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Russian Olympic Skating Star Cleared to Compete; Russian Invasion Threat. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired February 14, 2022 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00]

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: You can also listen to our podcast. Downside -- download INSIDE POLITICS wherever you get your podcasts.

Hope to see you back here tomorrow.

Ana Cabrera picks up our coverage right now.

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Hello. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. Thanks so much for being with us.

The U.S. national security adviser is renewing his warning Russia could invade Ukraine any day now. But how imminent is this threat? Depends on where you look and who you ask. A senior administration official tells CNN U.S. intelligence indicates Russia is deploying more forces around Ukraine for possible military action.

And satellite images that obtained by CNN show that, in recent days, Russia has moved tanks, armored vehicles and artillery out of one of its military bases and closer to Ukraine. Now, the U.S. believes a Russian invasion could begin with air and missile attacks with plans to surround Ukraine's capital very quickly.

You see there Ukraine remains surrounded on three sides now by Russian forces. That has not changed. The Russian foreign minister, however, saying today in a televised meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that there is still a chance for diplomacy to work, even suggesting talks should be ramped up further.

And while many countries evacuate their embassies and tell their citizens to leave Ukraine, China, which has close ties with Russia, notably isn't.

CNN anchor and CNN chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto is joining us from Kyiv.

And, Jim, just how important are those comments from Lavrov suggesting that diplomacy hasn't been exhausted?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: They're notable because they were deliberately public. There's a reason the Russian president summoned his foreign minister to sit on that very long table and discuss this. And there's a reason he asked him that question, is there still time for diplomacy? And the answer was yes.

That was a scripted moment. It was meant to be public, and it's sending a signal. It's not clear, one, if it's the truth, right, because Russia can surprise, also how long it might hold. Perhaps they're offering a window of opportunity here for the next couple of days, but no longer.

The U.S. view remains that Russia continues to add military resources to the border, so it's not de-escalating, and it has very specific plans in place to take large parts of this country, and to do so pretty quickly. The -- some of the reporting we had this morning was that the plan is to encircle the capital, Kyiv, within 24 to 48 hours.

So, the U.S. military, based on intelligence, has answered one question. Can Russia invade Ukraine? And the answer to that question, in their view, is, yes, they have all the capabilities. The question they don't have answered yet is, will it and when, although they believe it's possible as soon as this week.

And that, when you're talking about Vladimir Putin, is always something of an open question.

CABRERA: And that said, they have the ability to invade at any moment.

We just got word that Ukraine's national police have now entered a -- quote -- "enhanced mode." They say they're increasing street patrols and protection around critical infrastructure. That's noticeable.

What is the mood like they're in Kyiv?

SCIUTTO: So that's a notable move, because we also heard from the mayor of Kyiv earlier today, who said that he was putting into place plans, at least and preparations for evacuation, even for arranging for people to have shelters if there is, as U.S. intel indicates, an air campaign as part of any Russian invasion.

That stands in contrast to what I, myself, and my other CNN colleagues have been hearing here and even further to the east from average Ukrainians, because you walk around the streets of Kyiv, the streets are crowded, the restaurants are crowded, the stores are open, people are out riding their bikes, right, like a late winter day.

And we have heard the same from our correspondents in a city like Kharkiv speaking to Sam Kiley earlier today, that the people themselves, it doesn't feel like an invasion is imminent. And when I ask them why, they say, well, listen, it's really out of our control.

And I think another piece of this, Ana, is that, for eight years, Ukraine has been under, if not a war, perhaps a low-grade war, in its country inside its borders; 13,000 people have been killed in that war in the Russian occupation.

So, some of this is their sense of they have been through it.

CABRERA: Yes. And they're still going through it. So hold on tight.

Jim Sciutto in Ukraine, thanks for staying up for us. I know it's been a long day there. We appreciate you.

A short time ago, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived at the White House for a briefing. Meanwhile, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan is briefing lawmakers in the House and the Senate.

Want to go live to CNN's chief White House correspondent, Kaitlan Collins, at the White House for us.

[13:05:01]

Do we know Sullivan is telling lawmakers?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Adam Smith, who is the chair of the Armed Services Committee, part of that briefing this morning, said that the main focus of it was really on their efforts to deter Russia and the steps that they're taking to try to tamp this down to pursue that off-ramp that you have heard officials talk about so much.

But, of course, this briefing is coming, and Jake Sullivan visiting the Hill, and you're seeing the defense secretary and secretary of state here briefing President Biden -- is coming, as you heard from the Pentagon spokesman earlier, saying that Russia only continued to add forces throughout the weekend.

And not only are they adding forces. He was saying, don't just look at the scope of these 130,000 troops that they have amassed on the border there, but also the capabilities that they have, because that is, of course, the main concern here for the White House, who is continuing to offer these warnings, saying that it could happen really at any day now, though they said it's pretty difficult to pinpoint exactly when that could happen.

And, of course, that raises concerns about the embassy. And Adam Smith coming out of that briefing with Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, this morning talked about the difficulty of, if something happens, getting the people who are still there in that embassy out of harm's way.

And we do know it's already a pretty small presence there. He wouldn't say exactly what the number was that they discussed with Jake Sullivan this morning. But it is -- does come up with those concerns about the embassy, about the presence there.

And Jake Sullivan said yesterday they could get out of there pretty quickly if they needed to, if they needed to completely evacuate that embassy. But we should also note that Ukrainian President Zelensky was pretty critical of those nations that are evacuating their embassies, saying just because you move to a different city in Ukraine doesn't really make a difference if the invasion is going to happen.

CABRERA: And I understand President Biden spoke with both Vladimir Putin and with Ukrainian President Zelensky over the weekend, and just in the last hour, he was expected to speak with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Are we seeing any diplomatic progress?

COLLINS: I think they're trying to keep it focused on the conversations happening.

And after that call with the Russian president on Saturday, a White House official told reporters that they agreed to stay in talks, but they said that doesn't mean that no military activity is going to happen over the next several days, which I think really speaks to the unknown here and how hard it is to predict what the Russians are going to do.

But you are still seeing those conversations continue. It's not just President Biden who's engaging in this flurry of diplomacy, talking to Zelensky and Putin on Saturday, talking -- expected to talk with the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, today. Putin has his own diplomacy going on.

He's supposed to meet with the German chancellor tomorrow. But I still think just despite the fact that those talks are happening doesn't mean that the White House feels that nothing is going to happen in the meanwhile, because they have been warning that it certainly could come at any time.

CABRERA: Kaitlan Collins at the White House for us, thank you.

And joining us now, CNN military analyst General Wesley Clark. He's also the former NATO supreme allied commander and a senior fellow at the UCLA Burkle Center.

General, let's listen to what National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said about what an invasion would look like.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: If there is a military invasion of Ukraine by Russia, it's likely to begin with a significant barrage of missiles and bomb attacks.

Those are never as precise as the army would -- any army would like them to be. And we don't even know how precise the Russian army would like them to be. So, innocent civilians could be killed regardless of their nationality.

It would then be followed by an onslaught of a ground force moving across the Ukrainian frontier.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: General, if that is the intel assessment, what do you think is happening right now to proactively get in front of that militarily and be ready to defend?

WESLEY CLARK, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, Ukraine has deployed its forces, especially in the north, where -- which is the easiest access to Kyiv.

They're running exercises up there. Their border guards are alert and prepared. As Jim Sciutto said, actions are being taken in Kyiv itself on this. Certainly, the people in the trench lines in -- facing Donbass are ready.

But we have to understand that this is the moment that Vladimir Putin has really been waiting for. This is maximum pressure on Ukraine, just trying to crack their will. He wants Zelensky to surrender. He wants to Zelensky so say, OK, I give up. We will never be in NATO. And, OK, we will consign ourselves. You can take our country.

That's what Putin wants. He may actually want to invade just to show off Russian missiles and strikes. But if he could get the government in Kyiv to collapse, if there could be riots in the streets, if he could put his own person in there, that's the easiest way for him to go in.

And so this is the moment, these next few days, as we're seeing the forces prepare to invade, as Kyiv starts to take the precautions of trying to strengthen its defenses. The pressure build on the government in Kyiv and on the people.

[13:10:03]

And this is what Putin is trying to achieve. He wants maximum pressure. He wants to break the will to be part of NATO. Going to have a hard time doing it, because it's in their constitution and because of the Maidan in 2014. The people of Ukraine want NATO. They don't want Russia. They're willing to fight for it.

CABRERA: So you talk about the pressure on the people of Ukraine and the leadership in Ukraine. But there's also pressure on Putin, I would assume. And I think that that has to be part of his calculus in terms of the risk-reward here of an invasion.

Does Putin have the Russian people behind him if he invades? Or will he face a backlash at home? What do you think?

CLARK: I think he's going to face a certain amount of backlash, but I think he has the mechanisms to maintain effective control.

There will be some in the military probably who balk when they realized they're killing Ukrainians. These aren't Nazis. These aren't NATO soldiers. These are people that 30 years ago were their own countrymen. And there will be some balking about that, even within his own forces.

But I don't think you can...

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: Well, and Russia would -- will have casualties too, right?

CLARK: There will be casualties. But we can't count on that.

I think, when Putin looks at the calculus, he's factored that in. The more we do to reinforce the notion of powerful sanctions against him, the better. The more we do to assist Ukraine in defending itself, the better. And we keep the door open to talking. That's the strategy. It's the right strategy at this moment. If we could begin by initiating some sanctions that are reversible against Putin's cronies, that would -- and show that there's allied cohesion behind that, that would further strengthen deterrence.

CABRERA: We talk about how Ukraine has been feeling this Russian threat for a long time, right?

Why now? Why would Putin choose this moment if he is going to invade?

CLARK: Well, we're all -- we're speculating here.

But, look, he's tried various means. He's tried to bleed the Ukrainians through this fighting in Donbass. Didn't work. He's tried to destabilize the government through the -- in the election process. Didn't work. He's tried to break Ukraine financially. Didn't work.

He's getting frustrated. And he's seen the United States, first under President Trump, where President Trump put a lot of pressure on NATO. He caused our NATO allies to doubt America's credibility, and then all the confusion over January 6. President Biden comes in. The Build Back Better program doesn't look like it's going to go anywhere. He thinks maybe President Biden won't stand firm.

He thinks he can split NATO. He may think this is the moment of optimum opportunity for him to achieve his aim of regaining control of Ukraine, seizing Belarus, getting NATO rolled back. And that way, he has the economic wherewithal to stand up as an equal to China.

Now, that's all speculation. We don't really know how he thinks. That's the way it is.

CABRERA: Speaking of China, we are seeing a growing list of countries telling their citizens to get out of Ukraine. And yet China has said very publicly that it's business as usual for them.

Does this suggest China might know something everyone else doesn't?

CLARK: No, except that Russia has recently signed strategic agreements with China and with Iran.

And so these nations probably figure, if anything does happen, their embassies will be protected. They will be a no-strike list. So that's probably what that means. It doesn't necessarily mean that Putin won't strike. I don't think Putin has made up his mind whether to strike or not. This is the moment he's seeking.

All of this buildup, all of this tension, all of these reinforcements coming in step by step. He wants the pressure. He wants to keep people awake every night worrying about what he's going to do. He wants them weakened in their will.

And this is why President Zelensky has been quite, quite successful and quite smart in saying, we're not going to panic here. We're not going to unnecessarily go to the barricades in advance of this. He wants stability as long as possible.

So he's done a pretty good job with that, in my view.

CABRERA: Well, and especially when you look at on the ground our reporting from Jim Sciutto and our other reporters has been that, within the Ukrainian citizenry, people will seem fairly calm right now and not panicked.

General Wesley Clark, really appreciate your time and expertise, as always. Thank you so much.

Cleared to compete. Backlash building after Russia's teenage skating sensation gets the OK to go for the gold, despite testing positive for a banned substance. More on the fallout.

Plus, this isn't over yet. The vital border crossing between the U.S. and Canada may be open again, but the protesters who blocked it for days aren't backing down. We will have the latest on this standoff.

[13:15:08]

And a flight is diverted to Kansas City after a passenger got so unruly, a flight attendant had to hit him over the head with a coffee pot to stop him from trying to get into the cockpit.

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CABRERA: Anger and shock at the Olympics as Russian skating phenom Kamila Valieva is given the green light to compete, this despite failing a doping test.

A panel of judges clearing her to vie for more meddles, in part because she is a minor. But there is a caveat. Any medals must be given after a complete investigation is done, meaning those competing against her must also wait.

[13:20:07]

Now, the 15-year-old sensation, who is widely favored to win gold, tested positive for a heart drug before the Games. The drug is banned because it can improve a person's endurance.

With us to discuss is former U.S. gymnast Justin Spring. He won bronze with the U.S. team at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing as well. He is now the head gymnastics coach at the University of Illinois. And Jim Walden is back with us. He's an original author of the U.S. anti- doping law passed in 2020. And that law empowers the U.S. to prosecute people involved in tainting competitions and victimizing American athletes.

So great to have both of you here with us. Jim, let me first start with you.

What's your reaction to this decision? She can compete.

JIM WALDEN, ATTORNEY: I mean, this is classic Russia at its best, really. I mean, the Russian playbook is cheat, conceal, deny and obstruct.

And when the obstruction is required to go to an arbitrational body, the court of arbitration for sport is always a very helpful mechanism for the Russians, because it's not a real court. I mean, it's a court only in the sense that it's a kangaroo court. These are not real judges. They're private lawyers, many of them with Russian clients, many of them with conflicts of interests.

And the idea that they would put this one athlete's interests above all of the athletes who didn't test positive, who didn't do anything wrong, and now they have to wait for their medals until after a full investigation? This is just nonsense.

CABRERA: We're going to come back to their reasoning in just a moment.

But I want to get Justin into this conversation first, because the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is speaking out, saying Russia has hijacked the competition and stolen the moment from clean athletes. These skaters are going to have to compete against her soon.

As a former Olympian yourself, you know what goes into it, the emotion and everything to be able to compete at this level. How are her competitors taking this all in, do you think?

JUSTIN SPRING, FORMER U.S. OLYMPIC ATHLETE: Oh, man, I hate everything about this.

To be completely honest, I saw the news this morning and was -- I was kind of boiling over. I mean, it's infuriating. And I came at my Olympic Games very altruistic, thinking no one would ever think about doping. It just -- it's all about the passion of the sport, and -- but just naive and stupid.

Like, yes, people are out there trying to get every advantage. And if you're caught trying to use an advantage that is impermissible, according WADA or USADA, or any of the doping agencies, you shouldn't be allowed to compete. And I think that ruins the sanctity of the Olympic Games. And I can't stand it.

I watched the -- I don't know -- to be honest with you, I don't know why -- on some levels, I don't know why the ROC is even there, based off the findings from what's kind of -- what's come out from their Olympic Committee and how they're not really adhering to their doping practices anyway.

CABRERA: Well, and it seems like all the athletes are now punished, even if others win medals, right, because in order for this investigation to be completed before handing out medals, it means all these people who have worked all their life for this medal moment, that's going to be gone for them. They won't be able to stand on the podium and be awarded.

And what is lost in that, do you think?

SPRING: Oh, it's the most memorable moment of my entire life, I'm standing up there. I'm still very close with my team. And we came together to do something incredible and special.

And it's about being at that moment. The medal ceremony at the Olympic Games is something that, as an athlete, you trained your -- maybe your entire life for this. And to have that be in some back alley room because you had to wade through some court system that an athlete that was caught using an impermissible substance is going to still maybe be able to compete at the Olympic Games, I think, is crazy.

And, I just -- I know she's a minor, but I think that she's old enough to compete at the world stage, she's old enough to have read through the processes and the procedures that USADA and WADA make you read before you go to a world championships or an Olympic Games, and says that you're responsible for what goes into your body.

I just -- so I feel for her, if this wasn't her fault, but even if it wasn't her fault and something was pushed on her, I still don't think that she should be able to compete, because that opens up a whole 'nother can of worms of like, well, this was given to me, and what if it's steroids or what if it's this drug?

CABRERA: Yes.

SPRING: I just -- I don't like it. If it's in your system, there are rules for rules. And if you broke the rules, you don't get to -- you don't get to compete.

CABRERA: It does seem like that could become this loophole of sorts, because...

SPRING: Yes.

CABRERA: ... Jim, her being a minor, Jim, is one of the main reasons that the judges decided to move forward in allowing her to compete until a full investigation is completed.

They said she's a minor. That posed an exceptional circumstance, and they argued that by preventing her from competing would cause her irreparable harm.

[13:25:00]

Jim, do you see her as a victim here in a system that doesn't play by the rules? And if so, how should these situations be handled going forward?

WALDEN: So, these are all great points.

And when we talk about irreparable harm, what about the irreparable harm for the athletes who are now denied medal ceremonies? I mean, nobody's talking about them. No one knows their names. They're all going to be denied their moment in the sun, the endorsements, all of the earning opportunities that come after an Olympic win.

All of that is now gone because of someone who tested positive. I don't know whether to feel sorry for her or not. We don't know what the facts and circumstances are. But this is exactly why Congress got so fed up with the situation that it wrote a law, with the help from others, including me, to punish and criminalize doping in international competitions.

CABRERA: So, could people face charges?

WALDEN: If you think about it, Ana, this is the perfect storm.

Oh, absolutely, right? We have got doctors. We have a doctor in this circumstance who has a doping violation history. We have a coach who's well-known for being extremely hard and extremely competitive in ways that are not consistent with the health of the skaters.

We have a drug that she tested positive for which is one of the favorites, has become one of the favorites of the Russian doping system. In 2018, there was another Russian bobsledder that used this. Maria Sharapova was banned for using this specific drug. So the drug was in her system. No one's debating that.

I think Justin's right. The right thing to do here is for WADA, the IOC and CAS to come together to ban her from this competition, and then for U.S. authorities to do what I'm sure they're doing right now, which is starting an investigation to put anyone who provided her with this substance in jail.

She will not be a target of that, not just because she's a minor, but because, under U.S. law, the athletes won't be prosecuted directly.

CABRERA: Interesting.

WALDEN: But all of the enablers can be and should be.

SPRING: Yes.

CABRERA: Justin, I want to share the reaction from Sha'Carri Richardson, a U.S. sprinter who qualified to go to the Tokyo Olympics last summer, but was banned after she tested positive for marijuana.

SPRING: Yes.

CABRERA: And she tweeted this today: "Can we get a solid answer on the difference of her situation and mine? My mother died, and I can't run. And I was also favored to place top three. The only difference I see is, I'm a black young lady."

Justin, how do you see it?

SPRING: I mean, I don't see a difference at all. I think that -- but she even said when this happened, like, I knew the

rules. And I broke them. And I think that the judge choosing to select this is ice figure skater because she's a minor and saying that things were out of her control, but, in the end, I do not think that makes the difference.

If you are old enough to compete at the world stage and at the Olympic Games, and you have an impermissible substance in your body at a time of competition or at these Games specifically, you shouldn't be able to compete, plain and simple.

And so I would be furious if I were her as well. It just -- it doesn't seem to be -- the rules aren't seeming to be applied evenly here. And I would be really, really, really upset.

CABRERA: Yes.

Well, I appreciate both of you so much for your expertise, your insights and your perspective. Justin Spring and Jim Walden, thanks for joining us.

Now to the Olympians grabbing attention for all the right reasons. The reigning Olympic women's ice hockey champions, Team USA, has now advanced to the finals after besting Finland 4-1 today. So Team USA will face Canada for gold on Thursday.

And speaking of Canada, two-time Canadian gold medalist Kaillie Humphries has just won her first gold medal as a U.S. citizen, the bobsledder also making history, winning the Games' first ever women's monobob gold medal.

And American Erin Jackson has now become the first black American woman to win an Olympic speedskating medal, Jackson taking gold in the women's 500-meter event. And get this. The 29-year-old, who is ranked number one in the world, almost didn't make it to Beijing. She slipped during the U.S. Olympic trials. But her friend and fellow speedskater Brittany Bowe gave up her spot so Jackson could compete and win gold.

So, just because the protesters aren't blocking a key trade route on the border doesn't mean their fight is over. This clash over vaccine mandates has dealt the economy a serious blow. Where it stands -- next.

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