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Ottawa At Breaking Point; Gu Wins Gold; Biden Promises To End Nord Stream 2 If Russia Invades; Meeting of President Macron and President Putin; Meeting of President Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz; Military Exercise of Ukrainian Troops in Chernobyl Exclusion Zone; Imminent Displacement of Bedouins in Negev Desert; Queen Elizabeth's 70 Years on the Throne; Clean Up for Debris Left on Earth's Outer Space; Hero's Welcome for Senegal's Men's National Football Team. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired February 08, 2022 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[02:00:23]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM and I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead, high stakes diplomacy on both sides of the Atlantic. Crucial meetings in Moscow and Washington as the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine looms.
Canada's capital at a breaking point. Trucks blocking Ottawa streets with a constant is putting sound of blaring horns. The Prime Minister now saying it has to stop.
Plus, Gu wins gold for China. The teenage Chinese-American free skiing sensation wells the world at the Winter Games.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Good to have you with us. And we begin with the military standoff along Russia's border with Ukraine and the natural gas pipeline hundreds of kilometers away. That could be the key to preventing a Russian invasion. It's meant to bring vital fuel from Russia to Germany when it goes online. But U.S. President Joe Biden is promising to end the multi-billion-dollar project if Russian forces move into Ukraine.
The new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is walking a political tightrope, refusing to match Biden's tough stance on the pipeline. He says Germany is united with its allies and will take the same steps. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron is looking to lead Europe's efforts to resolve the crisis. He heads to Kiev in the coming hours after talks in Moscow with Vladimir Putin.
The Russian president says, Mr. Macron's proposals could possibly lay a foundation for further diplomacy. And we get more now from CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson, reporting from Moscow.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, at the end of that more than five hours long meeting both Macron and Putin agreeing that there was an opportunity to continue the discussions forward. Although Putin also made it sound conditional. Putin described the meeting as business like, interesting, useful. Macron described it as lively. Putin heavily critical of NATO, saying that they were the aggressors, not Russia.
Macron didn't appear to push back on that assertion. Putin also heavily critical of the authorities in Ukraine, saying that the government there weren't living up to the terms of the Minsk agreement when it is widely believed. It is Russia that's failing in the Minsk agreement, not the authorities in Kiev. But that was Putin's point to put pressure on President Macron for his visit to President Zelensky Tuesday, saying that what happens next depends on how Macron gets on on that visit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): A number of his proposals and ideas about which it is too early to speak, I consider quite possible in order to lay a foundation for our further steps. Let's see how the meetings for the president will go and Kiev after his trip to Ukraine. We will call each other again, and exchange of views on this matter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Now, Macron's view on that was that there were a series of proposals that were discussed, that there was some convergence on those series of proposals. But he was of the view despite the heavy criticisms of NATO and of the Ukrainian authorities by Putin. Macron's view was that it was better to keep talking. That's where their joint responsibility lay.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MARCON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): Our duty is to work together. In order to come up with solutions. I think that -- I can say that both of us are convinced that there is no reasonable and durable sustainable solution which does not pass through diplomacy. It is up to us jointly, to agree to concrete specific measures to stabilize the situation and to de-escalate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Putin also said that he would soon be responding to the letters from the United States and NATO to Russia's original proposals. And he said it disgusts much of what he'd be writing to them with President Macron. For now, it seems there is a chance for a diplomatic track but absolutely no indication that President Putin is anywhere close to pulling his troops back from around Ukraine, which was a fundamental.
But President Macron's visit to get him to deescalate tensions, no traction there it seems.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Moscow.
[02:05:07]
CHURCH: And now to Germany's role and new signs that Berlin may not be on the same page as Washington when it comes to preventing a Russian invasion. CNN Senior International Correspondent Fred Pleitgen has more.
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: An important but also somewhat of a tough visit for Olaf Scholz to Washington, D.C. for the first time in his capacity as the German Chancellor going to the White House to meet President Biden and then also later going on CNN for an exclusive interview with our own Jake Tapper.
Now, the Germans all along have said that as far as the crisis around Ukraine is concerned with the Russians, of course, moving massive troops near Ukraine that Germany was absolutely on the same page as its allies. However, there are some allies who believe that so far, Germany hasn't been doing enough. Now one of the key topics is the Nord Stream 2 pipeline with the U.S. saying that pipeline will not go forward if Russia further invades Ukraine.
Here's what President Biden had to say.
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If Russia invades, that means tanks or troops crossing the border of Ukraine again, then there will be -- we -- there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2. We will bring it into it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Now, Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor so far has not been willing to go as far as President Biden went there. The German simply saying that all options would be on the table if there was a further invasion of Ukraine by Russia. However, Olaf Scholz also saying he wants to keep some ambiguity in all of these discussions and, of course, also keep diplomacy in play as well.
But he also said that if there was that further invasion, that there would be a united front that Germany would be part of.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OLAF SCHOLZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR: We are doing much more as one step. We are -- and all the steps we will take we will do together. As the President said, we are preparing for that. And you can understand, and you can be absolutely sure that Germany will be together with all its allies, and especially the United States that we take the same steps.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: One of the things that Olaf Schultz did point out several times as he said that Germany has been a strong partner not just within NATO, but also for the Ukrainians as well being the largest single financial donor to Ukraine over the past couple of years. And the Germans also saying that that would continue as well.
Meanwhile, President Biden once again sounding the alarm bell saying that he believes that Vladimir Putin could be ready to invade Ukraine at any point in time. He also said that he believes that American citizens who are currently in Ukraine should leave.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.
CHURCH: Meantime, the E.U.'s foreign affairs chief is holding out hope for a diplomatic resolution to the standoff. Here's what he said on Monday.
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JOSEP BORRELL, HIGH REPRESENTATIVE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND SECURITY POLICY: Certainly, we are leaving, to my understanding, the most dangerous moment for the security in Europe after the end of the Cold War. But at the same time, we believe that there is still room for diplomacy. There is still room for discussing for knowing which are the concerns of everybody, also to Russian concerns, in order to avoid the worst.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: So, let's turn now to CNN European Affairs commentator, Dominic Thomas in Los Angeles. Thank you so much for joining us.
DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Thank you very much, Rosemary.
CHURCH: And Dominic, President Biden warned Vladimir Putin that invading Ukraine will be a gigantic mistake and result in Swift and severe consequences, including the shutting down of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Germany. But Germany's Chancellor failed to offer the same assurance. How big a problem is Germany's reliance on Russian gas while efforts are underway to find a diplomatic solution and to offer deterrence to avert war?
THOMAS: Yes. You're pointing to a kind of dilemma that the Germans find themselves. And let's not forget that Chancellor Scholz heads a brand-new government that is made up of a coalition of three parties of which one of the major partners are the greens and that his foreign minister is the foreign leader of that particular party. There is an unwavering commitment in Germany today to renewable energies, that that is a long-term strategy.
And in the short term, you're absolutely right. There is a dependence on fossil fuels. And that creates a kind of vulnerability in these negotiations because in order for Scholz and his government to achieve those long-term objectives of renewing Germany's energies, they need a stable economy and they need the kind of economic growth and they need as they are now to be answerable for their constituents that are expecting that. [02:10:00]
THOMAS: So, to that extent, President Biden's unambiguous statements about the consequences of an invasion in some ways although we can understand pressure that he wants to apply on Vladimir Putin does put Scholz under a very particular kind of pressure, and I think reveals a certain level of a kind of fracture in this United coalition front that they are aiming to present and potentially weakens their argument or their position vis-a-vis President Putin.
CHURCH: Yes. And of course, those fractures are exactly what Putin is looking for. The diplomacy though still appears to be the preferred path by all parties. But after more than five hours of talks between President Putin and French President Macron, Putin said further steps are possible on the diplomatic front while at the same time setting or appearing to set a condition that progress would depend on how Macron's meeting with Ukraine's President goes in the coming hours.
Putin said after that meeting, he will talk again with Macron. What does all this signal to you in terms of where these diplomatic talks are going and the optics of Putin controlling that news conference? And apparently, the path forward as well?
THOMAS: Yes. And also affirming Macron as a key leader in this which is precisely what President Macron wants. In many ways, I think we're seeing a kind of recalibration of what we might call the global political order. We're way beyond Brexit. Chancellor Merkel is no longer at the helm in Germany and President Trump is no longer in the White House. And we know that under the Trump presidency, multilateralism and G7, E.U. and NATO were undermined or weakened.
So, we see a kind of coordination, a re-coordination of these allies taking place here. And it's absolutely clear that Emmanuel Macron sees himself as the key person who has an incontrovertible person in these particular negotiations. So, he's investing a lot of political capital into this. He's up for reelection in in April. And it's also a good strategy from detracting from some of his own domestic problems.
CHURCH: And Meantime, CNN has learned that intercepted communications from Russians involved in leading the deployments on Ukraine's border indicate that some Russian officers have doubts about pulling off a full-scale invasion. However, we know that their reservations will have little, if any impact on what Putin eventually decides to do. But how significant is this doubt within his own military ranks?
THOMAS: I think that there are a couple of things. I think, first of all, it reveals potential fractures on the Russian side that there isn't by no means any kind of unanimity here as to how to go about and proceeding. But I think it also points to some very serious kind of risk calculations that President Putin has to make. I mean, this entire situation, I talked about recalibration.
The same applies to President Putin who in many ways under the Trump presidency was emboldened and freed up a little bit. And he's finding himself being reined in here. And trying to sort of find new ways of dealing with Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan (INAUDIBLE) so there's an awful lot of sort of volatility and insecurity. And I think it is quite clear that between President Putin sort of posturing on the international stage and foreign policy and talks of invasion, there's also his very own domestic agenda where there is very little appetite for international conflict.
And there's tremendous fear as to what sanctions and so on could potentially do to the Russian economy. So, at very best from this uncertainty, and from this sort of insecurity, we hope that the diplomatic path moving forward will allow for some kind of, you know, possibility here of defusing what has become an extraordinarily volatile situation.
CHURCH: Yes. It is certainly a very delicate moment in history, isn't it? Dominic Thomas joining us there. Always great to get your analysis. Appreciate it.
THOMAS: Thank you.
CHURCH: Day four of the Beijing Winter Olympics is kicking into high gear with a gold medal win for Eileen Gu. The freestyle skier who has been dubbed China's snow Princess. The 18-year-old clinched gold in Tuesday's big air competition. Gu was born in the U.S. to a Chinese mother and decided to represent Team China this year instead of the U.S. Among those watching her big win from the stands Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai.
She was spotted sitting alongside IOC President Thomas Bach. And CNN's Steven Jiang is standing by in Beijing. But first let's go to World Sport's Patrick Snell joining us right here in Atlanta. So, Patrick, Eileen Gu wins gold for China with that epic jump. You have that of course and all the other Olympic highlights. Take it away.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Absolutely, Rosemary. So much going on. I can tell you this. What a special moment. A golden moment we should call it, right?
[02:15:07]
SNELL: For an 18-year-old who's already proving to be without question one of the breakout stars of these games in China. Eileen Gu calling a gold medal triumph this Tuesday and the women's free ski big air event. This is what she called it. The best and the happiest moment of her life. Those words really do speak volumes, right? So much attention and scrutiny on the teen who chose to represent as you just said her mother's native China over the U.S. where she was born.
Gu really has become the poster child for these Winter Games. You see her face, a daunting billboards across the country that's been widely reported and shown. Earlier, the team producing a scintillating performance jumping into top spot with her third run. This was in the events debut remember at the Winter Games. Gu actually the medal favorite in the big air. The slopestyle and the half pipe as well. What an achievement. And, you know, she could only we just be getting started, right?
Also, on this day the Austrian star, Matthias Mayer emerging triumphant to take gold. This was in the men's Olympic Super G. Outstanding achievement for the 31-year-old who now becomes the first man to win an alpine skiing gold medal in three consecutive Olympic Games. Having also won gold in the downhill in 2014 in Russia. And the Super G. That was four years ago in South Korea.
Mayer holding up a really, really determined challenge from the American Ryan Cochran-Segal, who was just four hundredths of a second behind him. it was that close.
The Norwegian star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, the World Cup Super G leader having to settle the bronze in the end.
And a short while ago, Team USA star Nathan Chen making headlines on this Tuesday. Not just a personal best for him earlier but also a world record in the figure skating short program with a score of 113.97. A standout performance giving him a big lead over his Japanese rival Yuzuru Hanyu in their quest for the gold medal four years ago. Just to go back and reset what happened there in South Korea.
Chen. He was also a gold medal favorite then as well. Finishing. In the end the short program in 17th place. He had a disastrous performance on that occasion, while Hanyu would go on to win his second consecutive Olympic gold. Chen go through to the free skate which takes place, Rosemary on Thursday. And that's when the medals will be decided and handed out. So much going on. We're tracking it every step of the way. You can count on that.
CHURCH: Absolutely. And we know it too. Thanks for that rap. And Steven, what's been the reaction there in China to American-born Eileen Gu winning gold for the host nation?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Rosemary, the reaction has been nothing short of extraordinary. Within seconds of her winning her name became a top trending topic on Chinese social media platform Weibo. Temporarily crushing its servers because too many people were trying to click her name and the authorities from Beijing where her mom comes from also immediately send her a message of congratulations.
Showering her with profuse praise. But, you know, the thing that sets her apart is actually she is not a product of the country's state sponsored sports system. She is refreshingly appealing to the public here because of her unique background, as you mentioned, racially mixed, grew up in both countries and fully bilingual and bicultural. And she's been able to humanize her sport by telling her own stories of dreams and ambitions and talent and heart training from both countries' perspectives with ease and grace.
That's why she's quickly commending a loyal and fast-growing fan base not to mention all the endorsements and sponsorships worth millions of dollars. Now, after her victory, she was actually pressed by reporters on several thorny questions including her rumored dual citizenship to which she simply responded she is not taking advantage of either country, but trying to use sport as a force for unity.
And when she was asked about if she shares the international community's concerns about the safety of Peng Shuai who, as you mentioned was watching her compete from the stance, she equally skillfully dodged that question simply saying that she was really grateful that Peng was happy and healthy and out there and doing her own things. Now, as you know, Peng gave a rare interview on Sunday, denying that she had ever made allegations of sexual assault against a former Chinese leader calling the whole thing a huge misunderstanding.
Obviously, that's not convincing to a lot of people around the world, including Steve Simon, the head of the Women's Tennis Association. In his latest statement, Steve Simon said that interview does not alleviate any of WTA's concerns about Peng and continued and they would continue to call for independent investigation into her initial claims. Rosemary?
CHURCH: All right. Patrick Snell, Steven Jiang, many thanks to you both. Appreciate it.
Well, still to come, anxiety and frustration across Canada as thousands of truckers protest COVID-19 mandates. Some residents say they feel like they're being held hostage by the demonstrators.
[02:20:04]
CHURCH: And a pandemic success story. How Chile became one of the world's leaders in getting its people vaccinated against COVID.
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CHURCH: The ongoing protests by truck drivers in Canada's capital now well into this second week have pushed the city to its breaking point according to the police chief. And now authorities are taking new measures to try to end the demonstrations. Reportedly seizing thousands of liters of fuel from the truckers. And a judge granted a temporary ban on the horn honking that has irritated residents.
For days, the so-called Freedom Convoy has disrupted traffic and people's daily lives. And they've clogged up major border crossings like this one going into the United States. CNN's Paula Newton is in Ottawa with the latest developments.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The truckers protest here in Canada continues. It is now well into its second week with the residents in this city in Ottawa, the capital, saying they are incredibly frustrated with the fact that police have still not been able to really ease the gridlock that has gripped the downtown core. Now to remind you, this is the truckers' protest. This started as a protest against vaccine mandate.
But it has now expanded to include mask mandates, any kind of COVID-19 measures. They have been joined by other Canadians that say that they're fed up and frustrated with this pandemic. Now Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who he himself has been in isolation for 10 days after contracting COVID showed up after isolation into Parliament on Monday evening during an emergency debate. And I want you to listen to what he said to the protesters.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: Individuals are trying to blockade our economy, our democracy and our fellow citizens' daily lives. It has to stop.
NEWTON: The question is, how do you do that? Even the police chief here in Ottawa says he doesn't have an answer that he needs reinforcements that they are doing what they can to make sure that this doesn't lead to a confrontation or violence. But this will take time. And right now, there doesn't seem to be anyone negotiating with these protesters really. This will continue in the days to come.
The protesters say they've got food, drink, fuel for months. And with the Prime Minister saying that he really has no intention of giving in. Canadians here, this stalemate will continue for some time.
Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa.
CHURCH: There was a moment -- a somber moment in Washington as U.S .lawmakers honored the more than 900,000 American lives lost to the code pandemic
Members of Congress gathered outside the U.S. Capitol building on Monday for a moment of silence. And the Washington National Cathedral told its funeral bell.
In all the bell told 900 times in memory of the dead. The ceremony comes as the U.S. heads into a period of transition in the pandemic. Omicron cases have declined significantly over the past few weeks. They're now just a third of the peak we saw three weeks ago. But more people are dying each day from Omicron than during the Delta wave last year. More than 2400 people have died every day over the past week.
But Chile is rolling out a second booster dose against COVID It's now available to everyone 55 and up. Almost 90 percent of Chile's population is fully vaccinated, one of the highest rates in the world. And that success extends even to the country's young children. More now from CNN's Rafael Romo.
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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: There's a play area in trays with candy. Children also have the option of coloring pictures. They're all here for the same reason, getting their first or second COVID-19 shot. Five-year-old (INAUDIBLE) seems a little nervous at first, but looks self assured a moment later, while getting his shot at a public gym turned vaccination Center in Santiago, Chile's capital.
It didn't hurt he says after getting what is actually his second dose of the Sinovac vaccine, according to his mother.
We are all vaccinated at home. He was the only one who wasn't and it's something we definitely should do, she says. This is for the good of the children and for everybody else's as well.
In late November, Chile surpassed Israel as the country with the world's highest percentage of population to have been given a booster shot according to our world and data.
Now its health authorities want to replicate that success in the country's younger population.
(on camera): Chile began vaccinating children aged six to 11 in mid- September. The country of 19 million had already been vaccinated minors between the ages of 12 and 17 since June. In early December, Chilean health authorities moved forward with an effort to vaccinate younger children between the ages of three and five about 700,000 nationwide.
It's a safe and effective vaccine, Sebastian Pinera said when he launched the campaign to get the younger children vaccinated. The shot is optional. Chile is using the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine for this age group on inoculation that was found to have an efficacy rate of just 50.4 percent in clinical trials in Brazil, in January last year.
PAULA DAZA, FORMER CHILEAN VICE MINISTER OF HEALTH: I recommend the parents to vaccinate the children.
ROMO: Former Chilean Vice Minister of Health Paula Daza who was in charge of our country's strategy for most of the pandemic says those vaccines remain an important tool to fight COVID-19.
Was it a mistake for Chile to rely so much on vaccines like Sinovac that proved not to be as effective?
DAZA: Sinovac, it's a very, very good vaccine. It's very -- it's -- has -- it -- and when you have the to vaccinate, it has 65 percent effective but it's over 80 percent especially for people hospitalization and death.
ROMO: Parents like Consuelo Rojas (ph) who says she wants to relatives to COVID-19 agree. I believe empathy and taking care of yourself is paramount she says. We started with the elderly, and now we have to take care of our children. The key word here is empathy, which means we have to take care of ourselves and each other.
Her daughter Antonya (ph) can barely say the word coronavirus. But was very eager to get the shot. It's the same kind of eagerness the country's health ministry is hoping for has said begins to offer a second booster shot to those 55 and older.
On January 10, Chile became the first Latin American country to offer a second booster shot to immunocompromised adults. Rafael Romo, CNN, Santiago, Chile.
CHURCH: The U.S. and Germany are talking unity but they may not see eye to eye on what action to take if Russia invades Ukraine. The details ahead.
Plus, practicing urban combat into noble. Ukrainian forces show they're getting ready if Russia decides to invade.
[02:30:02]
CHURCH: A firs- hand look at the drills. That's ahead.
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CHURCH: In just a few hours, French President, Emmanual Macron, will meet with Ukraine's president in the next phase of his shuttle diplomacy after more than five hours of talks in Moscow. Mr. Macron said he was able to find points of convergence with Russian President, Vladimir Putin. In turn, Mr. Putin described the talks as substantive and he didn't rule out further diplomacy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT, (through translator): A number of his proposals and ideas, about which it is too early to speak, I consider quite possible in order to lay a foundation for our further steps. Let's see how the meetings for the president will go in Kyiv. After his trip to Ukraine, we will call each other again and exchange views on this matter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Meantime, President Biden and Germany's Chancellor met at the White House. Both insisted they are united as they consider responses to the standoff between Russia and Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: I think he has to realize that it would be a gigantic mistake for him to move on Ukraine. The impact on Europe and the rest of the world would be devastating and he would pay a heavy price.
OLAF SCHOLZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR: We will be united. We will act together and we will take all the necessary steps.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: But there appears to be a sticking point in the two countries unity, a Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany. Europe is heavily reliant on Russian gas. Even so, President Biden warned, if Moscow pushes into Ukraine there will be no pipeline.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: If Russia invades, that means tanks and troops crossing the border of Ukraine again then there will be -- we -- there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But the -- but -- how would you -- how will you do that exactly since the project and control of the project is within Germany's control?
BIDEN: We will -- I promise you, we'll be able to do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: While Mr. Scholz insist, Germany stands with its allies, he repeatedly refused to commit to canceling the pipeline if Russia invades.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Will you commit today to turning off and pulling the plug on Nord Stream 2? You didn't mention it -- you haven't mentioned it.
SCHOLZ: As I've already said, we are acting together. We are absolutely united.
[02:35:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why won't you explicitly say, Russia, if you invade Ukraine, we're canceling the pipeline?
SCHOLZ: We are doing much more as one step. We are -- and all the steps we will take, we will do together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Ukrainian forces are now training in one of the planets most tragic landscapes, the Chernobyl Nuclear Exclusion Zone. It's where the destroyed reactor rests decades after the world's worst nuclear disaster. Many fear, Russian forces may try to use the area as a gateway from Belarus to Kyiv. Melissa Bell shows us how Ukraine is preparing for that possibility.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Through the forests of Northern Ukraine, it appears, the Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor. A monument to humanities ability to unleash uncontrollable forces. Suddenly, the apparent calm left behind by the 1986 Soviet era accident is broken. Ukrainian forces run drills in what remains a radiation exclusion zone free of any inhabitants. They're practicing urban combat. Of course, this is also an information on propaganda war. Everyone waits for Russian President Vladimir Putin to decide even as Ukraine questions an earlier U.S. assessment of just how imminent a potential invasion is.
OLEKSIY REZNIKOV, UKRAINIAN DEFNSE MINISTER: So, we have the same facts but the difference perception or different estimation.
BELL (on camera): The difference is on the question of intention. You don't believe they intend to invade.
REZNIKOV: I hope that in Kremlin, they didn't make their decision still.
BELL (voiceover): But Chernobyl is only 10 miles from the border with Belarus where Russia has been holding joint military exercises. These, just some of the 30,000 Russian combat troops that NATO has warned are on their way. Welcomed with bread, and salt, and open arms. BELL (on camera): To the East of Chernobyl lies this neutral zone between Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. It's known as the three sisters crossing in memory of a time when the three countries were all Soviet Republics. But more than 30 years on from the collapse of the Soviet Union, Belarus is a staunch ally of Russia, while Ukraine fears an invasion.
BELL (voiceover): Barely visible through the freezing mist across the border and Belarus, a Soviet era monument to the sister nations. And at the three sister's cafe on the Ukrainian side there is more nostalgia for that passed that there is worry about war. Masha, a 64- year-old great grandmother works here to supplement her state pension worth the equivalent of just $77 a month, she says.
MASHA (through translator): Will Putin go to war with civilians? He won't do that. I have brothers and sisters living in Russia and Belarus. I would dissolve the parliament in Kyiv, kick them out of parliament, every last one of them. They should give the people proper pension so that people won't be beggars.
BELL (voiceover): The nearby village of Senkivka is only a three- hour-drive from Kyiv but feels much further. This man won't tell us his name for fear of being labeled a separatist. He, too, misses the unity of the past and certainly doesn't appreciate visits to Kyiv from the like of the British Prime Minister.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Boris, the uncombed, comes here only whipping the tensions up. Only a fool would start a war.
BELL (voiceover): Nobody will come out a winner, he says. Nobody. Melissa Bell, CNN, Senkivka, Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Fearing displacement in the Negev Desert. We will hear from Bedouins who believe the government wants them to leave their land even though they have Israeli citizenship. We'll have the details for you on the other side of the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:40:00]
In Southern Israel, the Bedouin community remains resilient in a fight to retain their land and their homes. Just weeks after protests erupted over an Israeli program, they believe, was an attempt to displace them. Still, many say they are living in fear. CNN's Hadas Gold has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): This is the Bedouin village of Saawa, mostly unpaved roads, no street signs, off the grid. A consequence of what Israeli authorities say are unrecognized neighborhoods. One of several dozen in the Negev Desert region of Southern Israel. In the eyes of the government, some of these homes were built illegally. Last month, a long running program to plant trees across Israel ran headfirst into this village and turned fiercely political.
CROWD: (Speaking in foreign language).
GOLD (voiceover): They were met with protests. Some of which turned violent.
Partly overland, Ali Atrash says, has belonged to his family for generations. But acres of which the Israeli authorities say is public land.
ALI ATRASH, SAAWA RESIDENT, (through translator): We live from this land. We plant for our sheep. We have olive trees from which we sell olives and oil.
GOLD (voiceover): Ali believes the government plan is not actually about the environment or the trees. He thinks it's a way to get him and his community to move.
ATRASH (through translator): They want to give us a cage of 300 meters that they can block us inside. We have big families. Each man is married to more than one woman and have an average of five to 10 children. So, we can't live in a cage.
GOLD (voiceover): If he could, Ali says he would lead a nomadic life like his ancestors. But that is impossible in modern society which looms over them in the nearby City of Be'er Sheva. Inside the village, sisters-in-law Isra and Nadya Atrash, who declined to show their faces because of cultural norms, say every day they fear police coming to demolish their homes. Many built without permits, they say, are difficult to obtain.
On the day we visited, a group of cars people unknown to the villagers, gathered on a nearby hill top. Regardless of who they were, their very presence alarmed the villagers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our lives are full of fear. We never felt secure. Our children are traumatized. They all suffer from fear and anxiety.
GOLD (voiceover): In Israel, conflict overland rights as nothing new. But unlike most Palestinians, to who, many here feel aligned, these Bedouins have Israeli citizenship and they vote.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We want to be recognized like any other citizen in the State.
GOLD (voiceover): The man who largely represents them in Israeli parliament is Mansour Abbas. He broke a decades long taboo last year taking an arrow parliament to government for the first time. And he's now vital in keeping the ruling coalition and power. The party flexed its muscles last month, boycotting votes over the tree planting. So, the government took a step back and said any future work in the region will be negotiated carefully with the locals. For long time, environmentalist Alon Tal, a member of parliament for the centers Blue and White Party, it was the right move. But, he says, ecological projects, like this Yatir Forest planted in the 1960s, are a benefit to everybody.
ALON TAL, ISRAELI KNESSET MEMBER: And I think that all Israeli citizens, especially the Bedouins, have a right to preserve the open spaces and have those lands as parts for the future and not give a few families control of the land in, what I -- often is a lawless kind of way.
GOLD (voiceover): Those open spaces can be magnets for environmental damage caused by waste dumping and illegal landfills according to the Israel Land Authority.
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It says tree planting boosts conservation and serves to counter squatting and illegal construction. For Alon Tal, the bigger issue is one of progress.
TAL: As these Bedouin citizens become more modernized, they are moving into communities and cities and towns. And we need to provide with them the educational opportunities, and give them the land resources they need so they can have thriving communities and become part of the Israeli mainstream.
GOLD (voiceover): But many in the village don't want to change their ways and just want to be left alone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Our land is our dignity. No human being can live without dignity. We prefer to die than leaving it.
GOLD (voiceover): For now, the planting has stopped. But for these residents, their fight continues. Hadas Gold, CNN, Saawa, Israel.
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CHURCH: And still to come on CNN, royal celebrations.
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ELIZABETH II, QUEEN OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: Just put a knife in it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that's a really good idea.
ELIZABETH: See if it works. Oh, yes. It went in beautifully.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes, beautifully.
ELIZABETH: Somebody else can finish this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Queen Elizabeth marks 70 years on the British throne. Plus, after years of treating space like a junk yard, the U.S. joins the fight to clean up the debris left in earth's orbit. Back with all of that in just a moment.
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That 41-gun salute near Buckingham Palace officially marks the start of Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee year. There will be months of celebration. She is the first British monarch to celebrate 70 years on the throne. She marked the occasion by noting the extraordinary progress she has seen in her seven decades as queen. The 95-year-old, monarch says she's confident the future will offer similar opportunities in the UK and threw out the commonwealth.
So, let's bring in Sandro Monetti. He is a royal expert and trustee at the Royal Society of St. George which calls itself England's Premier Patriotic Society. And who better to talk about all of this than yourself? Welcome. So, the first British monarch to celebrate 70 years on the throne and in that time, of course, Queen Elizabeth has worked with 14 British prime ministers and witnessed history in the making. What have been the highlights of her time on the throne, do you think?
SANDRO MONETTI, ROYAL EXPERT: It's been a momentous reign. From all of it, I probably pick out three as the most significant events. Starting with her coronation in 1953. The first one ever to be televised, and what a turnout, three million people lined the route to welcome their new queen. Then, significantly in 1965, she made a royal visit to Berlin. It was 20 years since the end of World War II. And that visit really symbolized the settling of relationship, more of a friendship, between the nations, just really showing what a great states woman, she was there. And who can forget 1997, after the death of princess Diana, and in the days and weeks that follows. There was real debate whether the royal family would even continue. Where the Queen's stoic, stiff up a lip reaction to the loss of the Queen of Hearts herself, Diana, was seen as not emotional enough by some of her subjects.
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But now, 25 years on, as she celebrates 70 years on the throne, she is as much loved as she's ever been.
CHURCH: Yes. And you mention that because Queen Elizabeth nearly overshadowed her own celebration with her announcement that Prince Charles's wife would one day be referred to as Queen Consort. News that was greeted with mixed reaction. How risky is an announcement like that, given Camilla's controversial history with the late Princess Diana?
MONETTI: I think that she's done a huge favor to Prince Charles and to Camilla because if King Charles III had decided to anoint Camilla as queen, there might have been a lot of unhappiness among the subjects. But the fact that the Queen says it's OK and even used her Jubilee announcement to make that press release, really has -- has really laid a path for the future stability of the monarchy. CHURCH: And, Queen Elizabeth marked her platinum jubilee by noting the extraordinary progress she -- she's witnessed in her 70 years on the throne and her confidence in the future. And for the first time, we are now seeing her prepare a path for Prince Charles with that announcement about Camilla. Is there a sense she's slowing down and stepping back a little here?
MONETTI: When we look at these pictures, it's a reflective time. But we see the 95-year-old queen looking as frail as she has in some time. And we think that even she, as magnificent as she is, cannot go on forever. And, yes, there's been announcement of lots of events coming up in the jubilee year. But no announcements of which of these events the Queen will actually attend herself. Prince Charles will have a lot more public role. He'll be taking the place of the Queen.
One thing that the Queen could do is point him regent, whereby she would not step down but he would take on all the duties of the monarch. That hasn't happened. I don't think it will happen. But as we go through this jubilee year, we'll be seeing a lot of Charles, a lot of William, and the message will be one of celebration of 70 years on the throne. But also, preparing the public -- and she described herself in her letter to them as a loyal servant, preparing the public for the future of the monarchy.
CHURCH: And what do you think it is about Queen Elizabeth that has allowed her to remain so relevant over 70 years, except of course, as you mentioned, the time the passing of Princess Diana. It was a very delicate moment, made it very difficult for the monarchy at that time. But she recovered. So, why is it that she has been able to remain so relevant?
MONETTI: Consistency, strength and smarts. Leadership for so long brings you a great deal of experience. For the most parts, with occasional missteps -- yes, and I would accept I was one of those who thought she was out of touch over the Diana situation. But the rest of the time, you know, she acts swiftly and decisively. She makes clear decisions. You only have to look at the way recently she's dealt with the problems with Prince Harry and Prince Andrew. Just cutting them out quite firmly and saying, OK, you know. And she has always put the people first and the crown first. It's all about the throne. It's a game of thrones. And she's won it and continues to win it.
CHURCH: Yes, and she did say that right from the start, didn't she? Sandro Monetti, always a pleasure to chat with you. Many thanks.
MONETTI: God save the Queen.
CHURCH: So, outer space is turning into a junk yard. Earth's orbit littered with debris after many years of exploration. The U.S. has been slow to clean up after itself. But now the Biden Administration is taking steps to address the issue. CNN's Kristin Fisher has the story.
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KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: In space, what goes up does not always come down. After decades of launches since the dawn of the space age, Earth's orbit has become a junk yard of dead satellites and abandoned rocket bodies. And anytime two objects traveling at about five miles a second collide, the impact could look like a scene straight out of the movie, "Gravity."
In real life, no people in space have never been hit but the International Space Station has. In 2016, a small piece of debris cracked a window in the orbiting outpost. And in December, its crew prepared for an emergency evacuation after a Russian antisatellite missile test created a massive debris cloud.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We will need to activate dragon safe haven.
FISHER (voiceover): Today, U.S space command is tracking more than 40,000 objects in space. And only about 5,000 of them are active satellites.
[02:55:00]
The vast majority of space junk still in orbit is from the two major players in the first space race, Russia and the United States.
DOUG LOVERRO, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: If these spacecrafts were left by the U.S. government, and in generally were, then that becomes their responsibility to clean it up. In the same way that the military would not leave a broken-down tank on the battlefield nor would it go ahead and leave a ship -- a Darya Lok ship at sea.
FISHER (voiceover): But so far, the effort to clean up space has been led by Japan and the European Space Agency and private companies. Some companies like ClearSpace, are trying to grab debris with robotic tentacles. Others are trying to catch it with a massive fishing net. And in August, a company called Astroscale successfully tested capturing a small satellite with a magnetic arm.
RON LOPEZ, ASTROSCALE: We use a robotic arm that extends and attaches to that metallic plate. That allows us then to, basically, perform a tow truck or a tug service bringing that satellite down to a safe distance. And then we can release it to naturally and safely burn up in the atmosphere.
FISHER (voiceover): Astroscale caught the attention of the Prince of Wales, who visited its UK-based mission control last week. The company now has debris removal contracts with the UK, the European Union, and Japan.
LOPEZ: In U.S., unfortunately, we haven't seen and we haven't gotten as much traction from the U.S. government.
FISHER (voiceover): But the Biden Administration is starting to change that. In January, the White House held meetings with experts about how to clean up space. And the space force is launching a program called Orbital Prime, that will give companies the seed funding to do it. GEN. DAVID THOMPSON, U.S. SPACE FORCE: Our vision in this partnership is to agressively explore those capabilities with you today in the hope that we and others can purchase them as a service in the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: It was a hero's walk (INAUDIBLE) for Senegal's men's national football team. Hundreds of thousands of fans cheered, danced, and partied in the streets after the country won its first ever continental championship. Senegal, on Sunday, defeated Egypt in a penalty shootout to take home the Africa Cup of Nations Trophy. It was a long-awaited redemption for a country that had finished second in years past. The government honored that historic victory by declaring a national holiday. Well done.
Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back after a very short break with more news from all around the world. You're watching CNN. Do stick around.
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