Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
U.S.: Missile Likely From Pro-Russian Separatists; Obama To Comment On Ukraine; U.N. Security Council Meeting On Ukraine
Aired July 18, 2014 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Big breaking stories this morning. First, horror at 32,000 feet, a passenger plane shot down, blown out of the sky. Nearly 300 people on board, among them, women, children, and AIDS researchers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like it was raining body parts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: As new details emerge from the crash scene, outrage grows.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bring to justice all these bastards who committed this international crime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Who did it? Ukraine got a hold of these intercepted rebel communications. We'll play the whole tape for you. Then --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: United States will offer any assistance we can to help determine what happened and why.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: President Obama offers help, but what can the United States really do?
Plus, ground invasion at Gaza. Israeli tanks roll across the border and the air strikes won't relent and the Israeli prime minister says the military is getting ready for even more action. Let's talk live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Good morning, and welcome to our viewers around the world. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. We start with a devastating crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. We're covering the story as only CNN can with our experts and reporters covering the story from Ukraine to Malaysia to Washington and beyond. But first let's get you caught up on what we know. President Obama schedule to speak about 90 minutes. Of course, we'll carry his comments live. We also heard this morning that a preliminary classified report from U.S. intelligence has concluded that a missile fired by Russian-backed rebels most likely took down that passenger plane.
Other major headlines, there were still no confirmations this morning that any Americans were on board Flight 17. Also American investigators are on their way to Ukraine to advice and help in any they can as the world tries to make sense of a passenger plane being blown out of the sky.
Also Ukrainian rebels claim they gave the missile launcher used and the flight's black boxes to Russia overnight. All right, we'll talk about that in a bit, but let's first head to the White House and Michelle Kosinski with a preview of what the president might say in just about 90 minutes. Good morning, Michelle.
MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. This is likely going to touch on what the U.S. response will be exactly. We heard just this morning in Ukraine, the foreign minister there said that he had asked the U.S. to send experts, especially from the NTSB because of their expertise in these matters, so that has officially been requested by Ukraine.
It's unclear at this point when the U.S. would send either NTSB or possibly some other agency including the FBI. What's even more unclear is what kind of access they would get? We know that the crash scene is in Donetsk, which is Ukraine, but controlled by the separatist rebels. Are they going to allow U.S. investigators there?
Well, at this point, Ukraine says they are not even letting Ukraine's own officials on to that crash site. So hopefully the president will touch on that and you mentioned the big question is, were there Americans on this flight or not? No one has been able to confirm that. Hopefully the president will touch on that.
What we do know from at least one official who told CNN that so far it appears that no one on the flight was traveling on a U.S. passport. What's not so clear there people with dual citizenship, possibly living in America and they just weren't using their U.S. passports.
So those nuances is what we're hoping to get from the White House. It's possible that there will be some more U.S. involvement. The White House has repeatedly called for a transparent international investigation. It really remains to be seen what Russia and what these separatists who control this area will allow -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Michelle Kosinski reporting live from the White House and again, President Obama set to speak on the Ukrainian situation, the plane crash there at 11:30 Eastern Time. Of course, we'll bring that to you live.
Let's discuss more of what the president might say. I want to bring in Congressman Mike Turner. He is on the House Armed Services Committee. Welcome.
REP. MIKE TURNER (R), OHIO: Thank you for having me.
COSTELLO: What do you need to hear from the president?
TURNER: Well, Vladimir Putin bears full responsibility here. Russia has opened a war zone in Europe and of course, this tragedy has certainly brought that in focus. We have to understand there's been a number of aircraft that have been taken down in this area previously, two Ukrainian helicopters, a transport plane and a fighter jet have already been taken down.
They are already signalling that both Russia and the Russian separatists had been actively targeting aircraft. We know that the president has increased sanctions on Russia because there are Russians on the ground. Russians have gone in and out of the border. Clearly this conflict is theirs.
Putin's efforts to blame Ukraine is really an effort to blame the victim. The president needs to do is to be strong with Russia understanding that we need to both increase international pressure and U.S. pressure because they have sole control of this war zone that they've created.
COSTELLO: You've said that we need to take swift and decisive action. What exactly are you proposing?
TURNER: I think the president today needs to make it clear that he understands that the capability that took down this plane is under Russian control and direction that it needs to be removed. That Russia needs to deescalate this situation. I believe and I've called for the United States to provide military assistance to Ukraine both in technical advice and assistance.
We certainly knows what's going on in the ground. We need to share that actively with the Ukrainians, we need to share with them and even strategy and understanding of what they need to do to protect and defend their country, but also the president needs to in very clear words understood that the United States sees this as a Russian incursion and war zone that is created by Russia within Ukraine. Totally at their doorstep.
COSTELLO: Do you -- some feel the need for the president to talk tougher on this situation. Do you agree?
TURNER: Well, I think it's not just an issue of talking tough. It's acting tough. The NATO allies have been moving cautiously with sanctions. That of course is a dial that can be turned up. It has been a dial that's been turned relatively slowly. I think also we need to be more closely working with Ukraine now that we know that this war zone that Putin has created is affecting Europe and it certainly affects our allies.
COSTELLO: A couple of questions for you on the ground, you know, if the United States sends help to Ukraine, to the Ukrainian government, nobody can get close to this crash site yet because the rebels are keeping people out. What should be done?
TURNER: This is absolutely unacceptable. This shows that Russia never really was part of the international community and following international standards. The prospect that black boxes or even pieces of this missile could have been collected and taken to Russia would not have been without Russia, it's not as if there's some manual there that separatists could find to understand how to remove these pieces. This is not an issue of Russian separatists. This is not an issue of difficulty in Ukraine. This is absolutely Vladimir Putin, a war- created zone within Europe.
COSTELLO: If Russia does indeed have these black boxes, and it refuses to turn them over or admit that it has them, what does the United States do?
TURNER: Well, again, I think, you know, when we look at international sanctions, international relations, there are a number of areas where both we can provide stress and, you know, isolation of Russia.
COSTELLO: Like what? What are you suggesting? Congressman Peter King suggested that we not allow Russian planes to land in the United States if Russia doesn't act responsibly? Do you agree with something like that?
TURNER: I think it is an excellent idea. Absolutely. Because when you look at someone who is in the international community and then acting responsibly. They need to act in the area in which the international community provides them access. If Russia is not going to act as a member of the international community to actually assess and let us all know what occurred here.
So that those who did this can be held accountable, this is a tragedy and the perpetrators need to be held accountable, if they will not allow that, then they need to be held accountable and the pressure needs to increase on them.
COSTELLO: Congressman Mike Turner, thanks so much for being with me. I appreciate it.
TURNER: Thank you.
COSTELLO: No one has officially taken responsibility over shooting down that Malaysian jetliner although U.S. intelligence now believes it was Russian backed rebels in Eastern Ukraine. A disturbing phone conversation appears to bolster that suspicion. The Ukrainian Secret Service exchange has released this exchange purportedly between pro- Russian militants just a short time after that passenger jet came down.
It's amazing, isn't it? It's actually quite disturbing to discuss this. I want to bring in our chief national security correspondent, Jim Sciutto. Jim, thanks for being with me this morning. Supposedly these rebels were talking to Russian intelligence officers. Why would that be?
JIM SCUITTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: This is something that Ukrainian officials have been saying for weeks and in fact, U.S. officials have confirmed, and that is there is direction and connection between the pro-Russian separatists operating in Eastern Ukraine and handlers on the Russian side of the border and more than just communication, Carol.
Because there's also evidence Ukrainian officials say of a number Russian nationals who are fighting alongside these pro-Russian separatists inside Eastern Ukraine. That is one of the connections because there is also tremendous amount of Russians arming these rebels not just with guns, but also shoulder-fired missiles, tanks, et cetera.
So it is -- and that's the reason why when you hear from Ukrainian officials that I've been speaking to for the last 24 hours, they point their finger not just at the separatist, but at Russia and Vladimir Putin.
COSTELLO: In listening to this, I mean, they were using a very powerful weapon. I think we have a picture of it. It's surface-to- air missile. It can shoot four targets at the same time. It can shoot targets beyond 33,000 feet up to 45,000 feet, I believe. In listening to this tape, it seems like these guys didn't know exactly how to use this weapon?
SCIUTTO: Or didn't know what they were aiming at. It appears listening to these recordings, which we obtained yesterday that they thought they were shooting at a Ukrainian military plane, and in fact earlier this week, Ukrainian separatists shot down, Ukrainian officials say two other Ukrainian planes, a military transport plane on Monday and on Wednesday, a Ukrainian jet fighter.
And you hear in those conversations they are surprised, in effect, thinking that it was an AN-26. This is a Ukrainian military plane and in fact, Carol, there's other evidence even beyond that recorded phone conversation because one of these rebel leaders amazingly tweeted the time at around the time that the plane went down that they had just shot down a Ukrainian plane.
That tweet was later deleted, but that is more evidence cited by Ukrainian officials and just one more thing, this BUK missile system as it's called, it's a Russian made missile launcher, surface-to-air missile launcher, Ukrainian separatists, pro-Russian separatists captured just such a missile, June 29th, in Eastern Ukraine, at a Ukrainian military base and when they captured it, they bragged about it, on Twitter.
They showed a picture of it in fact. A tweet that showed this missile system and that was more evidence that Ukrainian officials cited with their early suspicions that it was exactly this kind of launcher that took this plane down and now U.S. officials based on their own analysis believe the same.
COSTELLO: All right, we'll wait to hear what the president has to say about this in just about an hour and 15 minutes. Jim Sciutto, many thanks to you. An emergency session of the United Nations Security Council meeting right now trying to determine what if any action should be taken over the 298 people killed when that passenger jet was shot down over Ukraine. Yesterday, a vigil was held outside of the United Nations. Most in attendance largely laying blame for the tragedy on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
I want to bring our U.N. correspondent, Richard Roth. He is there right now. I know that they observed a moment of silence, but there's also going to be pretty emotional testimony or actually comments coming too.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Carol. We should see very sharp exchanges between Ukraine and Russia and there are countries who lost passengers on that Malaysian jet who are on the Security Council, the United Kingdom, a permanent member and Australia.
And also just seconds before this meeting, which we're watching began, the current president of the council from Rwanda read out a statement, which was agreed to by all 15 members of the council saying the Security Council calls for a full, thorough, independent, international investigation of the Malaysian air crash.
Russia would have to sign off on that statement. Of course, events on the ground and actions following the statement will have to be monitored to see if it's even complied with. The statement also said the council expresses its condolences to the victims and their families.
We don't have an exact order of the speakers, but certainly history being made here at the Security Council. You have Russia, Ukraine, in the same room, same table. There aren't many other places in the world that they are actually getting together. Certainly after such a momentous horrifying event.
Carol, it also brings back memory 1983 when the Soviet Union shot down a Korean passenger jet that strayed over Soviet territory. A resolution to condemn that was eventually vetoed by the then Soviet Union -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Also in attendance is the Dutch ambassador, of course, the U.S. ambassador, so tell us more about what you expect to be said in this meeting.
ROTH: Well, one official told me they expect the countries to really focus on this plane crash, not just the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. There have been over 20 Security Council and General Assembly meetings combined on this issue. U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power will be there with Russian Ambassador Cherkin who we see there.
Cherken is an old hand at this and he certainly sometimes been a man alone against the entire Security Council as this conflict has raged. Russia has been at extreme odds with the U.S. and the west over Syria and sometimes on Iran. The Netherlands are not on the Security Council. I don't think they will be expected to speak.
But certainly, the sympathies of their fellow council members and European nations will be expressed. The call for the international investigation that was echoed by secretary general of the U.N., Ban Ki-Moon yesterday. That's where the focus is going to be. But if things are being moved on the ground, and there's no access to the plane, that makes it a little harder to achieve.
COSTELLO: All right, Richard Roth, I know you'll continue to monitor this meeting. We'll get back to you. Thanks so much. I'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: The 298 people aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 held from all over the world, the majority from the Netherlands. Ukrainian officials say 181 bodies have been found at the crash site so far. Among the dead, a team of AIDS researchers en route to a conference in Australia. In a conversation with CNN's Ana Coren, Bill Clinton who knew one of them spoke out about the tragedy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON: It's awful. I mean the -- those people are -- there are in a way martyrs to the cause that we're going to Australia to talk about, and I think all I can say about it now is what President Obama, what our government said, we need to wait to make any definitive statements until we know exactly what happened, but it was sickening. And I hope they will know and I hope they will know soon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: CNN chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, joins me now. I know you knew one of these researchers on board this plane and he was an amazing man.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's just hard to overestimate the impact of this sort of thing. This is the largest AIDS conference in the world that's been going on since the mid-80s. The first one was actually held here in Atlanta, and this is where everyone would convene their research.
I mean, when you talk about the big breakthroughs in AIDS and HIV was because these researchers would come together, share what they have been finding. I was at the AIDS conference when he was the president, President Clinton was there as well, Joe Plame ran the whole thing.
They didn't think they could get AIDS medicine in Africa. He said if they can cool Coca-Cola with these trucks, we can do this with medicines as well and make sure they get to the people who need them. How can you estimate the impact of that? How many lives were saved as a result of that? Because it was incredible and he was a really legitimate scientist.
COSTELLO: So how big a blow is this to the research community? GUPTA: I think for this particular conference, first of all, it's going to just cast a pallor, it's going to be hard to motivate the enthusiasm as in years past. It's a huge blow and you had so many people concentrated in one particular area.
COSTELLO: So many good people gone. Sanjay Gupta, thank you so much.
One woman who was supposed to be a passenger on board Flight 17 ended up missing it. You hear these stories all the time. She was actually on her way to the airport in a taxi when she heard news about the crash. Listen to her reaction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm shaking. I don't even know what to do. I'm feeling physically sick, and I was like from guilt and coming to the airport in the taxi just crying. I feel like I've been given a second chance, and so hopefully that we'll get there safely and I will see my family again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: She's holding her baby there. She was going to get on board with her baby. She is one lucky woman this morning. There were 298 people on board Flight 17.
Still to come to the NEWSROOM, military operations ramp up in Gaza. Israeli tanks and soldiers heading deeper into the region as Palestinian officials say the death toll is rising. We'll take you live to Jerusalem next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Let's go back to the United Nations. The Security Council is meeting right now to talk about the situation in Ukraine and also about that downed plane. The U.S. ambassador, Samantha Power --
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAMANTHA POWER, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: -- carrying these 298 people from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was likely downed by a surface-to-air missile, an SA-11, operated from a separatist-held location in Eastern Ukraine. The airliner was traveling at 33,000 feet and its speed was typical for an airliner along an established flight corridor frequented by commercial traffic.
The flight was transmitting its assigned transponder code corresponding with its flight plan and flight tracking data was publicly available on the internet. There was nothing threatening or provocative about MH-17. Of the operational SAM systems located near the border, only the SA11, 20, and 22 SAM systems are capable of hitting an aircraft at this flight's altitude of 33,000 feet.
We can rule out shorter range SAMs known to be in separatists hands including man pads SA8 and SA13 systems, which are not capable of hitting an aircraft at this altitude. Early Thursday, an sa-11 SAM system was reported by a western reporter and separatists were spotted hours before the incident with an SA-11 system at a location close to the site where the plane came down.
Separatists initially claimed responsibility for shooting down a military transport plane and posted videos that are now being connected to the Malaysian airlines crash. Separatist leaders also boasted on social media about shooting down a plane but later deleted these messages.
