van der Per on Survival:

  "I didn't want the Germans to have the satisfaction of killing me." (32:17)
  "You can't live in constant fear. Even fear is something to which you become accustomed." (33:30)

• Jacinda Ardern’s Leadership Philosophy:

  "I do think you can be both strong and compassionate." (37:39)

Timeline of Major Segments

| Time | Segment / Guest(s) | Highlights | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------| | 03:12–10:38 | COP30 & Climate Leadership – Al Gore | US absence, China’s surge, warning/tipping points | | 11:49–19:33 | Broadway: Waiting for Godot – Keanu Reeves & Alex Winter | Absurdity, refugee resonance, modern parallels | | 19:35–23:25 | Settler Violence in West Bank – Jeremy Diamond | Olive harvest, Palestinian suffering, impunity | | 24:32–32:01 | Ukrainian Cuisine as Soft Power – Sino | Adapting during war, identity, Michelin guide | | 32:17–36:16 | Selma van der Per: Holocaust Memory/Resistance | Survival, hope, trauma, historical reflection | | 36:16–End | Jacinda Ardern: Leadership & Empathy | Redefining power, emotional toll of leadership |

Tone & Style

Amanpour approaches guests with direct, incisive questions, often linking the personal with the political. The tone is informed and deeply human, striking a balance between urgency, empathy, and hope. The guests—ranging from politicians to artists to survivors—speak candidly, often reflecting on resilience, ethical leadership, and the universal struggle for dignity and meaning.

For Listeners

This episode delivers a powerful mix of timely analysis, personal storytelling, and historical witness—offering hope, warning, and inspiration for those grappling with today’s biggest challenges in climate, conflict, identity, and leadership.