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President Macron Feels Too Confident; Not a Good Day for Mikaela Shiffrin; Protesters Remain Defiant; Pope Benedict Wants to be Forgiven; Controversy Not Leaving P.M. Johnson Out; Russia-Ukraine Tensions, Macron Hails Diplomatic Progress, Kremlin Noncommittal; Landslide Kills At Least 14 People In Columbia; Beijing Olympics, Athletes Under The Microscope; The Power Of The Dogs Leads Oscar Nominations; Adele Wins Brit Awards. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired February 09, 2022 - 03:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead here on CNN Newsroom, President Macron is leading Europe's diplomatic efforts with Russia but mixed signals from the Kremlin are complicating de-escalation talks.

Day five of the Winter Olympics underway. We will go live to Beijing for the latest on another devastating run of the U.S. hopeful Mikaela Shiffrin.

Plus, vaccine protesters in Canada blocked the busiest international crossing in North America. How the protest movement has grown causing huge disruptions.

UNKNOWN: Live from CNN center, this is CNN Newsroom with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Thanks for being with us. Well, the latest diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between Russia and Ukraine are either moving straight ahead or stuck in neutral, depending on who you ask.

French President Emmanuel Macron met with his Ukrainian counterpart in Kyiv before heading to Berlin Tuesday, claiming new leads to de- escalate the crisis. But the Kremlin spokesperson has a different take, he refused to confirm any tangible steps toward a resolution. Still, Mr. Macron says he receive certain assurances from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): On the discussions of military and security aspects, I have said very clearly yesterday, we have had exchanges with President Putin and he told me that he would not be behind any escalation. I think that is important. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (on camera): U.S. officials are raising serious concerns over the implication of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Sources say it could result in thousands of civilian casualties and create a major refugee crisis in Europe.

Meantime, Russia's military buildup is continuing as six war ships head to the Black Sea south of Ukraine for naval drills.

And CNN's Nathan Hodge joins us live this hour from Moscow, but we begin with our Melissa Bell in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Good to see you, Melissa. So, how much diplomatic progress has actually been made given the Kremlin contradicted President Macron's interpretation of talks with the Russian leader?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think the French president is claiming as a victory, the idea that he has a promising engagement from Vladimir Putin. That the two men will engage in talks aimed at finding some kind of new guarantees for Europe. This is one area of agreement between the French presidency and the Kremlin that, and we've heard a great deal about in the last couple of days both from the French president had to say in Moscow and what he had to say here Kyiv.

That his feeling is, and it's in line with what Vladimir Putin has been saying as well. Part of what he's been in these last few weeks that the treaties that had governed the relations between Europe and Russia thus far were no doubt out of date and need to be look at again.

So, the idea is that, they will continue to look at new leads, to take the words of Emmanuel Macron, that might allow them to look into negotiations that might form the basis of future treaties. Some that might be fit for the 21st century. And that reengagement in a process is what I think he is hailing as the result of his visit to this part of the world.

Now of course the diplomatic efforts will continue. That the two men are now engaged in a conversation is a fact since they are intending to speak to each again by phone. And that is no doubt important. Given the distance that had grown between United States and NATO on one hand and Russia on the other, by bringing this back to a European framework Emmanuel Macron feels that there is room for maneuver and room for dialogue.

And perhaps the most important question is the response that he got to his efforts from the Ukrainian leadership which welcomed what he had been doing. Ukrainian officials have been telling us on and off the record these last few weeks that they are really looking for that kind of dialogue and for the toning down really of the kind of heat and rhetoric that we've seen in the last few weeks.

Now of course another important side to all this, Rosemary, as you mentioned, is what happens on the ground all around Ukraine. Not only those naval exercises now taking place in the Baltic Sea -- in the Black See, I'm sorry, but also the exercises have continued across the border in Belarus.

And the question will be whether they are moves towards de-escalation on the ground, rather than escalation. And those military exercises that the Russians have been carrying out will be reflected as well here in Ukraine since we know that Ukrainians intend to carry out exercises of their own. At least they'll be showing of some of the hardware that they've been receiving from allies over the course of the last few weeks.

[03:05:04]

So, even as everyone continues to flex their muscle, there's hope for talk, but still a close eye needs to be kept on exactly what happens on the ground, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Indeed. And Nathan, President Putin appears determined to make the friendship, presidents diplomatic progress look insignificant and to humiliate Ukraine's leader. What's going on here?

NATHAN HODGE, CNN PRODUCER: Well, Rosemary, we have a lot of known unknowns here. We know that we don't know everything that was said behind closed doors when Putin met with Macron. And of course, Putin's spokesperson yesterday, Dmitry Peskov, pushed back a little bit, or at least sort of refuse to confirm any of the details of any possible signs of de-escalation. So, we're waiting for details on that.

Likewise, the Russians have declined to give any concrete -- on when they might pull out their troops from Belarus where they are going to be undergoing taking part in the military exercises close to not very far from the Ukraine. That will begin on Thursday, and go for about 10 days.

But we do know that Putin has been very clear in some of his condescending remarks towards Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Basically, he's been very questioning and very public about his criticism about the validity of even of Ukrainian statehood. And we heard more along those lines following his meeting with Macron.

Earlier on our air, we had (Inaudible) and they had a very good point, though, which is that Putin is, in many ways getting what he's wanted. He is in center stage in geopolitics now. Right now, he is the person to talk to. And you have leaders such as Macron coming to Moscow and meeting with him.

So, we don't know, the main thing that we don't know is what Putin's endgame is. What his actual plan is. But we've -- we are very clear from the satellite imagery that we have overhead, that there are over 100,000 Russian troops that amassed around Ukraine's borders. We do know that there are exercises that are ongoing. We do know that there are Russian ships that are transiting into the Black Sea.

So, we have lot of facts at our disposal. But again, we can only, in many ways, speculate about what's Putin's real plan is here. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Very true. Nathan Hodge in Moscow, Melissa Bell in Kyiv, many thanks to you both.

Day five of the Winter Olympics is underway in Beijing, and we've already seen another stunning disappointment for American skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin. She skied out of her first slalom run just days after crashing out on her first run of the giant slalom.

A much better day for U.S. snowboarder Chloe Kim, she is at the top of the pack going into Thursday's halfpipe final. And American snowboarding legend Shaun White just secured his spot in the men's halfpipe final despite a rough start.

So, let's bring in CNN sports Coy Wire who joins us live from outside Beijing. Great to see you, Coy. So, day five of the Winter Olympics. A lot to cover. Starting with pretty tough news from Mikaela Shiffrin. What's the latest?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, Rosemary, you mentioned a fail to finish the giant slalom competition just a couple of days ago. Now slalom skiing out in her second consecutive race. These were her two favorite events, Rosemary. She went out on that fifth gate. She said that she was going full gas. She said she planned the most aggressive line. Also, the most challenging one. So, there was no room for error.

She said her full throttle mentality, Rosemary, has always brought the best results but now she's processing a lot. She says she is second guessing everything for the last 15 years. What's she thought she knew about skiing. She says about race mentality. Today she simply slips on the course but based on those comments she's slipping a bit mentally, too. And that's not a mental space that any athlete wants to be in.

Shiffrin had plans of medaling o of all five alpine events. Now she's 0 for two with just 3 chances left. Now Petra Vihova has won Slovakia, their first ever Alpine gold. By 800 of a second, Rosemary, she edge out world champion Katharina Liensberger of Austria with a winning time of one minute, 44.98 seconds. She was in eight after that first run, but she flew on run two on the course that her coach said, and their incredible scenes afterwards, Petra Vihova winning Slovakia, it's in the women slalom, incredible, incredible win.

Now, team USA's snowboarding legend Shaun White competing in his fifth and final Olympics, had everybody on the edge of their seats at the halfpipe, Rosemary. The defending champ fell on his first run, giving him one last chance to secure his final. His Olympic career could've ended right there in qualifying, but he nailed it. Showing all kinds of relief afterwards as you can imagine.

White was 19 when he won his first Olympic gold in the 2006 Olympic Games. He's 35 now. Named the flying tomato because of that red hair, it's iconic.

[03:09:59]

He's been the face of snowboarding, Rosemary, for the last 16 years. His three golds in the halfpipe event give him more golds than any snowboarder in Olympics history. And he's moving on, Rosemary. He's moving on to the final. Lots of sighs of relief from team USA, and especially Shaun White.

CHURCH: Yes, that's great. I feel like I watch him grow up. And now he has his short hair. It's quite extraordinary. Coy Wire, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

And we will of course have much more coverage right from the Beijing Olympics coming up in a special edition of World Sport that starts in about 30 minutes from now.

And just ahead, escalating tensions in Canada, truckers blocked the busiest border crossings in North America as protest grow over COVID- 19 mandates. We'll explain why Canada's prime minister is in no mood to negotiate.

And Britain's Boris Johnson tries to shake up his team in the wake of party gate. But will that be enough to get his own party off his back? Back with that in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH (on camera): Tensions are growing in Canada where truckers are defying calls to end nearly two weeks of protests over COVID-19 mandates. On Tuesday, the so-called freedom convoy displayed one of their boldest moves yet by blocking the busiest border crossing in North America when it comes to trade.

CNN's Paula Newton is in Ottawa where protest organizers say they won't give up until COVID restrictions are lifted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Freedom, it's the mantra here on what has become an eye sore of a parking lot right in front of Canada's parliament. It stretches for blocks, it's gone on for days, the message, the same. We're done with COVID, and we're staying until the government is too.

DORAN, TRUCK DRIVER: Until the end, until everything is over. Do problems get solved?

NEWTON: For Doran behind this rig for 17 years, the vaccine is the problem. He says he's vaccinated but feels he was forced into it. He wants the freedom to choose. As a father, he admits he is stressed, losing hundreds of dollars every day he's out here.

DORAN: But there is something more important in this, you know, life than the money. If you don't make any changes now, we're going to lose all freedom.

NEWTON: But here's the thing, it's not just truckers. It's not just about the vaccine mandates. These Canadians drove five hours and are here to have their say. Because the truckers tapped into a pandemic fatigue, they say they can no longer endure. And they say they're vaccinated.

UNKNOWN: A 100 percent. UNKNOWN: Yes. Double dose, got my QR code. But what the --

(CROSSTALK)

UNKNOWN: I even made and sold masks at the beginning of this, but you know what, when you keep doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result, that's the definition of insanity. We are insane right now. We keep doing the same things over and over again, nothing is changing.

[03:15:01]

NEWTON: To get change, they say, they're staying put. No one has brokered a way out of this.

And now political leaders and police have learned the hard way that these kinds of truck blockades can pop up anywhere right across the country in a moment's notice.

The latest, effectively paralyzing one of the most important supply chains across any border in the world. The Ambassador Bridge between Windsor and Detroit. Police officials say it may seem easy to resolve, but confrontation and violence is a real risk.

MAYOR DREW DILKENS, WINDSOR, ONTARIO: So, everyone here is trying to deal, at least on our side, is trying to be sensible, fair, and reasonable, recognize that we live in a democracy and that protests and demonstration is a natural part of a democracy, but also recognizing that it doesn't mean that you can take your protests to the point of closing down the busiest economic corridor between the United States and Canada.

NEWTON: But what's at stake couldn't be clearer for both Canada and the U.S., a movement of truckers that can stand their ground, it seems anywhere, and sow chaos. It's for that reason that Ottawa industry executives are joining other high-profile Canadians in warning American supporters of this protest, to back off.

FLAVIO VOLPE, PRESIDENT OF THE AUTOMOBILE PARTS MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION: Let's see if Ted Cruz or the attorney general in Texas, or any other number of American personalities are going to stand up for the manufacturers in Michigan who can't get their products exported, or the petrochemical companies in Texas that rely on parts suppliers turning those petrochemicals into plastic parts and sending them north of the border.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON (on camera): Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remains resolute. He says he's not negotiating with angry crowds, and that that would set a dangerous precedent. Having said that, he also points out that living up to those a vaccine and mask mandates would actually end a lot of these COVID restrictions much sooner.

Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa. CHURCH: Trevor Harrison is a political sociologist at the University

of Lethbridge, and former director of Parkland Institute. He joins me now from Lethbridge Alberta in Canada. Good to have you with us.

TREVOR HARRISON, POLITICAL SOCIOLOGIST, UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE: Nice to be here, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, you wrote in a recent opinion piece about conservatives pandering to protesters at Canada's border, and you asked whether the country's conservative party was still a legitimate opposition or whether it was just a sad echo of America's Trump Republicans. What did you mean by that?

HARRISON: Well, we know that over the years, certainly the conservative party here has had very strong connections to the Republican Party. And so, some of the tactics in the last year seems to be kind of mimicking that. But it's deeper than just simply just mimicking the Republican Party, or Trump supporters.

The conservative party over the year has always had factions within it. And it's very difficult to hold those factions together. And what's happened in recent years is that everybody is just fed up with the pandemic and the restrictions, and I suspect that's very much the case in the states.

But the party is kind of now jumped on this. The understandable anger and frustration of people. But it's been using it in some ways as a very much a, kind of political tool here to go after the liberals. And the other thing I should add of course is that we had another federal election here just in the fall, and again, the conservative party did not come out victorious. So, they are very frustrated with that.

And so, this is kind of another way to play politics with their call. So I think that's part of what's actually going on with this movement. It is very much a very partisan protest at this point.

CHURCH: And as you've been speaking, we've been looking at these images from Ottawa anti- vaccine mandates. Now they are blocking U.S. trucks at the border on international bridge. So, what exactly is going on at these protests? Because the longer they stay, the more they ignite support from conservative politicians in both Canada and the U.S., and also tap into anti-vaccine sentiment across the glove, encouraging anti-establishment behavior and sedition.

HARRISON: Yes. That's true. I think what -- it started out as a relatively small issue. The federal government-imposed restrictions or mandates to be vaccinated on truckers coming across the border. The United States has also brought in similar kind of rules.

Most of the drivers in Canada, 90 percent of truck drivers are vaccinated. It began around that very particular issue. And as I said, I think, conservative minded people here thought, well, this is a good way to kind of rally the troops and go after the government.

[03:20:02] The problem is that in fact most of the measures taken against the vaccines or against the pandemic, the COVID is they are imposed at a provincial level. Much the same, perhaps as in the United States. That -- so what's happened in many of those provincial governments are in fact conservative government.

So, one of the things that happened with protests sometimes is you light the fire but you're not quite sure where it's going to keep burning. So now the protests are actually going after many of the provincial government restrictions as well.

So, it's quite unpredictable. And again, it's feeding off the understandable anger and frustration. We all want to be out of this. And yet, you know, it's become, at a point when we're actually getting close to the end, it suddenly has exploded into all these protests by the people.

CHURCH: Yes, that is the sad situation, isn't it? Because, I mean, after all, too, we're all experiencing pandemic fatigue. So, what does it signal to you when politicians in various nations exploit a situation like this?

HARRISON: Yes, it says something about where our politics are going. Is that, you know, people are using it on all sides. These kinds of things to kind of stir up and really play to their base. And again, we see that in Canada. I think you're see in the states. But you see it all through in other countries in Europe as well.

And rather than politicians bringing people together around something and having a kind of rational discussion, but instead we see a lot of politics being played. I have to say here at the federal level for both of our major parties, and at the provincial level, the government in charge in their oppositions have not done a very good job here frankly of handling the situation. They kind of stirred the pot rather than trying to temper it in (Inaudible).

CHURCH: Yes, exactly. Residents there are just overall of the honking, aren't they? All of the noise and all of the disruption. Trevor Harrison, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it.

HARRISON: Thank you. Have a good evening.

CHURCH: The British prime minister is facing fresh calls to apologize over comments he made about the opposition Labour leader in parliament. Boris Johnson falsely claimed Keir Starmer protected notorious pedophile Jimmy Savile before his death in 2011.

Starmer was head of the public prosecutions at the time. British media report the Downing Street says Mr. Johnson has no intention of apologizing even after this incident happened on Monday. And you are seeing protesters harassed Starmer outside parliament before he had to be escorted into police car.

Boris Johnson condemned the behavior is absolutely disgraceful. It is the latest controversy to hit the prime minister as he fights for his political survival. His latest strategy, a partial reshuffle of his cabinet.

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz has the details.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER (voice over): Britain's rebel prime minister is in serious trouble.

UNKNOWN: But he says a business meeting.

ABDELAZIZ: Boris Johnson's administration stands accused of breaking the rules, throwing multiple boozy parties under his roof during lockdown.

UNKNOWN: We police impartially --

ABDELAZIZ: Police are investigating to determine if crimes were committed at the heart of government. And earlier, civil investigation found a culture of excessive drinking and failures in leadership and judgment at 10 Downing Street.

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I get it, and I will fix it.

ABDELAZIZ: A defiant Johnson has ignored calls for his resignation.

UNKNOWN: In the name of God, go.

ABDELAZIZ: And ordered a shakeup of his team. He is reportedly saying, I will survive to his new director of communications who described his new boss as not a complete clown, but a very likable character.

The prime minister's fate now lies with his own conservative party, at least nine Tory M.P.s have taken steps to remove Johnson, and submitted letters of no confidence to the 1922 committee, which oversees the party. Among them, is M.P. Tobias Ellwood.

TOBIAS ELLWOOD, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE M.P.: It's always like a Trump- esque approach to dealing with some of the challenges of short-time survival, that we should been an exemplar of good democracy. And at the moment I'm afraid this is not our finest hour.

ABDELAZIZ: If the committee receives 54 letters, that's 15 percent of Tory M.P.s, a vote to unseat Johnson would take place. But while there is a will, there is for now no way to depose Johnson.

ELLWOOD: Many of my colleagues, you know, privately don't believe that this is going to get better. And therefore, this is a miserable guide path to a very, you know, dark place.

ABDELAZIZ: Without a strong alternative to replace the prime minister, the revolt against him remains fractured and disorganized. And if a vote is triggered, at least half of Tory M.P., that's 180 lawmakers must vote against Johnson to force him out of office.

[03:25:04]

If the vote fails, Johnson would be protected from an attempt to oust him for a full 12 months.

JOEY JONES, FORMER ADVISER TO FORMER BRITISH P.M. THERESA MAY: If they are going to strike, they have to be confident that they can get it right, and that they can muster the numbers. That, it seems to me, is largely why people are continuing to be hesitant at the moment.

ABDELAZIZ: For now, Johnson clings to power, dragging his party's reputation and credibility down with his own.

Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.

CHURCH: Retired Pope Benedict is now asking for his forgiveness for their handling of child abuse sex cases in the church. But he is denying any wrongdoing. His comments come after a report found that he had been informed of four cases of abuse but failed to act while serving as archbishop.

CNN's Vatican correspondent Delia Gallagher has more now from Rome.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Pope Benedict's response to accusations that he mishandled cases of sexual abuse leaves a situation of something of a stalemate. The pope emeritus denies any wrongdoing, and his response to folks, particularly on the most egregious case of a priest who was transferred into the diocese of Munich to receive therapy.

The pope emeritus says he signed off on therapy for that priest, but he was not aware of previous allegations against him. Now the Munich report agrees that the pope emeritus at the time, Archbishop of Munich, signed off on therapy for that priest and says they do not have evidence that he knew of previous allegations. But they say it is probable.

In the pope's letter, he says this. Once again, I can only express to all the victims of sexual abuse, my profound shame, my deep sorrow, and my heartfelt request for forgiveness. I have had great responsibilities in the Catholic Church, all the greater is my pain for the abuses and the errors that occurred in those different places during the time of my mandate.

So, the pope emeritus is offering an apology for the general situation of sexual abuse, but he is not taking personal responsibility for any of the accusations against him. Nevertheless, a suspicion that he mishandled the cases will likely leave a stain on the pope emeritus legacy which, until now, has been considered relatively robust in terms of how he dealt with sexual abuse as cardinal and as pope.

Delia Gallagher, CNN, Rome.

CHURCH: Snap, the survivor's network of those abused by priests is one of the main groups representing survivors of clergy abuse. In a statement, it dismissed the former pope's plea for forgiveness, saying quote, "Benedict's letter is admitting to one thing to cover up a thousand. He is repeating words of apology that have fallen on deaf ears for decades." Well, despite France's claims of diplomatic progress the Kremlin is

not confirming any tangible steps toward resolving the crisis. The latest on the Russia/Ukraine standoff. That's ahead.

[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH (on camera): Although French President, Emmanuel Macron, is claiming progress has been made in talks with his Russian counterpart. Vladimir Putin's rhetoric toward Ukraine suggest otherwise. Mr. Macron traveled to Kyiv on Tuesday after meeting with Mr. Putin a day earlier, he said he never expected concessions, but thought the talks help prevent further escalation.

But Mr. Putin insist Ukraine implement the Minsk Agreement which calls for autonomy for two Russian (inaudible) regions. He's blunt message to Ukraine quote, "like it or don't like it, it's your duty, my beauty."

The Ukrainian president response was measured.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, UKRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Ukraine is indeed a beauty, as far as him saying my Ukraine, is a slight overstatement. As far as (inaudible) is concerned, I think Ukraine is very patient, because that is wisdom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Masha Gessen is a staff writer for "The New Yorker," and author of "Surviving Autocracy." Masha just returned from Ukraine after extensive reporting there, and joins me now from New York. Thank you so much for being with us.

MASHA GESSEN, PUTIN BIOGRAPHER: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: So Russia's President Putin made a disrespectful and derogatory comment about Ukraine's president in amidst of intense shuttle diplomacy efforts. But while President Zelensky replied with skill and grace, where does all this leave diplomatic efforts? And is Vladimir Putin simply (inaudible) the West along with these talks just to buy more time before he launches his invasion?

GESSEN: Well, I do not know that the invasion is the goal. I think in fact, this diplomatic undiplomatic kerfuffle is the goal, right? What Putin wants is to be the center of the world's attention. To be the unpredictable one. To be the one who's on every word seems to matter for the fate of the world.

And to keep reminding the world just how much power he has to destabilize the European security, to cause an energy crisis in Europe, to send energy prices soaring throughout the world. To name a few things that have nothing to do with Ukraine. For which Ukraine is merely sort of the playground, or the staging ground. CHURCH: That is interesting that you say that. Because if that is his

goal, he is actually been quite successful so far. France President Macron claims he obtain a clear and exclusive commitment from both leaders to strict compliance of the Minsk Agreement to end tensions. But he also thought Putin had agreed to a military de-escalation, which the Kremlin very quickly denied.

So what exactly has Putin agreed to so far? Because the optics are very much in his favor, showing him in control. Certainly through various news conferences, pushing hard for his demand to end NATO expansion while continuing to mass Russian troops at Ukraine's border.

GESSEN: Well, Putin claims that there's == there's no need to talk about military de-escalation since he denies any intention to escalate the war in Ukraine, right. We shouldn't be saying that we are talking about of an invasion of Ukraine, because, of course, Russia invaded Ukraine eight years ago.

And for the last eight years, and this is essential to remember. For the last eight years, there has been a shooting war that claims casualties every day, right? So we're not talking about starting a war. We're not talking about a new invasion, we're talking about the risk of a major escalation.

But Putin denies that that's on the agenda. So de-escalation -- he removes de-escalation. The problem with this game is that there isn't a clear off ramp, right. This game actually only ends, and I hate calling it a game, but he is very clearly playing. It ends with an invasion. A full scale invasion or some kind of a major escalation.

I don't think we know whether it's going to happen in the next weeks or months or it may take a few years. But this constant brinkmanship can only end with bloodshed unfortunately, right. And this ended itself, those drawing attention to himself. This constant diplomatic, high stakes negotiations.

[03:35:03]

You know, there are a time limits, the world cannot constantly be revolving around Vladimir Putin. And so he's going to have to escalate in order to draw more and more attention to himself.

CHURCH: And what do most people in Ukraine want to see happen here? And what impact would a Russian invasion likely have it to happen?

GESSEN: It is amazing that how rarely we asked that question, right? What do people in Ukraine want? And we do have a fair amount of information on that, because Ukraine, unlike Russia, is a country with a public, is a country in which people have opinions and are not afraid to express them. So we do understand that Ukrainian's, more than anything else, and this is true of Ukrainian's in the east and west of the country. And it is even true of Ukrainian's in so-called ungoverned territories.

They want an end to the conflict. They want an end to the war. There is probably more public support for negotiations with the self- proclaimed leaders of the breakaway republics then Ukrainian leaders even realize. Because there is such a strong need to have this tension and then to stop living with a constant further violence.

CHURCH: Masha Gessen, thank you so much for joining us.

GESSEN: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: A mudslide in Columbia has killed at least 14 people and injured dozens more. Heavy rainfall triggered the landslide on Tuesday in Western Columbia. Drone footage shows how the slide buried several homes. Throughout the day, rescue teams and residents uncovered victims and survivors from the mud. Officials warned more landslides are possible as rivers overflow.

Madagascar is struggling to recover after cyclone Batsirai hit the island over the weekend. The country was already dealing with the aftermath of another storm and heavy rainfall continued after Batsirai (inaudible). The U.N. reports tens of thousands of people have been displaced, more than two dozen are dead and the toll is expected to rise.

Well, still to come, while the Olympic experience has been worth it's weighed in gold for some, others are feeling the backlash from viewers over their performance. Why American born athletes competing for China, are under the microscope. That is after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Fans temporarily crashed China's leading social media site on Tuesday after skier Eileen Gu won gold. She is one of multiple athletes in a unique situation born in the U.S. but competing for China. But not all have received a warm reception.

CNN's Selina Wang has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Winning gold for your country is every Olympian's dream, but when it is not the country you were born and raised then, it's not so straightforward. American born free skier, Eileen Gu became an instant hit in China after choosing to compete for them in the Winter Olympics.

[03:40:16]

Her love of Chinese culture, fluency in Mandarin, and amazing athleticism launch her to become the unofficial face of China's Olympic ambitions, and nicknamed, the Snow Princess. The 18-year-old is well known as a model for Louis Vuitton and Tiffany. A talented pianist, and after graduating early from high school with a 15-80 on the SAT, will go to college at Stanford in a few months.

When she won gold in the big air final, it literally broke the internet, crashing China's leading social media site, Weibo, as fans rushed to share their excitement. She's so great, he said, Eileen is very, very good. Such a steady

performance, and she challenged a jump that she's never done before. She's so great.

China doesn't allow dual nationality, and it's unclear if Gu has given up her American citizenship. Its question she continues to sidestep here in Beijing.

EILEEN GU, AMERICAN BORN FREE SKIER: I'm American when I'm in the U.S., and I'm Chinese when I'm in China.

WANG: Nineteen year old figure skater Zhu Yi has given up her American citizenship, but her reception in China has been a totally different experience. After Yi fell twice during her skating routine, the abuse was relentless on social media, as some questioned why she had been chosen to represent China over an athlete born in the country. Yi was born and raised in California to a Chinese immigrant family, and has changed her name from Beverly Drew to Zhu Yi. But she has faced criticism for not speaking fluent Chinese like Gu.

The decision to compete for China as an American born athlete has drawn some harsh words in the U.S., more specifically over China's human rights record.

Gu insists, she wants to be a role model, an inspiration to young girls, but so far, has dodged any questions about Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai. Who disappeared for several weeks after accusing a powerful Chinese official of sexual assault last year? Sparking international concern. She later denied making the allegation.

Peng met with an Olympic official over the weekend and was in the audience for Gu's winning moment. Even mentioning Gu by name in an interview with French outlet, "L'Equipe," calling her, our Chinese champion.

Selina Wang, CNN, Beijing.

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CHURCH: The nominations are in for what's called Hollywood's biggest night. We learned Tuesday which films and performers will have a chance to win at next month's academy awards ceremony. Leading the pack, "The Power Of The Dog" with 12 nominations. One of those is a milestone, Jane Campion was nominated for best director for the film. She is the first woman ever to be nominated twice in that category. The film is also up for awards in the best picture and best actor categories, among several others.

And, it was a great night for Adele on Tuesday. The singer songwriter swept the top three categories at the U.K.'s Brit awards. Fresh off the success of her new album, 30, Adele took home "Album Of The Year", "Song Of The Year", for "Easy On Me", and the Brit Award, First Genderless Artist Of The Year Award. The singer dubbed queen of the brits by the show's host. Says, she understands why the name of the award has changed, but loves being a woman and female artist.

And thank you so much for your company, I'm Rosemary Church, have yourself a wonderful day.

"WorldSport" with Patrick Snell is coming up next. You're watching CNN, stick around.

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