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Russian Attacks Intensifying Across Ukraine; Biden Speaks as Russian Invasion of Ukraine Intensifies; Supreme Court Nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson Meets With Senators. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired March 02, 2022 - 10:30   ET

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

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[10:00:30]

ERICA HILL, CNN NEWSROOM: As Russian ground and airstrikes intensify across Ukraine, retired Army General David Petraeus told us just last hour he believes a Russian occupation of Ukraine will not hold. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, U.S. ARMY (RET.): I don't think that this is a war ultimately that Russia and Vladimir Putin can win. They can take a city perhaps but they cannot hold it.

You have a president who is providing Churchillian leadership, that people are undaunted, and the Ukrainian forces continue to exploit their home field advantage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN NEWSROOM: Joining us now to discuss, Shawn Turner, former Director of Communication for the U.S. National Intelligence, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and Michael Daniel, former Cybersecurity Coordinator, Special Assistant to former President Obama. Good to have you both on.

Shawn, if I could begin with you, because this morning, the word, nuclear, raised again, this time by Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He said that if a Third World War took place, it would involve nuclear weapons, it would be very destructive. Are we entering a space now where this is not just rhetorical saber rattling by Russia but that the president, the foreign minister, are holding that out there as a potential Russian response to any NATO or U.S. military intervention? SHAWN TURNER, FORMER DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATION FOR U.S. NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Yes, good morning, Jim. Thanks for having me. I think that whether it is a space where they are just holding this out there or not, we have to be prepared for the possibility that they are not. Look, we've seen repeatedly that Vladimir Putin is acting in a very irrational and unstable way.

So, while we know that this is part of the Russian disinformation campaign, and let's be clear, every mention of the nuclear weapons and nuclear war has been raised by Vladimir Putin and Sergey Lavrov, so we know they're buying into this madman mentality. Even though we know that, the instability and the sort of irrational behavior of Vladimir Putin causes us to say we need to be prepared for the possibility that this is crossing over from rhetoric to actual threats.

And, look, as the general said in the segment that you played just before we came on, Vladimir Putin is in a position where he can't win this war. And so if he can't win this war, then the question is what is he willing to do in order to send a message to the international community that Russia is ascending. We simply don't know the answer to that so we have to be prepared for this being more than a rhetoric.

HILL: Michael, how concerning too is that those next messages, or even those next attacks, we could start to see more cybersecurity attacks, whether it's in the Ukraine, Europe or even here in the United States?

MICHAEL DANIEL, FORMER CYBERSECURITY COORDINATOR AND SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, certainly. I mean, it's actually been remarkable in my mind how restrained the Russians have actually been in the use of their offensive cyber capabilities outside of Ukraine. But, obviously, if they feel the pressure ramping up, as the sanctions begin to bite, if things continue to not go as well as they want on the ground inside Ukraine, you could certainly see an expansion of those efforts outside of Ukraine, in Europe and the United States.

HILL: Just real quickly, Michael, do you think that that is because they are concerned about triggering NATO with some of those attacks if they move outside of Ukraine?

DANIEL: Well, certainly, that would be a concern. They have obviously made the decision that that is not in their interest to escalate in that fashion right now.

SCIUTTO: Shawn, there is another possibility as we see Russia deliberately target civilians here in Ukraine in their attacks. And with weapons far short of nuclear but still devastating evidence of not just targeting civilians but the possibility of cluster bomb munitions. We've seen deployed thermobaric weapons. Those are just horrible, horrible, long-distance flamethrowers, in effect. Chemical weapons, Russia used them repeatedly in Syria, sometimes on civilian targets. Is that something we need to be prepared for here in Ukraine?

[10:35:00]

TURNER: Well, I think that it makes sense, Jim, for us to be prepared for it. Look, it's really very clear that Vladimir Putin has put himself in a situation where he understands that he simply cannot walk away from this fight that he started. Vladimir Putin needs to have a decisive victory in Ukraine. He already understands that that decisive victory is not going to come. And so what he has to do is he has to turn to every instrument of national power in his arsenal in order to make sure that at the end of this, he has achieved his objective.

And, unfortunately, what we've seen is sort of this escalating willingness to attack civilian institutions and to bring Ukrainian civilians into this fight. And so I do think that over time we have to be mindful of the fact that this is going to be very difficult for the Ukrainians. We're going to see an increase in the death of civilians and we're going to see more instability on the part of Vladimir Putin. And what that means for the United States and the western world is that we have to continue to work to isolate Putin and to make absolutely sure that he feels so squeezed that he has no option but to pull back on this and to deal with the consequences.

HILL: Michael, we are seeing an increase, according to our colleague, Alex Marquardt, on the ground there on strikes on informational targets, that Russia is stepping up those attacks, and as Alex just reported earlier just earlier this hour, even warning civilians to move away from those targets. We have talked so much about U.S. and NATO involvement and the restrictions and the complications there. From a cybersecurity perspective, are there things that can be done?

DANIEL: Sure. There are certainly things that can be done to provide cybersecurity assistance to the Ukrainian government and to Ukrainian businesses, both either through official government channels or through those business relations with private sector companies in Europe and the United States, and so help those institutions defend themselves against offensive cyber operations from the Russians, provide advice and even as much sort of intelligence and warning about what might be coming down the road.

SCIUTTO: Michael Daniel, Shawn Turner, thanks for helping us understand this.

Coming up, Supreme Court Nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson on Capitol Hill right now. She will soon sit down with Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, of course, the minority leader, the hard questions she may face. Could she win his support, coming up.

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[10:40:00]

SCIUTTO: Just moments ago, President Biden leaving the White House, jogging up to reporters there to answer questions about Ukraine. Let's have a listen.

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: It's all sweet.

REPORTER: All sweet?

BIDEN: And you know me, I start off with dessert. REPORTER: No ice cream?

BIDEN: No ice cream, nothing.

REPORTER: Mr. President, how worried are you about President Zelensky and do you think he should stay in Ukraine or do you think he should he try to leave?

BIDEN: I think it's his judgment to make and we're doing everything we can to help.

REPORTER: Have you made attempts to reach China and talk to them about the situation at all?

BIDEN: Not directly yet. The staff has been in contact with them.

REPORTER: Do you support permanent U.S. military presence Poland and other Eastern European countries now after what's happening in Ukraine?

BIDEN: We've always been there. We've always been all of NATO countries.

REPORTER: I'm talking about permanent bases.

BIDEN: No, that's a decision for NATO to make.

I'm sorry?

REPORTER: Mr. President, are you considering banning Russian oil imports?

BIDEN: Nothing is off the table.

REPORTER: Do you think Russia is committing war crimes?

BIDEN: We are following it closely. It's too early to say that.

REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE) prayers and fasting today for the people of Ukraine on this Ash Wednesday. Pope Francis is asking for prayers and fasting. What's your reaction to that, sir?

BIDEN: I think he's right. I was with the cardinal this morning. He came over to give me ashes and we both prayed for the people of Ukraine.

REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE)?

BIDEN: I'll tell you what, I don't want to get into a debate with you on theology -- well, anyway, I'm not going to make a judgment for other people.

REPORTER: Putin is intentionally targeting civilian areas. There are over 2,000 civilians --

BIDEN: It's clear they are. Thank you. SCIUTTO: President Biden there leaving the White House with ashes on his forehead there for Ash Wednesday. Notable him saying that all options are on the table when he was asked about the possibility of banning Russian oil imports. So, we'll see what comes next.

Here in Ukraine, the U.N. says nearly 836,000 people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded last week. The agency warns an estimated 4 million people could be displaced because of this conflict of a country of 40 million. U.S. officials are now preparing to respond to what is a growing refugee crisis.

HILL: CNN's Scott McLean has been covering this for us. He is at a train station in Lviv this morning. Scott, what have you seen there today especially based on what you've seen in days past?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Erica.

[10:45:00]

The chaos is getting a heck of a lot more organized. At the land borders, we are hearing that it is getting much, much easier to cross, but there are still a remarkable number of people who want to go by train, especially if you have small kids.

Let me just give you the orientation of where we are. So, we're standing on the platform level. They're not letting anyone up here. That's because everyone is lined up down here at the bottom. And just to clarify, they are all waiting for trains onwards into Poland. This is sort of the westernmost train hub.

But there is no train going to Poland listed on the schedule right now. So, all of these people here that you see in the lineup, they are waiting for a train that they have no idea when or if it will come. It stretches down quite a ways and --

HILL: We may have lost that. Let's see if we can get Scott back.

SCIUTTO: Tough signal here, as we report on this. But the bottom line, Erica, as you see there, this is an ongoing issue. People want to flee this country, understandably, and it's not so easy to get out.

HILL: No, it's not. Things getting a little bit better, as Scott just said there, and as we heard from Arwa Damon a short time ago. But, again, as you point out, it is not easy and there are a number of people still trying to do that.

We'll be right back.

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[10:50:00]

HILL: Right now, Supreme Court Nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson is on Capitol Hill for her first set of meetings with lawmakers, meeting with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer right now. Up next, she will meet with the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. If confirmed, Judge Jackson will be the first black woman on the Supreme Court.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny joining me now from Capitol Hill. So, look, there's a lot of preparation, as we know, that goes into these meetings. What do we know about Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's preparation before these meetings?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, we know that Judge Jackson has been working, really, since Saturday, the day after she was nominated by President Biden, sitting down with the White House team of the advisers and lawyers, filling out that long questionnaire that is required by the Judiciary Committee confirmation. But, largely, she will be talking about her judicial philosophy.

But these meetings are to take the temperatures, take a measure of her temperament, of her life story. That is what many senators are looking for. And at the meeting that just ended a short time ago with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, he said he wants to see a confirmation by April. But he had strong words of praise for her when he met with her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): I read and studied the judge's career. I've heard so many good things from so many people. And now I look forward to meeting her in person and sort of flushing out all the great things that we've read about. And seeing her in person is a great thing. I am just so pleased that the president has nominated someone with such amazing qualification and breadth of experience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: And that meeting just ended a few moments ago. It was about 30 minutes or so long.

And we talked to Senator Schumer, he said he was struck by her empathy, her approach to judicial cases. They talked a lot about her family. Of course, she's 51 years old. She's been on the federal bench for ten years, nearly ten years. And she's been confirmed three times by the Senate before, as recently as last year when she was elevated to a seat on the Circuit Court of Appeals here in the District of Columbia.

She will be meeting with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and the top Democrat and Republican on the Judiciary Committee. So, Erica, basically, this is going to be something close to a party line vote, but Senator Schumer says he hopes more Republicans will consider her.

And one Republican we've been talking to, Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, he voted against her confirmation last year to the Court of Appeals, but he said he never had a chance to sit down with her. He said he's looking forward to sitting down with her and he is said he is struck by the historic nature of her nomination.

So, he is one of the Republicans that the White House is keeping their eye on. He said he views this entirely differently because of the lifetime appointment is struck by her life story. And he said he would have voted for Justice Breyer had he been here at the time.

So, a president, of course, has the ability to choose who he wants for the Supreme Court. So, we will see how many Republicans, if any, sort of (INAUDIBLE) with her. But she's just beginning her meetings here, Erica. Still, the Democratic leaders hope for a confirmation vote by mid-April.

HILL: Jeff Zeleny, I appreciate it on Capitol Hill.

I want to take you right now to the U.N. where the U.S. ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, is talking.

LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: -- has invaded another without provocation to claim the territory of its neighbor, a moment when a European dictator declared he would return his empire to its former glory, an invasion that caused a war so horrific that it spurred this organization into existence.

Now, at more than any other point in recent history, the United Nations is being challenged. If the United Nations has any purpose, it is to prevent war. It is to condemn war, to stop war. That is our job here today. It is the job you were sent here to do not just by your capitals but by all of humanity.

[10:55:00]

A lot has happened very quickly to bring us to this unique moment. It was barely a week ago when, in the dead of night, President Putin launched a full-scale invasion of our fellow member U.N. state at the very moment the Security Council was holding an urgent meeting attempting to foster diplomacy and de-escalation.

As the Security Council discussed peace, Putin declared war. Ukraine has defended itself with great courage and vigor. As President Biden said in his state of the union address last night, President Putin, and I quote, met a wall of strength he never imagined. He met the Ukrainian people.

But the brazen and indiscriminate nature of Russia's attack has had devastating, horrific consequences for the entire country. Russia has bombed residential apartment buildings. It has bombed sacred burial grounds. It has shelled kindergartens and orphanages and hospitals. Russia has spurred mass hunger and caused so many to flee their homes. The latest U.N. estimate are marching toward a million people.

We thank the countries who have opened their borders, who have opened their hearts, opened their homes to those fleeing Ukraine. And I want to echo the U.N. Refugee Agency's call to help and welcome all those fleeing conflict without regard to race or nationality. Refugees are refugees.

For those who remain, Russia is destroying critical infrastructure, vital services, which provide millions of people across Ukraine with drinking water to stay alive, gas to keep people from freezing to death. And now it appears Russia is preparing to increase the brutality of its campaign against Ukraine. We've seen videos of Russian forces moving exceptionally lethal weaponry into Ukraine, which has no place on the battlefield. That includes cluster munitions and vacuum bombs, which are banned under the Geneva Convention.

We all have seen the 40-mile-long lethal convoy charging toward Kyiv. President Putin continues to escalate, putting Russia's nuclear forces on high alert, threatening to invade Finland and Sweden. At every step of the war, Russia has betrayed the United Nations. Russia's actions go against everything this body stands for. People across the world have already united together in exactly the way this general assembly must do today.

Protests and vigils against Russia's war and in solidarity with Ukraine marked with blue and yellow have sprung up across the globe. These are protests for peace, from Bangkok to Budapest, from Berlin to Buenos Aires, from Sidney to Seoul, from Calgary to Cape Town, and even from Moscow to Minsk. People everywhere are standing up to call for President Putin to stop this attack.

The Russian people are themselves asking how many lives Putin will sacrifice for his cynical ambitions and they are appalled at the answer. To the Russian protesters, I say thank you, thank you for your bravery. To the Russian soldiers sent to the frontlines of an unjust, unnecessary war, I say your leaders are lying to you. Do not commit war crimes. Do everything you can to put down your weapons and leave Ukraine.

The truth is that this war was one man's choice and one man alone, President Putin. It was his choice to force hundreds of thousands of people to stuff their lives into backpacks and flee the country, to send newborn babies into makeshift bomb shelters, to make children and with cancer huddle in hospital basements, interrupting their treatment, essentially sentencing them to death.

[11:00:01]

Those were President Putin's choices. Now it's time for us to make ours. The United States --