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Russian Forces Moving in Kyiv from the East; Explosions Reported in Dnipro, Lutsk, Ivano-Frankivsk; Top Russian & Ukrainian Diplomats Meet, but no Breakthroughs; Zelenskyy: Working to Bring Aid to Hardest Hit Ukrainian Areas; U.N.: 2.5 Million People have Fled Ukraine since Fighting Began. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired March 11, 2022 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

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ISA SOARES, CNN HOST: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us in United States and right around the world. I'm Isa Soares in London, and we are following breaking news coverage of the war in Ukraine and just ahead right here on CNN Newsroom.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fact is that we've seen very credible reports of deliberate attacks on civilians, which would under the Geneva Conventions constitute a worker.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Russian forces are at the very least operating with reckless disregard for the safety of non-combatants.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The NATO alliance is stronger, and Russia is weaker because of what Putin has done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

SOARES: Welcome to the show everyone. It is Friday, March 11th, 11 am in Ukraine, and we'll begin with breaking news deadly explosions in the Ukrainian cities of Dnipro in the last few hours as Russia widens its attack across Ukraine. We can see more evidence, according to Ukraine that Russia is either targeting civilians or just doesn't care who they kill.

Ukraine's Emergency Service says the Russian strikes on Dnipro hit near preschool and apartment building and a shoe factory. At least one person was killed and the Mayor of Lutsk near the borders you can see that with Poland reports another death when three missiles hit an airfield authority say alert systems they're an advanced province further south did not work.

Meanwhile, Russian forces appear to be moving closer to Kyiv with a new offensive from the east heavy fighting is reported in several towns near the Ukrainian Capital. And Russian troops are moving in from an airport in the Northwest about 15 kilometers or so nine miles from the city center.

Have a look at these dramatic pictures Ukrainian forces claim they have destroyed a Russian tank regiment and killed its Commander North of Kyiv. Well, global condemnation is growing for Russia's airstrike on children's and maternity hospital in the Southern Port City of Mariupol.

The mayor there called to genocide and the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nation accuses Russia of war crimes. Three people were killed in the attack and more than a dozen others wounded. The city is encircled by Russian forces and the Red Cross says with food, water, electricity and medical supplies running out the situation as you can imagine, is increasingly dire and desperate.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on a visit to Poland called out the Russian atrocities the Biden Administration says it civilians are being targeted, that should be investigated as possible war crimes.

Meanwhile, talks in Turkey between the top Russian and Ukrainian diplomats produced no breakthroughs we bought you those talks live yesterday on the show. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov even denied that Russia had attacked Ukraine.

Well, Ukraine's Foreign Minister took to social media to show the tragic human impact of the war. He tweeted this video of sick orphans being evacuated from a Kyiv suburb; an Italian journalist recorded the video.

One of the children as you can see this order looks unconscious. It's not clear if these children were injured in the fight in just heartbreaking cities images. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reports about 100,000 civilians have been evacuated from war zones in the past two days. Russia says it's opening humanitarian corridors on a daily basis.

And you can see on this map, really that the routes the refugees are taking to escape the fighting the onslaught of the attacks against them. Well, CNN has correspondents positioned around the world covering the story including reports this hour from Ukraine, Turkey, France, England, Netherlands, as well as Romania.

CNN's Scott McLean, joining us first from Lviv in Ukraine and Scott good morning to you look we are seeing this troubling signs this morning of Russian forces widening the attack with this new offensive from the east. What more can you tell us about their advance?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey Isa. Yes, there seems to be a shift in strategy from the Russians getting further and further from the Russian border. These are places that have not been hit before.

Dnipro an airstrike around six o'clock this morning as you mentioned earlier heading an apartment kindergartens and a two story shoe store as well.

[04:05:00]

MCLEAN: In Lutsk which is actually not far from here in Lviv, another airstrike hitting an airfield there, the Mayor reportedly told the local newspaper for people to get into shelters as soon as they could when the bombing started. And then Ivano-Frankivsk as well, this is a place in southwestern Ukraine, again, has not been a big target for Russians in the past.

And part of the difficulty here Isa, is that these cities, up until now, were still relatively safe. And so Ivano-Frankivsk in particular, has been a very popular place for Ukrainians fleeing violence and other parts of the country to go. And so we know that a lot of people who have crossed the border into other parts of Europe, they know people in Poland.

They know people in other parts of Europe, they have family there, and they have a plan of where they're going to go and where they're going to stay. Not everyone but many of them. And so a lot of the people who have chosen to stay in Ukraine are people who perhaps don't have the connections outside the country and really don't want to leave.

And so if they're forced out from those places, the UN has talked about this before. The concern is that the next wave of refugees is not going to have the same level of resources is not going to have the same connections outside the country and therefore will be a lot more vulnerable if it bombs were to start going off in Lviv, for instance, you'd have 200,000 people probably looking to flee to the border, and probably all at once so that's a whole new humanitarian crisis, potentially brewing.

SOARES: And staying on humanitarian crisis. We're hearing the humanitarian corridors expected to continue today in but what do we know about the situation? Mariupol, of course, has been under siege for days.

MCLEAN: Yes, so Mariupol is a place the President Zelenskyy said that he was sending a convoy of buses to pick people up and aid into yesterday. The difficulty is that it appears that none of it actually arrived. The Mayor of Mariupol says the sixth straight day aid has not been able to get into the city.

He also accuses the Russians of bombing, the escape routes the corridor is out of the city, something that Russia denies. Now Russia, for its part says just this morning through state media, Russian defense officials are saying that its own corridors have been opened unilaterally, many of those routes lead to Russia, and some lead to Ukraine with the coordination of the Ukrainians.

But when it comes to Mariupol, the only route out of the city that the Russians have proposed unilaterally goes to Russia, obviously, the Ukrainians are trying to get people out in the opposite direction. The Russians are proposing a coordination channel to try to make that happen.

But at this stage, you know, days into the attempts to make these corridors work. It's remarkable that that hasn't happened already. And so previously, the Red Cross, which is working as an intermediary, a coordinator on the ground has criticized these two parties saying, look, you have to agree on the fine details.

And so far Isa, it doesn't seem like there's very much of anything that's been agreed between the two sides in terms of these humanitarian corridors out of Mariupol. A place that is in desperate, desperate need of help as the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate.

SOARES: Yes, and we did hear from the Ukrainian side yesterday, as they met in Turkey yesterday. And that was the priority, wasn't it? The priority was to focus on that ceasefire and on the humanitarian corridor, specifically, as it relates to Mariupol. Scott McLean, appreciate it. Thanks very much.

Well, just minutes ago, the U.S. Vice President began meeting with American and Polish troops in Warsaw. As she prepares to leave Poland and travel to Romania, Kamala Harris is on the diplomatic swing through parts of NATO's Eastern Bloc, and she has been trying to reassure nervous allies as well as former Soviet republics that are worried about of course Russian aggression given what's happening on the ground.

She told Poland's President U.S. is prepared to defend every inch pardon me of NATO territory. Earlier, Harris faced some criticism even though she is forced by language to denounce what she called atrocities underway in Ukraine. She stopped short of declaring them war crimes instead calling on the UN to investigate.

Meanwhile, European Union leaders are meeting Versailles in France, the big focus of their summit, how to counter the Russian invasion? You are looking at live pictures coming to us from Versailles in France. And there's a really show a strong push at this meeting gets on the way to show unity as well as resolved but there are divisions.

And we've been outlining them here on CNN since this before this war began amongst some EU members. A day earlier, the Foreign Ministers of Ukraine and Russia met in Turkey but there was no significant progress. The Ukrainian President's office said we're ready to talk to the Russian President whenever he's ready.

CNN's Jomana Karadsheh is standing by Antalya in Turkey where the Russian and Ukrainian Foreign Ministers held their talks. But first I want to go live to Melissa Bell, who's tracking the news live for us from Paris. And Melissa we as we look at these live images coming into us this cleared the message is a show of unity.

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SOARES: But what can we expect come out of these talks here?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A show of unity, what Emmanuel Macron, who has the rotating presidency of the European Council at the moment, the holding of this summit in their say, once is for this to kick start the idea of European sovereignty. He's hoping that with Europeans having shown such unity these last few weeks in their response to Ukraine, they can come together and perhaps act as a bloc in other areas in which they hadn't acted before together, for instance, how to deal with the macro economic fallout of all that's happening as a result of this war.

But perhaps most importantly, in 30 years Versailles and most interestingly, he says the question of Europe, Ukrainian accession to the European Union, you know that the Ukrainian President asked at the very end of February, that the process be fast tracked that Ukraine should join the EU.

Now, what the leaders have been talking about, and this is again, one of the sources of divisions within Europe, with some countries that the Baltic countries in particular, hoping that some fast track process might be found. Other countries like the Netherlands more skeptical. Here's what the country's Prime Minister had to say is he arrived at Versailles yesterday, on that very question, Isa.

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MARK RUTTE, DUTCH PRIME MINISTER: There is a request for candidate membership from Ukraine, and that is now in process. And we have frustrated the sending his own to the commission. Earlier this week by the council, there's one but this will take time, months, maybe years before you get to anything.

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BELL: Months, maybe years. In the meantime today Isa, they're going to be looking at ways they can send a strong signal to Kyiv and show how Ukraine can be brought closer to Europe in the meantime. But in the end, the statement that was published at 3 am last night, the unanimous statement from the 27 is that Ukraine should be told that it is firmly a part of the European family.

SOARES: And do stay with us, Melissa, I want to bring in Jomana in Turkey. And Jomana you and I were talking yesterday, roughly at this time. And it's clear from that meeting. There was well, no meetings of mine. But we have heard from the Ukrainians in the last few hours basically saying they are ready to talk to Putin. That's Turkey who is mediating this talk. So they believe that this can happen?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well look, this is what they're working towards Isa and they have been for weeks now, even before the start of the war. Turkish officials, President Erdogan has been working the phones, he has been talking to both President Zelenskyy and Putin trying to bring them together.

And they have continued to push for this Turkey saying that, look, we're not just hosts of these talks. We want to be facilitators. We are mediators. And they are really trying to utilize that really strong relationship Isa that they have with both Ukraine and Russia, of course, Turkey, a key NATO country.

But it still maintains strong ties with Russia economic ties, defense ties, and President Putin and Erdogan do have a good working relationship. So they are really trying to use that position to try and bring both sides together.

We heard from the Turkish Foreign Minister saying yesterday in President Erdogan's calls with Putin, the last call was last weekend, at least that's what they announced publicly in that phone call President Putin told Erdogan that he is not opposed to talks with President Zelenskyy in principle.

And so Turkey is really trying to push forward. They believe that this meeting that was held here yesterday between the two of foreign ministers that could possibly pave the way for those talks that they are continuing to push for they believe that, you know, this is the only way ahead, and they are going to continue to try and pursue the diplomatic path.

And you know, we've heard from as you mentioned, the Ukrainian saying they are President Zelenskyy is ready for these talks. So we'll have to wait and see if Turkey is going to be able to, you know, to make this happen. But they are clearly saying that they are continuing to push for this because there is this realization Isa that no matter what officials meet, no matter what delegations you send to these talks.

If there is going to be any sort of agreement if there is going to be any sort of ceasefire. That is going to be the decision of one man and that is Vladimir Putin.

SOARES: Yes, indeed. Well, no breakthrough but like you've said before Jomana at least they're talking I know you're still on top of that. Jomana Karadsheh there and Melissa Bell, thank you to both ladies.

Well, hundreds of thousands are making the arduous journey across Ukrainian borders in hopes of really reaching safety. Just ahead how one country is coping the crisis and the overwhelming number of sudden refugees?

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SOARES: Plus millions have crossed the border into Poland and many of them are children I'll speak with a UNICEF Spokesman about what he's been seeing up close and the toll it is taking on the most innocent of victims. That is next.

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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: No matter what we will try almost constantly we will continue to try to bring Mariupol the aid that people so desperately need Ukrainians need.

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SOARES: President Zelenskyy there. Well, a humanitarian crisis is growing in Ukraine and it shows no signs unfortunately of letting up. In the last few minutes the United Nations excuse me have a look at it has said that more than 2.5 million people have left the country that from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

Nearly a million and a half of those to Poland alone a hundreds of thousands to other countries, let alone those who are displaced inside Ukraine while neighboring countries such as Poland, Romania, and as well as Moldova are now trying to figure out how to house the thousands of people pouring across their borders every day.

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SOARES: That's a hard thing to do when you can't be sure really how many more are coming? CNN's Miguel Marquez has more now from Romania.

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MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The refugee crisis deepening.

ANNA LEUKINENKO, FLED UKRAINE: And they opened just my bag just thinking what I need and maybe about two hours.

MARQUEZ (voice over): Anna Lukinenko from Mykolayiv in Southern Ukraine, a city hammered indiscriminately by Russian rockets and artillery. Lukinenko had two hours to pack up her two kids her mother and her children's godmother, two hours to pack. No idea if she'll see her husband, grandparents, or country again.

LUKINENKO: Let's see my heart I said, I think that Ukrainian will be free and everything will be OK, but who knows when?

MARQUEZ (voice over): Lukinenko trying to get from Bucharest to friends in Poland, one story of millions families now being torn apart in Ukraine and across Europe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will see people who are without capabilities without possibilities financial possibilities who are running from war, they are running for their lives taking just a very few things with them, and sometimes even without documentation.

MARQUEZ: The speed at which Ukrainians are transformed into refugees increasing exponentially as Russia continues punishing attacks on civilian and military targets alike.

COSMINA SIMIEAN, GENERAL MANAGER, DIRECTORATE FOR SOCIAL SERVICES, CITY OF BUCHAREST: 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. But we don't know how many people will come. So we need to be prepared.

MARQUEZ (voice over): Romanians, not just waiting to receive Ukrainian refugees. Now they're collecting and organizing massive amounts of humanitarian supplies all to be shipped directly to Ukraine.

NICUSOR DAN, GENERAL MAYOR, BUCHAREST: They need drugs. And we have a specific list of what kind of drugs. They need the medical kits and they need food that can be preserved.

MARQUEZ (on camera): Did you ever think you'd be in this situation?

DAN: No. I mean, war in 2022 it's unbelievable.

MARQUEZ (voice over): Miguel Marquez, CNN, Bucharest, Romania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Well, more than 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees have flooded into Poland, most of them women and children. The situation on the ground in Ukraine is especially horrific for children they're constantly exposed to the fighting; some have lost family members or have been forced to cross the border on their own. And many children have been killed as we reported here in the shelling.

Our Joe English is a Spokesperson for UNICEF and has been working on the frontlines helping with the refugee crisis. He joins me now from Princeville in Poland. And Joe, thank you very much for taking the time to speak to us. We in the last few minutes, we've heard from the UN from the UN High Commission for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, who says the number of refugees from Ukraine, tragically, and he's quite right about that reaching 2.5 million.

I know that half of them are children, which is just staggering. Explain to our viewers around the world, the sheer scale of this ever growing humanitarian crisis here, Joe.

JOE ENGLISH, UNICEF SPOKESPERSON: Thanks so much Isa. So as you say, I've been here for a couple of days now, when I arrived refugee numbers around 1.7 million 1.8 million. So in the space of just a few days, but now we 2.5 million and half of those were children.

When children and families are crossing the border, and I was at the border crossing point, because yesterday, you know, they're coming across exhausted, you know, many of them has traveled 20 hours, 30 hours, the kids are getting sick along the way.

And they reached the border, and they got a sense of hey, we're here with safe. But now what, and there's been an incredible volunteer response and providing warm clothes, food meals, but actually children, excuse me, all we can reach those children identified most vulnerable, and make sure that they get the -- they need.

SOARES: And like you said, you know, these children, as we just seen from that report, just before you from Moldova are leaving behind the only world they knew in which is safety and comfort and warmth. Talk to us Joe about the impact this has on children, the trauma of war here.

ENGLISH: Completely children have had their lives turned upside down. You know, for those who have been directly exposed to the violence, you know, you can't even begin to imagine what this could do to a young child's mind.

You know, and even those who may not be directly impacted by the violence when they're fleeing. They're being separated from their fathers. They're taking journeys where they're unsure where they're going, how long they're going to be away from home.

And as we single one of the mothers and grandmothers we've spoken to have spoken to us about the impact this is having on their kids. You know, some of them may be may be exhibiting signs of withdrawing into themselves. You know, in one of the centers yesterday I saw a little girl and there were kids playing.

We're able to set up these kind of safe spaces, but she was just sat away at the side by spaced out during the middle of - you may see kids like that you know that there's something in there that they've gone through that that processing they're unpacking.

[04:25:00]

ENGLISH: And what we know is that with the right care and attention and professional services to these kids, they can begin to unpack this one and begin to recover. But we need to be identifying them as early as possible to make sure that they get enough because otherwise, as we say, we've got over a million children. That's a million stories, a half a million stories.

SOARES: Yes, and like you said, I know you - I know UNICEF has set up blue dots, I believe the safe spaces for traveling families. How important is that? I mean is that were you taking the time to explain to the families and to their loved ones exactly what is happening, or is that more to help those who may be separated during their journey, because that's another entire matter here.

ENGLISH: It is indeed. So the blue dot center serves two purposes. One is just to provide a safe space for kids to play, for parents to take a load off their feet and relax a black sort of decompress knowing that their kids are in this safe space.

But it also means that we can have child protection specialists, counselors on hand to identify vulnerable children and families and begin to work to refer them that are available. But as you say, in terms of unaccompanied and separated children, this is a huge issue.

And when we see these numbers of people crossing the border, you know, there is a very real risk of trafficking children being born requisition abuse.

SOARES: Let me ask you about those inside Ukraine. We heard from the UN terms, the numbers, the refugee numbers, 2.5 million, so a million more. So still 2 million, I think is what Grandi said, displaced inside Ukraine.

You know, what are you hearing from your teams on the ground from those on the ground who have been trying we mean, seeing these opening of humanitarian corridors not all Joe have gone, according to promise of safety for civilians? Talk to us about what you're hearing on the ground inside Ukraine.

ENGLISH: Certainly. So I mean, I speak for my colleagues on the ground and the situation is desperate. You know, we've all seen the images, the reports that have been coming out, and it's utterly horrific, you know, children among the rubble, pregnant women, you know, and so we're, we're there - we work now we've got over 130 staff working in the country, if we're going to be able to reach children and families in need.

We need safe, unfettered access to every child in Ukraine; we're going to be able to provide them with what they need.

SOARES: And very briefly, these humanitarian corridors working your opinion, Joe?

ENGLISH: I think in terms of do - we need humanitarian access, you know, and hold on the one thing but we need not only be able to get supplies in we need to get to get our people move up around the country without you know, fear of fear of attack.

And so what's clear barriers, children, families, and until they get these, we're gonna continue to see huge numbers of people coming across the border in search of safety.

SOARES: Joe English, thank you very much to yourself and to your entire team. Do keep in touch and stay safe. Thank you very much Joe English there the UNICEF Spokesperson.

ENGLISH: Thanks Isa.

SOARES: Now, if you would like to help people in Ukraine who may need of shelter, food and water please go to cnn.com/impact. There you will find several ways that you can help right now on cnn.com/impact.

Well, people in the besieged City of Mariupol may be suffering the most. They've been under constant Russian bombardment, and many cannot escape ahead, their Mayor's plea to the world. And Ukraine's says Russia's allegation of chemical weapons in Ukraine has revealed Vladimir Putin's strategy all that after this short break, you are watching CNN Newsroom.

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