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White House: Biden Agrees in Principle to Putin Summit; Sources: U.S. Intel Shows Russia Readying for Invasion; Belarusian Official: Joint Drills with Russia Extended; Britain's Queen Elizabeth Tests Positive for COVID-19; Temperatures Will Drop Dramatically Across Much of U.S. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired February 21, 2022 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes in Lviv, Ukraine.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rosemary Church live at the CNN center in Atlanta. Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: We may be moving "X"s or "O"s around the field right now militarily. But it seems like he's using the same old playbook.

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Russia general has a pretty good idea of what we're going to do. But we don't want to layout the specifics in advance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now for Russia to play or April fool, we're not going to do it, I think we're past that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: U.S. President Biden agrees to a conditional summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin, but the Kremlin says there are no concrete plans and intelligence sources offer a dire warning about Russia's intentions.

CHURCH: Plus, Britain's Queen Elizabeth tests positive for COVID-19. We are live outside Windsor Castle with the latest.

And a winter storm will plunge much of the U.S. into arctic-like conditions, bringing freezing air and snow across the country. What you can expect as you begin this workweek.

HOLMES: Welcome, everyone. We begin with a flurry of last-minute diplomacy for a peaceful resolution in Ukraine. On Sunday U.S. President Joe Biden agreed in principle to a summit with the Russian President Vladimir Putin. But the White House says that will only go forward if Russia, of course, does not further invade Ukraine in the interim. And the Kremlin has just weighed in saying there are, quote, no

concrete plans for a meeting. Now, this was all proposed by the French President Emmanuel Macron, and officials say further details will be hashed out when the U.S. Secretary of State meets with his Russian counterpart on Thursday.

Mr. Biden also held a meeting with his National Security Council Sunday to discuss the crisis. The White House says diplomacy is still on the table, but the U.S. is ready to respond with sanctions if Russia, quote, chooses war. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIRBY: He has not conducted yet another invasion in Ukraine yet, and we want to get -- we still think there is' time to prevent that. So, it's supposed to be a deterrent if you punish somebody something for what they haven't done yet, then they might as well just go ahead and do it. So, we're hold that in abeyance and were hoping that that could affect the calculus of Mr. Putin.

BLINKEN: While we believe President Putin has made the decision, that the die is cast, until that die actually settles and until the tanks are actually moving. The planes are actually flying. The bombs are actually dropping. We're going to do everything we can with diplomacy and what deterrence and dissuasion to get President Putin to reverse the decision that we believe he's made, and part of that is making very clear what he risks in terms of sanctions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Meanwhile, new satellite images show increased activity among Russian forces massed near Ukraine's northeastern border. And the Belarusian defense ministry says joint military drills between Russia and Belarus that were supposed to end on Sunday, well they've now been extended. And we are also learning that the U.S. has intelligence indicating Russian commanders have received ordered to proceed with an attack on Ukraine, but it's unclear when. That's according to several officials who spoke with CNN. Well, here's how the U.S. Secretary of Defense says an invasion might play out.

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LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: You could see a significant amount of combat power move very quickly to take Kyiv. So, in terms of the types of things that could happen, one only need to look at what's on the other side of the Ukrainian border. If he employs that kind of combat power, it will certainly create enormous casualties within a civilian population.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Also, Ukraine says this video shows Russian-backed separatists launching fire against their own territory in an attempt to falsely accuse Ukraine's armed forces of carrying out such an attack. Now, CNN has reporters fanned out across the globe covering every angle of this story. CNN's Arlette Saenz is in Washington with the latest there. Nick Paton Walsh will join me a little later here in Lviv with more on Ukraine's separatists.

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Our Fred Pleitgen is in Moscow. Scott McLean in Brussels we are EU foreign ministers are gathering to discuss the crisis. And Sam Kiley is in Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine. Let's go to Fred Pleitgen in Moscow first. And, Fred, so we've heard a little bit from the Kremlin about this proposed summit. What's your interpretation?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly it doesn't seem as though Dimitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Kremlin, whom we actually just got off the phone with, with that regular conference call that he has with reporters. He wasn't pouring cold water on the idea of a summit. But he did say that it isn't something that's currently in concrete planning.

It was quite interesting to see because he essentially said that Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron on their call that they held yesterday decided that negotiations were supposed to continue on the ministers level. So, we're talking about French foreign minister and the Russian foreign minister speaking. And then of course on Thursday Secretary of State Blinken speaking to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. So, that level is definitely continuing and is going to go on.

But he said right now there is no concrete plans yet for a summit between President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin. But he also said that something like that could be initiated very quickly. He said whether or not it's in-person or whether or not it's over the phone or some sort of video conference, that is something that the heads of state would obviously decide as well. But he did say something like that could be initiated very quickly.

The Kremlin also saying, Michael, by the way, that Vladimir Putin is about to chair a meeting of the Russian security council, a large meeting of the Russian security council, and he did say that that was a meeting that was not scheduled. So, we're looking to hear from that what Vladimir Putin could be saying in that meeting. Certainly, something that is very, very important to hear in Russia as the situation in Donbas continues to escalate. And obviously the United States says that its seeing increased activity by those Russian forces that are amassed around Ukraine -- Michael.

HOLMES: All right, Fred Pleitgen there in Moscow, appreciate it. Sam Kiley speaking of Donbas in that region, you're in Kharkiv. There's been a lot of activity there, a lot of firing. The Ukrainians say that the separatists are firing on themselves to try to provoke things. Give us a lay of the land where you are.

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, here in Kharkiv we're about 25 miles from the Russian border, a few miles beyond that, we're seeing a continued increase in the Russian presence. Not that that's causing any significant conniptions here in Kharkiv. The second biggest city in Ukraine. Very much the center of its intellectual life. And yesterday, Michael, I was down very close to the frontline where there was sporadic shelling. There were eight significant detonations in the time. We were in a little village called New York, believe it or not, right on the front line on a street called Slavianska (ph) Street, the end of which gives way to the rebel-held area, and the chemical plants of Horlivka.

But locals there were saying that whilst there had been an uptick in the amount of shelling, it wasn't as bad as they had seen in the worst days of 2014, 2015. And I think the real story here about all of these briefings coming out of the United States is the Ukrainians will say, well, western intelligence was mendacious over Iraq, incompetent over Afghanistan. So, why should we believe these doomsday scenarios that are coming out of the United States and the United Kingdom when it's already having a deleterious effect on the economy? But here in Kharkiv people are going about their daily business as if almost nothing were happening -- Michael.

HOLMES: Yes, very similar here in Lviv as well. Sam Kiley, appreciate that there in Kharkiv. Let's go to Scott McLean in Brussels. EU foreign ministers meeting there. What's on the agenda, what might we expect to see?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Michael, Yes, so those European foreign minute ministers are as we speak meeting with the Ukrainian foreign minister to try to get a better sense of the situation on the ground and what Ukraine actually needs. Now one of the issues that has already been determined according to EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell, and that sanctions, the package of sanctions that the EU is proposing has already been determined at this stage.

Now you heard there earlier from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky saying that, look, if the West is so, so certain that Russia is going to invade Ukraine, there should be no need to wait to put those sanctions in place. The European -- or Josep Borrell was asked about that, why sanctions aren't being put in place sooner this morning and here's what he said.

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JOSEP BORRELL, EU HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS: I would call for that extraordinary meeting of the council, and I will present the sanctions at the right moment. And it is the council who takes this decision under my proposal. We are ready to do that when the moment comes.

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And I hope, and we are working for the moment will not come.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCLEAN: So again, just to clarify, that package of sanctions would still need to be approved by all 27 EU member nations, though Borrell says he is confident it would pass. Now, the Ukrainian President's other points is that, look, the West should be making public the content of the sanctions so Russia knows exactly what is coming. So far, they've been quite vague.

Though last night the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on German television that Russia would, in principle, be cut off from the international financial markets.

Now, the EU today is, of course, keen to show solidarity amongst its ranks in the face of what it describes as Russian aggression, but, of course, there are cracks. And the one big area where those cracks are most noticeable is on energy policy, and that is not surprising because Europe depends heavily on gas and energy coming from Russia. Even on Friday, the Italian Prime Minister said that sanction should not target Russia's energy sector for that exact reason.

Europe, though, is trying to correct the situation as quickly as possible. Today on the agenda for this afternoon, there will be a meeting with European foreign ministers and also with the Saudi foreign minister and other Gulf officials to try to ramp up energy production in the Gulf and get it to Europe as quickly as possible.

HOLMES: Yes, I appreciate it. Scott, thanks. Scott McLean, Sam Kiley, Fred Pleitgen, appreciate it. Thanks to you all.

And joining me now from Geneva is Neil Melvin, who's director of international security studies at the Royal United Services Institute. Great to have you with us. There's an interesting aspect to all of this I wanted to talk to you about. That announcement, the Russian troops would continue to stay at least for now in Belarus. How big of a deal would it be if those Russian troops stayed full stop effectively in definite forward operating bases for Russia on Ukraine's northern border?

NEAL MELVIN, DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL SECURITY STUDIES, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE: Thanks Michael, that's a great question. I mean, it's a really big issue almost unnoticed what's happened under the guise of this military exercise which shows it has begun to incorporate Belarus militarily and in fact permanently into Russia's security space. So now we're looking at 30,000 Russian troops which are on the Belarusian territory. From there, of course, they would be able to threaten not just Ukraine, but also central Europe and the Baltic states, NATO member states. And we may also see Russian infrastructure, military infrastructure, such as airports and fixed facilities being established there in the future.

HOLMES: Yes, which is pretty worrying. It's interesting, too because for years the Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, he's kind of played off East and West for his own political gain, and he really did at one point resist the idea of hosting a permanent Russian military presence. Why the change of calculus, do you think?

MELVIN: Well, you're right. I mean, President Lukashenko has been Wiley fox of East European politics. He's been in power since 1994. And he's managed to sort of shift between East and West, balancing and playing off U.S. and Europe against Moscow.

What happened was finally the opposition challenged him in 2020, and he sort of imposed his power only effectively back on top of Belarusian society with the help of Russia. So now he's really traded Belarusian sovereignty for Russian political and security support. And so, he has now look to Moscow and President Putin to stay in power. And the cost of that, of course, is that Russia is now looking to station troops permanently on Belarusian territory.

HOLMES: How much of a wild card is Lukashenko in general in the region in terms of European security? Or is he effectively now, because, you know, there's been a quid pro quo, is he effectively just a Putin puppet now?

MELVIN: Well, I think it's increasingly the latter. As I say, he was able to effectively maneuver for decades between Russia and the West, even though he had this thing called the union state with Russia. But that never really had much substance. Now what we're seeing is Russia step-by-step exerting its influence across Belarus, even though Lukashenko would like to stay in power for many years. And there's a constitutional reform that's going to take place later or a vote anyway but likely lead to the reform, take place later this month to keep him in power into the 2030s. Increasing, I think, is a proxy now for Russia and has very little room to maneuver.

HOLMES: Yes, you raise an interesting point the sort of constitutional referendum or looking at that's why the response of 27th I think. Now, the proposed amendments are interesting.

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They would remove language about the country's military neutrality and its obligation to remain free of nuclear weapons. That's pretty serious change. Could that set the stage for Russia to station nuclear missiles on NATO's doorstep?

MELVIN: They absolutely -- Belarus has effectively operated as a buffer between NATO and Russia, and that has been a stabilizing factor. Now we see -- well, first of all, the presence of Russian forces, already Russia has dual use of military forces in Belarus. These are weapon systems that could be used conventionally or with nuclear war heads. On Thursday last week Lukashenko said that he was prepared to see Belarus stationing nuclear weapons on its territory.

So, of course, this would be a real ramping up of the confrontation between Russia and NATO. And effectively would ensue Belarus incorporated into that as part of a Russian group of countries as almost a sort of a confrontational military alliance like we used to see between the Warsaw Pact and NATO during the Cold War era.

HOLMES: It's a fascinating worrying aspect of all of this. Neil Melvin, great to get your expertise on all this. We'll see how that one unfolds. Appreciate it.

MELVIN: Thanks a lot.

HOLMES: All right, well fearing an imminent attack from Russia, four airlines have canceled flights out of Kyiv through the end of February. KLM was the first to announce that measure, and that happened earlier this month. But now Lufthansa, Austrian and Swiss Airlines have adjusted their schedules as well. Swiss Airline said the safety of their passengers and crew is their top priority. The airlines say they will monitor the situation and make decisions or adjustments to scheduled flights at the end of the month. All right, let's take it back now to Atlanta and Rosemary Church. I'll

see you a bit later, Rosie.

CHURCH: All right, we'll see you then. Thanks so much, Michael.

Arctic-like temperatures will hit parts of the U.S. this week. We will get the latest details from the CNN Weather Center. That's ahead.

But first, an update on the British monarch after Buckingham Palace announces the Queen tested positive for COVID-19. We're live in Windsor next.

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CHURCH: Britain's Queen Elizabeth is said to be experiencing mild symptoms after testing positive or COVID-19. And Buckingham Palace says the 95-year-old monarch plans to continue light duties this week, according to U.K. media, she is fully vaccinated.

CNN's Anna Stewart joins us now from Windsor with the very latest. Good morning to you, Anna. So, what more are you learning about how the Queen is coping with her mild symptoms? And of course, what are doctors saying about her recovery?

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: So, we've had no update this morning, Rosemary, on the Queen's health. But yesterday as you said, we had the news that she had COVID. It was mild and cold-like symptoms she is experiencing. And we also got a statement from the palace saying that she was receiving or will continue to receive medical attention.

Now, she has a whole team of physicians who work within the royal household. The idea this medical attention perhaps that may suggest she is receiving antiviral drugs. But we really don't know. And actually, I don't expect or hear very much at all unless her condition significantly worsens. And that's because we're really not getting what the palace has called a running commentary on the Queen's health.

A few months ago, in October she did fall rather unwell. She was in the hospital overnight undergoing some testing. We're not quite sure what for. And she did take quite a lot of time off various events. She had to cancel a few in order to have some rest. So, her health hasn't been great. Unsurprising given she is 95 years old. She'll turn 96 in a couple of months.

And as you said, she is still going to work. She's planning to take on light duties over the coming days and weeks. It's hoped, of course, this will be the case, that her condition won't worsen and she's going to be very well. We do believe she is triple vaccinated. But again, while we knew about the first vaccine she had with Prince Philip at the beginning of last year, we were never updated about a second or third jab. But she is believed to be fully vaccinated. But from the palace we're getting very tight-lipped response in terms of her health, just really everyone hoping that she remains well -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: Of course. A lot of concern on the streets there. Anna Stewart joining us live from London. Many thanks for that.

Well, millions of Americans are under a winter weather alert across the U.S., and it could plunge them into arctic-like conditions. Meteorologist Karen Maginnis joins me live with the forecast. Good to see you, Karen. So, which states need to prepare for these freezing temperatures and what's behind this polar plunge?

KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We are looking at an arctic deep freeze, unlike what we have seen in recent months, anyway. This arctic air is going to fall behind a frontal system that is dipping towards the South. As some of these temperatures for the daytime along the U.S./Canada border are going to remain below zero for several days. Wind chill factors, minus 30 degrees. You see that cold air goes all the way down towards Oklahoma. With the exception of the extremely cold temperatures in the deep South, I'll explain the reason why coming up in just one second.

Well, here comes one frontal system. There was a blast of arctic air on the backside of this. Even in Southern California, they're saying that this may be some of the coldest air that they have seen all season. And the snow levels in Los Angeles county for the mountains, they're going to be dropping down to around 2,000 feet. They're sitting at about 4,000 feet right now.

Just want to point out, Kansas City, 71 degrees expected on Monday. But that temperature slides down very quickly. And by Wednesday, the high is only going to be 27. Now, neither one of those temperatures is normal. It shouldn't be 71 degrees, and it shouldn't be 27. It should be around 46. But all of these cities all around the Central U.S., those temperatures really going to be dropping.

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The wind is going to be picking up, so that makes it feel a whole lot colder than it would typically feel.

All right. Oklahoma city, 74, the expected high on Monday. Atlanta 50, but Minot's already seen that artic air move in. It's -7 forecast.

All right, I told you about the rare exception across the deep South. This is where we're looking at out ahead of the frontal system, the warm air. We get the return moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. And as a result, could see some thunderstorms. 21 million people all the way from Dallas to Little Rock to Memphis to Springfield, Missouri, this is where we could see the potential for tornadoes, some high winds, potential for some hail. Then this shifts a little bit towards the East.

So, this is going to be kind of a long duration event. Not just as far as the wind and the cold air is concerned, but also as far as the rainfall is concerned. We could see the potential for flash flooding as well.

All right. Got to mention New York City. Mild, mild, mild next couple of days. Here comes the rainfall. And then those temperatures plunge into the 30s. So, you just can't predict it this time of year. It's topsy-turvy.

CHURCH: Unbelievable those temperatures. Karen Maginnis, many thanks for bringing us up to date on what we can expect. Appreciate it.

Well, rescue operations are ongoing in Brazil, but the death toll is rising after the deadly landslides north of Rio de Janeiro last Tuesday. The number of fatalities rose slightly on Sunday to 157. More than 150 people are still missing and hundreds have lost their homes or been displaced. The rainfall total in the area Tuesday afternoon alone was higher than the historic average for the entire month of February.

Northern Argentina is being devastated by ongoing wildfires. Officials say over a million acres or nearly 405 hectares have been scorched already. Experts blame an historic drought and two years of high temperatures. Local authorities have declared a state of emergency and have dispatched hydrant planes to combat the fires.

Canadian authorities have frozen the assets of individuals and companies believed to be involved with the protests in Ottawa. Police say they have frozen hundreds of bank accounts, bitcoin addresses, and a payment processing account valued at nearly $4 million. Two incidents involving police and protesters are also under investigation following this weekend's events. Ontario's special investigation unit is looking into a serious injury reported by a woman who interacted with a police officer on a horse. The group is also investigating the use of anti-riot weapons during the protests. No injuries have been reported so far, but the special investigation unit is asking anyone who may have been hit by a projectile to contact them.

And coming up, tensions are escalating in parts of eastern Ukraine where separatist leaders are urging people to evacuate. The latest in a live report just ahead.

Plus, how Ukraine's economy has already been damaged by the impact of this prolonged crisis. We'll have the details for you after this short break. Stay with us.

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