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Bucharest Convention Center Converted into Refugee Center; Separating Fact from Fiction on the Price of Gas; Ukrainians on Edge, Waiting for News of Loved Ones. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired March 09, 2022 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:31:08]

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: I'm Anderson Cooper in Lviv, Ukraine.

In a matter of minutes, a Russian ceasefire to allow civilians to escape through a humanitarian corridor will end. Ukraine officials say Russian troops have blocked a humanitarian convoy from some Kyiv suburbs.

Other routes, however, like this one in Irpin, seem to be moving. As you can see a number of people leaving are elderly with exhaustion and fear written on their faces. They have already been through bombardments now for days.

The U.N. reports more than 2.1 million people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion began, a startling number in such a short period of time.

One of the countries opening its doors to refugees is Romania.

CNN's Miguel Marquez is at an evacuation center in the capitol, Bucharest.

Miguel, how are they preparing? It looks like a very large space there.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: This is the largest space that you will find in Bucharest. And they are preparing for as many as 2,000 refugees here.

This is the convention center here Bucharest. Let me show you how this is playing out.

They started setting this up in the last 24, 48 hours or so. These are all cots on the ground. They will set up all of these.

They have tons of supplies that are being donated there. There's a kitchen. Cars and vans are coming in the back side to bring more food and water and clothing and blankets and everything they need.

The three levels of this convention center, this massive domed center, now have cots on them that they are starting to set up and prepare.

They have areas for babies. They have areas for mothers that have children, so they can have a bit more privacy.

And as you are seeing that indiscriminate force that is being used in Ukraine, the people they are starting to see here -- tens of thousands they are dealing with every day.

The people they are starting to see here are in greater need than ever. They have few clothes. Sometimes they don't have documents. They don't have any money.

The director, the person running this refugee effort here, tells us what they need.

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COSMINA SMIEAN, GENERAL MANGER, DIRECTORATE FOR SOCIAL SERVICES, CITY OF BUCHAREST: Actually, we don't know what is coming and how many people are coming to Bucharest.

As far as we know, the people coming here are only in transit. A few of them remain in Romania. The rest are going through eastern countries.

But we don't know how many people will come so we need to be prepared.

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MARQUEZ: What is always most stressful in life is not knowing what the future holds. And that is the case not only in Ukraine, which is on a massive level, but here in Romania.

People are worried. People are afraid. They're not sure how far the Russians are going to go.

And they are -- for instance, they're signing up for more passports in Romania in the event the war comes here and they have to get out of here.

Lines for gas stations and the like are starting to grow here in Romania as well. There is just great fear, great concern everywhere.

Right now, they are preparing for up to 2,000 more refugees. This center could open as soon as tomorrow -- Anderson?

COOPER: Miguel, important to emphasize what the relief worker was saying. Unlike in Poland, where we've seen people staying in people's homes in

Poland, some settling in Poland, this is really viewed as a transit hub.

They come here, they'll stay there, get documents in order, get themselves together a little bit, whatever the supplies they need.

And then the idea that they may push on to Poland or other countries further west. Is that right?

MARQUEZ: It is. Except, now that the people who are being affected by this are poor, they don't have documents or papers, they may have to stay here longer.

[13:35:03]

So, for instance, 320,000 refugees have come into Romania but 234,000 have left. There are tens of thousands of people who are staying in Romania now.

And they're not sure. They don't know how many in the days and weeks ahead are going to end up having to stay in Romania for days, weeks, months, even years -- Anderson?

COOPER: Yes. Miguel Marquez, so much unknown at this point. Thank you.

The Kremlin and Russians are feeling the economic pain that has certainly because to be felt.

A number of Western countries suspending operations there is growing, practically by the minute. So is the pressure on the ones that have not pulled back yet.

And the E.U. just hit Russian oligarchs and politicians with a fourth round of sanctions. We have details ahead.

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[13:40:39]

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Gas prices have hit a record high again today, $4.25 a gallon, according to AAA. That's up by a staggering 60 cents in just one week.

And while there's a lot of understandable anger and frustration over the pain at the pump, there's also a lot of misinformation going around about who or what is responsible.

So let's cut through the clutter.

First, it's critical to understand that no one person or entity is in control of the price of gas.

It's tethered to the price of oil, which is controlled by a variety of factors, including supply from OPEC and non-OPEC countries, demand, trade, the financial markets. Now let's get to some of the false claims that are circulating,

including one that oil production here in the United States is somehow down.

That's not true. The reality is the U.S. oil production is actually up from 2020,

And as you can see here, in Trump's first year of office, the U.S. was producing 9.3 million barrels of oil per day.

Now the U.S. is forecast to produce 12 million barrels per day. And the experts say that production is on track to hit a new record next year.

Another claim going around is that the United States is too dependent on foreign oil. But in reality, the U.S. actually produces much more oil than it imports.

Last year, the U.S. produced more than 11 million barrels of crude oil per day and while importing around just six million per day.

For the last couple of years, the United States has been the world's top oil producer, topping Saudi Arabia, Russia, Canada and China.

A third claim is that the Keystone Pipeline, that had it been approved, would help lower prices today. The reality here is that's up for debate but unlikely.

The Keystone XL Pipeline would have been an extension of a currently operating pipeline that would have acted as a shortcut, taking oil extracted from the tar sands in Canada all the way to Nebraska.

From there, an existing pipeline would transport oil to refineries along the gulf coast. And this would have moved about 830,000 barrels of oil out of Canada every day.

And while it wouldn't have been U.S.-owned oil, proponents of the pipeline argue buying more oil from Canada is preferable to, say, well, today, for instance, Russia.

Keep in mind the XL Pipeline wasn't expected to be operational until next year at the earliest.

Let's discuss more now. And I want to bring in Tom Kloza. He is the global head of energy analysis at the Oil Price Information Service.

Tom, thank you so much for joining us.

The facts are there. The U.S. is the number-one oil producer in the world, produces more than it imports.

Is there anything more the U.S. can be doing to lower gas prices right now?

TOM KLOZA, GLOBAL HEAD OF ENERGY ANALYSIS, OIL PRICE INFORMATION SERVICE. I think there's more that can be done, and probably from the oil and

gas companies.

And you really have a situation between the oil and gas companies and the Biden administration. It's like the Crips and the Bloods.

Our in California, there has been an adversarial relationship.

The oil and gas companies have not made investments or haven't exploited a lot of oil shale because they want to reward their investors by buying back more shares or shoring up their balance sheets.

But the reality is nothing that the president has done has really stopped it.

Now the Biden administration's rhetoric suggests they would like to get us off fossil fuels at some point in the next decade or so and oil and gas companies aren't necessarily exploiting the assets because of that.

But let me tell you, with these prices and having a rendezvous with $120 or so, it's going to be very seductive.

And we're going to see more crude oil coming out of west Texas, North Dakota and New Mexico.

And as long as we don't start a war with Canada, we'll be getting four million barrels a day of Canadian oil, regardless of whether the Keystone Pipeline XL is restarted or not.

CABRERA: A potential sign of good news today. Oil prices tumbling double digits after the UAE's ambassador to Washington told CNN that they are in favor of increasing production there.

What do you think of this?

KLOZA: Well, that's a surprise. When you look for a culprit of high prices, one is the culprits is the OPEC-plus alliance that was formed after oil went negative in April of 2020.

[13:45:10]

I mean, you have the OPEC countries, plus Russia in there with Kazakhstan and others, and they have had the discipline of a gymnast. And usually, through the years, Charlie Sheen.

So they have not released the oil that they are capable of releasing.

There's an argument that can be made, if we lose Russian oil, we can't replace it quickly.

But the estimates of how much Russian oil is not getting to market right now are very vast. It's maybe one million, maybe two million, maybe three million or four million.

So if the UAE can round up some more oil from OPEC-plus countries, that will help as long as there's some more drilling here. And, you know, one other thing I would mention, Ana, is the last three days have seen kind of some tank topping by the American public and maybe the biggest demands we've seen since last summer. So things will calm down a little bit.

We were headed toward higher prices this year regardless of what was going to happen in Ukraine. And that's because we've retired some refining assets.

And, again, it was very conservative in the oil patch in terms of drilling and extracting the oil.

CABRERA: Tom Kloza, I appreciate your insights. Thank you for joining us.

KLOZA: Thanks, Ana.

CABRERA: The European Union has now levied a fourth round of sanctions on Russia, widening the scope of those affected.

The European Commission president outlined the new targets on Twitter. And they include 160 oligarchs and Russian Federation councilmembers, three Belarusian banks, the export of maritime navigation technology to Russia and crypto assets.

Meanwhile, European authorities continue to try to hunt down the luxury belongings of Russian oligarchs. And their search has led them to a mystery docked in a Tuscan port.

A super yacht valued at $700 million is shrouded in secrecy with no publicly listed owner. Onboard, there are two helicopter decks, a fully equipped gym, gold-plated fixtures in the bathrooms.

It's sparked some speculation that it's Russian owned, maybe even Putin himself.

The Italian financial police have opened an inquiry. And the ship's captain has reportedly handed over documents revealing the owner's identity.

Some Ukrainians are afraid to use their phones because, what if? What if they get that call updating them on their loved one fighting in this war?

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CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: "Excuse me, I can't talk," he says. "I'm waiting for my son."

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[13:52:13]

CABRERA: Right now, the fight to flee Ukraine is difficult, even for young, healthy Ukrainians. Long waits, long walks, and freezing temperatures.

The sound of shelling all around them. And uncertainty if their loved ones are still alive.

But for some civilians, getting out of harm's way is impossible without help.

CNN's Clarissa Ward is with some of the refugees.

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WARD (voice-over): Incredibly, they emerge. Some still standing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD: Some too weak to walk after more than a week under heavy bombardment in the Kyiv suburb of Irpin.

Volunteers help them carry their bags the final few feet to relative safety.

There are tearful reunions as relatives feared dead finally appear after days of no contact with the outside world.

Many are still looking for their loved ones. Soldiers help where they can.

For Larissa (ph) and Andriy, it is an agonizing wait. Their son has been pinned down in the hotel he owns.

"We wait, we hope, we pray," they tell me.

"This is the grief of all mothers, of all people," Larissa (ph) says. "This is a tragedy."

Every time the phone rings, there's a scramble, anticipation that it could be their son's voice on the line. This time, it is not.

"Excuse me, I can't talk," Andriy says. "I'm waiting for my son."

They are not the only ones waiting. These residents of a nursing home were among the last to be evacuated from Irpin. They have been sitting here now for hours.

Confused and disorientated, many don't know where they are going. A volunteer gently guides these women back to wait for the next bus.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD: Valentina (ph) tells us she is frightened and freezing after days of endless shelling and no heat.

"I want to lie down," she says. "Please help me."

But for now, there is no place to lie down. The women are shepherded onto a bus, their arduous journey not over yet. For Larissa (ph) and Andriy, the wait is finally over. Their son is

alive.

ANDRIY KOLESNIK, IRPIN RESIDENT: The only words you can tell to the phone, like, "Mom, I'm alive. Mom, I'm alive." And that's it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

[13:55:02]

WARD: "I'm the happiest mother in the world right now," she says. "My son is with me."

But not every mother here is so lucky. And for many, the weight continues.

Clarissa Ward, CNN, Kyiv.

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CABRERA: That does it for me. Thank you for being with us. I'll see you back here tomorrow.

In the meantime, I want to leave you with this scene in Kyiv today. The city's classic symphony orchestra playing Ukraine's national anthem.

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