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U.S. Working With Poland On Possibility Of Providing Fighter Jets To Ukraine; Putin Likens Sanctions To Declaration Of War; Eighteen-Month-Old Boy Dies After Shelling In Mariupol. Aired 9-10p ET

Aired March 05, 2022 - 21:00   ET

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

[21:00:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Organizations around the world and on the ground in Ukraine are trying to help those who need food, shelter, water and other aid. For more information about how you can help, go to cnn.com/impact.

And your next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Ukrainians in all of our cities where the enemy invaded go on offensive go out on streets we need to fight every time we have an opportunity.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: These people have been under bombardment for seven straight days and are only just leaving their homes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ceasefire took place only for 30 minutes. After that, Russian troops army started continuous started shelling of Mariupol. They use everything they have.

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Here in Zaporizhzhia, there are deep concerns over the future of the nuclear power station that has been captured by Russian troops. CNN obtained this extraordinary video of people in the control center sending out appeals to it attacking Russian troops.

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: It's not only attack on Ukraine. It's attack on the security of Europe and global peace and stability.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the sanctions being introduced, they are equivalent to a declaration of war now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody wants to be independent, to be free. I pray every day. I pray every night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ukraine will win this war anyway, because this is the people's war for their land and we defend the right cause.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: I'm Pamela brown in Washington. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM on this Saturday evening.

Just minutes after President Biden wrapped up a phone call with Ukraine's president, we learned of a possible three-way deal to aid the embattled country of Ukraine. The White House confirmed the U.S. is looking into the possibility of Poland sending fighter jets to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russia's Vladimir Putin warning the west that international sanctions against him and his country are, quote, the equivalent of a declaration of war. He made that threat while visiting Russia's largest airline owned primarily by the government and crippled by airspace closures from the west.

Now, compare this cheery image on your screen with the horrors unfolding in Ukraine. We need to warn you, these images are very disturbing. Inside that blood-stained blanket is a little boy, 18 months old, barely a toddler. Tragically, the hospital workers couldn't save him. He was wounded by shelling despite Russia declaring a ceasefire in his town of Mariupol. City officials there say Russian forces are targeting civilians.

Ukraine is fighting back for its part. This video from the armed services supposedly shows a Russian helicopter being shot down north of the capital. CNN is unable to verify when this happened.

Those are Russian gunshots fired as a warning to Ukrainians marching peacefully against the unprovoked attack on their homeland. Another video posted on social media shows at least one person hit by gunfire. CNN has geo-located and confirmed the authenticity of the video.

Ukraine's president is calling on Ukrainians to maintain fierce resistance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENSKY: Ukrainians in all our cities where the enemy invaded, go on the offensive, go out on the streets. We need to fight every time we have an opportunity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And here are some other developments unfolding today in this crisis. CNN has learned the U.S. aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman is in the northern sea this week, Aegean. Its mission at least, in part, to ensure it can conduct flight operations from there if tensions spike.

Ukraine's president held a private zoom call with a bipartisan group of U.S. senators earlier today and he asked for more air power and no- fly zone over Ukraine.

And more than 1.2 million Ukrainians have so far fled their country. Jordan's government says it will allow entry to Ukrainians who have relatives living inside the kingdom.

So, let's begin this hour at the White House with CNN's Arlette Saenz. So, Arlette, the U.S. and Poland are working together on the possibility of sending fighter jets to Ukraine. That is something Ukraine's president requested. Tell us about these conversations and how a three-way deal could play out.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, a White House spokesperson confirms that the U.S. has been working with Poland on the possibility of Poland sending fighter jets into Ukraine. That is something that President Zelensky of Ukraine really was pushing U.S. lawmakers for today when he spoke with them on a Zoom call.

[21:05:04]

But one other issue that they have also been discussing is the ways that the U.S. could possibly backfill supplies for Poland if they were to send those fighter jets into Ukraine. These fighter jets are older Russian-made aircraft that the Ukrainians feel they know how to fly. But then the question is what defenses would Poland have were they to send fighter jets.

So, those are conversations that are ongoing with the White House, which insists it's multiply a sovereign decision for Poland to make if they do decide to send the fighter jets into Ukraine.

Additionally, the U.S. is noted that there is also logistical issues, how exactly to transport knows planes to Ukraine, as so many nations are trying to offer this support to Ukraine in this time of war.

BROWN: That's right. And what can you tell us about the phone call between President Biden and Ukrainian President Zelensky earlier today? I believe it's the fifth time they've spoken since the invasion began.

SAENZ: Yes, it is the fifth time that we know of that they've spoken since Putin launched that attack ten days ago. President Biden and Ukrainian President Zelensky spent about 32 minutes on the phone today, the president conducting that phone from his home in Wilmington, Delaware. And he talked about the cost that the U.S. and companies around the world are imposing on Russia in the wake of this invasion. Particularly the White House said that the president praised Visa and Mastercard for suspending operations and services.

And another portion of the White House readout says that President Biden noted his administration is surging security, humanitarian and economic assistance to Ukraine and is working closely with Congress to secure additional funding. The White House so far has requested an additional $10 billion in funding for Ukraine. They are hoping that that might be included in a package that's coming together a little bit later for next week, as so many people and lawmakers in the U.S. are really hoping to surge that assistance to Ukraine at this time.

BROWN: All right. Arlette Saenz from the White House for us on this Saturday, thank you.

Joining us now, CNN Military Analyst, retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark, he is a formerly Supreme Allied Commander of NATO. Hi, General. So, tonight, the White House confirms that the U.S. is working with Poland, as you heard there on the report, on this possibility of that country providing fighter jets to Ukraine. The U.S. would then backfill if this all works out.

I'm told that, basically, right now, they are just trying to figure out logistics. But time seems to be running out. I mean, how much time do they have to figure this out?

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Not much, Pamela. And this has been under discussion for several days, I've been told. And I'm delighted it's made to public. Time is of the essence. And we don't know how many aircraft this would be but it's a start. And it's a very important step, because that airspace belongs to Ukraine. It's not Russia's.

And if Ukraine asks for help, we have the legal right to provide it. Ukraine has the legal right to ask it. And if you don't use your legal rights, you forfeit them. So, I think this is an important moment for NATO, for the United States and for Poland.

BROWN: You said you're happy it's out there now. But what is the risk of the U.S. putting out there to Russia, to Putin directly that it is working with Poland to send jets over? Are you concerned that could escalate the situation even more with Putin, who just said that sanctions from the U.S. are a declaration of war?

CLARK: Well, look, I think we have to just face the facts on this. When Mr. Putin said last summer that Ukraine wasn't a real nation, that was the justification for the invasion. When Mr. Putin says today that the sanctions are equivalent to a declaration of war, that's the preparatory stage to do something really bad to other nations, as well as Ukraine. It could be a nuclear weapon. It could be something.

So, look, there is always -- this risk is there. We didn't ask for the risk but we do have to be proactive. We can't sit back passively and wait for things to happen to us. We've got to keep Ukraine in the fight. So, I think getting those Polish aircraft over there and in the hands of the Ukrainians is a first step. I think it's a very important step and it's certainly a risk that we have to take.

Mr. Putin is going to use a nuclear weapon when he wants to no matter what we do. If he wants to do it, he'll do it, because, look, he is impatient. This was supposed to be over. His army is bogged down. There are riots in the streets in Moscow. People are saying, Vladimir, maybe you're not the right guy. And he has got a big plan here. This is not just about Ukraine. This is about following on into the Baltics, into Moldova and we're holding up the show here in Ukraine.

He has always felt that if you use a nuclear weapon, NATO will be so shocked that it will jump back and maybe even disintegrate under the fear of the risk.

[21:10:04]

This is the new world. And we're not in Syria, we're not in Afghanistan, we're not in Iraq, we're dealing with an aggressor country that's nuclear armed. We have to think our way through this. But unless we just want to back away and say, okay, you can have it we're going to have to sensibly deal and manage with these risks and do what we have to do.

BROWN: I just want to dive a little bit deeper into that. Because for our viewers too, look, so many people are on edge right now and you hear nuclear weapon, and that is just simply terrifying. But what I hear from you is that you believe Putin saying today that the sanctions against Russia are a declaration of war, that that's basically laying the groundwork for something like that? I mean, you actually think that that is where this is headed?

CLARK: I think it lays the groundwork. I don't know where it's headed. That's really up to Mr. Putin. But, look, Pamela, in every Russian exercise, where they roll out their forces and practice command and control and pretend that there is a war going on, and they do this about once a year in various directions, they usually assume that there is an intervention by some outside force and they use a nuclear weapon. And that caps off the exercise. As though the outside force, when it's confronted with use of a nuclear weapon, oh, my goodness we don't want -- we don't want that. You can take it we're not that interested.

And the thing about it is that we're in a different world now. The concept of deterrence that we have lived with and is supporting the peace for 70 years since World War II is being challenged by Mr. Putin. If he challenges it by threatening us with a nuke, what about China and Taiwan? So, there is a lot riding on this.

BROWN: And I'm just going to ask you a question, I'm sort of channeling a lot of what the viewers have reached out to me about. If that played out, which is just terrifying, how can the U.S. defend itself against a nuclear weapon?

CLARK: Well, the whole theory during the cold war really was that we didn't actually defend ourselves. We signed an anti-ballistic missile treaty with the Soviet Union in 1972. Now, we do have ballistic missile defense in Alaska oriented against a Korean threat but we've never really believed we should defend ourselves. We called it mutual assured destruction.

But for Europe, we had a linkage, what we called cufflinks, or we had tactical nuclear weapons, we had U.S. troops there. And if they did anything to our U.S. troops, then without using our strategic deterrent, without the rockets from the United States, we had a tactical nuclear equivalent response. That's gone now. We don't have that. But there is not a defense.

And this is Mr. Putin's error. As he told, apparently told Donald Trump, he says, I've got these hypersonic and Mr. Trump said, well, we're going to get it. Donald you don't understand, I've got them now. You'll get them eventually.

But you know the hypersonics, that may be bragging rights, but nuclear weapons are nuclear weapons. And those anti ballistic -- those ballistic missiles come in faster than a hypersonic anyway. So, that hypersonic doesn't change anything. There is deterrence here homeland to homeland. The question is what happens in Europe, and that's what we have to focus on.

BROWN: Right now, all we know -- we're working off, right, is that clearly Russia wants to take control of Ukraine. And it has seen setback after setback. This is not how Vladimir Putin wanted it to go. And that's where things stand tonight. And, so far, he has not been successful in taking over Ukraine.

General Wesley Clark, thank you very much for your time tonight.

CLARK: You're welcome.

BROWN: In a mind-boggling reality check, Ukraine's refugee crisis may only be in its early stages. There have been predictions of up to 5 million people displaced, each one carrying of them carrying a few belongings, and the unbearable weight of an uncertain future.

CNN's Clarissa Ward has their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WARD (voice over): For seven days, the Kyiv suburb of Irpin has been pummeled by Russian strikes. And you can see it in the faces of those leaving, exhaustion, fear, and gratitude to the soldiers helping them flee.

This bridge was downed by the Ukrainians to prevent Russian forces from getting into the city center. Now, it's yet another hurdle people must cross.

There has been a steady barrage of artillery since we got here just over an hour ago and a never-ending stream of people just desperately trying to cross to safety.

[21:15:02]

Natalia tells us she was injured just a couple of hours earlier. She tried to get some stuff out of our apartment she says and shell or something hit and I got hit by shrapnel. Still in shock, she dismisses the pain and walks away unaided.

Others need more assistance. Soldiers carry a make shift stretcher to ferry an elderly woman to safety. President Putin has said his army is not targeting civilians but the exodus from Irpin tells a different story.

Everyone steps in where they can, including us. An elderly woman calls out for help, clearly confused by the chaotic situation. We take one of her bags.

So, people are obviously incredibly affected by this situation. They're frightened. They're exhausted. They're on edge.

They leave behind whatever they cannot carry. No sense of when they will return. A woman approaches, completely overcome.

She said, I'm afraid. For what, she cries, for what? This is just one suburb in one city that has felt the wrath of Russia's onslaught, artillery, missiles and fighter jets. The planes were flying and I just covered my ears, Olga Kudlai (ph) tells us. She is saying that now she doesn't even know where she is going to go next.

She has lived in Irpin for 45 years. It was so beautiful. And now it's destroyed, she says. What are they trying to achieve, to bring us to our knees?

But against all odds, ten days into this war, Ukraine is still standing. A woman waits to be evacuated, trembling but resilient. We will overcome everything, she says.

For the people of Irpin, the journey is just beginning. They are loaded on to buses to the train station. From there, they don't know where they will go.

Clarissa Ward, CNN, Irpin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: When we come back, what a Ukrainian mother plans to tell her infant daughter one day about refusing to give up hope as Russian bombs rain down near their shelter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLENA GNES, UKRAINIAN CIVILIAN IN KYIV BOMB SHELTER: I will tell her that she was the cutest baby ever, and that she played a very important role, because she is like relief to everyone in this shelter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[21:20:00]

BROWN: A mother is standing her ground in the face of growing violence. She and her three children, one just an infant, have been living in a shelter in Kyiv over a week with no plans to leave. She spoke with CNN's Anderson Cooper about her decision to stay.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GNES: To leave Ukraine, it's no easy and these three children too. I mean, people who are leaving Ukraine they are risking to people who became refugees in Europe and elsewhere. For them, that is not easy. Moreover, they are having the feeling of guilt, I suppose, since they left, even like some of them. I understand it shouldn't be. But this is what I feel, what I hear from the people.

And today, I (INAUDIBLE) who was outside on the street and I saw really many people, many people from our neighborhood. Almost all of our neighbors say it, now I do not want the west to have now the worlds to have a wrong feeling that everybody left Ukraine. I mean, even if 1 million people left Ukraine, there are 43 million people who stay. And I'm not the only mother with children. We have other children in this shelter. We have other women and children in this neighborhood. You know, and life of each of us is the -- it means something.

And because like you are talking to me over there from CNN, you are showing my story. And I am one of very few Ukrainian women who is eager to speak and can speak English, yes, I can talk to you. Yes, I just want to you guys to know that we are here. We, Ukrainian people, we are civilians and we stay here on our native land and we have Ukrainian army that protects us. And we need help, we need fly zone here for Putin wants to kill us all. And we still need help. We asked Trump, yes, we try our best but we need more help, please.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: I think for people who I know reach out to you and say you shall leave, I think nobody can understand what it is like to be in the situation you are in unless it actually happens to them in their country. And I think people make choices that may seem strange to people outside but when you're in a situation when it's your country and your home and your husband fighting, and these are your streets, it's.

GNES: Exactly.

COOPER: It's impossible to know what decision anyone would make.

[21:25:00]

GNES: If you allow, I will give you one example, like before we were thinking sometimes from time to time what about like immigrating somewhere, to another country with like a higher level of life, no. But when it started it became all just like, no, this is the place where we belong, this is our nation. And this time, it's our challenge and we have to face it.

And, you know, 80,000 Ukrainians who emigrated before they came back now to Ukraine to protect Ukraine. So, how can I leave in this situation? I just can't.

COOPER: Years from now -- your daughter is three months old. When she -- years from now what will you tell her about this time, this time that they she lived through but won't remember?

GNES: I will tell her that she was the cutest baby ever. And that she played a very important role because she is like relief for everyone in this shelter. And now like everyone is so stressed and there is lots of fear, anxiety, you know? But when people take her in their hands they feel -- it's like a piece of life here, something very kind. And it helps us to fight the devil, the darkness, and things that are happening right now to Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Such a beautiful baby. Wow, and what a strongest mother she is. Well, some Americans are banding together to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia. They are rounding up things, like cell phones, drones, even helmets and night vision goggles. Two of the people behind one of the efforts will join me live, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[21:30:00]

BROWN: Updating you now on today's developments in Ukraine, President Biden and Ukrainian President Zelensky spoke for more than half an hour this evening. The White House saying President Biden emphasized actions taken by the U.S. to raise the cost to Russia for the damage it's inflicting on Ukraine.

Also tonight, CNN is learning the U.S. is working with Poland on the possibility of Poland providing fighter jets to Ukraine.

And earlier today, Ukraine halted evacuations in Mariupol, accusing Russian forces of breaching a ceasefire agreement and shelling evacuation routes, in an effort to put pressure on Putin to stop his attacks on Ukraine.

And the U.S. started sanctioning these Russians this week, seven billionaires and Vladimir Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, Italy seized an oligarch's $70 million yacht. France grabbed a oil exec's yacht. It's valued at 120 million.

Amid boycotts of Russian goods and natural resources, Shell oil bought oil a cargo of crude oil from Russia at a significant discount. After intense criticism, Shell says it will commit profits from that purchase to Ukrainian refugees fleeing the violence in their country.

And Visa and Mastercard now joining corporations, boycotting Russia, both suspending all transactions and operations in Russia in the coming days.

And the Black Sea port city, Kherson, overrun by Russian forces after days of heavy shelling, today, protesters there took to the streets. Watch as a protester hoists a Ukrainian flag on a passing Russian tank. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today urging Ukrainians to keep resisting the Russian invasion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENSKY: Ukrainians, in all our cities where the enemy invaded, go on the offensive. Go out on the streets. We need to fight every time we have an opportunity.

Ukraine, which we know, love protect and will not give up to any enemy, when you don't have a firearm but they respond with gunshots and you don't run.

This is the reason why occupation is temporary. Our people, Ukrainians, don't back down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: As the humanitarian crisis continues to grow, Americans with family in Ukraine are left reeling, desperately searching for a way to help loved ones there.

Joining me now is Kristina Boroday and Dmytro Teterev. They are a Ukrainian-American couple living in San Diego. Most of their family is still in Ukraine today. Thank you both for coming on.

I can't imagine how you are feeling right now, just that feeling of helplessness with having your family in the middle of a war zone right now. Kristina, how often have you been hearing from them and what are they saying?

KRISTINA BORODAY, UKRAINIAN-AMERICAN WITH FAMILY IN UKRAINE: I talk to them every morning, every night. Sometimes I'll wake up in the middle of the night because I can't sleep, so I text them. I call them. I make sure that they're alive, I make sure they're safe. So, all I'm hearing from them is that we need help, we need shelter, we need some kind of certainty they're -- we're going to be safe, and they don't have that.

BROWN: Dmy, what about you? Would you like to see your family try to leave Ukraine?

DMYTRO TETEREV, UKRAINIAN-AMERICAN WITH FAMILY IN UKRAINE: You know, that's ultimately a decision that they're going to have to make. It's a day by day, hour by hour situation. I mean, outside of just studying the news and not the news I hear that maybe has a little bit of a delay, but the current events going on in each and every city, studying Russian troop movements and able to warn my family, the same thing, like Kristina said, you know, it's constantly keeping in touch with the family.

You know, I'm living in two time zones. One is primarily the Ukrainian time zone, the Kyiv time zone and one out here. So, yes, I just care for their safety and do whatever it takes to get them out, if that's the necessary move.

BROWN: Kristina, what have those conversations with them been like? You know, we've heard from others who talked about how difficult it is to decide whether to stay, to go. Some people can't because they have a family member they don't want to leave behind who is too ill to travel. I mean, there are all kinds of different variables at play that no one can understand unless they're in that situation.

[21:35:03]

So, bring us into the difficult conversations you are having with your family and what their day to day is like right now.

BORODAY: So, I mean, my family, they're staying put because that's their home. That's their country. They're going to protect it. My other family members and friends are unable to escape even if they could because they don't even know if they're going to get bombed or a rocket is going to fly over their head, you know, while they're driving to the border. So, it's just those conversations that are we going to be safe if we even try to escape?

BROWN: That's --

BORODAY: I want them here because I want them to be safe. And it's -- I don't know what they're going to do.

BROWN: And I'm sure it's just like you said waking up in the middle of the night just wondering what's happening, what's going on. I mean, you see on the news what the Russian forces are up to, how they are encircling Ukraine. I can't imagine what that must feel like.

And, Dmytro, I wonder what it's been like talking to them or what they're asking for if you're able to get anything to them. I imagine that's frustrating, right, that you know they have needs. What have you been able to do on that front?

TETEREV: Yes, absolutely. You know, from -- you pretty much had -- the concentration of my family is predominantly in Kyiv, spread out throughout the country. But you, more or less, had 20, 24 hours to get out of the city if that was your plan. And I imagine trying to make that decision within 20 hours or 24 hours even with all the logistical issues, like fuel, things like that.

So, yes, I mean, the logistics behind helping them is what, you know, the biggest hurdle right now. I'll figure it out, the Ukrainian people will figure it out that are back here. And we've connected with a lot of people over the past ten days of this war. We are going to get help out there.

Some of the first indications or some of the first outcries for help were from some volunteers I connected with that were in Ukraine, that were for iFax (ph), individual first aid kits, and started getting those in the other but then getting in the hands of the right people, the volunteers.

As far as family, even sending money to Ukraine is an issue because maybe there is not, you know, a way to access that money, or, you know, sending any other sort of physical help, like donations, or plate carriers, things like that.

BORODAY: I want to piggyback off, even if sending money, yes, money will help but they need supplies. They're not getting food delivered into the country. They're not getting medicine delivered into their country. So, essentially, yes, they will need money when the war is over. But, right now, they need money to get the supplies over to them so they have something to live off of.

TETEREV: Kristina, they connected with a pastor from a church in our local community, California community, from Sacramento. Sacramento has a huge population, a huge community of Ukrainians, Russians, people from Belarus that are trying desperately to help and he's on the ground in Poland.

BROWN: We have actually the GoFundMe page we're going to put up on the screen. I've had so many people just reaching out, saying, how can I help? What can I do? Well, for our viewers who do want to help, here is a GoFundMe page where you can donate and you can help the people who are in need, such as your family.

Well, thank you both so much. We wish you the best of luck and your families the best of luck. And we hope that you will continue to keep us posted on their journey. We just -- we really are just praying and hoping for the best.

TETEREV: Thanks for having us.

BORODAY: Thank you so much.

BROWN: Organizations around the world and on the ground in Ukraine are trying to help those who need food, shelter, water and other aid. For more information about how can help go to cnn.com/impact.

The war in Ukraine is pulling people together in a New York neighborhood known as Little Odessa. We are showing you what's happening there, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[21:40:00]

BROWN: The war between Russia and Ukraine is forcing some to choose sides. But in New York's Brighton Beach, home to one of the largest Russian-speaking communities outside of Europe, support for Ukraine is everywhere.

Polo Sandoval has more.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nicknamed Little Odessa, this waterfront Brooklym community is predominantly Russian-speaking. It has been shaken by the conflict that we're seeing in Ukraine.

We are, however, seeing the Ukrainian shows of support on street corners, and for one local shop owner, shedding the Russian branding in show of solidarity.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL (voice over): In South Brooklyn's neighborhood of Brighton Beach, Russian dominates everyday life, from the language spoken to the cyrillic signage.

MICHAEL LEVITIS, RUSSIAN-AMERICAN RADION HOST: You can live here your whole life and not speak a word of English.

SANDOVAL: But lately, says Moscow native Michael Levitis, it's the support for Ukraine that is prevalent in this Eastern European enclave in New York nicknamed Little Odessa, after the Ukrainian seaport. Brighton Beach is home to one of the largest Russian-speaking communities outside of Europe.

LEVITIS: Right now, everybody is Ukrainian. As a show of solidarity, people are posting in their store fronts, on Facebook, Ukrainian flags.

[21:45:02]

SANDOVAL: On light posts.

LEVITIS: On light posts, to show that we are the people of Ukraine, we are against the war. And we want the bloodshed to stop as soon as possible.

SANDOVAL: Levitis stays in close with fellow Russian-Americans both online and on air as host of a talk radio.

LEVITIS: Nobody is supporting what Kremlin is doing. Some people are understanding and they are -- they regret that negotiations did not going the way Putin wanted. But nobody is supporting this military action and the bombing of innocent people.

SANDOVAL: Questions about how to get humanitarian aid to Ukrainians caught in the conflict dominate calls into Levitis' show. He has also heard from local business leaders, one of whom is shedding Russian branding right off his store front. Bobby Rachman (ph) had the name Taste of Russia taken down just this week.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It just wouldn't be the right thing to do to keep the name.

SANDOVAL: A Ukrainian flag hangs in the bustling shop's window while a new name is considered.

LEVITIS: Some businesses are changing their name either to show solidarity with Ukraine or to take out the Russian from their name so that their customers would not boycott them or confuse them with Russian-owned businesses, which right now are under heavy sanctions.

SANDOVAL: As New York City subway line thunders overhead, life seems to go on along this stretch of Brighton Beach Avenue, but it does so amid worries of a war half a world away, one that feels especially close to home here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL (on camera): In addition to those local efforts, we've heard from both the state of New York and also the city of New York, announcing the plans to help many of these Ukrainians resettle here in the U.S. as refugees, many of them, no doubt, turning to these neighborhoods for a bit of safety and peace.

Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

BROWN: Our thanks to Polo.

Well, Vladimir Putin said he invaded Ukraine to protect people from genocide and Nazis. We know that is not true. The real reason may be found on a simple map. We're going to explain, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[21:50:00] BROWN: Probably the biggest question about the war in Ukraine is, why, why did Vladimir Putin invade unprovoked? Why is he determined to prevent NATO expansion?

Journalists, Author and Broadcaster Tim Marshall explains how maps may hold the answers.

TIM MARSHALL, JOURNALIST, AUTHOR AND BROADCASTER: To better understand the tensions between NATO and Russia over Ukraine, it's worth a glance at history and a good look at a map.

In the cold war, Europe was split more or less in two, the NATO countries in the west, Warsaw pact and the Moscow dominance in the east. But post-cold war, country after country wanted to join NATO and it's moved up to Russia's borders.

To understand why Russia feels nervous about that, a topographical map is useful. There is a mountain range running across Europe, the Carpathian Mountains. Now, from the Baltic Sea to where the Carpathian start there, this is flat ground.

And through the flat ground have come Napoleon and the French, Hitler and Germans and many who have invaded Russia from that direction. And that makes Russia very nervous. Therefore, it seeks to either plug the gap by occupying it, or, if not, where the ground opens up into flat ground, it wants to, at the very least, dominate it.

In 2014, its reaction was to occupy and then annex Crimea, part of Ukraine, and its warm water port of Sevastopol, which gives the Russian fleet access out of the Black Sea into the Mediterranean, and from there, on to the great ocean lanes of the world. It also fomented civil war in the Donbas region in order to create a small mini-buffer zone.

To understand Russia's strategy towards Ukraine, it's not just about the military and the political aspects. It's important to understand the place that Ukraine has in Russia's hearts or in its psychology. Russian culture began in Kyiv and it's where what eventually became Russia was founded. I mean, it moved eastwards across to Moscow but they still know in their collective imagination that the root of their culture is in the heart of Ukraine.

And Putin wrote an essay pretty much about this, in which he doesn't recognize these lines on the map, these borders, because, as far as he is concerned, Ukraine is part of mother Russia. And that is a psychology that goes quite deep into the Russian collective memory. Large parts of the country are Russian-speaking. There is the Slavic connection. And there is also the fact that many people are Russian orthodox in their religious belief.

So while, of course, great power politics and Russia's position vis-a- vis Western Europe, NATO and the Americans and all the rest of it comes into this, this is from the heart and it actually does play a role in Russian thinking.

BROWN: Well, a number of new developments tonight in Ukraine, including President Biden now considering helping Ukraine get more fighter jets. We're going to have the latest just ahead.

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BROWN: Hundreds of refugees arrived at Berlin's central station from the Polish-Ukrainian border this week. It is a powerful showing of what it means for the refugees to have a safe place to go, a place to exhale and a place to unite with friends and relief after a long and harsh journey.

Coming up on this Saturday night, I'm going to speak live with a civilian caught in the conflict about the squalid conditions they are now living in. And I'll speak to another Ukrainian who has been agonizing over the decision to stay or leave her home.

Your next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

I'm Pamela Brown in Washington. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM, great to have you along with us on this Saturday.

And there is a lot of breaking news that we are following tonight. President Biden and Ukrainian President Zelensky spoke this evening as CNN learns of what could be a major tool for Ukraine to fight Russia in the sky. A White House spokesperson says the U.S. is working with Poland on a plan, one that could have Poland transferring fighter jets to Ukraine. The U.S. would then backfill Poland. We're going to have more on that in just a moment.

Meantime Zelensky tonight is telling his nation to keep fighting, vowing that Ukrainians would never give their country, in his words, away to an enemy.

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