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U.S. Official: Airspace Over Ukraine "Remains Contested"; U.S. Officials: Russia Asking China for Military, Economic Help; Fox News Correspondent Benjamin Hall Injured While Reporting in Ukraine; Pentagon Gives Update on War in Ukraine. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired March 14, 2022 - 15:00   ET

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

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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Top of the hour on CNN NEWSROOM.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: And I'm Alisyn Camerota.

A senior defense official tells CNN that Russia has launched more than 900 missiles into Ukraine since the start of the war but they have not achieved air superiority. The air space over Ukraine, quote, remains contested. Now, a fourth round of talks have been paused until tomorrow.

Our reporters in Kyiv have been hearing blasts throughout the capital city all day. Authorities say there are multiple casualties after Russian shelling hit this residential building.

A security camera at a park captured this harrowing moment. A missile hitting just yard away from man walking down the street.

BLACKWELL: In Ukraine's western city of Lviv, a Russian strike on large military training base killed 35 people yesterday. The base is just 11 miles from the boarder with Poland. That's NATO territory.

Now, in the south, the city of Mariupol continues to be bombarded. Officials estimate 2,500 people have died there. You remember this photo of an injured pregnant woman on a stretcher. You see the blood there.

Well, her surgeon tells Ukrainian television that she has died and so has her baby.

And this just in to CNN, a large flag in the southern city of Melitopol has been taken down. It's been the site of many protests over the last few days. Russian troops gained control of that city on February 26th.

CAMEROTA: CNN's Anderson Cooper is with us once again from Lviv in western Ukraine.

Anderson, tell us what's happening at this hour.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "AC360": Well, there's been a number of air raid sirens going off over the last several hours in Lviv, but seems like nothing has come of that. You talk about the military strike close to polish border. That's probably the largest death toll from any single attack we have seen thus far. Some 35 people, according to Ukrainian authorities. More than a hundred said to be wounded.

Scott McLean is also here with me in Lviv.

Scott, a senior U.S. defense official says the ground convoys continue to stall and the air space is very much contested.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's right. So, this was a background given to reporters earlier today, Anderson, with that senior U.S. defense official. And as you mentioned, they say that the Russian advances around several key cities continues to stall, not making really any noticeable advancement over the weekend.

And also, it has not moved closer to the city of Mykolaiv. This is a key city in the southern part of Ukraine and the reason why it's so key is because from there, Russian troops could very easily move onto Odessa and start a new front there and start attacking from the south and try to surround the city in that way. You mention the air superiority as well.

This U.S. official continues to claim the air is still very much a battleground. Russia has far superior capabilities in the air. They have far more jets. They're flying far more flight.

But the Ukrainians are doing well, according to this official. He's trying to not only shoot down jets, not only go after tanks and armored vehicles but also trying to really choke off the Russian supply lines to make it difficult for Russia to actually survive inside Ukraine on Ukrainian territory.

COOPER: You know, we should also point out, the senior defense official telling CNN that Russia used aircraft to launch the cruise missiles at the training base close to the Polish border.

Let's talk about Donetsk. It's held by Russian-backed separatists. CNN has geolocated some videos from the region that showed missile strike. You can see some remnants on the ground.

But where it came from, who fired it, are still unclear. What more is known about this?

MCLEAN: Yeah, this is pretty horrifying video, geolocated by CNN earlier today. It appears to be a missile strike. You can see in the video there are fatalities. There are clearly people who are injured as well.

The local government leader in that area said the people were just waiting around to use the ATM. They were waiting around for the bus when this happened. He also said that whatever it was that came, that missile was shot down and yet still this is the kind of damage that was caused.

[15:05:10]

So, he claims that some 20 people were killed, 23 were injured. Those numbers may well rise. But, of course, Donetsk is the capital of the breakaway separatist part of Ukraine. So, what is very unclear at this stage of the game is exactly where the missile came from and who fired it.

COOPER: And the shelling that we heard in and around the capital Kyiv. Our Clarissa Ward was talking about that in the last hour.

What more do we know about the shelling going on?

MCLEAN: So, there was a couple of things today, Anderson. One, there were large reverberations in the morning. That apparently was the anti-craft system working to fire either out a Russian jet or a Russian incoming missile. And you could see trails in the sky where that apparently took place. Not clear if anything was hit, but it was definitely aimed at it seems like.

Also, there was some heavy shelling that took place at a series of apartment buildings in the northern suburb of Kyiv. These are apartment buildings that are five stories high, ten stories high. One of them in particular, there was a fire started was a fire started on the third or the fourth floor. Incredibly, only one person was killed, according to the latest death tool, six people were injured. Some 15 people had to be rescued from that building and more than 60 were evacuated.

But, again, more signs of the sort of encroachment around Kyiv. If the Russians can't get in on the ground. They will continue to lob, fire, whatever they can at civilian areas. The Russians, of course, have long claimed they are only going after military targets but there's countless evidence on the ground. By this stage of the game, Anderson, that simply is not true.

COOPER: Yeah, the images tell that story well. Scott McLean, appreciate it. Thanks so much.

You know, that growing humanitarian crisis that we've been witnessing and the desperate efforts to get Ukrainians out of danger zones, the United Nations report that more than 2.8 million Ukrainians have fled to neighboring countries. Today, Pope Francis announcing he is sending a Vatican cardinal to the Ukrainian cardinal to Slovakia in a show of solidarity with refugees.

Ed Lavandera is in Poland where people continue to arrive and have been for this entire conflict.

Ed, what have you been seeing today?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, well, we're inside the train station in Przemysl, Poland, which is one of the first stops people coming west from Lviv. This is the train station, if they are coming by train, that they will end up at. And this is place that's taken the vast majority of Ukrainian refugees

trying to escape from Ukraine. I spoke with the mayor of this city a short while ago. He told me in the initial days after the war started, there were about 50,000 to 55,000 refugees coming into this city every day. He says that number has now settled to about 25,000 people per day. That's still an exorbitant number of people especially when you consider this is a city with a population of about 70,000 people.

And from there, they land at the train station and coming at all hours. In fact, the door that you see behind me, that is where they come in from the platform. They schedule trains across Poland or Europe, or there are bus rides. But this is where they begin the process of figuring out what they will do in the coming days, weeks, perhaps even months.

We spoke with one woman, a 27-year-old woman who just arrived here a few hours ago with her mother who is undergoing breast cancer and needs chemotherapy that she can no longer get in Ukraine. They found a hospital here in Poland that can help her. The young woman told us she is escorting her mother to this area in Poland to get her mother treatment but she plans on returning right back to Ukraine to be with her husband and her father.

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ALEXANDRA VOYTENKO, UKRAINIAN REFUGEE: I don't want to stay here. I don't want -- I want to be in Ukraine. I'm Ukrainian. I want to be with my family. My mom just needs to receive treatment. That's only the reason to travel.

LAVANDERA: Do you think by going back, it sends a message that we're here to stay, we're not going anywhere?

VOYTENKO: We're here to stay. We will continue to work. We will win soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: And, Anderson, as you can see behind me, in this room there's a mix of volunteers aid organizations that are here to help the refugees. We have spoken with a number of the aide organizations over the last few days and one of the concerns they have here as this continues to go on and on is the need for volunteers to man situations like this, the train station, 24 hours day. They are worried in the coming weeks as things settle down, that they won't have enough volunteers to help the refugees that keep oncoming -- Anderson.

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COOPER: Ed Lavandera, at a train station, thank you so much. Appreciate that.

Two U.S. officials told CNN that Russia is asking China for military equipment and money for Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Both China and Russia denied those reports, but the U.S. has information suggesting China expressed some openness to providing Russia with the request of military and financial assistance. That is according to a Western official and a U.S. diplomat, saying that the details were found in a diplomatic cable.

Now, a short time ago, the White House said that Russia's war against Ukraine was among the topics when national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with China's top diplomat in Rome today.

CNN national security correspondent Kylie Atwood is with me now.

So, what is Putin specially requesting from China? Do you know?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we know is they are requesting generally military and economic support. Of course, this comes as the invasion into Ukraine has not gone as planned. We have reported on the technological and logistical, fuel shortages and the like that the Russians have come up against as they have mounted this invasion.

But this, of course, as reporting comes today as the national security adviser was meeting with Chinese officials in Rome and the State Department spokesman said national security advisers told them clearly and directly raise concern with China about supporting Russia as they continue mounting this invasion and the national security adviser made it clear there would be implications for China if they did this. Not only regard to the U.S.-China relationship but also with regard to China's relationship with countries around the world. So, making it clear the national security adviser wasn't mincing words when he met with officials.

Now, the State Department isn't saying that they are confirming that China has actually provided any of this support to Russia already. They are saying this is space they are watching closely. But notably, the State Department, as you were saying, Anderson, did send a cable to allies and Europe and Asia citing the United States has reason to believe that China has expressed a willingness to provide this economic and military support to Russia during this time.

So, clearly, there's a lot of concern within the U.S. government about this. I also think it's important that Ned Price spoke about the fact that China and Russia had close relations and they have been getting closer and closer not just over the last few days or months but really even longer than that as we look back over the last few years. And so, the United States is looking closely to say what that relationship manifests into at this crucial time -- Anderson.

COOPER: Kylie Atwood, appreciate it, at the State Department.

We're following more breaking news out of Ukraine. Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall has been injured while reporting.

I want to go to CNN's Oliver Darcy with the latest.

Oliver, what's known about this?

OLIVER DARCY, CNN SENIOR MEDIA REPORTER: Hey, Anderson. Yeah, details are slim. And this is, of course, news that we never want to report, but I do want to read a memo that Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott just put out to employees that offers a little bit information.

She said in a letter to employees that earlier today, their correspondent Benjamin Hall was injured while news gathering outside of Kyiv in Ukraine. She says we have minimal level of details now but Ben is hospitalized and our teams on the ground are working to gather additional information. She, of course, says that this is a stark reminder for all journalists who are putting their lives on the line every day to deliver the news from war zone and ask for people to keep Ben and his family in prayers.

Of course, Anderson, this news comes one day after another American journalist, Brent Renaud, was killed in Ukraine. Local officials there said he was killed by Russian forces and another American journalist was also injured.

Journalists try not to be the center of the story or in the story at all, Anderson, as you know. But, unfortunately, they are now finding themselves in the crosshairs as they are reporting and gathering information in Ukraine. Of course, it's deeply disturbing to see this and press advocacy groups like the Committee to Protect Journalists has come out and denounced these attacks on members of the media -- Anderson.

COOPER: Yeah. Oliver Darcy, appreciate that. Obviously, our thoughts are with Benjamin Hall and his family. We'll bring you more information as we get it.

Anderson and Victor, as Oliver was saying, we have seen increasing attacks on journalists and intensifying attacks on everybody, especially in Kyiv, the noose tightening around that city and the intensity of shelling also increasing.

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BLACKWELL: Yeah, it's awful. Our thoughts and prayers out to Ben Hall and every one over at Fox News family as well especially after the conversation just had with another reporter's friend.

CAMEROTA: No one is safe. There are no boundaries. Obviously, Russian troops are not respecting any so-called boundaries and it's getting more dangerous.

BLACKWELL: Anderson, thank you.

Listen, there's been so many stories of civilians killed in this war. The International Criminal Court has opened an investigation into war crimes. We're going to take a closer look at that probe, next.

CAMEROTA: Also, Russia is denying it threatens to arrest the heads of Western companies. Can they even do that?

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BLACKWELL: We have a heartbreaking update on the attack by Russia against the maternity hospital in Ukraine.

Another pregnant also injured in the attack. You see her here. She escaped that bombed out building. She did survive. And she gave birth to a girl named Veronica. At least three others, including a child, died in that airstrike.

CAMEROTA: OK, let's go now to Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby is giving an update on all this.

Let's listen.

JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: -- war in Ukraine. We're given to understand that he is being treated right now in a hospital for his injuries. We certainly wish him all the best, a speedy recovery and a safe return. Again, two examples of the dangers in covering war. This is war that did not need to be fought, to be sure, but just as to be sure, there are journalists from around world, on the ground, trying to discover the truth and to show that truth and to tell these important stories.

And again, we -- our best go out to Mr. Hall and certainly our deepest thoughts go to his family as I'm sure they are worried about him and his well being. But, again, we're thinking about him. We'll start taking questions.

Let's see where is my "AP" guide. Lita (ph), you're on the phone.

REPORTER: Yeah, I'm here. Thanks, John.

Can you talk a bit about the strikes on Yavoriv the other day? Are those strikes making it anymore difficult for the U.S. to get security assistance into the Ukrainians and does that raise concerns about the war moving closer to the Polish border? Are there any new efforts going onto supplement troops or other system, weapons, et cetera to protect Poland?

KIRBY: So, again, without getting into too much detail, Jen, it's -- this was clearly a Russian air strike. Our understanding is these were cruise missiles fired from aircraft, long range on the Yavoriv training facility there in western Ukraine. I can assure you there were no U.S. military personnel there at the training facility. That's what the Florida National Guard had been doing their training before they left a few weeks ago.

No U.S. contractors there. No U.S. civilians, no government U.S. personnel there at all.

As for the damage done, we know that several structures were hit. We don't have a perfect picture of what the damage was done or how much -- how much gear and equipment was hit and with what effect. As we have said before, this is the third significant strike in western Ukraine. It appears as if the Russians are broadening their target set.

REPORTER: Were NATO weapon shipments going through that location? Is that why it's been targeted? KIRBY: I can't speak for Russian targeting justification. That's

really -- not always clear to us. But without -- look, we've been very careful about not wanting to talk about the routes there which security assistance is getting to Ukraine. I don't want to start by doing that today.

I would just tell you that we have multiple routes to get security assistance into the hands of the Ukrainians. This was not one of them.

REPORTER: But these Russian planes were in Russian air space. They didn't cross into Ukraine?

KIRBY: I'd rather not talk about specific air operations for the Russians. We know they were long range strikes cruise missiles. But beyond that, I think -- I think I'd demur.

Yeah, Bobby?

REPORTER: Thank you, John.

Is this air strike on Yavoriv and I think I believe there was another town that was targeted as well. Do you have now indications that the Russians -- there are any efforts by the Russians to interfere with security assistance supplies and routes into Ukraine? Is that a concern now because so far, senior officials have been telling us that there were no indications of such an effort? Is the strike on the weekend --

KIRBY: Again, we're not looking at this strike as an effort to go after the delivery of security assistance to Ukraine.

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I'm not going to talk about all the modalities of how we're continuing to find ways to help Ukraine defend itself. I think you guys can understand that.

And all I would tell you, your larger question is we're going to continue to get as much security assistance to the Ukrainians as fast as we can in the most efficient, effective way. And there's lot of different ways we're pursuing that. I just don't think it's helpful, certainly not to Ukrainians for us to be detailing that here from the podium.

REPORTER: But on the efforts by the Russians, too, have you seen any indications that they are trying now to interfere with these security --

KIRBY: All I would tell you is we continue to have ways to get stuff into the hands of the Ukrainians. I'm going to leave it at that. I'm not going to talk about Russian targeting and Russian operations. Yeah?

REPORTER: Yes, sir, thank you. To go back to these strike on Yavoriv, do you consider that as a turning point in the -- in the war? The fact they start striking in the west? Or do you consider that as just signal to the West that we can do that if we want?

KIRBY: I don't think we would reduce something like this to calling it a signal. I mean, they used multiple cruise missiles here. Clearly, they had their reasons for targeting that training facility and it is a Ukrainian military training facility. I'd let them speak to their targeting justifications.

As for a turning point, no, Sylvie. I wouldn't think that we would consider or the other strikes in Western Ukraine as some sort of turning point. The Russians clearly are expanding some of their target sets.

That's obvious just from the fact that over the last couple of days, we've seen other targets hit in Ukraine. It doesn't change -- I think our general understanding that they continued to be frustrated by a very stiff Ukrainian resistance and they are not making the kind of progress on the ground that we believe they thought they would be making by this point.

Let me try Lita (ph) again since we didn't make that work. Lita, are you there?

REPORTER: I'm here. Can you hear me? Can you hear me?

KIRBY: Yeah, I got you.

REPORTER: I just want to expand a bit on a couple of the questions. Is it getting difficult more broadly to get security assistance into Ukraine at all? And secondly, as the strike at Yavoriv got the fight closer to Polish border, are you hearing anything from Poland about requests for potentially more security assistance to them or more troops? Do you see anymore of that -- of anymore troops, et cetera, going into Europe in the next week or so?

KIRBY: I don't have any additional troop movements to speak to, Lita. As you all know when we do have something like that to talk about, a muscle movement, we'll do that. I'm not -- I have no troop announcements to talk about today.

We are in constant communication with our Ukrainian counterparts about the type of assistance that they need, the defensive assistance that they need. This is an ongoing iterative conversation that we're having with them. So, I wouldn't go so far as to say that this particular set of strikes on that particular military facility has led to some renewed calls for additional or different assistance.

This is a conversation that we continue to have with them. You saw that the president approve another $200 million drawdown package over the course of the weekend. I can tell you that experts here at the Pentagon had pen and paper in hand and they're working out how we would realize that drawdown as quickly as we can.

And again, question about is it more dangerous now? We've never taken for granted any opportunity that we have to continue to assist the Ukrainians with their defense needs. We're not taking anything for granted. And as I've said before, we're going to -- we're going to continue to

provide as much as we can, as fast as we can.

Yeah, David?

REPORTER: You said the Russians continue to be frustrated, not making any progress on ground.

KIRBY: Right.

REPORTER: You say that most days. Does that -- does that means the Ukrainians fighting the Russians to a standstill or are the Russians making progress in ways that aren't measured by advances in the frontline?

KIRBY: I think we're going to be careful here.