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CNN One-On-One With Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba; Olaf Scholz: Russian Aggression Will Draw Consequences; Awaiting Results Of Investigation Into Downing Street Parties; Strict COVID Rules Present Bug Hurdles For Athletes; China Scrambling To Contain Outbreaks Ahead Of Olympics. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired January 26, 2022 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up here on CNN, the U.S. warns of an imminent Russian attack on Ukraine as another payload of American weapons including hundreds of anti-tank missiles, touches down just outside the Ukrainian capital.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his pandemic parties now under police investigation, as his last loyal supporters now claim the Prime Minister was the victim of a birthday cake ambush.
And whoever said getting there is half the fun, never had (PH) to travel to Beijing to compete in the Winter Olympics amid of global pandemic.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks for joining us, and at this hour, global headlines still focused on Ukraine. All sides in this crisis, say diplomacy is still their first option. But at the same time, the military buildup in the region continues with the White House warning of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine. But officials in Washington also acknowledge ultimately there is only one person who knows for certain, and that's the Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia has staged more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine. Well, another U.S. plane has touchdown just outside Kyiv with a third shipment of American made weapons, including about 300 anti-tank missiles, as well as bunker busters.
And the U.S. President Joe Biden ramping up pressure on Vladimir Putin, with a stark warning that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would change the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There will be enormous consequences if he were to go in and invade as he could the entire country or a lot less than that as well.
For Russia, not only in terms of economic consequences and political consequences but there will be enormous consequences worldwide.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The leaders of France and Germany met Tuesday with the new German Chancellor publicly declaring support for the NATO U.S. plan. Notable because with many good reasons, many considered Germany to be the weak link in the so-called united front against Putin.
The French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized the unity among E.U. allies and then had this warning for Russia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): We are preparing in parallel, a common reaction and response in case of aggression. And as it has been said, if there is an aggression, there will be a response and the cost will be very high.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Ukraine's foreign minister has welcomed the support from the United States and Europe saying it sends a very clear message to Moscow. He sat down with CNN's Clarissa Ward for an exclusive interview.
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CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The latest tranche of U.S. weapons arrives in Ukraine. On board, 79 tons of lethal aid, including nearly 300 tank armor piercing javelin missiles, as the U.S. doubles down on its support of Ukraine.
As many as 8,500 U.S. troops are now on high alert to be deployed to Eastern Europe to join NATO forces. A decision Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says he welcomes.
DMYTRO KULEBA, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: I think it's a message to Putin that, listen, whatever you're trying to achieve, you get the opposite. If you want us to withdraw from Central Europe, to withdraw a NATO infrastructure from Central Europe, our response to your escalation is reinforcing the eastern flank of NATO.
WARD: Some have suggested thought that this shift might actually anger Putin and escalate the crisis further. Are you concerned about that?
KULEBA: Well, if we learned anything since 2014, is that it's a flawed logic to handle President Putin from the perspective that, let's do nothing in order not to make him angry. No, this is not how it works. Strength, resolve, deterrence, these are the three elements that work with Putin.
WARD: On the other side of the border, yet another show of force from Russia's military, with the Iskander missile systems on display. The Russian defense ministry says the exercises are, "to check the troops' battle readiness". Few here have any doubt that Russia is ready to go to war. But the question remains whether that is its intention.
So, do you believe there will be a military escalation here in Ukraine?
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KULEBA: This depends. I cannot read President Putin's mind, frankly.
WARD: Can anyone?
KULEBA: No. I don't think anyone can do that. We are literally in a situation where anything can happen.
WARD: How does Putin at this stage de-escalate without losing face?
KULEBA: We shouldn't really care how President Putin will save his face, for one simple reason, because he himself, he put himself in this situation. If Russia is willing to act in good faith, there is a possibility to walk out from the negotiating room and say, we made a deal.
WARD: But Kuleba warns that they will not be pushed into making concessions.
KULEBA: We will not be in a position of a country that speaks on the phone, here's the instruction of the big power and follows it. No.
We paid a lot, including 15,000 lives of our citizens to secure the right to decide our own future, our own destiny. And we will not allow anyone to impose any concessions on us.
WARD: With all sides dug in, the prospects for a diplomatic solution are dim. But Ukraine's leadership says the cost of failure would extend far beyond these front lines.
KULEBA: And if the United States leadership fails here, it will be a clear message to the contesters of the United States, that America is a different country now. And they can push.
And in the end, if they push, I'm afraid that it will be the people of America who will feel the repercussions of that push.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD (on camera): The minister went on to emphasize that Ukraine has already made diplomatic concessions to Russia in the past and that if anyone gets on a plane and comes to Kyiv, demanding that Ukraine make more concessions, while he says that he would simply call the protocol officer and have them escorted back to the airport.
Clarissa Ward, CNN, Kyiv.
VAUSE: Now, to New York Mitchel Wallerstein, a Nonresident Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He also served as a senior policy maker in the Clinton administration. Welcome to the program.
MITCHEL WALLERSTEIN, A NONRESIDENT SENIOR FELLOW IN FOREIGN POLICY, CHICAGO COUNCIL ON GLOBAL AFFAIRS: Thank you. Good evening.
VAUSE: So, at a joint news conference with the French President Emmanuel Macron, the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz may what on the surface at least seems to be a fairly unremarkable statement. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OLAF SCHOLZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): We made clear that military aggression, that affects the territorial integration in Ukraine will draw consequences a high price, we are united with our partners within NATO and the European Union.
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VAUSE: But here's the thing, there have been multiple examples in just the last few days, which suggests that Berlin is not all in on this Ukraine strategy. And well, an opinion piece in The New York Post, which claimed Germany is catering to Russia and is a pathetic excuse for a U.S. ally. It's probably a bit over the top, there are still some reasons for concern about where Berlin stands in all of this, isn't it?
WALLERSTEIN: Yes, you know, I think you have to look both at the history of the German Republic as well as its current situation. The history of course is well known. The fact that the Germans did invade Ukraine themselves in the World War II. So, they are very sensitive, particularly about the export of military equipment to Ukraine.
And the current situation obviously concerns the Nordstrom, Nordstrom 2 pipeline -- Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and also the fact that the German economy is an export driven economy.
So, it's conflicted. But I do believe at the end of the day, Germany will join with the other members of NATO, should the Russians decide to go into Ukraine.
VAUSE: We saw prices for oil and natural gas hit record highs at the end of last year. And it was a reminder of how, you know, countries like Germany so dependent on Russia for natural gas. So, would Putin be willing to weaponize gas supplies when it comes to that? Or is Russia too dependent on that revenue to jeopardize that revenue stream?
WALLERSTEIN: Well, he's definitely playing a very challenging hand. Clearly, oil and gas are the main export of the Russian Federation, and they need the foreign exchange. On the other hand, it's also his main leverage over Europe.
In the last few days, the United States has been leading an effort to try to arrange alternate sources of supply in the event that they do try to cut off the oil and gas flowing out of Russia. But again, this could be as damaging to the Russian economy as it would be to the West.
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VAUSE: And talking about these financial sanctions, the sort of Armageddon like financial sanctions and who would be hit and who would be on that list. It seems Vladimir Putin may in fact be on that list. Here's the U.S. President Joe Biden.
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KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Would you ever see yourself personally sanctioning him if he did invade Ukraine?
BIDEN: Yes.
COLLINS: You would?
BIDEN: I would see that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: He said he would see that happening. So, it's a common tactic to go after the family and friends of an autocrat. But to sanction Putin directly, that -- is that a major escalation? What's the significance here?
WALLERSTEIN: It's a very significant escalation, but one that's been threatened, at least or at least might perhaps we should say, rumored for quite some time.
Putin is believed to have hundreds of billions of dollars in personal wealth stashed in offshore accounts. It's never been revealed how much detailed information United States and other intelligence services have about the location of those accounts.
But apparently, there's enough so that the U.S. feels that can use that sort of personal leverage.
VAUSE: We heard from the E.U. Foreign Policy Chief as well, Josep Borrell, who was blunt in describing where the world now stands with this crisis of Ukraine continuing to escalate, here he is.
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JOSEP BORRELL, E.U. HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Today, we're living through the most dangerous moment of the post-Cold War period.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: It's a big claim, but I guess it's from the point of view that it now seems almost sort of this universal understanding that as far as Russia attacking Ukraine, it's not so much a question of if but rather, how Russia attacks.
WALLERSTEIN: No question of it. Will it be an all-out invasion? Or will it be some sort of a hybrid warfare as they conducted in Crimea, and if continued to conduct in the Donbas region, there also is the possibility this is one enormous bluff, which is intended to put pressure on Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine to make further concessions.
So, we really don't know. No one is able to know with certainty what Putin's intentions are. But certainly, an all-out invasion, as it has been stated publicly would be the largest military action in Europe since the Second World War.
VAUSE: That is a sobering thought to think of when it's put in those -- in those terms. Mitchel Wallerstein, thank you so much for being with us. We appreciate it.
WALLERSTEIN: My pleasure. Thank you.
VAUSE: Boris Johnson's no good really bad terrible week took a turn for the worse on Tuesday with word a police investigation is underway of pandemic parties at number 10 and possible violations of COVID restrictions. That investigation grew from an internal probe which according to one cabinet minister, the Prime Minister's Office is now expecting to be released in the coming hours.
Boris Johnson for his part says he welcomes that police investigation, and as the findings of the internal probe are made public on Wednesday, Johnson is expected to make a statement after the weekly Prime Minister's questions but regardless of timing, his leadership is now hanging in the balance.
CNN's Bianca Nobilo has the story.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A boozy party in Downing Street.
BIANCA NOBILO CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From bad to worse. The British government was already investigating Prime Minister Boris Johnson for allegedly breaking COVID rules.
Now, London's police, also known as the Met, are, too.
CRESSIDA DICK, COMMISSIONER, LONDON METROPOLITAN POLICE: I can confirm that the Met is now investigating a number of events that took place at Downing Street in Whitehall in the last two years, in relation to potential breaches of COVID-19 regulations.
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: And I apologized for the impression that --
NOBILO: For weeks, Johnson has been struggling to contain the growing scandal.
JOHNSON: That I have been repeatedly assured since this allegations emerged that there was no party and that -- and that no COVID rules were broken.
NOBILO: In the New Year, new allegations. The Downing Street staffers through a raucous party on the eve of Prince Philip's funeral in April last year, which Queen Elizabeth attended on her own. Johnson apologized to the Queen and finally admitted that he did attend a bring-your-own-booze party during the May 2020 lockdown, but said it wasn't his fault.
JOHNSON: Nobody told me, and nobody said that this was something that was against the rules. It was a breach of the COVID rules, that we were doing something that wasn't a work event.
NOBILO: But now, CNN affiliate ITV reports that on Johnson's own birthday in June 2020, he attended two separate parties at Downing Street with as many as 30 people, including the decorator redesigning his apartment. This photo was taken earlier that day.
At the time, up to six people could only meet outside and indoor gatherings were not allowed. A source who worked at the down Downing Street at the time confirmed to CNN that Johnson's wife organized a gathering in the afternoon and that they sang happy birthday.
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NOBILO: Just months before, Johnson had written to a 7-year-old girl congratulating her for postponing her own birthday party.
MICHAEL ELLIS, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE MP & PAYMASTER GENERAL: The government recognizes and I recognize the public anxiety and indignation that it appears as though the people who have been setting the rules may not have been following the rules, and I would like to repeat that sentiment today.
ANGELA RAYNER, BRITISH DEPUTY LABOR PARTY LEADER: Well, well, well, all too soon, the minister and I find yourselves here once again. Rather than dealing with the cost of living crisis impacting on families, we're talking -- we're talking about scandals in Downing Street again.
NOBILO: The crisis for Boris Johnson is now political and potentially criminal. His spokesman says no laws were broken, but the police investigation comes at a time when many in his own conservative party are actively plotting to get rid of him.
Johnson has spent the past two weeks throwing them red meat, scrapping COVID restrictions earlier than planned, upending the fees to fund the BBC, and getting tough on Russia.
Whether he stays in power may depend on the outcome of these investigations, which the police commissioner said will go where the evidence takes us.
Bianca Nobilo, CNN, London.
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VAUSE: CNN European Affairs commentator, Dominic Thomas is with us now this hour from Los Angeles. Dominic, good to see you.
DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Great to be on, John.
VAUSE: OK, so here's the master spin himself. Boris Johnson reacting to that announcement that a police investigation is now underway, these parties at number 10. This is a valiant attempt by the Prime Minister to put lipstick on a pig. Here he is.
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JOHNSON: I welcome the Met's decision to conduct its own investigation, because I believe this will help to give the public the clarity it needs and help to draw a line under matters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It's only the second time in 100 years of sitting British Prime Minister has been part of a police investigation. But at this point, what else can he say?
THOMAS: There's nothing really, John. I think that as more investigations come his way, it gives him just a little bit more time. But clearly, he is skating on thin ice.
And at the moment, I think on cabinet resignation watch and as every day goes by, it gives them just a little bit more time to try and convince conservative lawmakers to not oust him.
VAUSE: Well, it's a tough job, it seems because even though his diehard loyal supporters, who are willing to go down with the ship are finding it pretty hard to defend this Prime Minister. When images emerged of the Prime Minister holding his birthday cake, Conservative M.P. Conor Burns, offered up this defense telling Channel 4 News: It was not a premeditated party. So, as I can see, he was in a sense, ambushed with a cake. It was a piece of move with a cream sponge cake working with the creme brulee.
How low right now Boris Johnson standing within the party and is there a clear alternative for leader because that seems to be the key here?
THOMAS: It is the case. So, in terms of his standing, I think it's about as low as it can possibly get without actually having the vote of no confidence proceed.
I think it's clear, conservative lawmakers are deep in conversation and consultations about the various scenarios that might play out here, should they decide to hold a vote of no confidence in Boris Johnson.
And of course, as much as they have an opportunity to get rid of him by voting him out, they don't actually get to designate a successor. They would have to go through a leadership race and there is some uncertainty there.
So, of course, all of the senior Cabinet members could be seen as potential candidates at this juncture. But let's not forget that whoever is appointed would be serving unelected, essentially, they would not have been picked by the British people, they would be the fourth Conservative Party Prime Minister in just over a 10-year period. And it may be interesting given the fact that the next general election is not scheduled until 2024 unless they change the regulations.
But the party may actually try to be finding a way to find a potential candidate they could support who might be more of a consensus builder. And actually, in that two-year period, which is a very long time in politics, start the process of rebuilding the conservative party's reputation as they emerge from the ashes of the Boris Johnson Premiership.
VAUSE: That is interesting timing because it seems like you're saying they're willing to force this Prime Minister out most likely in the midst of a global pandemic, with the looming war in Europe. And that's the point which is not lost on Johnson. Here he is.
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JOHNSON: But I want to reassure the House, Mr. Speaker and the country, that I and the whole government are focused 100 percent on dealing with the people's priorities, including the U.K.'s leading role in protecting freedom around the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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VAUSE: And despite all that, I mean, what it looks like is that Boris Johnson's time as Prime Minister could come to an end because of a piece of birthday cake.
THOMAS: Well, foreign policy and distraction to foreign policy are sort of, you know, an age-old tool that politicians go to, we can go all the way back to Margaret Thatcher and look at the Falklands War, and so on and so forth. But the cake incident is just the latest in a long sort of standing, a long history of lies and misrepresentations. And the Prime Minister getting caught out in different questionable activities.
Let's not forget, this is a prime minister who was in the intensive care unit in April of 2020. And shortly thereafter, held these parties, the very people who were sacrificing their health, their families, and so on and so forth, by following his regulations, and ultimately saving his life are the very people he subsequently ignored through his behavior.
And I think what's emerging is an image of -- or a sort of an epitome of entitlement in the guise of Boris Johnson, his closest advisors, even his Cabinet members who not only believe that they deserve the privilege that they enjoy, but that somehow rather, they also deserve special treatment.
And I think that that extent Boris Johnson has become toxic not only for his party, but also for the country. And perhaps, the conversation is no longer about if or should Boris Johnson step away or be ousted but when this will actually happen.
VAUSE: It's incredible the number of party they're having though, I mean, when do they get the work done? Dominic, it's good to see you. Thank you.
THOMAS: Thanks, John.
VAUSE: Much more ahead this hour, including COVID test free travel in Europe could be just days away. But those new E.U. rules will not apply to everyone.
And nine days and counting until the Winter Games, why just getting to Beijing could be harder for some athletes than competing for gold.
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HANNAH SOAR, U.S. OLYMPIC FREESTYLE SKIER: One positive test is going to do us in at this point. It's super stressful.
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VAUSE: Well, for the past two years, China's President Xi Jinping has avoided in-person meetings with fellow heads of state, that's all about to change. Xi met with the International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach on Tuesday. And now, world leaders minus those 18 diplomatic boycott were descending on Beijing for the Olympics. That includes the Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Beijing Winter Game start a week from Friday. Notably, tickets are not being sold to the public and athletes will stay inside a closed loop system.
But just getting to that closed loop system has been an Olympic effort for many who are competing at these games. And those athletes are facing strict testing policies once they actually arrive in China.
CNN Selina Wang has the details on the stress which so many are now going through.
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SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Winter Olympic athletes, just getting to Beijing is as nerve-racking as competing for gold. Nearly 3,000 athletes will be gathering under the world's strictest COVID countermeasures. They trained their entire careers for this moment. But a positive COVID test could derail it all.
SOAR: One positive test is going to do us in at this point. It's super stressful. I didn't know that I really struggle from with anxiety to be totally honest until like the past couple months.
WANG: U.S. mogul skier Hannah Soar and her teammates have been isolating in Utah for the past month. They live in separate homes, socially distanced on the mountains, order groceries for delivery.
SOAR: No one has looked at each other in the eyes. I haven't literally been inside anywhere besides this house for the past month.
WANG: Soar even wears a KN-95 mask under her neck warmer on the slopes.
SOAR: And so, I just treat everyone like they have COVID. And it creates a lot of anxiety in my life but hopefully gets me to China.
WANG: Athletes have to test negative for COVID twice before boarding a plane. Once within 96 hours and another within 72 hours before departure. Then, daily tests in Beijing.
Organizers are relying on sensitive PCR tests, which mean recently recovered but healthy athletes could potentially be isolated or barred from competing.
WILLIAM SCHAFFNER, PROFESSOR, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: They've gone to the public health extreme. That test is so sensitive. It is merely picking up remnants of the virus. You are not contagious to anyone else.
WANG: Organizers aren't taking any chances. The host country is sticking to its zero COVID policy where just one case can trigger lockdowns and mass testing.
During the Tokyo Summer Olympics here, 41 athletes tested positive for COVID. At least two dozen had to withdraw from competition. Now, with Omicron, and even stricter rules at the Beijing Games, it's inevitable. Some athletes are going to lose their chance to compete.
A positive test could send an athlete into isolation at a facility in China until they get two consecutive negative tests which experts say could take weeks.
Olympians will be completely separate from the rest of China, part of what organizers are calling a closed loop system, multiple bubbles connected by dedicated shuttles. Then, there's the mountainous venues, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou, North of Beijing, all connected by high speed rails.
British skeleton racer Laura Deas was in Yanqing last fall for training.
LAURA DEAS, BRITISH OLYMPIC SKELETON RACER: Everything we did, we -- you know, training, eating, sleeping was all within this bubble. But it felt incredibly organized. WANG: Ahead of the game, she's self-isolating in the U.K. and getting creative training without a gym. While Deas knows what to expect in Beijing, it's the next few days that are the most tense.
DEAS: I've jumped all of these hurdles over the past few years to get this point, and I'm just -- you know, just trying really hard to do all the right things now so that I can get to Beijing safely without COVID.
WANG: For athletes this year, just stepping foot into the Olympic bubble will be a victory.
Selina Wang, CNN, Tokyo.
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VAUSE: For more of the Beijing Winter Olympics, CNN's Kristie Lu Stout live for us this hour in Hong Kong. So, Kristie, we have a situation with cases arising inside that Olympic bubble. It's soon to be a closed loop system. So, I guess what's going on there? What are the numbers?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Yes, less than two weeks ago until the start of the Beijing Olympic Games and the number of COVID-19 cases are rising inside this closed loop system or bubble. We heard from the Beijing Olympic Committee a few hours ago, earlier today, they announced 13 new cases of COVID-19 among Olympic personnel.
Among those new cases, nine were detected at the border before managed to go inside the bubble. COVID-19 has been breaching the Olympic bubble in Beijing despite all the pandemic restrictions that have been put into place.
You have those dedicated Olympic lanes for vehicles that's been up and running since Friday. You've got the closed loop system, that's been up and running, which covers all the stadiums, the venues, the accommodations as well and to just even entering that system, that record requires everyone to test negative for COVID-19 twice before flying into Beijing.
The fact that COVID-19 is inside the closed loop system just underscores the difficulty of stopping the virus especially the highly infectious Omicron variant.
Now, earlier, I spoke to Dr. Jin Dong-Yan, he is a top virologist with University of Hong Kong. And he said that Beijing can host a successful Olympic Games during the pandemic, but it has to change its tact as to learn from Tokyo and learn to live with the virus. Listen to this.
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DR. JIN DONG-YAN, VIROLOGIST, UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: So, they just have to change their mind a little bit, just like at the Tokyo Olympics. If Tokyo can have such a very successful Summer Olympic, even if they have sporadic cases in China, these winter have sporadic cases in China, these Winter Olympics will still be very successful.
[00:30:19]
Otherwise, if they want to have zero COVID, that would be very challenging.
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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, the precautions that we've seen in and around the bubble in Beijing are far tougher than the measures that were used during the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. But Beijing at the moment, China is still verry much committed to its dynamic zero-COVID policy -- John.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Zero-COVID policy, where does it end? Kristie, thank you. Kristie Lu Stout, live for us in Hong Kong.
And in the wake of that tough zero-COVID policy, sources tell CNN the U.S. embassy in Beijing has asked the State Department to allow some staffers to leave the country because of their strict COVID rules.
Several diplomats say their families have expressed fears over China's tightening anti-COVID rules in recent months. They include lockdowns and quarantines that could potentially separate children from parents.
The request is reportedly still under consideration.
We'll take a break. When we come back, a rare thunderstorm is causing chaos for travelers in Turkey and Greece. We'll get the damage from that winter weather when we come back.
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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
Traveling around Europe for the fully-vaccinated residents is about to get a whole lot easier. From next Tuesday, the E.U. will recommend an end to requirements and testing, or quarantine measures for those vaccinated residents when entering member states.
Restrictions will also be eased for those who have recently tested negative or recovered from COVID.
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CLEMENT BEAUNE, FRENCH MINISTER OF STATE FOR EUROPEAN AFFAIRS (through translator): We focus much more on the personal situation of the people, vaccinated or not, than the epidemiological situation in this or that country or region of the European Union. With restrictions, we should obviously be stricter for people who are not vaccinated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Easing the roles comes after a significant response to the vaccine uptake in the nation. The European Center for Disease Control, Prevention and Control says about 70 percent of the bloc is now fully vaccinated. More than 40 percent have received a booster.
High vaccination rate is helping the Netherlands reopen. The government is lifting lockdown measures on bars, restaurants, theaters, museums, and more after several weeks of closures.
The Dutch health minister says ending the lockdown was possible, in part, because hospitalizations have been lower than initially feared.
The easing comes despite record high infection levels, but about 90 percent of adults have been vaccinated, and around 57 percent have received a booster.
[00:35:04]
The Netherlands saw public support for lockdown measures crumble in recent weeks, with very large protests.
Well, rare heavy snowfall has hit parts of Turkey and Greece, causing power outages, causing businesses to close and stranding thousands of drivers.
CNN's Arwa Damon reports from a snowed-in spot somewhere in Istanbul.
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ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Istanbul's famous landmarks are beautifully blanketed in snow as a winter storm hit parts of Turkey.
It's a pretty sight to behold for the 16 million people, but a nightmare for travelers.
The heavy snow clogged roads, leaving some 4,600 motorists stranded across Turkey while buses and ferries were also delayed. Private vehicles were banned from Istanbul's streets as cleanup began. Snowfall began late last week but has significantly increased in recent days.
At the airport, flights were suspended for a second day Tuesday. Turkish Airlines canceled all flights from the airport, which temporarily closed operations. And workers plowed the snow-covered tarmac. Or inside, passengers tried to make themselves comfortable wherever they could.
Some were so upset they staged a protest chanting. But the angry travelers appeared to have calmed down after airport staff gave passengers food and sleeping pods.
Airport workers tried to assess the damage after the heavy snow caused the roof at a corporate (ph) warehouse to collapse.
In Greece, the winter storm dumped 8 centimeters of snow on Athens, a rare occurrence for the capital, knocking out power to much of the city, as the blizzard conditions caused chaos on the roadways.
Rescue clues, including the army, helped dig out drivers stuck in their cars overnight. Many were given food and water as the temperatures fell.
GEORGIOS FRAGKOULIS, TRAPPED DRIVER (through translator): We were all trying to move our cars forward inch by inch, but we couldn't. Then I got stuck here last night. At least I think. I've lost track of time. We managed to go a further 50 meters, and that's it. I've been over here since last night.
DAMON: Some did try to make the most of the situation. Like this woman, who used skis to get around. Monday's storm also triggered a rare snownado or snowy funnel cloud off across Scorpedos (ph) island after a water spot moved onshore.
(on camera): Things have been quite messy across Greece and Turkey, to say the least, over the last few days. The region is quite simply just not used to this level of snow.
When it comes to Istanbul right now, most of the main roads are open, but it's quite tricky here, especially given how hilly it is, to get all of those side streets safely open up to traffic, as well.
I'm basically, effectively, snowed in. And to just give you an idea of how rare this is, Istanbul has not seen level of snowfall since about 1986.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Istanbul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: The International Monetary Fund has revised down the forecast for global growth this year. Now 4.4 percent, half a point lower than earlier projections. The slowdown ended the world's two largest economies are the big reason why.
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KRISTALINA GEORGIEVA, IMF MANAGING DIRECTOR: Why this slowdown of the recovery? For two reasons. One, because the two big engines of growth, U.S. and China, are slowing down.
And two, because of Omicron, leading to more mobility restructure -- restrictions, and as a result, affecting the growth, especially in the first months of this year.
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VAUSE: The IMF has downgraded China's forecast to 4.8 percent, citing disruptions from its zero-COVID strategy, as well as financial stress facing product developers.
As for the United States, the IMF lowered its forecast to 4.4 percent growth with inflation a big concern, along with supply chain issues and failure of Congress to pass President Biden's economic agenda.
The IMF predicts global inflation will end sometime next year.
We'll take a short break. When we get back, you've seen them in the science-fiction movies, maybe the cartoons. But now flying cars are cruising closer to reality. No, they're not. Details ahead.
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VAUSE: Elton John's concerts in Dallas, Texas, are on hold after he tested positive for COVID-19. The venue says the singer's long-delayed farewell Yellow Brick Road tour would not run Tuesday or Wednesday. Tickets are still good for the new dates, which should be announced sometime soon.
The venue (ph) says Elton John is fully vaccinated and boosted, has only mild symptoms.
It's unclear whether the tour will make its dates in Arkansas and Oklahoma this coming weekend. We wish him well.
A car which becomes a small plane, taking off and flying high above the traffic, has been the stuff of fantasy for decades. It still is.
But now the Aircar, inching closer to takeoff in a marketplace with a certificate of airworthiness in Slovakia. Anna Stewart has details.
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ANNA STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Just imagine, you're stuck in traffic, but with a touch of a button, your car grows wings, and you can fly right out of it. Sounds like a dream?
Well, actually, this is edging ever closer to reality. After more than 70 hours of test flights, and 200 take-offs and landings, the Aircar has received a certificate of airworthiness from Slovakia's transport authority.
Now, during those test flights, takeoff and landing procedures are actually achieved without a pilot even touching the flight controls. That is according to the Aircar's developer, Klein Vision.
It's flown between two cities in Slovakia, landing in the capital, Bratislava's, airport, where whereupon it transformed into a car and drove straight into the city center, which is pretty cool.
Now, there are a few flying cars around in development around the world. Mostly, they're waiting for regulatory approval. Some, though, are available already for preorder, like Dutch company Pal-V.
Now that entry-level model is priced at $400,000.
Flying cars have become a regular sight, actually, at tech shows and car shows, the Aircar's developer actually hoped to have it commercially available within the next 12 months.
But there is one small catch. You need a pilot's license to operate it, which means unfortunately, I won't be flying one any time soon.
Anna Stewart, CNN, London. (END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Please stay with us. WORLD SPORT starts after the break. And then I hope to see you back here, about 16 minutes from now. Thanks for watching.
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