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pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news" >> this is bbc world news america. top israeli officials are canceling a trip to washington after the u.s. left the un security council passed a resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in gaza. former president trump gets a wind in one case while a judge and another set the date for his first criminal trial. suspects in a moscow concert hall attack appear in court after a massacre that left at least 137 people dead. ♪ >> welcome to world news america. israel's prime minister benjamin

netanyahu is canceling a scheduled trip to the u.s. after the u.s. did not veto a un security council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire between hamas and israel. the u.s. abstain from the vote, allowing the resolution to pass. the resolution also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. it comes after numerous failed attempts. >> after months of diplomatic wrangling and numerous failed attempts of the resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in gaza was finally passed. >> please raise their hand. >> for the first time, none of the permanent members of the security council used their vetoes. only the u.s. abstained, meaning the vote went through. with the applause an indication that many members felt it was long overdue.

as well as an immediate cease-fire, the resolution demands the release of israeli hostages and by hamas, an expansion of humanitarian aid. but, israel reacted with anger, saying it failed to make the call for a cease-fire conditional upon the release of hostages. >> your demand for a cease-fire without conditioning it on the release of the hostages not only is not helpful, but it undermines, undermines the efforts to secure their release. >> the real question is what difference the resolution will make. a point raised by palestine's permanent observer of the u.n. >> this must be a turning point. this must lead to saving lives on the ground. this must signal the end of this assault of atrocities against our people. >> but little could be done to

force governments to comply with security council resolutions, and the vote while high on symbolism makes that out to deliver little of substance. bbc news, new york. sumi: the u.s. ambassador to the united nations linda thomas-greenfield says the u.s. is working to broker a cease-fire through negotiations. she blames hamas for the delay in reaching a cease-fire deal and argued that monday's resolution should have condemned hamas. >> certain key edits were ignored, including our request to add a condemnation of hamas. and we did not agree with everything in the resolution. for that reason, we were unfortunately not able to vote yes. however, as i have said before, we fully support some of the critical objectives in this nonbinding resolution and we believe it was important for the council to speak out and make clear th our cease-fire must

-- in a cease-fire must come with the release of all hostages. sumi: moments after the resolution passed, israel's prime minister canceled sending a high-level degation to washington because the u.s. did not veto the cease-fire resolution. white house spokesman john kirby responded monday afternoon, saying the administration was caught offguard by that response. mr. kirby sucked to play down e impact of the un's resolution. -- sought tolay down the impact of the un's resolution. >> a couple of points need to be restated. number one, it is a nonbinding resolution. it has no impact at all on israel and israel's ability to continue to go after hamas. number two, as i said in my opening statement, it does not represent a change at all in our policy. it is very consistent with everything we've been saying we want to get done. and we get to decide what our policy is. the prime minister's office seems to be indicating we

somehow changed here. we haven't paid sumi: mr. kirby -- we haven't. sumi: mr. kirby's characterization of nonbinding is contested. it is typically legally binding under internatiol law and multiple countries voted in favor of the resolution and says israel must abide by it. netanyahu's delegation to washington was supposed to discuss israel's plans for a ground invasion of rafah. there's an estimated 1.5 million palestinians living there, most of them refugees from other parts of gaza. israel has been logic airstrikes on the city with dozens were poorly killed over the past 48 hours, including women and children. the u.s. told israel a ground invasion into rafah would be a mistake. let's discuss this with the special envoy to the middle east and the obama administration. good to have you back. from your understanding, does the un security council resolution have an impact on what israel has to do?

>> they won't have a legal impact. there won't be any sanctions unless there's a photo -- further vote at the u.n. it is a very important message we are sending to the israelis that we want to see a cease-fire. we are also sending that message to hamas. the u.s. has no other option's other than to achieve a cease-fire at this point. however, the kind of thing we would not have done, the objections of the israelis unless we were extremely frustrated with her behavior over the course of the past six months. sumi: i just wanted to jump in and ask, the white house is saying this is not a change in policy. do you think it is? frank: it's a relatively minor change in policy. there were some small wording differences between the resolution introduced on friday and the one today. the issue is we are feeling very much like the israelis are not listening to anything we say and we have to follow our words up with actions or we will continue

to see more of the same. i think we reached a tipping point on friday when netanyahu openly defied secretary blinken saying the invasion would proceed. i think it was a real insult to the u.s. that is led to a tipping point that we are willing to defy them at the u.n. sumi: we saw this further development where israel said it is canceling the high-ranking delegation that would have been coming to washington in response to the u.s. not vetoing this resolution today. what did you make of that? where do you think this leaves the u.s.-israel relationship? frank: first of all, i don't think we expected the prime minister to react that way. he could have downplayed this. it was not that different from what we introduced on friday. he chose to make bigger issue out of it which i think he's doing for his own mastic political purposes. i think minister glant is still here. he's here today in the u.s. and asking for a bunch of weapons from the united states.

i think it will be interesting to see whether we put conditions on those weapons or more likely privately tell the israelis if they do't start heating our advice, we will be prepared to put conditions on those weapons. it is not more action in new york but rather washington action. sumi: do you think we will see that happen from the biden administration? frank: i would be surprised. i think we are hoping by sending this very strong signal to the israelis that we are prepared to do things they really don't want us to do if they don't start listening to our advice. hopefully, they will realize that further actions will be forthcoming unless they change their posture. hopefully, we can resolve this privately. sumi: what about the question of a possible ground operation in rafah? the u.s. has warned against this million -- one million people are sheltering there. what influence do think the u.s. has to stop this from going forward? frank: i think the security

council resolution was the first step in sending this clear message to the israelis. i think the next step would be a conditioning weapon sales. the israelis do not have enough soldiers on the ground right now to mount an incursion into rafah. we are several weeks away from that. i believe the u.s. will do -- use that time to prevent the israelis from entering into that combat mission without taking great steps to remove civilians from harm's way. sumi: can i ask you of how much we saw today at the um, the u.s. not vetoing this resolution, how much do you think that has to do with domestic politics? we saw the republican congressman michael lawler say the biden administration is putting democratic party politics above u.s. foreign policy interests and the safety and security of israel. what do you think of that? frank: obviously, president biden is under some pressure domestically. i think that is reflective. i think also, the isolation we have experienced from the rest of the world at the united

nations did not sit well with the biden administration. there were a number of different factors that led to that. the main point is we are trying to send a strong message that we want to see a cease-fire and prepared to take actions to back that up. it is interesting that president trump came out today and said affectively that israel was losing friends around the world. i think the israelis are counting on republicans to step up, but if president trump is speaking on generally on the same sort of song as the biden administration, that removes the ability of the israelis to leverage the domestic political situation. sumi: thank you for joining us. frank: thanks for having me. sumi: to our other big story -- a critical day for former president trump and several of the legal battles he's facing. a judge agreed to lower his $464 million bond in a civil fraud case. instead, he has to post a smaller bond of $175 million within 10 days.

president trump faced a monday deadline to make that payment of $464 million, an amount he sd was too high for him to meet. the hefty fine came after a judge ruled mr. trump inflated his net worth to secure favorable deals on loans. now that the bond has been lowered, he is less at risk of having his assets, like trump tower, seized by authorities. >> so, i greatly respect the decision of the appellate division. i will post the $175 million through cash or bond, whatever is necessary, within the 10 days. and i thank the appellate division for acting quickly. judge engoron is a disgrace to this country and they should not be allowed to happen. sumi: mr. trump also appeared in a manhattan courtroom monday were a judge said he would face his first criminal trial on april 15. it would be the first time a

u.s. president, former or current, has faced a criminal trial. this is in connection with accusations that mr. trump falsified business records to hide a payment made to the adult film actress stormy daniels. she said they had a sexual encounter in the 2000's which mr. trump denies. jury selection was initially scheduled to begin monday but the trial was delayed until april 15 to allow mr. trump's legal team to review new records related to the case. the trial will start in the midst of a heated election campaign. mr. trump is the presumptive republican nominee and he said in a press conference after the rulings that the trials were politically motivated and part of what he called a wider effort to hurt his chances at winning the presidency. let's go to new york now and our correspondent is standing by for us tonight. she has been following all of the legal developments taking place. always good to see you. let's start with this bond payment that was reduced to $175 million. how big of a boost to you think this is for the former president?

>> it is a major boost. it really was a lifeline to donald trump right on the day, right up until the last deadline where he had to pay that massive pond. there was real questions over whether either donald trump was as wealthy as he had claimed or if he hadn't planned enough to liquidate his assets when his team went to the appeals court and said it was a practical impossibility to be able to get so, this is significant. it allows donald trump to now be able to secure a bond. we do't think he will have any trouble doing that now. it also stops the attorney general from being able to start that collection effort, from going after his assets until after the appeals process plays out. sumi: on the other hand, we saw in court tay the hush money criminal trial will start on april 15, according to the judge. this is the first time a

president will be on a criminal trial. what do you think we can expect? nada: yeah, even before the trial takes place, i expect a lot of different motions from donald trump'lawyers to try to delay it even further. with that said, if it does go ahead on april 15, we are expecting massive crowds here, number one. a long jury selection potentially because both sides will understand the significance of getting a jury in this case that won't have any biases, that will be able to examine the evidence. donald trump's team will want at least to find one juror who might be sympathetic to the arguments because that could mean a hung jury and it could mean he's acquitted of the charges against him, of course. not only that, if the whole jury finds there is not enough evidence. this is going to be something of a spectacle as well because remember, some of the most salacious details are in this

particular case. we will hear testimony from his former fixer michael cohen, perhaps the former poorn star stormy daniels. sumi: thank you so much. four men have been charged for an attack at a moscow concert hall that killed at least 137 people. the islamic state claimed responsibility for the massacre. and while russia's president putin said radical islamists were responsible, he claimed that ukraine helped carry it out. kyiv vehemently denies those claims. steve rosenberg has this report from moscow with some images you might find upsetting. >> in court, the men russia says committed mass murder. four suspects battered, bloodied , and in one case, barely conscious. all four were charged with terrorism.

just days after this. islamic state says it was behind the attack of the concert hall. america has confirmed that borussia hasn't. instead, the authorities have been sending a very different message. that in some way, somehow, ukraine is to blame. this paper says it believes ukraine carried out the attack without providing any evidence for that. it writes there are some basic truths. fire burns, the wind blowsnd the kyiv regime are murderers and terrorists. in this paper, a russian mp says russia needs to take kyiv and crush the terrorist beast, which raises the question, will russia try to use the devastating attack on the concert hall to try to justify a future escalation in its war in ukraine? concern too that moscow may use this moment to increase repression at home.

>> that is what happens with the kgb state. it uses any opportunity when there is some crisis or threat to mak sure that it hammers all the nails into the coffin of freedom. >> in other words, further crackdown coming? >> i believe even better than that. >> as russians reflect on the horror that unfolded, what is the mood in moscow? there is no sense of panic, but people are worried. things don't feel right, alexandra says, i don't feel safe. >> i felt fear going outside. and i had to go to the store. when i left my home, i just thought i should hurry and come back to my flat because it is only place where i can be safe. >> and that is what the gunmen wanted. not just to kill him about to

leave a nation in fear. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. sumi: ukrainian and u.s. officials say russia used hypersonic missiles in its latest bombing of ukrainian capital kyiv. at least 10 people were injured in monday mornings attacks that destroyed parts of an arts academy. a 70-year-old lecturer was among the injured. >> i got hit in my forehead. go ahead, fill it, take a closer. a window frame hit me. we were standing near the window but managed to escape. there's a little room nearby and we hid their. sumi: cctv footage shows t moment a window frame came crashing down inside a coffee shop. this kind of scene is becoming familiar due to the speed of the ballistic missiles, some residents say they had less than 10 seconds from the moment they heard air sirens to find shelter. people in multiple areas of ukraine still face power cuts days after russian airstrikes targeted the country' energy systems, causing blackouts.

in washington, antony blinken met with blakan leader -- balkan leaders at the state department. one of the people who was part of the meeting is the former minister of estonia and he is with us in the studio. very good to have you with us. i want to start with that meeting with the u.s. secretary of state talk about support for ukraine. it comes at a time when the war is essentially at a stalemate. what message did you hear from secretary blinken? >> first, it is very important that we understand that ukraine needs weapon supports. i got an understanding there is hope that congress will adopt soon the ukraine package because it is very important to get the support from the u.s. as well. the european side, we have done a lot now. we have adopted 50 billion european fund. we also have 5 billion euros for the facilities.

my message was clear is we need to use the russian frozen assets and secretary blinken was optimistic about that. sumi: you said you have hope about congress passing further aid to ukraine and the speaker of the house mike johnson has indicated that he would like to bring a vote on more funding to ukraine to the floor. but they are on a break for two weeks now. we know the situation is critical. are you worried about the u.s., which is the biggest support of ukraine until now, its ability to pass further aid at this point? >> i'm practical and i understand domestic policy. there is currently the presidential elections. there's a lot at stake as well. the u.s. position as a world leader of freedom. so, we can manage a couple of weeks, months, but for the long run, the u.s. commitment is needed. if it is crucial. in estonia, we have proposed that every country should submit military support for one year.

this $61 billion is exactly the percentage of support. i really do hope that the u.s. congress will make this decision. sumi: if it doesn't, can the eu fill the gap? >> we can fill it right now because we are doing more and more for the long run. the question is not only about money, but about u.s. leadership to support ukraine. military but also politically. we must understand there is much more at stake than just ukraine's future. but, ukraine is fighting for us. we in the baltic region say instead of us. i really hope the u.s. people understand and politicians understand that for the long run, this aggression is against all of us. sumi: estonia has announced that is sending more military aid to ukraine in the form of artillery, ammunition.

what are you hearing from the ukrainians on what is absolutely needed at this moment? >> estonia has put in 1.5% of gdp of military support. just last week, we decided on the governmental level to send the next package of ammunition. ammunition is what ukraine needs desperately. it is impossible to win the war in such conditions, but also to protect the existing territories. ammunition is crucial. sumi: do you think at this point, looking at the state of the battlefield in ukraine, that ukraine is still able to win this war against russia? >> if we all put in 0.55% of gdp military support, you will altogether be $120 billion euros per year and it is enough for ukraine. they have will, they have capabilities, and experience. they can do it but without our

support, this war will be in europe and will harm the u.s. sumi: i want to ask you about russia's intent. we spoke to your prime minister on the program as the russian election was taken place. now we see vladimir putin securing another term as expected, appearing emboldened. are you worried about what that means for ukraine and for your region? >> i cannot call this action what took place as an election, but it is clearow russia don't call it anymore a special operation, but it is a war. we see heavy bombings during the last couple of days. sevillian people are dying -- civilian people are dying. i think we will see full-scale mobilization in russia as well. i think that putin is not sending his troops all into ukraine anymore but going to reestablish the military capabilities on the others of our border. a couple of years ago, we saw

120,000 troops ready to go within 48 hours. they are not existing right now. they are sent to ukraine. they will restore it. sumi: what does that mean, that he's preparing an attack on nato members? >> there is opportunity for that, but we don't see immediate capabilities. nato test may come, and that is why it is much more efficient to support ukraine right now instead of having this nato test. we are ready. sumi: that is certainly the message you have been sending to the u.s. and in your meetings here. thank you so much for joining us on bbc news. great to get your insights. that is our show. thank you for watching world news america. we will have more for you on our website, bbc.com/news. you can also download our app. thank you so much for watching and stay with us on bbc news. great to have you with us.

♪ announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. bdo. accountants and advisors. cunard is a proud supporter of public television. annocer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for amera's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

william: good evening. i'm william brangham. amna nawaz and geoff bennett are away. on the "newshour" tonight, the rift between the u.s. and israel widens due to a united nations resolution demanding a ceasefire in gaza. then, former president trump will go on trial next month, and he gets a break on his multi-million-dollar bond while