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Zelenskyy Pressed Biden for More Sanctions; Volunteers Join Ukraine's Fight; Journalist Killed Covering Ukraine; Police Link Shootings Targeting Homeless Men. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired March 14, 2022 - 09:30   ET

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

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[09:32:37]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: More news this morning on Ukraine.

CNN has learned that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy urged President Biden during their latest phone call to impose more economic sanctions against Russia, also to cut Russia's access to international waterways. That would be a significant step.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: It really would.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond live at the White House for us this morning.

So, Jeremey, what more do we know about that call?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, President Biden and President Zelenskyy we know spoke for about 49 minutes on Friday as President Biden was prepared to announce the latest tranche of U.S. sanctions against Russia, including steps to revoke Russia's most favored nation status as a trading partner which would damage and impact Russia's economy.

Now, multiple sources familiar with that call say that Zelenskyy, while he did thank President Biden for those additional moves, he also pressed Biden to go further, to cut off Russia from international trade, to continue targeting the Russian elite, and to also try closing off Russia's access to international waterways. Those are several steps that we know that Zelenskyy has been pressing U.S. officials on. And so, while we know that he thanked him for those measures, he is urging him to go further.

Now, the United States is also still providing Ukraine with a lot of defensive materials and additional support. This weekend, President Biden approving an additional $200 million in arms and equipment for Ukraine. That comes on top of $350 million authorized last month, bringing the total to $1.2 billion of U.S. defense assistance to Ukraine over the past year.

President Biden has made very clear that he's going to continue to provide defensive weaponry to Ukraine even as steps of providing other types of weapons, like these fighter jets have not yet come through for Ukraine. President Biden also making clear that he's going to continue to impose more economic costs on Putin, saying on Friday that he is going to continue to squeeze Putin, not just the U.S., but also in coordination with U.S. allies.

SCIUTTO: And I'm told at the Pentagon, the focus less on those fighter jets, more on additional air defense systems.

Jeremy Diamond, thanks very much.

Well, thousands of people from around the world are answering Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's call for foreign fighters to join the war against Russian forces. So far officials in Ukraine tell me more than 20,000 volunteers and veterans from 52 countries have expressed interest in Ukraine's International Legion, as it's known, of fighters.

[09:35:05]

In Ukraine, over the last month, my team and I met some of those volunteers from several countries, including the U.S.

And here's what we found.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO (voice over): One of the bloodiest wars in Europe since World War II is drawing thousands of foreigners to join the fight.

Cavi, he goes by his military call sign, tells us he is a Canadian and veteran of the war in Afghanistan.

CAVI, CANADIAN MILITARY VETERAN: When Putin rattled the nuclear saber, he threatened the whole world with fire. Canada is right in between the U.S. and Russia. That's where all these missiles that he's threatening with are going to be flying over. So, that's what brings me here.

SCIUTTO: Cavi is far from alone.

ROMAN, VETS BACKGROUNDS OF FOREIGN VOLUNTEERS: There is more than 20,000 of the military serving all over the Ukraine.

SCIUTTO: Roman, he asked we don't show his face for his security, vets the backgrounds of all foreign volunteers.

ROMAN: Many of them had very good experience, even in hot spots, yes, serving in hot spots. So -- but now it may be was -- you know, nowadays there are less of these experienced soldiers and more -- many of them are more volunteers. They have some military experience serving in peacetimes.

SCIUTTO: Their resumes range from combat experience to no military training at all.

Brian, a 25-year-old from Minnesota, says he served two years with the Marines in Okinawa, Japan.

BRIAN, FORMER U.S. MARINE (ph): I'm a U.S. Marine. If I have to die to help these people, I will.

SCIUTTO: Oskar, from Sweden, has no formal military training.

OSKAR, VOLUNTEER FOR UKRAINIAN ARMY: We're here to help people. Hopefully it's going to be over even before we reach the fronts, before we even need to fire a bullet or save someone with medical resources, you know. That's the best for everyone. But if that's what it comes to, we'll be there.

SCIUTTO: David, 33, from Canada, says he can help fix tires to keep Ukrainian military vehicles on the road.

DAVID, VOLUNTEER FOR UKRAINIAN ARMY: If it's black and round and made out of uber, I can fix it. And one of the most important things of the gears of war is keeping it moving.

SCIUTTO: All volunteers get at least some training. But while some can contribute on the battlefield, others may never see combat.

ROMAN: Some of them don't get -- don't need this training and some do. And some of I have -- as I am being told by the military, some of them remain there in this unit, in this military unit because they are not apt to this military service and they just -- they can't go to this -- to the war.

SCIUTTO: One additional concern, the risks of deploying and arming thousands of foreign fighters around the country.

ROMAN: They might be dangerous because such people are always dangerous, but we -- we try to check them. We try to check their biography. We try to check their past as far as we can do it.

SCIUTTO: One definite and urgent need for the Ukrainian military are volunteers with combat medical experience. That's what brought Sky Barkley, a U.S. Marine and missionary, to Ukraine, along with six other Americans.

SCIUTTO (on camera): You enrolled after 9/11 imagining, I suppose, the war was going to be there. Did you ever imagine yourself witnesses a war in Ukraine, in Europe?

SKY BARKLEY, FORMER MARINE AND MISSIONARY: No. And it's totally different. This does not compare to a slow, simmering insurgency. It doesn't even compare to what we saw with ISIS because you're talking about -- I mean the sheer amount of missiles being, you know, launched across the country, the ability of the Russians to reach out across hundreds and hundreds of kilometers and kill from that kind of distance.

SCIUTTO (voice over): Maddie, another member of Sky's medical team, is a travel nurse from Missouri, hear to help and willing to put her life on the line to do it, as she's done before in Iraq.

MADDIE HAYES, TRAVEL NURSE: Yes, it worries me a little bit, but I just -- I -- I just have a heart for these people. Like, I just really want to help them. I don't see my life more valuable than their life.

SCIUTTO: Ukrainian officials made clear this is not a calling for adventurers or weekend warriors. It is service against a massive and ruthless invading army, and thousands have already answered the call.

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SCIUTTO: The training that the Ukrainian military is able to offer foreign volunteers is limited. After all, the war is already underway. On Ukrainian soil they will get three to 14 days of basic training. And it's not a short-term commitment. Those members who come to fight, they're asked to sign on for a year commitment in Ukraine.

Erica, it's for the long term.

HILL: Yes, and it is -- it is remarkable and I think it helps put into context, too, to hear from so many of them, from so many different places, as to why they feel that they need to be there and how they believe they can help.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

[09:40:01]

HILL: It's such a great piece, Jim. Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Thanks.

HILL: Tributes this morning pouring in for an American journalist killed by Russian forces in Ukraine. A close friend spoke with CNN this morning.

Stay with us. That's next.

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HILL: The death of an American journalist, a stark reminder this morning of the dangerous work of reporting on the war in Ukraine. Brent Renaud, an award-winning filmmaker and journalist, was shot and killed by Russian forces this weekend.

[09:45:02]

His reporting partner, Jose Arredondo (ph), was shot as well. They covered the plight of Ukrainian refugees fleeing across bridges near Kyiv.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What happened to you?

JUAN ARREDONDO, JOURNALIST SHOT BY RUSSIAN FORCES: We were -- we crossed one of the first bridge in Irpin. We were going to film other refugees leaving. And we got into a car. Somebody offered to take us to the other bridge. And we crossed a checkpoint. And they started shooting at us. So, the driver turned around. And they kept shooting. There was two of us. My friend is Brent Renaud. And he's been shot and left behind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: They're talking to him there as he's being treated for a gunshot wound. It's just remarkable.

CNN chief media correspondent Brian Stelter joining me now.

And, Brian, what strikes me, this shooting, but also several other shootings of journalists in Ukraine in recent weeks, all took place as those journalists were not doing outrageous things, right? They were not cowboys on the front lines. They were doing things like this team, filming refugees, which our own teams have been doing as well. What does that tell us, not only about this shooting, but about the dangers of this war?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: That's right. That everybody is a target in this battle zone. A pair of Danish journalists writing for "The Daily Beast," a team from Sky News suddenly attacked when driving down a road. And now this team, that was making a documentary about refugees, simply trying to do their jobs and tell the stories of everyone else that's in the conflict zone. And now Brent Renaud's death is sparking shock and sorrow and calls for accountability.

The State Department saying this is yet another gruesome example of the Kremlin's indiscriminate actions.

Sheila Nevins, who backed Renaud's projects for HBO, saying his work was always so brave and honest. He will be missed by everyone who wishes for a better tomorrow.

And here's what one of Renaud's best friends says. Christof Putzel, I've been speaking with him several times in the last 24 hours, here's what he told our colleague Brianna Keilar earlier today.

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CHRISTOF PUTZEL, DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER, COVERS WAR ZONES: He'd been working on a documentary for the past year about migrants and refugees all over the world. And so when this happened, he obviously knew what was going to happen. So he headed over -- headed over there immediately.

Brent was as careful as they come, yet as courageous as they come. And I'm still processing that he's not coming home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STELTER: Renaud's family and friends now working on getting his body home to the United States.

Meanwhile, you just showed that video of his colleague, Juan, who was wounded in the attack. Juan was also a teacher at Columbia University, teaching classes at Columbia. So I'm told Columbia is now working on getting Arredondo back to the U.S. as well. He was wounded, as you can see in this remarkable video inside the ER. But he is recovering and he will be making his way back to the U.S. as well.

SCIUTTO: Geez.

HILL: It's just -- it is --

SCIUTTO: Heartbreaking. Yes.

HILL: Yes, I was going to say the same thing, Jim, it is heartbreaking. And it is an important reminder of just how ruthless all of this has become in Ukraine.

Brian, thank you.

STELTER: Thanks.

HILL: Still ahead, authorities now looking for a man accused of a series of five shootings over the last nine days, all of those shootings targeting homeless men in New York and Washington. We have a live report for you, next.

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[09:52:34]

SCIUTTO: This news just in to CNN.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine will give a virtual address to Congress this Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. according to a letter sent to House and Senate members by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. A chance here for a foreign leader and one at war now to address U.S. lawmakers about the situation on the ground, perhaps ask, Erica, for more help from the U.S. We'll be watching closely.

HILL: Absolutely. We'll definitely be watching that closely.

New this morning, officials say a series of shootings targeting homeless men in New York City and Washington, D.C., are linked. Police say they believe this man is behind at least five shootings with similar circumstances. Two men are dead in the wake of those shootings.

CNN national correspondent Brynn Gingras has been following this for us.

So, what more do we know here, especially about this potential connection? BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, two dead, others

wounded. And this is all happening over a nine day period between D.C. and New York City. And those department -- police departments from both those cities, along with federal agents at the ATF, they're investigating to try to apprehend this person, but also just share resources. Possibly there may be more cases linked to this person.

But let's go through exactly what police have found out. This is sort of a tick-tock of the dates that police are investigating. The first shooting happening in D.C. on March 3rd. That man lived. The second, five days later, on the 8th, again, the man lived. But then on the third shooting, happening on March 9th in D.C., authorities telling us they found a man who's believed to be homeless and his remains were found and the M.E. determined that he had gunshot and stab wounds. And then police believe this suspect came here to New York City and, just over the weekend, on March 12th, this Saturday, two men were shot within 90 minutes of each other. One of those men has died. The second one is wounded. And, again, police now linking all of these incidents together.

I want you to hear from the mayor of New York City about this case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ERIC ADAMS (D), NEW YORK: The cases are clear and horrific. Intentional act of taking a life of someone that appears because he was homeless.

The video is chilling to see a cold-blooded act of murder. Homelessness turning into a homicide. We need to find this person.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRAS: And you heard the mayor talk right there about surveillance video.

[09:55:02]

That's where they're getting these images from. But also, like he said, it is chilling. It shows the actual shootings of the incident here in New York City.

We're going to actually hear from the mayor both from New York and D.C. later today about more updates on this case. But also I'm being told by the NYPD that they're all be instructing their officers to do wellness checks of people that are perceived to be homeless, try to get them inside, into shelters, for their safety.

HILL: For their safety. Wow.

Brynn, appreciate it. Thank you.

GINGRAS: Bye-bye (ph).

HILL: Jim. SCIUTTO: Still ahead, heavy fighting and explosions underway right now in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv as Russia and Ukraine engage in what they're calling peace talks. The war certainly progressing. We are live on the ground in Ukraine with the latest. You'll want to see it. That's coming up.

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