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Ukraine And Russia Agree To Talks As Fighting Races; Police Confront Protesters In St. Petersburg; Fighting Breaks Out In Ukraine's Second Largest City, Kharkiv; Protests, Rallies In Support Of Ukraine Worldwide; Governors Want To Boycott Russian Vodka. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired February 27, 2022 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:20]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again everyone. Thank you so much for joining me in this special CNN coverage. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Atlanta.

We begin with some major new developments in the escalating crisis in Ukraine. Russian president Vladimir Putin says he is putting his country's nuclear and other deterrent forces on high alert as Russian forces continue to move across Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Top officials in leading NATO countries have allowed themselves to make aggressive comments about our country. Therefore, I hereby order the minister of defense and the chief, the general staff to place the Russian army deterrence force on combat alert.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A senior White House official telling CNN it is being seen as another escalatory and totally unnecessary step, even as fighting rages. Ukraine confirmed today the delegations from both Ukraine and Russia will meet for talks tomorrow on the border between Ukraine and Belarus.

Ukrainian president Zelenskyy saying today he doesn't expect much from the meeting and Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S. telling CNN what won't happen at those talks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OKSANA MARKAROVA, UKRAINIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: But again, you know, we are ready for peace talks but we are not ready to surrender. And we will defend our country, and we will win.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: The talks come as Russian forces can be seen moving into Kharkiv, Ukraine's second biggest city. Video showing Russian equipment as well as Ukrainian forces fighting in parts of that city.

U.S. officials say Russian forces are meeting tougher than expected resistance from the Ukrainians. New video, in fact, showing Ukrainian forces destroying Russian armored personnel carriers and other vehicles on the edge of the capital of Kyiv.

And as the fighting intensifies, Poland says almost 200,000 refugees have crossed into its country from Ukraine so far and the European Union is now warning that countries should prepare for the possibility of millions more.

Russia now acknowledging casualties in Ukraine for the first time since the start of this invasion. The statement didn't give precise numbers but it did claim that Russian losses are considerably lower than Ukrainian forces.

CNN's Nic Robertson and Fred Pleitgen both joining me now from Russia.

Fred, let me begin with you. You're in Belgorod and tweeted earlier that a lot of Russian military gear seem to be breaking down and in need of towing. What's going on?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's certainly something that we saw around the front line today. And of course, we are at the front line here in Belgorod. That is very close to Kharkiv.

This is sort of the area from where the Russian military supplies its forces in Kharkiv and indeed moves additional forces into Kharkiv.

And one of the things that we saw today as apparently the Russians earlier this morning said, Fredricka that they had breached the defenses of Kharkiv and were moving their forces in, which obviously leads to some urban combat there.

We did see a lot of military activity or on the Russian part we saw a lot of rocket artillery fire going out from Russian positions. We also saw a lot of military hardware moving in.

We did also see a couple of Russian vehicles, quite a few actually, that seemed to be in need of towing that seemed to be broken down. Now it's unclear whether or not that's sort of the kind of normal attrition that you have in an operation like this because obviously you have tracked vehicles that are going on asphalt roads which might be something difficult for them. Also some older trucks as well. But certainly it was something that was quite noticeable.

And the other thing, of course, that is certainly big statement that the Russians made today is what you alluded to already Fredricka is the fact that for the first time the Russians have now acknowledged casualties. It's really been something of a secret here in Russia over the past couple of days. The Ukrainians kept claiming that there were heavy Russian casualties that they've inflicted on the Russian army whereas the Russian army really hadn't said anything about that at all.

It was only a couple of hours ago that Major General Igor Konashenkov who is actually someone who I've spent a lot of time with in Syria and in other places as well. He actually put out a video statement acknowledging just that, that there had been Russian casualties.

Let's just -- listen in to some of what he had to say.

[14:04:43]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJOR GENERAL IGOR KONASHENKOV, CHIEF SPOKESMAN, RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY (through translator): Russian servicemen are displaying courage and heroism in fulfilling combat tasks in the special military operation.

Unfortunately, there have been deaths and injuries among our comrades. But our losses are considerably lower than the number of nationalists we destroyed, lower than the losses among the Ukrainian armed forces.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: So there he is saying that the Russian losses lower than the Ukrainian losses but really not putting any numbers on it, as you've said as well, Fredricka.

One of the things that we do have to point out and I think it's important for our viewers to hear is that from what we're seeing on the Russian side, certainly the Russian army does seem to still have the capacity to drastically escalate the offensive that they are running currently in Kharkiv.

There is still a lot of military equipment that is parked on the Russian side obviously ready to go at any time. So they certainly do have the capabilities to still do that.

And one of the other interesting things that we also did see of trucks coming out of the zone, that fighting zone in Kharkiv is that a lot of the soldiers who are driving those trucks they hung their flak vests into the windows. The bulletproof vests they usually wear on their bodies.

That could be an indication that they might have either been taking sniper fire or at least were afraid of taking sniper fire which once again indicates that the battle for Kharkiv seems to be pretty tough, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Oh, fascinating.

All right. Thank you, Fred.

All right. Nic to you in Moscow. So what is to be made of Putin's latest threat of this nuclear deterrence force being at the ready?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, it certainly ups the stakes. It certainly put pressure on the Ukrainian authorities. It seems to be a continuation of what Russia has been doing up until now to try to get what it wants. Threaten a war in Ukraine, then open a war in Ukraine.

And what we've seen from Vladimir Putin so far is that he seems to not know the bounds of how far he's going to go. And we're learning them. There was initially when he built that force around Ukraine, there was the expectation that he wouldn't use it. Then it became clear he did.

He said that he would stay away from civilian neighborhoods. He didn't.

And now raising this threat. He's blaming it, again, the same place that has put all the blame for the -- his need to invade Ukraine is on NATO. He's blaming NATO and the language that's being used there, that that is -- that is detrimental to the security and therefore, he's putting his deterrence force which includes nuclear weapons on this strategic alert, on this state of higher alert, if you will.

I think beyond that, it's very hard to read because it's not clear how far President Putin intends to go. And this is an indication that he's certainly again willing to raise the rhetoric and raise the stakes in this environment.

But what is his end game in this? Is it simply a tactic of pressure or is this signaling something yet to come?

At the moment, it seems to be being read that this is him sort of upping the image of pressure rather than meaning that he'll carry it out. But he's now facing huge sanctions. He's facing sanctions that he didn't expect.

They're going to be tougher than he expected. They're going to undermine everything that he's built within the country financially, that sort of war chest, the $600 billion-plus that he was going to use to head off the possibility of sanctions.

This is going further. The reaction to him is going further. His forces are going slower, so this also represents a degree of frustration and a potentially degree of anger.

But reading more into it than that at the moment, Fred, is just very difficult. It's very hard to know what President Putin's end point on this aggression is.

WHITFIELD: And then, Nic, what is the latest with these protests? I mean thousands of Russians have been arrested for speaking out against the Kremlin saying no to war.

You showed us pictures earlier how people were laying flowers at a place where someone was assassinated a few years ago but also putting notes of "no war" on there.

Talk to me about these protests unfolding here and the violent scuffles there in St. Petersburg.

ROBERTSON: Yes, Fred. I think the big headline here is that there is a significant number of Russians, mostly younger generation, but not all of them, who are prepared to risk what the government says is having a criminal record -- over you that will live with you for the rest of your life and impair your work prospects in Russia.

Because this is the fourth day we've seen this. And the number of arrests continue to go up. it's more than 5,000 across Russia now. Several hundred more today in Moscow. St. Petersburg, Another big city in Russia, big protest there again.

[14:09:56]

ROBERTSON: So despite the fact that President Putin is putting a lot of police out on the streets, riot police to arrest people. This is not putting people off from coming out and voicing their anger, voicing their frustrations. Voicing their support for Ukraine as well. So all of this is playing against the narrative that President Putin, you know, wants to portray. One of need to do this, one of success in carrying it out.

It would be very telling to watch how long these protests continue, whether they gather more momentum and bigger numbers. We have to remember that there's a significant portion, perhaps the older, more rural population in this country who support President Putin, maybe over 50 percent. And things and changing their minds isn't likely to happen.

But if this gathers momentum and on the back of what the Russian government is now indicating, the ministry of defense saying they're taking casualties. If those casualties seem high, and particularly for some parents whose sons may have been relatively low-level conscripts in the army, this could well bring a backlash even from some of the most sort of patriotic supporters for the Kremlin.

It's too early to say. We shouldn't read too much into it, but this could gain momentum. And if it gains momentum in more numbers, this should be very worrying for President Putin.

But he has a very big and efficient police force out there. And when he orders them to arrest people, they do it. They are very efficient at doing is. We've seen it happen, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right. Nic Robertson in Moscow, Fred Pleitgen in Belgorod, thank you so much to both of you. Appreciate it.

All right. Let's get back to President Putin's other moves, particularly this nuclear deterrence force now on high alert. Let's bring back our Richard Burt. He's a former U.S. Ambassador to Germany and former chief U.S. negotiator in the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks with the former Soviet Union. He's also a board president at Global Zero.

Thanks so much for being with us yesterday and we enjoyed having you so much that we had to have you back because we needed more time to really delve into all of your expertise.

So Mr. Burt, I mean Ukrainian officials say Putin's move to put his deterrent forces on high alert is just a tactic to put pressure on Ukraine ahead of tomorrow's scheduled meeting. Do you see it that way or is it something else?

RICHARD BURT, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO GERMANY: I think in part it is a pressure tactic. We could call it nuclear coercion. But I don't think the audience is just Ukraine. I think it's the western world. It's really the global community.

Vladimir Putin is saying I'm going to up the ante. This is very important to me. And I'm prepared to go all the way. And this really reflects Putin's own kind of personal fascination with nuclear weapons.

I had an opportunity about five years ago to meet with Putin in sort of the Russian version of the Munich security conference. It's called the Valdi (ph) Club. He was introduced to me, and he started to rail against the Bush administration for pulling out of the ABM Treaty.

And he said, you know, the fact that Russia can make the United States vulnerable with its nuclear forces is what makes us a superpower. And you are trying to deny that capability to us.

So he thinks in nuclear terms. I think he's sort of obsessive, if you will, about Russian nuclear capabilities, and when you think about it, Russia is a country with a gross domestic product about the size of Spain.

There's nothing that makes Russia a superpower other than its huge nuclear arsenal.

And the second concern, though, is beyond Putin is because Russia's conventional forces are nowhere as strong as they were compared to the Soviet Union. They have to rely more on nuclear weapons, militarily. And so even their military doctrine has started to talk about using nuclear weapons early on in a conflict.

So I think this is -- in Putin's own thinking, and the thinking of his military, nuclear weapons could play an important role in this conflict.

WHITFIELD: And by flexing that muscle, he is trying to remind our -- not just inform Ukraine but trying to remind the rest of Europe that he still has the potential to be that superpower.

BURT: That's exactly right. He's frightening the Europeans. You know, as you mentioned, I was ambassador to Germany. Germany has an anti- nuclear mood, mentality.

[14:14:51]

BURT: You know, when the Japanese reactor in Fukushima blew up, it was the Germans who got out of the nuclear power business. So making nuclear threats in countries like Germany really resonate. And that's -- he's playing the nuclear card.

And the fact that his former prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev a day ago also threatened to pull out of the new START Treaty. That would lead to a new nuclear arms race. That would take us back more than 70 years when neither Russia or America's nuclear arsenals were under any kind of limitation. So they're really upping the nuclear ante.

WHITFIELD: So then what now is either the symbolism or the direct messaging from Germany today when the Chancellor Olaf Scholz says that Germany will spend more than $100 billion for its armed forces as it looks to increase defense spending.

I mean is this Germany, you know, standing up to Putin in a different way?

BURT: Yes, I think this is a threshold moment for Germany. It's a very important moment. They've not only talked about finally meeting their 2 percent spending commitment for NATO. They are backing limits on the SWIFT system on Russia -- for Russian banks.

They are beginning to demonstrate the sort of leadership that Europe's most dynamic economy needs to do. So, so far, Putin's efforts to intimidate Germany and other Europeans isn't working. And part of that, I think, owes to the reality of very united NATO alliance. The Russians are not being able to drive a wedge within the alliance in the way they've been able to do in earlier crises.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ambassador Richard Burt, thanks so much for joining us again. Appreciate you.

BURT: Thank you.

All right. Straight ahead -- tanks, street fighting and citizens left searching for safety.

We'll have a live report from Kyiv, plus expert -- plus an expert opinion on Putin's military might on this latest threat.

Then, how some Ukrainian Americans are turning to their faith as the crisis escalates.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We feel like coming to church is the best that we can do. It's all that we can do right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: We'll have more straight ahead.

[14:17:18]

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WHITFIELD: A senior U.S. defense official tells CNN that Russian forces are facing stiff resistance in northern Ukraine with fighting reported around Kharkiv, which is very close to the Russian border.

The Russians have also abandoned some of their army trucks near the city. The commander of Ukrainian forces in Kharkiv claims dozens of Russian troops have surrendered.

As for Kyiv, this new video shows Russian armored personnel carriers destroyed in a battle with Ukrainian forces. CNN has verified this information on the edge of the capital.

Alex Marquardt is in Kyiv. Alex, what is the situation there now?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, as you can see, night has fallen and generally there's concern at night because the bombing seems to pick up.

Throughout the course of today, we have heard those regular booms and explosions in the distance outside of the city. Some have been closer than others, but that has been relatively consistent.

I think there's some hope tonight that because of these talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations tomorrow that it may be a calmer night. That remains to be seen.

You can probably see behind me that much of the city is dark. Many of the churches, the beautiful churches in the city are lit up at night and this city now keeping their lights off for security reasons. We're using fewer lights for security reasons as well.

But the fighting does continue to rage in Ukraine's second biggest city Kharkiv, to the east of here, which is just across the border from Russia.

They have seen fierce fighting in the streets. Ukrainian forces, Russian troops have made their way into the city there as well. Residents taking cover, being told to stay in their homes and away from that fighting.

But Fredricka, there is increasing evidence that Russia is facing a really tough time. We are now four days into this Russian invasion, into this war. They are not where many predicted them to be. They have faced far stiffer resistance from the Ukrainians.

The Russians do not have control of the skies. Their aircraft are still facing fire from Ukraine. And their air defenses. Russian troops are facing heavy losses. They are having logistical troubles, having trouble getting fuel and other things to the front lines.

And there was evidence of this real success that the Ukrainians are having, keeping the Russians at bay. Here around the capital of Kyiv in a place called Bucha (ph) which is just to the west, on the western edge of the city, we have this new video that CNN has geolocated and verified that shows this column of Russian vehicles, including armored personnel carriers, that have been torched and destroyed. They are on their side.

A person who is in this video, you can hear him saying in Ukrainian, "They came to our land. I wish you all to burn to hell." Now we do have these talks tomorrow morning, Monday morning, between delegations from Russia and Ukraine. They are taking place on the Belarusian/Ukrainian border just to the north of where I am. Belarus of course, has been hosting Russian troops. And so there was some resistance from the Ukrainian side to have those talks there.

President Zelenskyy saying that he would not do them in the Belarusian capital Minsk. That's why they're taking place on the border. It is not clear who is going to be representing both sides. We know that it's certainly not going to be the presidents.

President Zelenskyy saying his top officials, including top military leaders and his prime minister very much staying in Kyiv during these talks. He also says, President Zelenskyy that is, that he's not holding out much hope, but of course, he is willing to sit down or have his officials sit down and speak with the Russians.

But it is clear Fredricka, that the Ukrainians, at least for these talks tomorrow are in listening mode, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Alex Marquardt, thank you so much. Be safe.

All right. With us now to discuss the latest in Ukraine is retired air force Colonel Cedric Leighton, a CNN military analyst. Colonel, good to see you.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good to be with you, Fredricka.

[14:24:49]

WHITFIELD: So let's begin with how it appears the Ukrainian forces are holding up. Ukrainian officials say that fighting has been breaking in Kharkiv as Russian troops enter Ukraine's second largest city.

We've got video from that location where it shows that Ukrainians are you know, holding up the city. And you just heard our Alex Marquardt who said Russians are facing a lot of logistical problems. I mean, how do you see this battle playing out?

LEIGHTON: Well, it looks like the Russians have gotten into surprising difficulty as Alex and you have pointed out, Fredricka. This is kind of symptomatic of a military that has a lot of ambition, but does not really have the wherewithal to achieve its mission objectives.

And you know, for President Putin of Russia, that's a fairly dangerous scenario to actually be in because he's gambled a lot on the success of this mission just from a pure operational aspect.

And it looks like there is -- there are at least perturbations (ph) in this, at least some difficulties here. And as a result of that, you know, I'm not sure that he's going to be able to achieve all the goals that he set out for himself.

And I think the indication of that is the fact that there are going to be talks tomorrow on the Belarus/Ukrainian border. WHITFIELD: So what does this is a about Russia's military planning

that it would seem to be either caught flat-footed or, you know, executed poorly, whether it be by not using the -- I guess more efficient, you know, arsenal or not having their logistics. I'm just asking for your analysis because certainly I'm not advocating for wishing that they did this better.

But it seems like the wheels are literally falling off.

LEIGHTON: You know, there's always this adage in the military at every plan falls apart when you make contact with the enemy. And that's kind of what's happened here. And this is really interesting for me because I've watched the Russian military for many, many, many years going back to the days of the Soviet Union.

And the one thing that was always stressed about the Russian military, the Soviet military before them, was the fact that they planned so thoroughly. Well, I think part of the problem is that, number one, their planning may not be as good as we think it is. Number two, the fact that they have this planning, it may be so rigid that it cannot morph to the events that are unfolding in front of them.

So, you know, with us, the kind of joke is that -- the bad joke is that when we go in, you know, we have a plan, but then we make contact with the enemy, we throw the plan out the window and we improvise.

The Russians apparently aren't capable of improvising to the extent that they would need to in order to be successful in this.

WHITFIELD: And then dissect this if you will. Today the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations said the U.S. will not use U.S. troops to create a no-fly zone in Ukraine. A, do you agree with that decision and then how do you assess it?

LEIGHTON: Well, creating a no-fly zone, I know several people like Representative Adam Kinzinger have suggested doing something like this. And on the surface, it looks like it might have been a good idea, but there are a lot of logistical problems with setting one of these no-fly zones up.

I was, you know, involved in the no-fly zones in Iraq before 2003. And I will say that, you know, the Ukrainian air space is a bit different and you'd have to achieve American air superiority, actually supremacy before you could do that.

So you'd have to bring American forces in, NATO forces in, they would have to overfly the territory. They would have to be willing to have rules of engagement where we would shoot down Russian or other hostile aircraft.

And if that were the case, that could really escalate tensions. So I think right now the feeling based on what the U.N. Ambassador has said is not to do something like this because it probably won't give you the benefits that you think it will.

And then you also have to watch out for things like artillery and low- flying helicopters and no-fly zones certainly wouldn't cover the artillery and it's questionable whether or not they would cover the helicopters as well.

WHITFIELD: All right. Colonel Cedric Leighton, thanks so much.

All right. Coming up, we'll talk with Democratic Congressman Tom Malinowski of New Jersey. What he has to say about Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's move to push through an emergency aid package for Ukraine. That discussion next.

[14:29:39]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:33:38]

WHITFIELD: All right. Amid the fierce fighting across Ukraine, news of a meeting tomorrow that may offer a chance to resume negotiations. Delegations from Ukraine and Russia set to hold talks on the Ukraine/Belarus border. A meeting that will be held without preconditions.

And in an interview with CNN, Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S. says that while her country is ready for peace talks, it is not ready to surrender.

With me now, Democratic Congressman Tom Malinowski of New Jersey. He's a member of the House Foreign Affairs, Homeland Security and Transportation Committees.

Good to see you.

So Ukraine's president says he does not expect much from this meeting, but that the delegations should try.

You held top diplomatic roles in the Clinton and Obama administrations. How much hope do you have in these planned talks?

REP. TOM MALINOWSKI (D-NJ): I don't have a lot of hope that this is going to be resolved by diplomacy in the next 24/48 hours. Of course, Putin at this point hoped to be marching through Kyiv and toppling the Ukrainian government and celebrating some kind of sick victory.

And that has not proved as easy as he wanted. So I guess it's a good sign they're willing to start talking. I think they're going to need to suffer significantly more setbacks on the battlefield before anything acceptable to these brave Ukrainian fighters and leaders could even be possible.

[14:35:08]

WHITFIELD: Uh-huh. You say NATO has never been more united in its history. Do you see that along with sanctions, limiting Russia's banking access and a growing commitment of arsenal to Ukraine eventually leading to Russia retreating? MALINOWSKI: There's no question in my mind that Russia will suffer a

strategic defeat in this war. That said, they may still win some tactical victories. They do still have a significantly larger and more powerful military and I worry that as they are frustrated on the battlefield, they may use increasingly brutal tactics.

So we do need to brace ourselves. As inspiring as it is to see the success of these brave Ukrainian defenders, this may remain ugly for some time.

But there's no question that strategically, Putin is losing. He's united NATO against him. He's united Ukrainians against him. He's not achieved his military objectives.

In fact, he's even united Democrats and Republicans in the United States to do something against him. And that's quite a feat. So this is -- I hope that at some point, we get to a point where he is willing to talk about terms for backing down. I just don't think we're there yet.

WHITFIELD: You are painting the picture that is -- he's in a desperate situation. And in desperation, people do desperate things.

Does that make you even more concerned about this nuclear deterrence force being put at the ready?

MALINOWSKI: No, I am -- we should be calm about that. That is Putin trying to rattle us. That's psychological. Deterrence works.

He knows perfectly well if he were to do anything with nuclear weapons it would be the end of his country and of him personally. So, we need to -- we need to remain confident and calm. Stay the course here.

Remember, sanctions move more slowly than tanks. The sanctions that President Biden has announced are incredibly strong, but they will be felt increasingly strongly by the Russians and by the Russian leader over the coming days and weeks.

And as that happens, I think we'll be in a much better position to resolve this in a way that is just and fair and in keeping with the bravery of the Ukrainian people.

WHITFIELD: Slow as it may be, the sanctions or even other limitations being -- that are targeting the Russian government, how much of a difference does it make that even his enablers, too, will be caught up in, you know, the web of sanctions and limitations?

MALINOWSKI: I think it's a tightening noose around -- around his regime. You know, we don't know what's happening in the Kremlin right now. We don't know what the conversations are like but just reading the tea leaves, seeing the footage of Putin sitting 12, 15, 20 feet away from his closest advisers.

This does not look like a government where people are telling him the truth. It does not seem like a good arrangement for making good decisions, and I think that may be one explanation for the really bad, disastrously bad decisions that Putin has made. It's going to be, I think -- the point of the sanctions is to harm his economy, to make it harder for the Russian government to continue this course.

But it's also going to be a morale boost, I think, for the Ukrainians to see key people around Putin lose their yachts and planes. To see police tape around their luxury villas in Paris and London and, yes, in New York City and Miami. We've been complicit in this as well. We have to accept that.

So watch that space. Watch how the United States and our European allies in a united, determined way aggressively scour the world, seizing the properties and the wealth of these guys who have propped up Putin all these years. I cannot wait to see that, and I know the Ukrainians can't either.

WHITFIELD: Senator Chuck Schumer is pushing a $6.4 billion emergency aid package that would include humanitarian, economic, security assistance to people and to the government of Ukraine. Are you confident that Congress will be able to get this through?

MALINOWSKI: Yeah, absolutely. That's a no-brainer. A group of us were in Munich last weekend for the security conference that just preceded the invasion of Ukraine. We came out of that committed to work towards supplemental funding to help Ukraine's fighters to provide humanitarian aid.

I think we need to beef up some of the parts of the U.S. government involved in the sanctions enforcement effort that I just mentioned. In Congress at least, Democrats and most Republicans are determined to do what we can to help the Ukrainians win this fight.

[14:40:06]

WHITFIELD: And now to even more personal stuff, there have been heartbreaking images of Ukrainians fleeing their homeland, families being split up. You were born in communist Poland during the height of the Cold War. And when you were 6, and here's a photo of you and your mother fled to the United States. I can only imagine your emotions when you see the fear and panic on the faces of Ukrainians and in relation to what you personally experienced.

What has it been like for you to watch this?

MALINOWSKI: I just feel it's such an enormous sense of kinship w these people. I was there three weeks ago in Kyiv and tried to imagine what it would be like to look up in the air and see planes dropping bombs trying to kill me. It was just impossible to imagine.

But I grew up with these stories. My family lived through the Second World War, lived through the violence and displacement and the evil of that conflict. And for me, what this is all about is making sure that that evil is not visited on the world again, the dictatorships trying to change borders by force with tanks.

That's what led to the Second World War. That's what led to the greatest tragedies of the 20th century and it's been the mission of the United States and the world ever since to prevent that from happening. That's why it's so important that Putin lose this fight because the whole world is watching to see whether the free world will stand up for the rules that have kept us safe all these years.

WHITFIELD: Democratic Congressman Tom Malinowski, a pleasure having you with us. Thank you so much.

MALINOWSKI: Thank you very much.

WHITFIELD: Defiant, determined, strong. Up next, a look at how Ukrainian citizens are so determined. They are not going down without a fight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:46:06]

WHITFIELD: Many of the Ukrainians taking up arms to fight Putin's forces never thought they would have to do this. Under siege and outgunned, many people in Ukraine are putting their lives on the line against an overwhelming Russian assault on their country.

CNN's Matthew Chance has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are Ukraine's civilian defenders. Local residents taking up arms and ready to fight.

That's blood on the ground?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's his blood.

CHANCE: Already, here in a suburb of Kyiv, there's been blood spilled.

Deadly contact between these volunteers and Russian forces.

YURI, UKRAINIAN VOLUNTEER FOR TERRITORIAL DEFENSE: I've never been in -- I've never served in the army.

CHANCE: Volunteers like Yuri who was an economic analyst. He tells me before this Russian invasion made him a fighter.

You shot a gun in school. You work in an office but now you're defending your country, your city?

YURI: Correct. I didn't think I would join this unit just two days ago. I thought that, you know, I don't know how to handle guns and yesterday it came to me that, you know, Russians are in the city. I mean, it's -- it's close to the point that I have completely changed my mind and I have decided that I should do something about it.

CHANCE: Just hours before, this northern Kyiv suburb of Obolon was the scene of firefights. Russian forces probe the Ukrainian capital. The entire city and its residents are bracing and preparing for more. Those are petrol bombs?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

CHANCE: Those are Molotov cocktails?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

CHANCE: Show me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is what I have to use to stop the tanks.

CHANCE: These are your Molotov cocktails, your petrol bombs?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

CHANCE: And you made these yourself?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, the people from the building bring me this.

CHANCE: The people from the local --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The buildings. They bring me these.

CHANCE: And they may be needed soon. Very soon.

As we left the building, more shots ring out. As Russia's assault on the city it seems at hand.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Pretty incredible.

Up next, support for Ukraine. People around the world are protesting Russia's invasion. We take you live to New York where protesters are standing in solidarity with Ukraine.

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[14:52:15]

WHITFIELD: From arrests on the streets of Moscow and other Russian cities, to rallies here in the United States, the outpouring of support for Ukraine can be seen around the world. In New York, home of the largest Ukrainian community in the U.S., hundreds gathered in Times Square Saturday, one of several demonstrations in the city in the last few days.

CNN's Polo Sandoval joining me from lower Manhattan. So he's outside St. George's Ukrainian Catholic Church.

Polo, you've talked to a lot of people who are throwing their solidarity to Ukraine. What are they saying? POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Fred, we were here a week

ago today. Since then, that sense of community has only grown stronger when you start to speak to some members of the Ukrainian American community here at this particular location. I can tell you that out of the roughly 5,000 parishioners here at St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church, about 80 percent of them are Ukrainian immigrants. So this hits very close to home. And their thoughts, hearts and prayers are with the people right now that are half a world away.

And that's been seen very clearly here in Lower Manhattan as we've been seeing these multiple people coming, not only to attend services but even leaving behind some flowers and messages, just a few individuals who have stopped on the side of the cross, spent a few quiet moments and you clearly feel that this weighs heavily on their mind and on their heart.

I want you to hear from one of the individuals who attended Sunday service earlier this morning. She described a sense of community she's seeing. She and other Ukrainian Americans send that message of solidarity to fellow Ukrainians.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYA LOPATYNSKY, CHURCHGOER: I think to see how packed the church was so early in the morning on an 8:00 a.m. on a Sunday, it just made me feel connected to a community. I feel -- I'm Ukrainian American. I was born here. To be connected to a community of immigrants and people who were born here, it just made me feel a lot better. And I do feel like coming to church is the best that we can do. It's all that we can do right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: It is certainly visceral for so many people just like her. Earlier today New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan attended services here early, early this morning. And telling the congregation he's not only praying alongside Ukrainians but also praying for them.

And that's certainly something the congregation, you got a sense they appreciated. Everywhere you go, not just here in New York City but throughout the country as you see the iconic and famous landmarks from coast to coast lit up in the familiar blue and yellow.

That support is there, and again, this is visceral for so many Ukrainian Americans that don't have to be there to feel the pain and concern that so many are feeling.

[14:55:01]

WHITFIELD: Indeed.

All right. Polo Sandoval, thank you so much.

And some of the nation's governors are showing their solidarity with Ukraine in a unique way, by asking liquor stores in their states to pull Russian vodka from the shelves. CNN's Nadia Romero is in Atlanta with more on this.

Nadia, you have gotten some reaction from one of those governors, as well as one prominent vodka brand. What are they saying?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, absolutely, Fred. I mean, this is something that you're seeing all over social media. People going to their personal bars, bar owners pouring out that vodka and we're seeing governors in a handful of states, New Hampshire, Ohio, Texas, Utah, to name a few, that are asking their state liquor stores, either requesting or signing executive orders for them to stop selling and to ban those Russia-based products.

This is what New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu said in a tweet Saturday morning. He wrote: This morning, I signed an executive order instructing NH Liquor Wine outlets to begin removing Russian-made liquors and spirits until further notice. New Hampshire stands with the people of Ukraine and their fight for freedom.

What does this actually mean and what's the impact? People know the name Smirnov, right? That's a Russia-based brand. It has roots at least in Russia but it's actually owned by a British company and made in the U.S. of A in Illinois.

Stoli Vodka is another one that's popular that people will associate with Russia. The word Stoli does, but it's made in Latvia and the company that owns Stoli is based in Luxembourg and that's a member of NATO.

So take a look at the statement the Stoli Group sent to CNN business saying we don't want to be involved in this saying for decades Stoli Group has supported the marginalized and those at risk of unwarranted aggression. We stand now with all Ukrainians and Russians calling for peace. That came from a company spokesperson.

So there's the symbolism there of pouring out these brands that you think are connected with Russia but when you dig a little deeper you'll see that about 1 percent or less than 1 percent of all the vodka consumed in the U.S. is actually made in Russia. You want to look for brands Russian Standard and Green Mark, those are tied to Russia directly. But the symbolism, Fred, is there.

WHITFIELD: That's fascinating.

All right. Nadia Romero, thanks very much.

And we'll be right back.

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