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Putin Launches War In Europe With Large-Scale Invasion Of Ukraine; Biden Issues More "Severe" Sanctions After Russia Invades Ukraine; Ukraine's Orphans, Special Needs Children Evacuated Aboard Trains; U.S. Sanctions Four More Major Russian Banks Amid Invasion; . Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired February 24, 2022 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Erin Burnett in Lviv, Ukraine. Russia's large-scale invasion of this country remains in full effect. The onslaught is continuing. Ukraine officials now say at least 57 people have died, dozens more are injured, combat and noncombat. But I do want to emphasize we have no idea what the real numbers are. No one has any idea what the real numbers are.

Earlier today Russian troops seized the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. As Russia continues to swarm the region with missile launches of all sorts, mostly short range, also medium, long-range cruise missiles, all of them were involved in the onslaught last night.

Fearful Ukrainian citizens are fleeing west to Poland and other parts of this country. Those who can't have flooded subway stations that have turned into local bomb shelters. Our Clarissa War has seen that in Kharkiv.

President Biden today outlining new sanctions including blocking major Russian banks from the U.S. financial system. Meanwhile, the international community has condemned the invasions saying Putin's actions cannot go unpunished.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN SECRETARY GENERAL: We have seen Russian military operations inside the sovereign territory of Ukraine on a scale that Europe has not seen in decades. Day after day I've been clear that such unilateral measures conflict directly with the United Nations charter. It is are wrong. It is against the charter. It is unacceptable but it is not irreversible. I repeat my appeal from last night to President Putin, stop the military operation. Bring the troops back to Russia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: With me now is CNN contributor Jill Dougherty. She is the former CNN Moscow bureau chief and she is live in Moscow tonight. Also, with me retired Army Major Mike Lyons and CNN chief political analyst Gloria Borger. Let me start with you, Jill, and what you're seeing. The sanctions that came out, they are robust. They are serious.

The president calls them profound. We don't yet know all the individuals on them and we do know they can still go further. They know they didn't completely isolate Russia, for example, from the SWIFT banking system because Europe wasn't fully on board. So, we know they're tougher. We don't know how tough they'll be. The question for you, Jill, is, is president Putin prepared for this? Is this exactly what he expected or is he at all caught off guard?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I don't think he's caught off guard. Maybe he doesn't know every single part of this but he knew some draconian steps were going to be taken. Now, you could actually say that he's preparing for this for a long time. You know, he has that massive fund of about $620, $630 billion. He's been, in terms of the even previous sanctions, he's been protecting the people close to him, the elites, with money that has flowed. This kind of slush fund for big businesses here in Russia that are close to the president.

And you know right now, he actually had a meeting today with Russian business people and he made that argument this goes way beyond Ukraine and that it was an existential threat for Russia. He said -- the quote is amazing -- it's hard to comprehend how our country could have continued to exist.

Now you ask yourself could Ukraine be that threat. No, he's talking about NATO but what he's saying to those business people was there will be some, you know, damage and effect on the economy but you have to be patriotic and you have to support this mission. And a lot of them, you know, are getting money because they have these counter sanctions and help for big businesses that are close to the Kremlin.

So, Major Lyons, what were seen on the ground of course is that, you know, Putin, to whatever extent he was prepared for what he got, he is full steam ahead with what he is doing in Ukraine. And it's unclear at this point exactly what his mission is.

[15:35:00]

So, if you don't know what the mission is, you don't know what the mission accomplished is. And all guesses of what that mission is, whether it was some people thought oh, just say Ukraine will never be in NATO. Obviously, that wasn't it. The Donbas, obviously that wasn't it. So Major, when you look at what he is doing militarily right now with missiles across the country, the fear tonight there will be more across his country, and tanks pouring in and there is fighting going on in many parts of this country tonight, what do you think the mission is?

MAJ. MIKE LYONS, U.S. ARMY (RET.): So, Erin, you mention those casualties. You're going to have those in these kinds of conflicts. But I've actually not seen the shock and awe that I expected. All we've really seen are the strategic weapons. These are the missiles that are coming from well inside of Russia and not necessarily the tactical artillery. So, he's not -- he's shown some level of, believe it or not, constraint. And that's what I'm looking for from these tactical units. And perhaps maybe that's his intent. He's trying to I think get Kyiv

to surrender. He's got the airstrip -- one of the air strips there to the north we thought. We saw the video of the airborne soldiers there. But I think that he's got to bring troops, and when he brings them closer to the capital, they have to show constraint. Because if they're, you know, violate civilian norms and destroy civilian buildings and have tremendous amount of civilian casualties that's just not going to go over very well.

You know, this is a military that did this in Syria. We didn't really see what they were up to but they were unbounded. We got to remember they're invaders too. They are not liberators. So again, they're going to do whatever the it takes to accomplish the mission. And I do believe that mission is the downfall of Kyiv and the overthrow of the government.

BURNETT: Right, the overthrow of the government which, you know, at least let's just say initially with definition I mean taking over the entire country.

Gloria Borger, does the Biden administration accept -- I don't mean that they are OK with it -- do they accept this is the outcome that they're going to get? Because right now, the only thing standing between them and that outcome, if that's what Putin wants, is sanctions, but Putin fully expects.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: I don't think they accept anything yet. I think what they're doing from talking to an administration source is letting this play out. And so far, they believe that it's playing out the way they thought it was going to play out. They were telling us in real time giving us intelligence. Telling us what Putin was ready to do and when he was ready to do it and that played out pretty well.

I think what they're sort of focusing on right now is keeping the allies onboard. Showing strength through unity because that's what they believe Putin is going to respond to. And so, you cannot -- you know, the president was asked about India today. And he said, well you know, we're having some conversations with India. And so, the president is really trying to keep NATO together, keep the democracies of the world together against Putin and isolate him even further.

And one other thing, Erin, I think they know they have to do, and maybe they'll do it in the State of the Union speech next week. They have to explain to the American people why this is so important. Why it's so important to preserve democracy around the world. And they know that Americans are going to suffer as a result of this and the president has to explain why that's important because you have a Republican chorus out there saying it isn't important.

BURNETT: So, Jill, in terms of what you're seeing in Moscow, obviously it's very early and these are just the initial shocked reactions. So, I'm not asking you to tell us how it will go all the way along, but you had the market went down by 33 percent. It had been down by 50. Most regular Russians do own stocks of course. But most regular Russians do own part of Russian debt. So, they're exposed to that. The big Russian banks that every Russian

deals with like say Spur bank have not yet been impacted. But there are fears about the currency. So, when you're there, you're waking up, you're coming in this morning, what was the reaction? Were people worried? Were they worried about their money? Is there kind of that fundamental gut-wrenching concern that could end up causing deep civilian anger and frustration at their government?

DOUGHERTY: You know, that's a little hard to judge. But I can tell you Russians may not have stocks or a lot of them don't, but they do watch the course of the dollar against the ruble and the ruble has been sinking precipitously. In fact, I think President Biden mentioned that it's at its lowest level ever, and that is really significant for Russians. And on that level, I think they are worried.

And also, I think it's important -- you know, there's not a lot of pushback but the Kremlin is definitely in full bore trying to justify this, and you do have a few protests. There have been about 900 to 1,000 people who have been picked up by the police as they came out on the streets approximately 50 cities across Russia, small numbers.

[15:40:00]

But there are people here who really don't support this. They just don't feel they have any type of voice and they are on the streets right now.

BURNETT: All right, thank you all very much. Jill Dougherty, Major Mike Lyons and our own Gloria Borger. We appreciate all of you. And Victor and Alisyn, back to you.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: All right, Erin, thank you. This is, you know, an uncertain future for Ukrainians who are wondering how and when this invasion will end. We're going to speak with the owner of an orphanage in Ukraine who is worried that the children in their care will be cut off from food.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:45:00]

BLACKWELL: Our reporters in Ukraine have brought us the stories of people taking shelter in train stations that have now been used as bomb shelters potentially. A lot of people are worried about what's next. And consider this, there are orphans and disabled children and those with special needs some put on trains now headed West toward Lviv.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: So, joining us with more. We have Mark Edwards Davis. He runs two orphanages in Ukraine for the nonprofit Abundance International. So, Mark, it's hard to overstate how dire the situation is for you right now. So, can you tell us where you are? How many children you're caring for and what your biggest fear is right now?

MARK EDWARDS DAVIS, FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR, ABUNDANCE INTERNATIONAL: Sure, Alisyn and Victor, so great to have this opportunity. Thanks so much. I am in Mykolaiv, Ukraine. And if you are looking at a map, you're coming from the Crimea area and coming north as the soldiers and tanks are coming to Odessa, we're right in the middle. And, in fact, I've been receiving calls just in the last hour from neighbors of mine that says they're here, the tanks are on the streets, don't go outside. So, it's that real and interface.

I've been working with two orphanages we've been supporting for a decade and providing really almost everything they need. The state government doesn't provide enough and we've done rehabilitation centers, food, so many things the kids just deserve a good start in life. And it's been a rewarding work. But now there's a chance of death, and we have to fix this.

BLACKWELL: How many children are you talking about? And I understand that your concern is obviously life and limb but also access to food.

DAVIS: Yes. In this case the orphanage in Mykolaiv is about 140 kids and to run it 24 hours a day, there's about 370 volunteers and workers. In Kherson is about 60 kids. And we just take care of the kids that are from birth until 4 years old, not the ones that are in the school aged. We want them to get a healthy start and to get a good stretch on life.

Right now, the issue we're going to come up against is not only has the COVID limited what they were getting anyway, but now I'm really truly afraid that the government as it does a shift, who's going to be in charge of the department that continues getting checks to support the orphanages. Now I have just this group of maybe 300, 400 total kids in this thing. There are 100,000 orphans in Ukraine in hundreds of facilities.

I was very inspired to say we need to reach out to do more. And I appreciate this opportunity. People go to abundanceinternational.org and please give whatever you can. And as reached out to really expand what we do as an operation with a business consultant Adam Lyons at Smart Blueprint, we're ready to help now to go out and make a difference and really try to save these kids' lives.

But Mark, what's the plan? You say tanks are there where you are. Russian troops. What's your plan?

DAVIS: Well, it's an interesting hybrid. Because truly today we've been going to grocery stores. And there's some of the ones. There's one over here called Metro. It's kind of like a Costco-sized food empire. And there are ways for us to get food. We can and the stores seem to be open and right now I'm talking on the internet, cell phones seem to be still working, cash registers are working so I can use the company card to go ahead and buy what we need and drive it over there. And I don't believe the harassment has been to civilians and especially if we're on a mission for these orphans. I don't believe we will be harass harassed. We can get them what they need. But it certainly has got to move very quickly.

BLACKWELL: Yes, you mentioned there are what, 100,000 orphans, you say, in Ukraine. We know that after the 2014 invasion there were 1.5 million people in Ukraine who were displaced across the country.

CAMEROTA: We're already seeing.

BLACKWELL: And we're already seeing that there are people that are heading to -- Scott McLean is there at the Polish border as people are trying to leave.

CAMEROTA: Mark, listen --

DAVIS: It's true. It's really hard.

CAMEROTA: I'm sorry we have so much breaking news. We have your -- it's abundanceinternational.org.

DAVIS: It's international.org. Yes, please.

CAMEROTA: Got it. Mark, best of luck to you, we will check back with you. You are doing God's work obviously.

DAVIS: Alisyn, Victor thank you.

CAMEROTA: Yes, thanks, Mark.

BLACKWELL: Thank you, Mark.

And of course, you can find ways that you can provide help, humanitarian aid in Ukraine. Just go to CNN.com/impact. We'll be right back.

[15:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The effect will be immediate on Russia, and we will continue as we have from the very beginning to work with our allies and our partners around the world. We are unified in our position on this, and in our reaction to this unjustified, unprovoked attack on a sovereign nation. Thank you.

CAMEROTA: All right, that was Vice President Harris just addressing the sanctions announced after the Russian invasion.

BLACKWELL: Joining us now is the former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine and current research fellow at Stanford University, Steven Pifer. Mr. Ambassador, thank you for your time. So, before the announcement of this new tranche of sanctions, you were very critical. You said that there should be more. Unload everything on the Russians. Are you satisfy with what you heard from the president this afternoon?

STEVEN PIFER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: Yes. I think the administration and our partners and allies in Europe and also in Asia have now hit the Russians with very severe sanctions. And it reflects a lot of work that the administration has been doing over the last two months to get agreement on these sanctions.

CAMEROTA: But why not sanction Putin specifically himself? Why isn't that happening?

PIFER: There may be a question about doing it because it's a head of state and it also may be difficult tracking down exactly what assets he has. I mean, to the extent that he has funds and other assets, which I believe he does, he probably has them hidden in very careful ways so it may be difficult to find out exactly what belongs to him.

BLACKWELL: You know, what we heard from the president that he hadn't had any conversations with Vladimir Putin. As former ambassador, in a diplomatic space how does the U.S., how does the world get back to that place with Vladimir Putin? It likely won't happen in the near term, but what's the path back?

[15:55:00]

PIFER: That's a good question, Victor. I think it's been evident now that Moscow is not really interested in serious diplomacy. There were diplomatic off-ramps that Washington offered, that NATO offered six weeks ago and the Russians just brushed them aside. So, there will be a place for diplomacy, I hope at some point, but it may be a while. And there has to be an indication first and foremost that the Russians are moving to de-escalate this crisis before you can really have a serious conversation.

CAMEROTA: Yes, we're seeing the opposite, obviously, of Russia escalating and sanctions haven't seemed to have been a deterrent. And one of the things that we've learned over the past week is that Putin has spent years amassing this rainy-day fund, upwards of $630 billion that inoculates his wealth and the wealth of the inner circle, the other oligarchs. And so, do you think that they'll really be hurt by these new sanctions?

PIFER: No, I think the funds that he has built up inoculate Russia in some ways but not in all ways. And the fact that the United States and the European Union are now hitting the ten largest financial institutions in Russia, the export control sanctions that will go into effect, I think they will exact real pain.

Now, at the end of the day are they going to coerce Mr. Putin into withdrawing from Ukraine? Probably not. But I would still argue that even if the sanctions fail to deter him or can't coerce him to leave, it still is important that they be punitive because the outside world has to signal to Moscow that this unprovoked, unjustified attack on a country in the 21st century is simply not acceptable.

BLACKWELL: All right, Ambassador Steven Pifer, thank you so much.

So, it's unclear if Western sanctions will stop Russia from further invading Ukraine. We've heard from many analysts they don't believe that they will, but they're working to bring back the markets from the brink.

So, let's bring in CNN's Matt Egan. So Matt, how is this affecting markets and oil and everything today?

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, markets have been on just a roller coaster ride. Within minutes of this invasion starting, we saw stock futures tumble, oil prices spike. But they've both reversed. As you can see the Dow is actually up 100 points. It's basically closing about 1,000 points higher than its worst point of the day.

CAMEROTA: Is that after President Biden's speech? Well, how do you explain that?

EGAN: The market had been coming back throughout the day. The markets are near session highs right now and I do think that there's some sense of relief that while the president is imposing tough sanctions here, he's not maxing out on the penalties on Russia. There's no ban from the SWIFT payment network, no direct penalties on Vladimir Putin. Importantly, no direct penalties on oil and gas companies in Russia. That is viewed as possibly bullish for the economy and the stock market even if it's not bullish for democracy.

I think that oil prices have also rebounded in part because of -- have actually come back because of that. We saw oil hit $105 a barrel at one point, world oil prices, closing the day around $99 a barrel. So, I think there's some relief on that front. But this is going to be a fast-moving story. We could see this evolve again.

What's really interesting is that the Russian stock market, totally different story there. We saw Russia stock market lose a third of its value today alone. It's down nearly half -- lost half its value on the year. I think there are some real concerns from investors about Russia becoming a pariah state at this point.

BLACKWELL: And the value of the ruble plummeting too.

EGAN: A record low. And that could be inflationary for Russia.

CAMEROTA: I mean, do you think they'll bounce back?

EGAN: We don't know because the Russia stock market closed prior to the sanctions news, so we could very well see the Russia stock market rebound. One interesting point here is that Russia has really amassed a lot of cash. They have basically doubled their international reserves since 2014 to nearly $650 billion.

That gives them some leeway to ride out this storm. It means they're not as reliant on borrowing in dollars or euros. It means that they could come to the rescue and prop up their currency and their stock market. So, there's a lot at play here, but it's been a wild day in the stock market and it's ending the day basically at session highs in the United States.

CAMEROTA: OK. Matt Egan, thank you very much.

EGAN: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: OK, so major cities around the U.S. and the world are showing solidarity with Ukraine. Several pro-Ukrainian protests are happening in Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C.

BLACKWELL: In London, hundreds more demonstrators gathered to protest the Russian invasion. Downing Street is now lit up with the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag, as his Paris' city hall and the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

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CAMEROTA: Obviously, we've seen some in Moscow as well and those were treated much, much differently.

BLACKWELL: Yes, solidarity we're seeing around the world. Of course, we'll continue our breaking news coverage of the Ukrainian -- what we're seeing in Ukraine, Russia attacking that country. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.