Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Biden Convinced Putin Plans to Invade Ukraine; NATO, E.U., U.S. Officials to Speak in Munich Soon; Donbas Leaders Urge Residents to Evacuate to Russia; Olympic Figure Skating Body to Vote on Raising Minimum Competition Age; Protests in Canada; Record-Breaking Winds Wreak Havoc across U.K. Aired 1-1:30a ET
Aired February 19, 2022 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello, everyone, I'm Michael Holmes, coming to you live in Lviv, Ukraine.
The strongest words yet from the U.S. President, Joe Biden making it clear that the Russians are making plans to attack.
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): And hello, I'm Lynda Kinkade, live at CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta.
The U.K. and parts of Europe are battered by the worst storm in decades. We will look at the impact and what is behind this extreme weather.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HOLMES: Well, the U.S. President, Joe Biden, says he is convinced that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has made a final decision on Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As of this moment I am convinced he has made the decision. We have reason to believe that.
QUESTION: You are convinced that President Putin is going to invade Ukraine?
Is that what you just said a few minutes ago?
BIDEN: Yes, I am. Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Mr. Biden adding that the attack, in his view, will likely come in a matter of days and will target Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. Biden also said that the U.S. and its allies will continue supporting Ukraine but reiterated that the U.S. will not be sending troops in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: The United States and our allies are prepared to defend every inch of NATO territory from any threat to our collective security as well. We also will not send in troops to fight in Ukraine, but we will continue to support the Ukrainian people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Moscow is now responding to Biden's comments in the last few hours, quote, "categorically denying" that Russia is planning to attack Ukraine. That is according to Russian state media.
The Russian foreign ministry also suggesting that the U.S. is ignoring escalating conflicts in the Donbas region in Eastern Ukraine. All of this is coming as Putin prepares for what could be Russia's most dramatic show of force yet, a series of military drills on Saturday.
Ballistic and cruise missiles will be launched. This video from the Russian defense ministry showing drills in Belarus earlier this month.
Meanwhile, new satellite images are showing how quickly Russian helicopter forces are amassing near Ukraine's eastern border as well as to the south in Russian held Crimea.
And one U.S. Defense official tells CNN that nearly half of Russian forces around Ukraine are now in what they call an attack position. Mr. Biden's comments on Friday also mark a major escalation in how the White House is speaking publicly about the standoff. CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports from Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden giving his clearest indication yet that he does believe Russian president Vladimir Putin has made a decision to invade Ukraine.
Of course, the Russian leader has been amassing forces, basically encircling Ukraine for months now, only increasing those numbers even in recent days. But until now, President Biden and his top aides had not said whether or not they believe the Russian leader has made a decision to actually invade.
Until today, President Biden said that he does believe he has made that decision. The president was citing intelligence he has looked, at saying that there is still a window for diplomacy here until Putin actually does attack Ukraine, until he actually it does conduct some of the operations that the secretary of state has been warning he will do, in light of an invasion.
But of course, that window seems to be closing more and more by the day, as President Biden is now predicting that this could happen within days.
When it comes to diplomacy, of course, we do know that the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, is scheduled to meet with the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, on Wednesday. But that is, of course, dependent on there not being an invasion.
And that is something that the White House is going to spend the next several days monitoring, including President Biden, doing it from the White House, as he meets with his national security team, consults closely with world leaders, as he has been doing, as he waits to see whether or not the Kremlin is going to formally reject his several overtures that he has been making, to try to achieve diplomacy here -- Kaitlan Collins, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Many Western leaders, meanwhile, are gathering in Munich, Germany, for an annual security conference; even more important this year, of course. It is unclear whether or not, though, Ukraine's president will join them.
A senior Ukrainian official tells CNN that Volodymyr Zelensky is still planning on attending but that the security situation will be reassessed today. U.S. officials have privately been urging him not to leave Ukraine over fear that Russia could easily claim he has fled the country and use it as propaganda.
[01:05:00]
HOLMES: Several leaders will speak at the Munich conference in the coming hours and that includes the NATO secretary-general, the E.U. Commission president and the U.S. vice president. We will, of course, bring all of that to you live when it happens.
A potential Russian invasion weighs heavily on the Ukrainian coastal city of Mariupol, near the front lines of conflict with Russian-backed separatists. Fighting has ramped up in Eastern Ukraine recent days.
But of course, that has been going on for years, eight years. And the city has suffered many losses. Alex Marquardt reports on the toll it has taken on the people of Mariupol.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The old Crimea cemetery stretches across the rolling hills outside Mariupol and Eastern Ukraine.
In Section 21, the Ukrainian flags whipping in the wind mark the graves of Ukrainian troops, mostly young men, who have died fighting Russia-backed forces in the past eight years, an often ignored conflict that has killed as many as 14,000 people, including more than 3,000 civilians.
Ruslan Pustovoit was a soldier. Now he fights with a right-wing nationalist group called Right Sector.
RUSLAN PUSTOVOIT, RIGHT SECTOR (through translator): Putin is a pathetic small man. Everyone is ready to tear Russians with their own hands. MARQUARDT (voice-over): He says he knows around 200 people who have
been killed. He shows us the grave of one of them, a fallen friend, now etched in stone, as well as his memory.
PUSTOVOIT (through translator): Too many comrades have died, too many civilians, too many children.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): in the bitterly cold, driving rain, Roman Peretyatko, a priest, prays at the towering grave of his friend, one of the first from here to die in the fighting.
But Peretyatko, quiet and understated, has two sides, dividing his duties as an army chaplain in his olive-green frock, which he says is his calling, and tending to a civilian congregation in this small Mariupol chapel.
ROMAN PERETYATKO, PRIEST, ARCHANGEL MICHAEL CHURCH, MARIUPOL (through translator): We're losing our best people. The church gives people comfort. If they ask, what's going to happen next, we say it's God's will. We prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): People who can't go to church ask him to pray for them. He says their names at the altar. Among the handful who came this morning is this man, who had one thing on his mind.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Myr.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): Myr, peace.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We pray for peace above all. Thank God, it's peaceful right now. We're taking it one day at a time. We'll see what happens next.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): The people of Ukraine have shown extraordinary calm in the face of this Russian threat. But it is clearly taking a toll.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They tell us to remain calm. We would love to live peacefully, to go to work, to raise children and grandchildren. We're worried.
How could we not be?
MARQUARDT: That worrying only growing after seeing what happened right here in Eastern Ukraine's Donbas region, those incidents that the U.S. and Ukraine say were fake, were staged, the kind of false flag operations that Russia could use to justify an invasion of Ukraine.
This city, this area, of great interest to Vladimir Putin, which he could use to connect Russia to Crimea, which he seized the last time he invaded Ukraine -- Alex Marquardt, CNN, Mariupol, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: For more now, let's bring in CNN military analyst and retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling.
Good to see you, Mark.
What do you make of the leaders in the breakaway regions in the Donbas, calling on residents to leave and head to Russia, because of what those leaders call preparations by Ukraine to attack, which Ukraine, of course, strongly denies?
What is your read on that, at a time when there is so much talk about false flag operations and disinformation?
LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, as Clarissa reported, Michael, you saw those recordings being made on Wednesday. They believe that they can offer this as proof that they are protecting the citizens of their two breakaway republics, that are led by, truthfully, the Russians, not those independent actors.
It is a continual indicator that all of these things are propaganda, they are misinformation, disinformation and using the Russian term maskirovka. It is part of all of their tactical, operational and strategic approaches when they use these kinds of deception efforts to try and execute their war plans and their campaign plans.
HOLMES: Yes, and the question, of course, whether it will be that false flag situation, giving Moscow an excuse to come in. I wanted to ask you this, because in the event of an invasion, you, of course, have spent a long time commanding forces in Iraq. You worked there with the Ukrainian military then.
How has the military changed over the years, in terms of not just equipment but capability?
HERTLING: Michael, first of all, it's a great question. In 2003-04, when I was in Iraq as an assistant division commander, we were asked to head south during the Sadr revolt.
[01:10:00]
HERTLING: We linked up with Ukrainian forces and, truthfully, they were the most disorganized, dysfunctional, undisciplined and corrupt forces I had ever seen.
I drew an initial bias against Ukrainian forces. They were terribly led by their generals their colonels and it was just a force we could not depend on. They are actually coordinating with some of the enemy in Iraq, because they were being paid to be there.
Over the years, though, when I continued to serve in Europe, we saw the leadership within Ukraine, attempting to build a more professional force. And starting in about the 2008 timeframe, they really got serious.
There was a colonel general by the name of Robyov, who was the chief of the land forces. And he put a great deal of effort into turning his military into a professional force. But he told me, one time, when we were having a session, that the
biggest concern he had was the corruption of the senior leaders that had all been trained in the old Soviet Union.
He said, once we disavow those individuals and they left, we would have a much stronger army. Starting, literally, after I retired, I went back there in 2016, after the Maidan and spoke to a lot of the young officers.
They were extremely professional. They had started a professional non- commissioned officers corps. And we saw a true change in the Ukrainian force after two years of fighting.
You are talking eight years later; those young captains and lieutenants, who were part of the force in the Donbas early on, are now the lieutenant colonels and the colonels.
There are still problems at the senior ranks but those have mostly been eliminated. You have a very patriotic force in the Ukrainian army and you have a much more patriotic parliament and prime ministers within the Ukraine society.
HOLMES: Yes, it took a while for the Soviet influence to disappear. When it comes to intent, Putin knows well, as do you, I'd guess, that invading is one thing; holding territory amid a hostile population is quite another.
In that sense, what do you think Putin is calculating, weighing up, as he thinks about invasion?
HERTLING: He is not calculating very well, from a force perspective standpoint. There have been various studies talking about troop-to- task relationships. That's one of the things that the military does.
What are the things that soldiers are expected to do on the ground?
It is one thing to invade; it's another thing to hold territory and to be amongst the people and to build a new society.
If Mr. Putin is thinking he will achieve regime change through the use of force, he doesn't have enough forces, in my view, to do that.
Just as a calculation, you are talking -- the numbers that are staggering, 190,000 forces all around the border. But Ukraine is an extremely large country, with about 41 million people in its population.
In order to control the major cities, like Kyiv, like Kharkiv, like Lviv, some of the other ones, you would need a much larger force, trained in more than just combat activity. And what I mean is civil affairs, producing government officials, extending the economy.
Unless Mr. Putin wants to, completely, destroy Ukraine -- and that may be his intent -- he is going to need a different kind of force. And they are going to have to stay for a very long time to get Ukraine under their influence. So I don't think, bottom line, that he certainly has enough forces and
he hasn't the capability to do anything but initial combat actions. And that will be problematic.
HOLMES: Yes. And he is well aware of what happened with the Soviets in Afghanistan, too, when it came to the same scenario. Have to leave it there, unfortunately. Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, as always, great to have your expertise, thank you so much.
HERTLING: Great to talk to you, Michael, stay safe over there.
HOLMES: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: I'm Michael Holmes in Lviv in Western Ukraine. I'll be back at the top of the hour. But let's send it back to it Atlanta, where Lynda Kinkade has the latest on today's other stories.
KINKADE: Thanks so much, Michael, good to have you there.
Still ahead, the international figure skating body is considering raising the minimum age to compete following the doping scandal over a 15 year old Russian skater. We will have more from Beijing next.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:15:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KINKADE: Welcome back. we are to Beijing now, where the pairs figure skating free skate will soon take center stage. China has the gold medal favorites after a record breaking short program on Friday.
Meanwhile, the international figure skating union says it will vote on raising the minimum competition age to 17. CNN's Steven Jiang is covering it all for us from Beijing.
Good to see you, Steven. Certainly lots to discuss but I want to start off with the fact that the international skating union will vote later this year, raising the minimum age of competitors. And this, of course, is all after the scrutiny of the 15-year-old Russian skater.
STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER, BEIJING BUREAU: That's right, Lynda, yet another indication that the doping scandal surrounding Kamila Valieva is really still casting a long shadow, not only on these games but on her sport as a whole.
Now with the Russian government weighing in, after IOC president Thomas Bach criticized how she was treated with, quote-unquote, "tremendous coldness" by her entourage after that disastrous performance on Thursday night, a Kremlin spokesperson said the quote- unquote "tough tactics" that Bach did not like is actually key to victory to Russian athletes.
But back to these games, the gusty winds on the mountains where a lot of skiing events are taking place seems to be the biggest story there. The winds are so wild, not only affecting athletes' performance but now has forced the organizers to postpone the alpine skiing mixed team event.
(WORLD SPORT)
KINKADE: For three weeks, protesters have been clogging the streets around Canada's Parliament, making life miserable for those who live around Parliament Hill. On Friday, police made it clear that it's time for the protesters to move on. CNN's Paula Newton has more. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: An historic day like no other on the streets of Canada's capital.
[01:20:00]
NEWTON: I want you to have a look at some of the video here, as hundreds of police officers squared off with dozens of protesters. Those protesters again, wanting those COVID-19 measures gone. They have been in the streets for more than three weeks, along with hundreds of cars and trucks. And they say they will not move.
These kinds of confrontations went on for hours as police stood their ground but also protesters as well, saying they will not leave. Police say there have been at least 100 arrests and 21 vehicles have been towed. They say they will stay day and night until they can, in their words, give the streets back to Ottawa's residents.
But they also say that this continues to be a complicated operation. Just one of those complications: the fact that some parents have brought their children to this protest. I want you to listen now to Ottawa's interim police chief.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
INTERIM POLICE CHIEF STEVE BELL, OTTAWA: Even through all the planning, it still shocks and surprises me that we are seeing children put in harm's way in the middle of a demonstration where a police operation is unfolding.
We will continue to look after their safety and security. But we implore all the parents who have kids in there, get the kids out of there. They do not need to be in the middle of this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now as this operation continues, it comes at great cost to the residents of this city. The entire downtown core is essentially sealed off. There are about 100 checkpoints, where you have to explain why you are going into the downtown core.
And this will continue to go on for days, the police say. Some of the protesters have been arrested, some are waiting to make bail. Others have left town. The protesters themselves, some say that this protest was actually worth it, saying that they do believe that they have made their point about COVID-19 measures -- Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: A powerful wind has torn through the U.K. How the region is dealing with the aftermath and the latest details from the still troubling storm when we come back.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KINKADE: Welcome back.
Parts of the U.K. and Europe are trying to recover from one of the worst storms in decades. At least six people were killed in England, Ireland and the Netherlands when Storm Eunice hit. CNN's Nina dos Santos has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN EUROPE EDITOR: Dangerous winds battered the U.K. and Northwest Europe on Friday, with gusts in England reaching the highest speeds on record at up to 122 miles per hour. The intense scales caused huge waves along the coasts, uprooted trees and ripped off rooftops.
Including parts of the London O2 Arena's famous dome. The U.K.'s Met Office expanded its rare red alert for southeast England and parts of Wales on Friday morning.
Warning of a possible threat to life and telling millions of people to stay indoors. The chief meteorologist said that Eunice could prove to be one of the most impactful storms to hit parts of the U.K. in years.
Along with strong winds, the storm brought heavy snow and ice to the north of England and Scotland. It also caused chaos as Britain's rail networks told people not to travel and hundreds of flights were canceled across the country.
Some flights still went ahead though and more than 200,000 people joined a livestream to watch as planes attempted to land at London's Heathrow Airport.
[01:25:00]
DOS SANTOS: As the storm reached Northwest Europe, France issued orange and yellow wind alerts for large parts of the country. Belgium and the Netherlands to urge people to stay inside and warned of strong gusts.
Eunice is the second storm to hit the U.K. in a week after Storm Dudley left thousands of homes without power. The red alert has expired but the strong winds are expected to continue for much of the weekend -- Nina Dos Santos, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(WEATHER REPORT)
KINKADE: We know now that at least 130 people have died in devastating landslides in Brazil and some 200 other people are still missing. Rescue operations are being hindered by the heavy rains north of Rio de Janeiro. Hundreds of people have been displaced by more than 250 landslides.
Rainfall on Tuesday alone was more than the historical average for the entire month of February. Incredible images there.
Well, thank you so much for watching CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Lynda Kinkade. "AFRICA AVANT-GARDE" is coming up next and we will have much more news at the top of the hour.
