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White House Briefing On Russia/Ukraine Crisis; WH: "Distinct Possibility" Russia Could Decide To Invade; Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) Discusses Anti-Mandate Protests Cutting Off Three Key U.S./Canada Border Crossings Affecting Businesses & Right-Wing TV Hosts Encouraging Trucker Protests; FDA Postpones Meeting On Pfizer COVID Vaccine For Kids Five and Under. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired February 11, 2022 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you believe that -- why would -- you could delve into why would Russia risk provoking China in an action during the Olympics?

And, secondly, could you speak more broadly to the China/Russia, it looks like an emerging alliance here on certain issues? How much does that concern you?

JAKE SULLIVAN, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I would say three things about this.

First, you know, Russia's calculus, vis-a-vis China, whether they'll make Beijing upset, you know, that is between Russia and China.

And Putin will have to decide what he wants to do on that front. China has its own decisions to make.

And to the extent they are giving a wink and a nod or a green light to a Russian invasion of Ukraine for no justified reason, I believe that China will come to suffer consequences as a result of that in the eyes of the rest of the world.

Most notably, in the eyes of our European partners and allies.

And then finally, I would just say that we do not believe that China could compensate Russia for the economic losses that would be sustained in the event of an invasion due to sanctions and export controls and the like.

(CROSSTALK)

SULLIVAN: Just one more thing on the broader issue of China and Russia, because there was quite a bit of hype about the statement that they put out.

And it was a notable statement that we have taken careful look at.

I said this before, I want to say it again, and I'll leave because Jen is now standing up and I think (LAUGHTER)

SULLIVAN: -- it is well past my time to go.

The United States, under the Biden administration, has confidence in us and in the West. We are 50 percent-plus of global GDP. China and Russia are less than 20 percent.

We have innovation. We have entrepreneurship. We have freedom.

And when you put all of that together, the tools and capacities that we could bring to bear, now that we are more united, more purposeful, more dynamic that we've been in a very long time.

We are well situated to be able to deal with any threat or challenge that would be posed to us by any autocracy in the world, including the two you just mentioned.

(CROSSTALK)

SULLIVAN: So let me just leave it --

(CROSSTALK)

SULLIVAN: Thank you.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: Well, that was a sobering press conference just given there by Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, who was updating Americans on where the White House believes, the Biden administration believes Ukraine and Russia stand right now.

And basically, the headlines are that there are signs of Russian escalation. There are forces, new forces arriving at the border.

And a Russian invasion could begin any time. He said even during the Olympics, during the next nine days.

Also that the U.S. stands at the ready to respond to either way.

And also that they urge all Americans to depart immediately. Any who are still in Ukraine should get out now, they said. He said, quote, "The risk is now high enough, the threat immediate enough."

Let's talk about this.

Let's bring in Major General Spider Marks, CNN military analyst, Kim Dozier, CNN global affairs analyst.

Oren Liebermann who is our CNN Pentagon reporter, and Nic Robertson, CNN international diplomatic editor, who is in Moscow for us. And CNN's Kylie Atwood joins us from the State Department.

There's so much to go over.

Spider, let me start with you.

What did you hear there?

MAJ. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: What I heard was, frankly, what we have been talking about for the past couple of days, which is Russia is poised, with its military forces, to conduct an invasion at any time. It could be imminent.

What we heard in greater detail was Jake Sullivan laid out the possibility that Kyiv could come under assault.

But he did -- he did indicate that an invasion of some sort would take place. Again, what we have discussed, that is probably more likely in the Donbass region.

Because if Russia, if Putin wanted to occupy and absorb Ukraine, he does not have sufficient force deployed to do that. He has about 130,000 to 150,000 forces.

In order to do that, to occupy, that would take close to about 600,000 to 800,000 forces when you do your counter insurgency calculus. It doesn't happen.

CAMEROTA: Nic, one of the things that Jake Sullivan just said is that there will be severe economic sanctions from the U.S. and NATO partners if Vladimir Putin decides to do this.

We've talked in the past few days about the freezing of the assets of the oligarchs. What else could be done?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: The oligarchs, their families, the people close to President Putin.

I mean, clearly, we're hearing to get into President Putin's decision cycle and it is very critical phase where he has all of the assets ramped up and in place.

The most sort of recent piece of diplomacy I can look at is what we saw here today -- and this gets to your question -- the British secretary of defense, Ben Wallace, meeting with his counterpart, Sergei Shoigu.

[14:35:02]

You just looked at body language, Shoigu, who is perhaps one of the closest confidants around President Putin, the person who that you would want to go to, to say, this is what is going to happen and these are going to be the consequences.

His body language was absolutely giving nothing away. The man of confidence. The man of power in the room.

The British secretary of defense looked a little bit ill at ease in his chair as he spelled out the warning that there could be this -- this could cost Russia a lot of lives.

But the big takeaway from this, too, from that meeting, the body language and what the Russian defense secretary had to say. So this is as -- as these warnings are coming out from the United

States and others, the Russians still believe that it is NATO that is at fault.

That it is NATO that is putting the pressure on the situation, and NATO arming the Ukrainians is the wrong way to go.

And just to give you a sense of how rapidly moving this situation is, the British defense secretary was asked, the Russian defense secretary said to you, he doesn't intend to invade Ukraine.

You looked him in the eye and what was your takeaway?

He said, I heard him and take him seriously. But I see what's happening on the ground.

And that deployment is unprecedented, it is not normal for military training exercises. And I could only take my clues from that, is what he said.

He was asked, are British citizens being asked to leave Ukraine immediately? This was two and a half hours ago. And he said, no, that is not our government's advice.

Well, you know what? In the last half an hour, it has changed. British citizens are being told, like American citizens, to leave.

That is how rapidly changing this situation is.

CAMEROTA: That is really telling.

Kim, I think that some of us have the impression this won't happen during the Olympics, as though there was a back deal, between President Xi and Putin.

And then you just heard Jake Sullivan say it could begin during the Olympics. They have reason to believe it could begin in the next nine days.

What did you just hear?

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: There's the possibility that Putin and Xi talked about this when they met and Putin got the OK.

I think part of this talk today was the Biden administration being defensive.

Making sure that if there's another Afghan-style disastrous flight for the exits by U.S. citizens and dual U.S. and Ukrainian nationals, they could point to the president's interview.

They could point to Sullivan's interview today from the podium, saying we told you it was getting this dangerous.

But it also shows that they haven't figured out what Putin's ultimate goal is.

Is it to hold Ukraine hostage with all of the troops around the border to try to wring concessions out of NATO? Or does he actually want to seize more Ukrainian territory for his legacy?

If that's the ultimate goal, the longer he waits, the harder this is going to get.

The Ukrainians are getting more lethal weaponry. And they're getting training on it, like the Turkish drones that Turkey used to defeat Russians in Syria, in Libya, and in -- (INAUDIBLE.)

And the ground is getting softer. If he wants to do a blitzkrieg seizure of Kyiv, his tanks won't be able to get across the ground quickly.

They could do it later. But the ground turns to mud in Ukraine in the spring and that just makes an invasion harder.

CAMEROTA: Kylie, is that what prompted coming out so vocally today and telling Americans, get out?

Just to make sure that they have given Americans enough of a heads up and to alert them that the military will not be able save if you if you don't heed this warning.

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that is right. You heard some more information about what Americans could potentially expect if they decide to stay in Ukraine.

The national security adviser saying that it is a risk if they stay is there. Specifically saying that they should leave in the next 48 hours.

Saying that if they say one of the things that essentially that they could potentially face is death because Russia would most likely begin its assault into Ukraine with air force, missiles, and the like that would kill any civilians.

And it could be Americans. So that is why he's telling the Americans to leave now.

It is also significant that the national security adviser said that there could be multiple ways that Russia chooses to invade Ukraine.

But one distinct possibility is that they go directly for Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, where the U.S. embassy is located. We know that the U.S. embassy is drawing down even more personnel.

So because of this information that the Biden administration has, they're making these movements. And they're telling the Americans who are in the country to get out immediately.

CAMEROTA: Oren, I felt like that was a different message than we heard publicly before. That Vladimir Putin could be interested in the seizure of Kyiv. [14:40:00]

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: There was more detail here from Jake Sullivan than we've heard from anybody in the U.S. government in terms of what might happen and how this plays out.

He said this invasion could start with an aerial assault or missile attack that don't differentiate between civilians and military targets.

It could be followed by a ground invasion that could cut off land lines. And then it could be followed by electronic warfare and cyberattacks, all of this, that is how an invasion plays out.

But it is also a very clear warning that right now is the time for U.S. citizens to get out.

And he even went so far as to say, look, if you're having logistical issues, getting out ff financial problems, get in touch with the U.S. embassy and the U.S. embassy will help you out.

Because if and when Putin makes the decision to invade, there's no guarantee there will be commercial air or a way to get out by train or by car so now it is the time to get out.

Sullivan also made clear what U.S. troops are going in case Putin or Russia want to use those as an excuse to launch an invasion.

He said there are 80,000 troops in Europe. A few thousand have been added in Poland, Romania and Germany.

But he underscored that this is a defensive deployment, one intended to reassure, reenforce and deter a Russian invasion.

He did point out that also some fighter jets have deployed to NATO allies in Eastern Europe.

And that President Joe Biden has the decision, could make the decision to do more as we wait to see if NATO chooses to activate its response force.

So he laid out the scenario here on the military side and how this could play out, crucially, the urgency with which it could play out.

It is worth noting here that the one thing that he did not say is what piece of intel or information led to this sudden assessment that an invasion could come any day now.

That, of course, would be a very interesting piece of information to know.

CAMEROTA: Spider, a ground invasion all the way to Kyiv, or seizing the capital of Kyiv. I mean, obviously, we all shudder to think of how many civilians would be caught in the crossfire of that.

So what does that even look like? MARKS: I think that is something that Putin clearly is not going to

do.

Look, what Jake Sullivan said is absolutely prudent. And it needs to be listened to. The American citizens need to get out of Kyiv.

Look, the U.S. presence in Poland is there specifically to assist with an non-combatant evacuation if that were to occur. It borders Ukraine. Forces could necessarily be used.

And I would suspect that Putin would go out of his way, if he choose to go to Kyiv -- and I think that is not likely.

Number one, he has to put all of his forces through the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. That is a heck of a mission for these guys to do to get to Kyiv.

But then he starts to try to absorb this monstrous urban terrain where there will be counter-insurgency operations against him. He doesn't want to do that.

But the likelihood might be there. So prudence tells you, let's get out of town. And the United States is doing what it can to facilitate that type of a movement.

But I really need to say this. If Putin were to invade and take Kyiv, it would be a masterful disaster that he doesn't want -- he doesn't want to chew on it and doesn't want to swallow it.

CAMEROTA: Major General Spider Marks, Kim Dozier, Kylie Atwood, Nic Robertson, Oren Liebermann, thank you all for understanding this major development.

OK, we're also following this breaking news. The upcoming meeting to consider emergency authorization for Pfizer's COVID vaccines for children under five has just been postponed. We'll tell you why.

Plus, we'll have the latest on the economic fallout regarding those anti-vaccine mandate blockades at the border between U.S. and Canada. New developments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:48:00]

CAMEROTA: The anti-vaccine protests first started by Canadian truckers have turned into a full-blown blockade, now effecting scores of American jobs.

In fact, the CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers wrote this:

"We have this group that has decided to frankly screw up the lives of workers as well as the lives of consumers."

"This could significantly disrupt life for Americans if it is allowed to continue on top of an already disrupted life because of a global pandemic and worker shortage. This will only make it worse."

Let's bring in Congressman Debbie Dingell, a Democrat representative from Michigan.

Congressman, great to see you.

There are real-world consequences of this blockade, which is frankly what it is at this point.

Economists have said that workers in Michigan, your state, in the auto industry could lose up to $51 million in lost wages this week.

Ford is running some factories at reduced capacity. G.M. has canceled shifts at its Lansing assembly plant. And it could exacerbate the rising cost of new cars.

So how is this effecting regular people in your state?

REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): Alisyn, it is good to see you.

And it is not just my state, I might add. This is hurting the workers and the consumers. Production has been down at plants not only in Michigan but in Ohio and Kentucky.

It could happen to other industries very quickly, The rumors that the pharmaceutical industry is about to be impacted.

So we have workers with lost wages on both sides of the bridge, I might also point out. Canadian plants have been down as well.

And if we don't bring an end to this very quickly, I know that senior members of the government on both sides are now focused at the federal, state and local level. They're going to be very serious consequences for many people.

CAMEROTA: Right-wing TV hosts seem out of touch with how this is affecting regular people and they're jobs.

[14:50:02]

Let me play for you what they tried to claim last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN HANNITY, FOX HOST, "HANNITY": Please tell these truckers that the American working people, people in this country, stand in solidarity with what they are doing and for the freedom movement they are leading.

TUCKER CARLSON, FOX HOST, "TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT": It's hard to overstate the historical significance of what we're watching here. The Canadian trucker convoy is the single-most successful human rights protest in a generation.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CAMEROTA: Congresswoman, what's your message to any TV host who think that workers, American workers are standing in solidarity with this?

DINGELL: Alisyn, I would say that TV host is someone that loves to divide the American people.

The Canadian Truckers Association, in the statement, made it clear they are not supporting this and they want workers to get back to work.

There are people that are trying to divide this country. I don't think this is about vaccinations anymore. I think these people trying to disrupt on both side offenses of bridge.

And I'm asking everybody to take a deep, serious look about what the consequences are of this.

And that what I want is our American worker and the Canadian workers to be able to do their job, go to work.

I want to see the inflation being impacted by these kinds of actions begin to go down. This doesn't help inflation.

And that talk show host has -- it loves to stir people up, divide them, and doesn't care about the everyday lives of working people.

CAMEROTA: You brought up inflation, and as you point out, this is not helping inflation. That's the worst possible time.

Yesterday, President Biden was asked about inflation when he sat down with Lester Holt at NBC.

And here is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LESTER HOLT, NBC ANCHOR: Back in July, you said inflation was going to be temporary. I think a lot of Americans are wondering what your definition of temporary is.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, you're being a wise job with me a bit. I understand that's your job.

According to Nobel laureates, 14 that contacted me, and a number of corporate leaders, it's hard to be able to start to taper off as we go through this year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Congresswoman, were you satisfied with that answer?

DINGELL: Look, I think I'm somebody that talks to my district in the grocery store, at the gas station, at farmers market listening to people.

I think we had a number of unanticipated things that have happened in Israel. What we're talking about this blockade at our bridge isn't helping.

It took too long to get chip legislation through the Congress. It's still not through. We've got a shortage of semiconductor chips.

There are many things -- the Omicron surge kept people home and sick. That's one of the reasons plants weren't running, grocery stores weren't being stocked, because people were sick.

We need to have all of us together working together to try to fight all of this.

My husband used to say, fellows, you can't say, pardon me, your end of the boat is sinking. We all have to work together.

We had a lot of challenges these last two years. I believe the president's working very hard to address those challenges.

I want to work with everybody. I'm an American first.

This blockade, I really do question who is really behind this at this point.

Let's support our workers on both sides and help lower -- let's take the tension out and let's work together to lower the cost of our goods, keep people in their job and working.

CAMEROTA: You make a great point. We do know that the fundraising for it is not all grassroots.

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, thank you so much. It's always great to talk to you.

DINGELL: Thank you, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: We're following more breaking pandemic news. CNN has just learned the FDA has postponed an upcoming meeting on Pfizer's COVID vaccine for children five years and younger. We have all of the details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:57:19]

CAMEROTA: We have some breaking medical news. The FDA has postponed next week's meeting to consider authorizing a COVID vaccine in children under five years old.

It says new data has recently emerged regarding Pfizer's emergency use authorization request.

Joining us now is CNN's Jacqueline Howard and Dr. Megan Ranney, professor of emergency medicine and associate dean of public health at Brown University.

Jacqueline, why was this postponed? JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Alisyn, the postponement was

to give Pfizer more time to select and submit data on a three-dose vaccine series for kids.

What the company submitted was a two-dose series for authorization.

But it turns out that, according to Pfizer, the study on three doses is coming through pretty quickly and they believe that they might have data available in early April.

The decision was, if this data will be available, why not postpone the Vaccine Advisory Committee's meeting to have that data and review it at a later date instead of reviewing two doses right now.

That's what the timeline is for now.

And we have a statement here from acting FDA commissioner, Dr. Janet Woodcock.

She says this:

Quote, "This will give the agency time to consider the additional data, allowing for a transparent public discussion as part of our usual scientific and regulatory processes for COVID-19 vaccines," end quote.

She said that they will provide an update on the timing as soon as possible.

But, Alisyn, the takeaway here is that, instead of considering the two-dose series for kids, with this postponement, we might see a consideration for three doses instead -- Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: OK. Thank you very much for all that reporting and explaining that.

Dr. Ranney, parents of kids who are under five have been waiting anxiously to be able to get their kids vaccinated so they can go to childcare, et cetera, et cetera.

Is it harder -- has this COVID vaccine, has this been harder to approve for kids under five?

All of us remember getting our childhood vaccines. Maybe you don't remember because sometimes you get this as infants.

But this one seems there's been a few different obstacles.

DR. MEGAN RANNEY, PROFESSOR OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE & ASSOCIATE DEAN OF PUBLIC HEALTH, BROWN UNIVERSITY: I know how incredibly frustrating and frustrating this is for parent of those under-five kids.

What this really reenforces, Alisyn, is that the process works. These vaccines will not be approved until we are sure that they are both safe and effective.

The delays here reflects the fact they decrease the dose for these younger kids in order to make sure that it was safe.

[14:59:53]

Unfortunately, looked like the decrease dose decreased the effectiveness a little bit, which is why they need three shots instead of just two.

This is not out of the ordinary. Again, it just shows they are taking the science seriously.

And making sure when parents have the option to go and show up and get shots in arms, that parents can do so with confidence.