Amanpour (CNN Podcasts): "US-Russia Nuke Pact to Expire"

Date: February 3, 2026
Host: Bianna Golodryga (sitting in for Christiane Amanpour)

Episode Overview

This episode explores a range of high-stakes global and domestic topics with a primary focus on the looming expiration of the New START nuclear arms control treaty between the US and Russia, contemporary Ukraine war diplomacy, Iran’s internal crackdown, the Epstein files revelations, and the racial complexities of the Bernie Goetz subway shooting case. Bringing together expert analysis and investigative voices, the episode dissects trust in international agreements, the far-reaching consequences of sexual abuse scandals, and enduring questions of justice and race in American society.

Main Theme

At the core:
The episode’s central concern is the collapse of the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the US and Russia, "New START", against a backdrop of fresh violence in Ukraine, tense diplomacy, and broader questions about global security, transparency, and justice.

1. War in Ukraine: Russian Attacks & Abu Dhabi Peace Talks

With Rose Gottemoeller, former NATO Deputy Secretary General and chief US negotiator on New START

Key Points & Insights

• Renewed Russian Attacks:

  • Russia resumes airstrikes and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities, targeting energy infrastructure amid freezing temperatures, despite President Trump’s claims of a promised Russian pause.
  • There is considerable confusion and cynicism about the ceasefire’s scope and duration:

    "It does seem very, very cynical from what I can tell...to start up just as these negotiations in Abu Dhabi are beginning… it's a weird way to convey what direction of travel you're on." – Rose Gottemoeller [03:55]

  • Putin may respond antagonistically to any appearance of positive negotiation momentum credited to Zelenskyy.

• Diplomacy’s Flickering Hope:

  • Trilateral negotiations proceed in Abu Dhabi (Russia, Ukraine, US, facilitated by UAE), offering a “step in the right direction” but overshadowed by Kremlin cynicism.

• Shifting Russian Tactics:

  • Recent Russian strikes appear to shift focus from energy to civilian transport infrastructure (buses, trains):

    "To fulfill apparently Putin's promise...not to energy infrastructure. So they started going after transport links instead." – Gottemoeller [05:41]

• Evolving Security Guarantees:

  • Reports suggest the US, Europe, and Ukraine have a tiered plan for enforcing a ceasefire:
    • 24-hour warning phase
    • Potential European intervention after 72 hours
    • US involvement if breaches persist
  • Rose sees this as a big improvement over vague Minsk agreements:

    "With the Russians...everything has to be nailed down in detail..." – Gottemoeller [07:26]

  • Russian red lines remain twofold:
    • Total Donbas annexation
    • No NATO (i.e., US or allies') security guarantees for Ukraine
    • Ukraine’s insistence on true security guarantees versus Russian territorial demands could create the greatest sticking point.

• White House Pressure:

  • Reports circulate of US pressure on Ukraine to concede territory for guarantees—denied by White House; Zelenskyy constitutionally bound to resist such concessions:

    "The choice may be just to fight on and fight on with the support of the Europeans." – Gottemoeller [10:16]

Notable Quotes

• "They are not ready to give up on their key demands to take over total control of the Donboss in particular." – Rose Gottemoeller [05:41]
• "[Washington] seems to have a tendency to want to muscle Kyiv from time to time..." – Rose Gottemoeller [10:16]

Timestamps

• Ukrainian crisis/tactical shift [02:15 – 06:31]
• Security guarantees/government positions [06:31 – 10:16]

2. US-Russia Nuclear Arms Control: The Expiration of New START

Rose Gottemoeller continues

Key Points & Insights

• Historical Precedent for No Treaty:

  • There have been other periods without binding arms limits, e.g., post-Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, but:

    "I don't think we're going to fall off a cliff... But... we might not be able to get back to the table anytime soon." – Gottemoeller [11:37]

  • China’s rapidly expanding arsenal adds urgency to a new round of talks.

• Trump’s Approach:

  • Trump wants to include China, not just Russia, in new nuclear arms talks.

• China’s Arsenal & Approach:

  • China currently has ~600 warheads; projected to rise to 1,500 by 2035

    "...we and the Russians still have so many more warheads than the Chinese...we have time to work this problem, we don't need to panic." – Gottemoeller [13:21]

• Inspections & Transparency:

  • Absence of on-site inspections/data sharing (stalled since COVID and 2022 invasion) is significant

    "...any new treaty with the Russians will have to involve very extensive and intensive on-site inspection, including of warhead facilities." – Gottemoeller [14:56]

• Nuclear Testing Concerns:

  • President's 2025 move to restart nuclear testing casts new uncertainty

Notable Quotes

• "It is urgent to begin talks with the Chinese about their objectives." – Rose Gottemoeller [13:21]
• "With all the other negatives in the U. S. Russian relationship, we might not be able to get back to the table anytime soon." – Rose Gottemoeller [11:37]

Timestamps

• Nuclear treaty context [11:12 – 16:26]

3. Iran: Threats, Protests, and Medical Underground

Report by Giovanna Karachiz with Anonymous Iranian doctor

Key Points & Insights

• Tense US-Iran Outlook:

  • Iran provisionally agrees to resume nuclear talks under US military pressure.

• Regime Violence, Medical Repression:

  • Widespread, military-grade brutality against protestors (11,000+ injured)
  • Hospitals co-opted by security forces; regime targets both protestors and those who treat them:

    "Inside Iran, government hospitals were controlled by security forces and monitored by cameras. If injured people went there and were identified as protesters...they would be arrested." – Anonymous Iranian Doctor [19:27]

  • Underground networks of medics operate in fear.

    "I've locked the door with five different locks. I expect that at any moment...they could break in and arrest me. I have chosen to put my own safety second." – Anonymous Iranian Doctor [21:16]

• Global Human Rights Implications:

  • Doctor’s harrowing testimony highlights risks activists and medics face.

Timestamps

• Iran segment [18:08 – 22:13]

4. Epstein Files: Revelations, Victims, and Accountability

Interview with investigative journalist Julie K. Brown

Key Points & Insights

• Massive Document Release:

  • Over 3 million Epstein records (documents, videos, photos, emails) released, implicating numerous global elites.

• Victim-Centered Reporting:

  • Brown credits survivors for the story’s perseverance:

    "It was the victims that are to be credited for this story still having...the kind of reach that it does." – Julie K. Brown [23:44]

• Victim Privacy Breaches:

  • DOJ publishes victims' identities, inflicting renewed trauma:

    "[The victims] are devastated...their personal information has been leaked....we're feeling this is extremely intentional and it's very harmful." – Haley Robson (survivor, via clip) [25:03]

  • Brown: "Inexcusable" that victims are re-traumatized after 20 years due to DOJ errors.

• Global Power, Money, Impunity:

  • Epstein’s social ties driven by greed—victims as currency for power deals.

    "...he was using them as currency. He was using them...to snare or...connect with people that he wanted to do business with." – Julie K. Brown [29:18]

  • Money laundering and global financial crimes underlie the network.

• Reluctance to Prosecute Broadly:

  • DOJ/FBI unwilling to pursue prominent figures—risk to officials' careers, connections.

• Ongoing Political Fallout:

  • Bill & Hillary Clinton to testify before Congress; no direct sexual abuse evidence on Bill, but extensive relationships documented.
  • Trump’s name appears 1,000+ times in documents; public distrust grows amid missing/disappearing files.

• Accountability and Justice:

  • Deputy AG Todd Blanche: "It is not illegal to have partied with Jeffrey Epstein." DOJ claims investigations are closed—but Brown and victims expect the quest for justice to endure:

    "This story will outlive me...these victims are not going to stop." – Julie K. Brown [35:45]

• Investigative Risks:

  • Brown herself targeted by Epstein’s private investigators.

Notable Quotes

• "To me, it would make more sense to say, look, we're looking at this a little further...But by saying, no, there's nothing to see here, when people can go online and see that there are things to see there, it just doesn't make any sense." – Julie K. Brown [35:45]
• "[Epstein] was hiring people to follow the victims and...dig into everything they could get." – Julie K. Brown [36:47]

Timestamps

• Document dump, victims, privacy breach [22:13 – 36:26]

5. Bernie Goetz and the Rorschach Test of Race, Justice, and Vigilantism

Interview with Elliot Williams (author of "Five Bullets") by Michelle Martin

Key Points & Insights

• The Case:

  • 1984: Bernard Goetz, a white New Yorker, shoots four Black teenagers on subway claiming self-defense against mugging.
  • Media instantly casts him as "Death Wish" vigilante hero; enormous public support through tip lines.

    "There's a myth...of the noble vigilante...a white man who steps in...where police cannot." – Elliot Williams [43:51]

• Distorted Narrative:

  • Goetz’s story narratively cemented as a race-and-crime Rorschach test.
  • Rumors that the teens were armed widely circulated but untrue—teens had screwdrivers for theft, not as weapons.

    "Even today...people still say...these were four guys who were carrying shivs and weapons...that simply was not true." – Elliot Williams [46:11]

• Race & Fear:

  • Goetz openly made racist remarks:

    "He used those ethnic slurs specifically and unambiguously...Even when I interviewed him, I was stunned by the language he was willing to use." – Elliot Williams [47:35]

• Trial & Consequences:

  • Goetz acquitted of all violence charges, convicted only of illegal gun possession; served 8 months.
  • One victim, paralyzed and brain damaged, later won a $43 million judgment Goetz never paid.

• Enduring Legacy & Complexity:

  • Case seen as a bellwether for American attitudes on self-defense, crime, race. Resembles modern cases (Rittenhouse, Jordan Neely subway killing).

    "Things are just more complicated than we allow them to be...Bernard Getz is a far more complicated figure...It can both be the case...the individuals...did not do anything to deserve lethal force..." – Elliot Williams [51:35]

  • Goetz has "not changed"—remains unapologetic and bigoted.

• Tragic Aftermath:

  • The four teens’ stories: two deceased (one suicide near shooting’s anniversary), one brain-damaged, one moved on.

    "It's all just deeply tragic, profoundly tragic." – Williams [53:40]

Timestamps

• Bernie Goetz discussion [39:20 – 53:56]

6. Notable Human Interest Brief: Australian Teen Hero

• 13-year-old Austin Appleby swims 4km through waves to rescue family; then sprints 2km for help:

  “I was just thinking...I was going to make it through. ...I just said, alright, not today, not today, not today.” – Austin Appleby (clip) [54:43]

Memorable Quotes (w/ Timestamps & Attribution)

• On Russian Diplomatic Behavior:

  "It's a weird way to convey what direction of travel you're on. ...the Russians are still on the direction...of not wanting to get to any agreement."
  – Rose Gottemoeller [03:55]

• On Fate of New START Treaty:

  "I don't think we're going to fall off a cliff when New Start goes out of force. But...we might not be able to get back to the table anytime soon."
  – Rose Gottemoeller [11:37]

• On Epstein’s Operating Principle:

  "He was using [victims] as currency...to connect with people that he wanted to do business with. And these people just ate it up."
  – Julie K. Brown [29:18]

• On Bernie Goetz and America’s Vigilante Myth:

  "There's a myth...of the noble vigilante...a white man who steps in...where police cannot."
  – Elliot Williams [43:51]

• On the Enduring Power of Victims:

  "This story will outlive me and these victims are not going to stop."
  – Julie K. Brown [35:45]

Segment Timestamps Guide

• Ukraine/Russia Diplomacy – [02:15 – 11:12]
• Nuclear Arms Negotiations – [11:12 – 16:26]
• Iran Protests & Medical Underground – [18:08 – 22:13]
• Epstein Files & Investigations – [22:13 – 37:30]
• Bernie Goetz/"Five Bullets" – [39:20 – 53:56]
• Aussie Teen Hero – [54:01 – 55:17]

Conclusion

This episode of Amanpour offers a sweeping look at the uncertainties shaping today’s world order: arms race risks, the fragility of international diplomacy, fresh wounds from cycles of abuse and power, and unresolved questions of justice and social trust that echo through decades. With hard analysis, survivor testimony, and deep dives into past and present scandals, the episode urges skepticism, vigilance, and the persistent pursuit of accountability—making it essential listening for those seeking to understand the pivotal, intersecting crises of our time.