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Biden Convinced Putin Plans To Invade Ukraine; NATO, E.U., U.S. Officials To Speak In Munich Soon; U.S., Ukraine Warn Of Russian False Flag Operations; Olympic Figure Skating Body To Vote On Raising Minimum Competition Age; Omicron Surge Overwhelming Hong Kong Hospitals; Record-Breaking Winds Wreak Havoc Across U.K.; Mariupol Residents Weigh In On Conflict, Potential Invasion. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired February 19, 2022 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello, everyone, I'm Michael Holmes, live from Ukraine.
Russia, pushing back on claims that it has already decided to invade the country. Calling the U.S. President's statement, unsubstantiated and denying any escalation plans against Ukraine.
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And I'm Kim Brunhuber, live from CNN headquarters, in Atlanta. Storm Eunice, wreaking havoc on parts of Europe and especially into the U.K.
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HOLMES: Welcome, everyone.
Russian-backed separatist leaders, in Eastern Ukraine, have announced a, quote, "general military mobilization," amid mounting fears of a conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
It comes one day after the separatist leaders urged women and children to evacuate the region and go to southern Russia. U.S. President, Joe Biden, says that he is convinced that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has made a final decision to invade Ukraine.
Mr. Biden saying, on Friday, the attack will likely come in a matter of days and it is expected to target to Ukraine's capital, Kyiv.
Moscow, responding to the comments in the last few hours, categorically denying Russia is planning to attack. That's according to Russian state media. The Russian foreign ministry, also suggesting, the U.S. is ignoring escalating conflicts in the Donbas region, of Eastern Ukraine.
This, coming as Vladimir Putin prepares for, what could be, Russia's most dramatic show of force yet, a series of military drills later today, where 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, show just how quickly Russian helicopter forces are massing,near Ukraine's eastern border as well, to the south, in Russian held Crimea and one U.S. Defense official telling CNN, nearly half of Russian forces around Ukraine are now in an attack position.
Mr. Biden's comments on Friday, also marking a major escalation in how the White House is speaking, publicly, about the standoff. CNN's Kaitlan Collins, reporting to us, from Washington.
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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.
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HOLMES: The second day of the Munich Security Conference, will soon be getting underway, with the Russia-Ukraine standoff, obviously, at the top of the agenda. A senior Ukrainian official telling CNN, President Volodymyr Zelensky is still, planning on attending.
U.S. officials had, privately, urged him to not leave Ukraine, over fears that Russia would then, falsely, claim that he had fled the country. Leaders at the conference, urging Russia to de-escalate. Germany's foreign minister, setting the tone for the summit, on Friday.
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ANNALENA BAERBOCK, GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): We have to be very careful about the way we frame this crisis. This crisis is not a Ukraine crisis; it is a Russia crisis.
We, therefore, urge Russia to withdraw its troops immediately. The first signals toward this and we have seen this again and again, in recent weeks and days, the first signals were a glimmer of hope.
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BAERBOCK (through translator): But we must now also see actions, not just words, because the Russian threat remains a real one.
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HOLMES: Now we are expecting to hear soon from the NATO secretary- general and E.U. Commission president, when they begin speaking in Munich. Of course, we will bring that to you, live.
Fighting intensifying in the breakaway regions of Eastern Ukraine. But it is not clear who is to blame for the shelling, who is doing what first, as pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian officials trade accusations. Clarissa Ward, with that part of the story.
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CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The not so distant thud of shelling echoes through the city of Donetsk, its origin unknown.
Hours later, a jeep ablaze after an alleged bombing. The separatists say the vehicle belonged to the head of Donbas security. The Ukrainians say it's a staged provocation. The leader of the breakaway region claims that a full- fledged Ukrainian offensive is imminent.
DENIS PUSHILIN, DONETSK PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC: The armed forces of the enemy are in combat formations and are ready for the forceful capture of Donbas. The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, will soon give an order to military to go on the offensive and a plan to invade the territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics.
WARD: It turns out he recorded the video two days ago. It's unclear why it was released now. He urges civilians to leave to escape the onslaught.
And within a few minutes, a video shows children lined up outside an orphanage allegedly to be whisked away to safety in Russia. It all looks very choreograph and as with so much in this crisis very unclear.
The Russian defense ministry says some units are going back to their bases after exercises but evidence on the ground appears to show at least some Russian armor is heading toward Ukraine. This rail convoy of tanks, geolocated by CNN, just miles from the border near the city of Belgorod.
But for now, the Ukrainians are focused less on the border and more on the self-declared republics in the east, worried they will be used to stage some provocation by Russia.
OLEKSIY DANILOV, SECRETARY, NATIONAL SECURITY AND DEFENSE COUNCIL, UKRAINE: There's a great danger that the representatives of the Russian Federation who are there will provoke some certain things. They could do things that have nothing to do with our military.
WARD (voice-over): Clarissa Ward, CNN, Kyiv.
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HOLMES: Now for more, I am joined by Ukrainian journalist Nataliya Gumenyuk in Kyiv.
Thank you very much. President Putin, clearly said, on Friday, that de-escalation would only come when Ukrainian leadership speaks to the leadership of the breakaway regions, Donetsk and Lugansk, about issues of autonomy and so on.
How likely is that to happen?
NATALIYA GUMENYUK, UKRAINIAN JOURNALIST: Good morning. So at this moment, most probably, it is unlikely. The concern is that, indeed, a military action, a real kinetic action, is something which -- what Russia uses during the negotiations. How it was, like seven years ago.
So that could really be a lot of pressure and, if not, it could there would be some attack or something, to give Ukraine another opportunity. So with this, Russia may try, first of all, to pressure the Ukrainian government and wait when it is provoked by something on the ground and change the public opinion in Russia, as well, saying that Ukraine does not want this dialogue.
As well, scaring the West. But the West would push Ukraine like do that.
But there is no this -- idea to try to explain. That would partially mean not really just recognition of the republic but the fact that the military way is the way to change the Ukrainian borders, to accept that that would be normal.
HOLMES: What do you make of the breakaway regions in the Donbas ordering civilians to leave for Russia?
They claim the Ukrainian forces were planning to attack which, of course, the government denied outright. And there's no evidence of that.
What do you believe is happening?
Do you think it could be the catalyst for Russian military action in the eastern part, in the Donbas, to, quote-unquote, "defend Russian people" there?
GUMENYUK: So indeed, for a couple of months and for the last months, we're looking at the Russian troops. But from the way how we have followed what's going on in Russia and how it acts, it is, usually, really creating a mass media pretext for the Russia audience.
Today, according to the polls in Russia, more than 70 percent of Russians do not want to have the war. But these days feel really different.
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GUMENYUK: Really, it is very choreographed. It was all of a sudden. We are trying to be in touch with the people in those territories. They were called on phones, that go -- when we look at it all there, online channels and telegraph channels for Russian media. There is this huge felling that there is something big happening.
And it is started really yesterday. So it does look different. And it feels like that. There is this stage, created for Ukraine to do something. You have been reporting about the shelling.
The (INAUDIBLE) is quite long between the occupied (INAUDIBLE) by Donbas, more than 400 kilometers. And, yes, they (INAUDIBLE) who check there who is shelling. But so far, it looks as if Ukraine should answer. And that is what Russia expects.
The Ukrainian officials, they deny quite strongly; the military staff, the general headquarters. So it feels like everything was really set up for this moment.
HOLMES: Give people a sense of how Ukrainians are feeling about what is happening all around them. Everyone then I speak to, is, perhaps, concerned; no one is frightened. There is almost a confidence in their country. I read an op-ed, where you described it as a doomed optimism. Explain that.
GUMENYUK: So indeed, fear, which is there; of course, people do not want this war. It doesn't mean panic. And for Ukrainians, this issue is not really about the day, the day when we would see the airstrike.
We understand if something starts, it might last for months. So people should be prepared and conserve their energy, as well, even the anxiety is postponing the attack for a day, a day, then it will be tomorrow, the next day. It can also last for a long time.
But the more Ukrainians are growing to resist, just in case, to defend themselves, this is a defense, 57 percent, according to the latest poll. So the idea is that Ukraine should show to Russia that it is unconquerable.
So if the damage would be really big, it's still the idea for Ukraine that it won't be invaded. So that is how I would describe this doomed optimism.
But now, there is quite a tentious (sic) situation, the way what the government should do, because Russia, indeed, wages any kind of provocation from the Ukraine inside. So it's hard to announced the martial law or something like that because that would be used, also, as a pretext.
HOLMES: Right. It's been remarkable to see how the stoicism and defiance of the Ukrainian people here on the ground. I wanted to ask you this.
When we look at the diplomatic efforts, it is Russia and European leaders meeting, Russia and U.S. officials meeting.
Do Ukrainians feel that they have enough say in what is happening around them?
GUMENYUK: We feel there are the constant talks of Ukrainian government with officials, is the Kremlin's desire not to speak to Ukraine, to show its arrogance and despise (sic).
The Ukrainian government called to Kremlin to speak, so it was not (ph). Now Ukraine using this, more seeing this as an opportunity. And because we discussed, I think, a lot of your programming, you told that it's not just about Ukrainians, about changing international order; it is about made up (ph).
So Ukraine isn't really alarmed, because it is not that much about it. Ukraine is just unfortunate to be threatened and to be using the situation. So Ukrainians appreciate the support of the West.
And we see, it is still partially deterring Russia and give this window of opportunity for diplomacy, which Ukrainians, really, really are hoping for.
HOLMES: A terrific analysis. I'm really glad we got to speak with you. Nataliya Gumenyuk in Kyiv, let's talk again soon. Thank you so much.
All right. Let's take it back to Kim Brunhuber now. I'll be back with a lot more from here later, in the hour, as the Munich Security Conference gets up and running and we start to hear from some of the officials on the ground there -- Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, we will bring that to you live. Thank you so much, Michael, we really appreciate it.
Coming up, the international figure skating bodies, considering raising the minimum age to compete, along the doping scandal surrounding a 15-year-old Russian skater. More from Beijing next.
Plus how raging COVID-19 cases are devastating Hong Kong's health care system and pushing back elections. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: The Beijing Olympics may be winding down but there's still plenty of competition as they enter their final weekend. China's skaters are the gold medal favorites in pairs figure skating, 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, following the doping scandal of 15 year-old Kamila Valieva. CNN's Steven Jiang, joins us now, live from Beijing.
Steven, a lot of focus now, not just on Valieva herself but on her sport.
STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER, BEIJING BUREAU: That's right. This is another indication how this doping scandal surrounding Valieva, really, is casting a long shadow, not only on the Olympics but on the sport as a whole.
Now of course, the Russian government has weighed in after IOC president, Thomas Bach, criticized how she was, quote-unquote, treated with "tremendous coldness" by her entourage, after that disastrous performance on Thursday night.
A Kremlin spokesman insisted the, quote-unquote, "tough tactics" that Bach did not like, is the key to victory by Russian athletes. Back to these Beijing games, gusty winds on the mountains where a lot of skiing events are taking place on Saturday, seems to be the biggest news there.
Winds are so wild, not only affecting athletes' performance but forcing the organizers to cancel the alpine skiing team event.
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BRUNHUBER: Australia's two most populous states are easing their COVID rules, as cases decline. Victoria and New South Wales are limiting the restrictions on indoor gatherings. Dance clubs can open, if they use contact tracing apps.
And both states will reduce hotel quarantine times for unvaccinated, international travelers. This comes in advance of the country opening its borders to vaccinated, international tourists, on Monday.
Hong Kong has reported record new COVID-19 infections, driven by an outbreak in the Omicron variant.
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BRUNHUBER: And as CNN's Ivan Watson reports, the surge is overwhelming the city's health care system.
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IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is something I never thought I would see in Hong Kong.
This is the entrance to the emergency room of a hospital, overflowing with patients right now. And, across the street an outdoor, COVID isolation ward. With dozens of patients, laying in hospital beds, in the winter cold.
Hong Kong is counting more than 6,000 new COVID infections a day and that number is, likely, to climb. The city's policy has been that, if you test positive, you need to go to a hospital. Clearly, there is not enough room at this one, for all the COVID patients.
For two years, the Hong Kong government has focused on keeping the virus out of the city. Clearly, not enough work was done on the possibility that COVID-19 could, one day, spread out of control, inside the city.
The city officials have reached out to the Chinese central government for help. It is sending several mobile testing labs and specialists. And there are plans being put together to, possibly, test the city's entire population of more than 7 million people for COVID.
But if the patterns that we have seen in other countries around the world are any indicator, the crisis in Hong Kong is, likely, to get worse, before it gets any better -- Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.
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BRUNHUBER: A powerful wind tears through the U.K. and northwest Europe. We take a look at how the region is dealing with the aftermath and what to expect. That is coming up after the break. Stay with us.
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JERRY DYER, BIG JET TV: Easy, easy, easy, easy. Go on, son. Oh, OK, tippy-toe. Tippy-toe. Yes. Big swing, man. (INAUDIBLE) surely not. Surely not. He's going to do it, he's going to do it. Oh, he is down. Fair play, mate. Fair play.
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): You hear that dramatic commentary on Friday, coming from Jerry Dyer, on his YouTube channel, Big Jet TV. Thousands, tuning into his livestream, to see planes struggling to land at London's Heathrow Airport and high winds brought on by Storm Eunice on Friday.
Parts of the U.K. and northwest Europe, are trying to recover from what is being called one of the worst storms in decades. The hurricane-force winds, causing huge waves along the coasts, uprooting trees and ripping off rooftops.
Joining me now from London's Waterloo Station is CNN's Nada Bashir. Experts predicted it would be bad. And tragically, Eunice seems to
have lived up to its billing.
NADA BASHIR, CNN PRODUCER: We've seen not only immense and severe destruction to infrastructure here in the U.K. but of course, we have seen fatalities, as well, across Europe.
At least nine deaths, now reported as a result of Storm Eunice in Europe. Obviously, we have seen infrastructural damage, too, where those dramatic pictures from London's iconic O2 Arena.
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BASHIR: Part of the roof ripped off as a result of this severe storm weather and high winds, record-breaking wind speeds in some parts of the U.K.
Yesterday, we did have that red alert level, that danger to life alert level. We had warnings from government officials, from lmsk, for people to not to attend, to travel, to stay at home if they could.
We saw severe disruptions to travel, too. We saw in those airport videos and along rail lines across the country, outside of what is, typically, London's busiest train station. Today we're still severe delays and disruptions to travelers.
There's a big warning sign inside, asking travelers not to travel. We've seen trees on tracks, debris from buildings as well and severe destruction across the country.
In Ireland and thousands of households are without power overnight. Across Europe is where we are looking now as parts brace for the incoming storm. It is milder here today, in the U.K.
The weather authority, the Met office here in Britain has said the storm has passed mostly through the U.K. We are now expecting it to hit part of Europe. France already has an amber warning. But the interior minister said that he is prepared to declare a state of emergency in parts of the country, if needed.
And we're seeing the Netherlands and Belgium preparing for severe winds -- Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right, we will keep following that story. Thank you so much, Nada Bashir.
Still ahead, more details on our top story this hour, fears Russia could invade Ukraine, reaching a fever pitch. We are live in Ukraine, next. Stay with us.
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HOLMES: Welcome back, I'm Michael Holmes, coming to you live from lviv, in Western Ukraine.
Right now, we are waiting for the second day of the Munich Security Conference to get underway. The secretary-general of NATO, the president of the European Commission expected to begin speaking, any minute now, actually.
This coming as the drumbeat of war grows increasingly loud in Ukraine. On Friday U.S. President, Joe Biden, said for the first time that he is convinced that Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has decided to invade Ukraine.
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have reason to believe, the Russian forces are planning to and intend to attack, Ukraine, in the coming week, in the coming days. We believe that they will target Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, a city of 2.8 million innocent people.
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HOLMES: The U.S., also saying that Russia is, already, engaging in false flag operations, pointing to this vehicle, that was blown up, Friday, in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk.
U.S. and Ukrainian officials, are both warning that Russia could use false flag operations, to create a pretext for invasion.
And, we have already seen Russian-backed separatists in Eastern Ukraine beginning to evacuate residents to Russia, claiming that a Ukrainian offensive is imminent. Ukraine, obviously, denies that. And there is no evidence of it.
Russia's foreign minister says, it categorically denies Biden's accusations meanwhile, that it is intending to attack. But the Russian public getting plenty of information and misinformation about what it is and what isn't going on in Ukraine.
Former CNN Moscow bureau chief, Jill Dougherty, talks more about the information war, already being fought.
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JILL DOUGHERTY, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY AND WILSON CENTER: Vivid images on Russian TV in almost every newscast, showing pictures of people being evacuated from the Donbas region in the eastern part of Ukraine, into Russia.
Women and children say that they have fear that they would be attacked by Ukraine. But Ukraine saying it has no intention to attack.
Meanwhile, politically, President Putin met with the president of Belarus, Mr. Lukashenko. And, President Putin saying there is a way to solve this, that the kyiv leaders have to sit down with the leaders of the breakaway Donbas region, that they can discuss political, economic, any other issues, that they can solve it.
But Kyiv says, they have no intention of sitting down with those leaders.
Finally, in what could be some very vivid images, coming on Saturday from Moscow, strategic military exercises that Russia will be holding and President Putin will be supervising, in which they will launch missiles, ballistic and cruise missiles.
It is a good indication, a good symbol, that Russia is a nuclear superpower. Then finally, NATO, countering and saying that there is the biggest buildup of military weapons in Europe now since the end of the Cold War, echoing comments by President Biden, saying an attack could come without warning -- Jill Dougherty, Moscow.
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HOLMES: A couple of hours from now, U.S. Vice president, Kamala Harris, will be front and center at the Munich Security Conference at Germany. We will bring that to you, live, of course. She is expected to once again, to emphasize the cost that Russia will face, if it invades Ukraine. CNN's Natasha Bertrand reporting, from Munich.
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NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Vice President Kamala Harris has been expressing a message of support with NATO and European allies, as Russia continues to build up its forces near Ukraine's borders.
And as U.S. officials warn that Russia is taking all of the steps necessary to conduct an invasion on very short order, if that is what Russian president, Vladimir Putin, decides to do.
She has been dispatched here to reiterate that the West is more united than ever, against Russia's threats and against its aggression and that they're willing to act in coordination to impose severe consequences on Russia, if they do, in fact, move to invade.
This is one of the highest stakes tests for the vice president to date, on the international stage because it comes a moment of huge crisis. This is something that could not only threaten Ukraine if Russia invades but also, the international order as we know it.
That is the message that she will be sending during a speech, on Saturday, at the Munich Security Conference. When she meets with Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, also on Saturday, she will be reiterating the U.S. support for Ukraine.
She will be saying that the U.S. stands with Ukraine and reinforce the commitment to Ukraine's territorial sovereignty. Ukraine's president is expected to ask in return, that the U.S. continue to provide weaponry and support, as they do face down this threat from Russia.
Kamala Harris has not been alone here. She is with secretary of state, Antony Blinken, who has been meeting with his foreign counterparts, issuing, very much, the same message of solidarity and of unity, reiterating that severe consequences willl be imposed on Russia, if they make any further moves.
Russia, saying that it's pulling forces back from the border. That has turned out to be a deception, according to U.S. intelligence. They say that was a deliberate lie aimed at drawing the West's and U.S.' atension away from what was happening on Ukraine's borders.
But if anything, that deception has only increased the scrutiny on what Russia is doing, especially since they have continued to build up their forces there. As many as 7,000 havea arrived on the borders in recent days -- Natasha Bertrand, CNN, Munich.
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HOLMES: A potential Russian invasion weighing heavily on the Ukrainian coastal city of Mariupol, near the front lines of the conflict, with those Russian-backed separatists. Fighting has ramped up in Eastern Ukraine in recent but of course it has been going on for years, eight years.
And the city has suffered many, many losses. Alex Marquardt reporting for us now on the toll it has taken on people of Mariupol.
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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)
HOLMES: That will do it from lviv in Ukraine. For now, we are keeping an eye on that Munich Security Conference, expecting some officials to come out and speak. For now, back to Kim Brunhuber in Atlanta -- Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right, thank you so much.
Push comes to shove in Canada, as police try to clear the streets of protesters. What the police chief said about parents putting their kids in the middle of it all. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: 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, it is time for the protesters to move on. CNN's Paula Newton is there.
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: An historic day like no other on the streets of Canada's capital. 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.
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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.
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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.
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BRUNHUBER: The death toll is rising from those devastating landslides, hitting Brazil. At least 130 people have died and hundreds more are still missing, after heavy rains battered an area north of Rio de Janeiro. Stefano Pozzebon, with the details.
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STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Jair Bolsonaro said that the damage caused by heavy floods in the city of Petropolis in the last week looked like that of a war zone.
The president was speaking after flying over the most affected areas in his helicopter. But to the survivors of these tragedies, who are still looking for their loved ones, under the mud, and the critics, who argue the government should do more to protect at risk neighborhoods in the rainy season in Brazil, the president said that their losses were unavoidable and offered hope and prayers.
JAIR BOLSONARO, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Often, we are unable to protect ourselves against what can happen in this 8.5 million square kilometers.
Obviously, it's correct for people to be critical. But this here is a region with a lot of accidents and, unfortunately, we have had other tragedies here. I pray to God that they do not happen again and we will do our part.
POZZEBON (voice-over): According to the latest figures from the civil defense department in Rio de Janeiro, the total death toll of the tragedy has already overtaken 130 victims. And 200 people are still missing.
The Brazilian police told CNN the situation could get worse in the coming hours. So with the Brazilian Meteorological Institute forecasting heavy rains across the area through Saturday evening -- for CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota, Colombia.
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BRUNHUBER: At least 11 people, missing after a fire broke out on a passenger ferry, near the Greek island of Corfu. The Euro Ferry Olympia had 239 passengers and 51 crew on board, when it caught fire in the early hours of Friday. Two are said to be trapped. Most passengers boarded rescue vessels and taken to Corfu.
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BRUNHUBER: Many were shaken by the experience.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I let my wife and kids know what has happened. It is OK, patience, we are OK.
What else can we do? These things happen. We are in the sea and you cannot mess with fire.
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BRUNHUBER: As you can see there, the damage to the ship is extensive. Officials say, the cause is still under investigation.
A cargo ship carrying luxury cars is on fire and adrift in the Atlantic Ocean. The fire broke out in the cargo hold and quickly spread, forcing all 22 crew members to abandon ship. The crew was rescued by the Portuguese air force.
The nearly 700-foot ship was transporting Porsches and Volkswagens from Germany to the United States. It is unclear what caused the fire. The ship's owners have arranged for a tow, as it continues to burn.
Good news for Americans who love avocados. The United States lifted a temporary ban on the imports of the fruit from Mexico. The ban went into effect last week, after a U.S. food inspector received a death threat. CNN's Matt Rivers, with the details.
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MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There is only one state here in Mexico, currently, legally, allowed to export avocados to the United States. That would be the state of Michoacan except for, earlier this, week U.S. authorities, actually temporarily, removed that state's ability to do so, after U.S. authorities said, a U.S. safety inspector, working, here in Mexico, whose job it is to inspect shipments bound for the United States, that one of those inspectors, actually, received what the U.S. called, a credible death threat.
The U.S. official, telling CNN, that that inspector received that death threat after refusing to allow a shipment of avocados to go north to the United States. The U.S. had said that it would reinstate Michoacan's ability to export avocados, once it felt like its inspectors could, safely, do their jobs here in Mexico, without fearing for their lives.
Well, apparently, enough has been done to assuage the U.S. of those concerns with the United States, announcing, on Friday, that after Mexico and specifically, the state of Michoacan announced that they would make a specific amount of security changes and improvements, that the United States would resume inspection operations, which now allows once again the flow of avocados, from Michoacan to the United States.
That is a big deal for a number of economic reasons. The United States consumes billions of dollars worth of avocados each year, the vast majority of which comes from Mexico. Hundreds of thousands of jobs here in, Mexico, relying on that industry, which is now, once again, starting back up.
What this doesn't change, however, is the security situation, in the state of Michoacan. Crime statistics, repeatedly, show that that state is among the most dangerous in Mexico, year over year -- Matt Rivers, CNN, Mexico City.
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BRUNHUBER: The second day of the Munich Security Conference is kicking off, with the Russian-Ukraine standoff, at the top of the agenda. The E.U. Commission president, Ursula van der Leyen is speaking. So, let's in listen here.
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URSULA VAN DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: -- mean in practice: to instill fear and call it security demands; to deny 44 million Ukrainians from deciding freely about their own future; to deny a free country's right to independence and self-determination.
And the consequences of this approach matter well beyond Ukraine. The Kremlin is not only trying to undermine the entire European security architecture, the Helsinki principles that have made all European countries safer, including Russia; it is also violating the U.N. Charter, which states that countries, and I cide, "shall refrain from the threat and use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state," end of citation.
We cannot let this stand. We are facing a blatant attempt to rewrite the rules of the international system. One only has to read the recent communique issued by Russian and Chinese leaders.
They seek a "new era," as they say, to replace the existing international rules. They prefer the rule of the strongest to the rule of law, intimidation instead of self-determination, coercion instead of cooperation.
We still hope that peace will prevail and that diplomacy will take us there. Allow me to address how Europe can support this work.
[03:50:00]
VON DER LEYEN: First, we should be ready to respond. Our European Union, with our transatlantic partners, have been preparing a robust package of financial and economic sanctions, including on energy and cutting-edge technology.
If the Kremlin strikes, we can impose high costs and severe consequences on Moscow's economics interests. The Kremlin's dangerous thinking, which comes straight out of a dark past, may cost Russia a prosperous future.
Second is diversification: a strong European Union cannot be so reliant on an energy supplier that threatens to start a war on our continent. Gazprom, a Russian-owned company, is deliberately trying to store and deliver as little as possible, while prices and demand are skyrocketing. This is a very strange behavior for a company.
We must diversify both our suppliers and our energy sources. And the work is already underway. We have reached out to our partners and friends across the globe. And today, I can say that, even in case of full disruption of gas supply from Russia, we are on the safe side for this winter.
And in the medium and long term, we are doubling down on renewables -- sun, wind, hydro power, green hydrogen -- this will increase Europe's strategic independence for energy.
My third point is supporting democracy in Ukraine: for seven years now, the Russian leadership has tried to destabilize Ukraine -- hybrid war, cyberattacks, disinformation, you name it.
Yet the country is now stronger than seven years ago because it has chosen the path of democracy and the friendship of other democracies.
Think again about the youth of Ukraine, the post-Soviet generation, they know that their democracy is not perfect. But it is perfectible and it is getting stronger year by year. And this is what makes us stand out from autocracies.
Thriving democracies are the autocrats' greatest fear because their propaganda fails, when citizens are empowered by the reporting of independent media and the free exchange of ideas; because free citizens speak truth to power; because trust and confidence are more sustainable than control and coercion.
And this is exactly why Europe is supporting Ukraine's path to democracy. It makes Ukraine a better place to live for its people and a better neighbor, for both the European Union and Russia.
And my fourth and final point is about unity. Since the start of this Kremlin-made crisis, the European Union and the transatlantic community are fully aligned and united. We are supporting Ukraine to withstand the enormous pressure from Moscow.
When the Russian government tried to divide us over and over again, we have responded with one voice and one common message.
And this has been possible also thanks to you, dear Jens. You always pushed us to focus on what we have in common.
You have shown that the European Union and NATO stand side by side, not only because we share members and allies but because we share values; that is independence, respect for human rights, freedom and democracy, the very values that are at stake in this crisis.
And this is why it makes me very proud and happy to announce that you are this year's Kleist award winner. You have come a long way to reach this high office. When you were young, you were the head of the Young Socialists in Norway, an organization that, at the time, was certainly not known to be a strong supporter of NATO, not at all.
[03:55:00]
VON DER LEYEN: But young Jens used his charm and his leadership --
BRUNHUBER: And we're listening there to the European Commission president, Ursula van der Leyen, addressing the Munich Security Conference, accusing Russia of trying to rewrite the international order to that.
She said we cannot let this stand. But she also said she hopes diplomacy will prevail. She also addressed the threat of energy insecurity, that might be caused by Russia cutting vital gas supplies to Europe.
She said we are on the safe side for this winter and she addressed the growing move toward democracy in Ukraine, that she says Russia wants to extinguish. She said that is why Europe is supporting Ukraine's path toward democracy. Want to bring in CNN international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, joining me from Moscow.
Nic, what stood out for you from what she said?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: I think that very clear message that the sanctions will be on Russia, including the energy sector. Certainly, there are questions about that and concerns over division among the Europeans over this.
She made it clear that was going to happen. She made it clear that it was not possible in the long term that the European Union could be so reliant on a country that threatens war on it, so reliant on energy.
She also made that very important point that she believes Europe is on the safe side of energy this winter; of course, that a concern for leaderships, as they weigh the moods in their countries in Europe about the potential outfall, if Russia invades, if sanctions are imposed, if Russia responds with retaliatory actions, to throttle back gas supplies to Europe even further.
She indicated that Europe would be OK. She said it won't be perfect but on the safe side, this winter.
But I do think that, strategically, what she is saying, that the United States has been wanting to hear, that Europe cannot be dependent in the future, on Russia, for energy supplies, because it is threatening war. And the point you made about democracy, cooperation, not coercion, she said, is the way forward.
BRUNHUBER: Absolutely. And the message of unity within NATO, coming out very strong. We expect to hear that message repeated by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who is meant to address the conference in about an hour or so.
And we'll bring that to you live when it happens. Nic Robertson, thank you so much.
We have to go but we will have more news coming up at the top of the hour, here on CNN NEWSROOM.
