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Next Round of Ukraine-Russia Talks in Coming Hours; Deadly Russian Strike on Military Base Near Poland; Aid Convoy Struggles to Reach Besieged Mariupol; Ukraine: Journalist Brent Renaud Killed by Russian Forces; Biden Approves $200M More for Ukraine Military Aid; U.S. Official: Russia Requesting Military Aid from China; British PM to Host Nordic and Baltic leaders for Summit. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired March 14, 2022 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:21]
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers all around the world and in the U.S. this hour as well. I'm Hala Gorani live in Lviv, Ukraine.
Russia is now asking China for economic but also military assistance in Ukraine, including drones, according to U.S. official, but a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington says they know nothing about that request.
Meantime, the White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will meet his Chinese counterpart in Rome in the coming hours. We'll monitor those discussions. Sullivan says China was aware that President Vladimir Putin was planning something before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but they may not have understood the full extent of it. He added that Beijing will face consequences if it helps Moscow evade sanctions over the war in Ukraine.
Now, we are also today expecting another round of talks between Ukraine and Russia in the hours ahead, even as Moscow expands its military assault on its neighbor.
Meantime, the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke about ongoing diplomatic efforts with Ukraine's Foreign Minister while the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke with Ukraine's president now despite the relentless assault from Russia, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the country's president remains defiant and determined.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINE PRESIDENT (through translation): Russia also lost 1000s of units of military weaponry, 74 planes, 86 helicopters. We understand they've got more but we also know that we shall continue defending ourselves. Ukraine does not surrender. The army does not surrender. The people do not surrender. The whole of Ukraine is fighting heroically.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well Meantime, Russia's offensive is spreading to Western Ukraine where missiles hit a military base near the city of Lviv, close to the border with NATO member, Poland.
Well, a local official says at least 35 people were killed. We heard those explosions from our position here in Lviv little more than 24 hours ago. And the White House National Security Adviser is warning that any attack on NATO territory will trigger a full response by the alliance.
As the conflict grinds on, one thing seems increasingly clear. Russia's military attacks against Ukraine are growing more destructive. Here's CNN's Oren Liebermann.
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OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The attack on the Yavoriv military base is the closest Russian attack to a NATO member, the barrage of missiles hit just about 11 miles from Poland, killing at least 35 people. According to the Lviv military administration, and wounding more than 100 others. Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine grows more destructive by the day.
Near the city of Mykolaiv on the Black Sea, nine people were killed in a Russian bombardment according to the regional administration, and Satellite images show the city of Mariupol burning. Russia has besieged the city for days Ukrainian officials say leaving hundreds of 1000s without power and water. Nearly 2200 people have been killed there since Russia's invasion began. According to the city council, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says help is on the way if it can get through.
ZELENSKYY (through translation): Our humanitarian convoys two hours away, with only 80 kilometers remaining. We're doing everything possible to fight the resistance of the occupants who blocked even the Orthodox Church priests who are exporting the combat with food, water, medication. Ukraine has supplied 100 tons of the basic necessities for its citizens.
LIEBERMANN: Among those killed in this war, American journalist Brent Renaud. Russian forces shot him outside of Kyiv, according to regional police. Another journalist was wounded.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So the driver turned around and kept shooting, two of us.
LIEBERMANN: The widening attack on Ukraine has not deterred the U.S. and NATO allies from shipping in weapons and equipment that are proven effective at slowing down Russia.
JAKE SULLIVAN, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We believe we will continue to be able to flow substantial amounts of military assistance and weapons to the frontlines to help the Ukrainians ensure that Ukraine is a strategic failure for Vladimir Putin.
LIEBERMANN: Multiple rounds of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine have led to a few if any breakthroughs. Another round of talks is set for Monday.
WENDY SHERMAN, U.S. DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE: We are seeing some signs of a willingness to have real serious negotiations. But I have to say, as your reporter said, so far it appears that Vladimir Putin is intent on destroying Ukraine.
[01:05:07]
LIEBERMANN: Ukraine's resistance has slowed the Russian advanced or the capital city of Kyiv. Russia has so far been unable to encircle the city. Meanwhile, the U.S. is watching for any threat of chemical weapons from Russia in a possible false flag operation.
JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: It is of the Russian playbook that that which they accuse you of, they're planning to do. Now, again, we haven't seen anything that indicates some sort of imminent chemical biological attack right now, but we're watching this very, very closely.
LIEBERMANN: A Russian airstrikes Saturday night damage the Holy Dormition, Sviatohirsk Lavra Monastery in the Donetsk region. According to Ukraine's parliament, the historic church sheltered more than 500 displaced people, parliament said.
In Kherson, the first major Ukrainian city to fall to Russia, protesters held a mass rally marching amid armed Russian troops, a brazen show of spirit for Ukraine in Kherson (inaudible) Square, which means Freedom Square.
(On camera): Another $200 million in security assistance approved by the White House over the weekend. That's after they approved 350 million just a couple of weeks ago. So we see the White House and Biden administration moving very quickly here, again, within just a couple of weeks, more than half a billion dollars. And we're these used to take weeks, if not months to get in, it's now getting in within days, anti-tank, anti-armor, anti-aircraft missiles, and more. Oren Liebermann, CNN at the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, for more now on Russia's request for economic and military aid from China, I'm joined by CNN's Steven Jiang in Beijing. Any response from the Chinese government to this request that the U.S. says Russia has made?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Hala, nothing. So far, we have reached out to the foreign ministry but when they do come out to conduct their daily press briefing in about two hours, I expected officials here to really stick to their usual talking points, stressing their supposed impartiality in this conflict and likely denouncing the U.S. efforts to "smear" China, and probably again, blaming the U.S. and NATO's eastward expansion for this conflict. That, of course, is also parroting a key crumbling talking point.
Now, the timing of these leaks from Washington is very interesting, though, as you mentioned Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security adviser is meeting his Chinese Counterpart, Yang Jiechi, who is also a key advisor to President Xi Jinping in Rome in the coming hours.
The Chinese have been framing this meeting as long planned, not something hastily arranged because of the situation in Ukraine. But Ukraine is undoubtedly going to be on top of their agenda. And probably in anticipation of Washington exerting even more pressure on Beijing, the state media here has been really pushing back on that, and warning against that approach, and also cautioning the U.S. not to try to sow division between Moscow and Beijing.
Almost from the very beginning of the war, China obviously has been trying to strike this impossible balance standing behind Russia, especially when it comes to parenting, a lot of Kremlin's propaganda and some would say disinformation, but also trying to at least publicly saying the right things in terms of calling for peace talks, and also reiterating its respect for national sovereignty and but also trying to minimize the impact of Western sanctions on Chinese entities.
In recent days, some arrows have been pointing to some subtle signs of changes from Beijing, including China providing some small scale humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and also some Chinese companies and institutions with large exposure to the west, indicating their willingness to comply with Western sanctions.
But at the end of the day, a lot of people say China seems to have adopted this saying everything but doing nothing strategy because from Beijing's perspective, they see no concrete benefits to get deeply involved in a war not fought on their soil. If anything, no matter what happens on a battlefield, a weakened bitter Russia would have -- almost have no choice but to move closer into China's orbit as a junior partner in the so called, No Limits partnership. That's why a lot of people are still very skeptical of Beijing's willingness to get directly involved in this conflict, especially providing arms to Russia. Hala.
GORANI: Sure. Steven Jiang, thanks very much, in Beijing.
The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will host Nordic and Baltic leaders for a summit on European defense in the coming days. Representatives will meet in London Tuesday to discuss, "shoring up European security and increasing defensive military support to Ukraine" according to a statement.
Well, leaders are expected to talk about joint military exercises in the high north and Baltic regions. Our European Affairs commentator Dominic Thomas joins me now from Strasbourg in France with more.
Well, I mean, obviously for many, many weeks months in fact, before Russia decided to implement its invasion plans for Ukraine, all these western countries, European Union countries, NATO countries, tried to stop Vladimir Putin by threatening sanctions. How badly did they misread the situation? And could this have been prevented with another strategy on their part?
[01:10:22]
DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Yeah, I think that it's obvious that the level of kind of awareness of this and yet the under preparedness is where the contrast is.
So many years now, especially since 9/11 and the military focus, the intelligence community focus has been on the so called War on Terror and on cybersecurity and those kinds of questions. And I think that the sort of the former Cold War era kind of relations where there was fear of escalation of nuclear conflict, and so on, really was not on the agenda. These European countries also divested massively from defense, and there is a very low tolerance among Europeans, for troops on the ground, military conflict, and so on.
And yet, all the way back to 2014 really, is where this conflict started. And we're occupation in the south, subsequently to the east of Ukraine. But I don't think they anticipated and that Putin would be willing to enter because of the questions of sanctions, because of the Nord Stream 2 project. And so in many ways, they were caught unprepared by this latest and violent incursion.
GORANI: So what happens now, what are their options? They're choosing economic war right now. They're obviously supplying weapons to Ukraine, though Ukrainian say they need more, and they need those weapons faster. Will their approach work? Will there -- or what needs more -- what more needs to be done? They're saying no to a no fly zone, that's quite clear.
THOMAS: Yes, it is quite clear. However, as we saw, you know, over the weekend, this highly staged meeting that President Macron held as since he also holds the presidency of the European Union at the Versailles Palace, brought together the E.U. leadership. And as much as they made a crucial statement of rekindled sort of unity, and so on. In fact, what emerged from that meeting were deep fractures over what we could call the two Europes. The older Europe, on the western side, and the newer Europe to the east, the Baltics that you mentioned, Poland, and so on, are highly concerned about what is happening with their neighbor. In Ukraine, they have long standing histories with both the Soviet Union and with Russia. And they're obviously concerned about the ways in which this situation was developing. And their goal was ultimately to fast track Ukrainian membership. I think fast tracking Ukrainian membership, and was of concern to the Western powers, because this would automatically then mean getting involved on the ground.
And I think the other thing that's playing out is in the realm of the power of public opinion in Europe, where we very much see people and the most vocal, certainly listening very carefully to the messaging coming out of Ukraine, which is over this business of the no fly zone. And whether or not these individuals or groups fully understand the risks, the implications of escalating in that particular way, the fact is that their support for those measures, I think, reveal a real kind of feeling of helplessness, desperation, and frustration as to the events that are unfolding on the ground, the rising death toll, all of these they're seeing on their television screens, the hundreds of 1000s of individuals that are displaced, and ultimately what they see as the inevitable total destruction of a country and simply because of the whim of this Russian autocrat.
And so I think it may be interesting to watch how public opinion ends up pushing the conflict in a new direction and greater involvement on the ground from European troops.
GORANI: Right. And so, obviously, this is what European and NATO allies are trying to avoid. They do not want direct involvement in this conflict. They don't want to directly have to fight Russian troops, whether it's in the air or on the ground.
But I wonder we saw and we heard it from our position even that Vladimir Putin will not hesitate to go after military installations extremely close to a NATO member Poland, just a few kilometers away, hitting that killing 35 people, we understand, this was a military training facility. If, and the U.S. has said that they will honor their commitments within NATO, if by accident or by design, the Russians hit a NATO member country, then what? Where are we here? Is it World War III?
[01:15:00]
THOMAS: Well, Hala, I'm playing this out with you, you know, as we go certainly that red line, what stated I think in Vladimir Putin's mind, and the war is already going. There is the U.S. in there then. And the Westerners are providing military support infrastructural support, and so on and so forth. For him, the line is very clear as to who the enemy is that.
We've already seen threats to nuclear power stations. And there is the risk of chemical weapons or usage, which would be an incredible escalation. And as you just pointed out the risk that one of these neighboring countries that are either members of the E.U. or a NATO member is essentially what we're talking about here. We'll get embroiled in it would leave very little choice for this to therefore go to another level and to escalate.
But it's almost as if, throughout this process. Vladimir Putin has known the playbook of the West. He was told if you invade the North Stream deal is off. And if and he's well aware of the sort of the reluctance to put troops on the ground, he's well aware of the -- this sort of fear of nuclear escalation that he has put out that but I think it crosses over into E.U. or NATO territory, then all the arguments that have been used against getting further involved, go out the window, and you're absolutely see a physical presence on the ground, and a heightening and a ratcheting up of control over airspace and so on, that would be absolutely impossible to avoid.
GORANI: Well, let's hope we don't get there. Dominic Thomas, thanks very much for joining us.
Still to come, U.S. lawmakers are in Poland to meet with European officials, but will their push to send fighter jets to Ukraine be effective? Plus, Ukraine's train system is a reliable mainstay of daily life during peacetime, how real operators are keeping people and supplies moving, despite the Russian assault?
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GORANI: Well, nearly 2.7 million people have now fled Ukraine according to the U.N., but getting civilians out of some areas has been near impossible because of the heavy fighting.
On Sunday, the Ukrainian government says that more than 5000 people were evacuated using those humanitarian corridors. Nearly 4000 were from the Kyiv region and about 1600 were able to escape from Luhansk.
Meanwhile, a group of bipartisan U.S. lawmakers are in Poland right now to meet with officials and see firsthand the humanitarian crisis that has been created by this Russian invasion. And this comes just days after the U.S. Congress approved a massive funding bill authorizing billions of dollars in aid for Ukraine. CNN's Joe Johns is on Capitol Hill with more on that.
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JOE JONHS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. Senate delegation to Poland over the weekend extremely busy meeting with USAID, the Polish ambassador, some U.S. troops deployed to Poland, and on Sunday heading out to the border to speak with refugees. All of this drawing attention to the need for more military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, including that controversial proposal to provide military aircraft to the Ukrainian Air Force by way of a transfer with the Polish government.
The Pentagon has said they don't like the idea because they see it as potentially provocative. What was clear is that there continues to be a bipartisan sentiment that this idea about the planes is not off the table.
ROB PORTMAN, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN: What we've heard directly from the Ukrainians is they want them badly. They want the ability to have better control over the skies in order to give them a fighting chance. So I don't understand why we're not doing it.
AMY KLOBUCHAR, U.S. SENATE DEMOCRAT: One of the things we have to remember is this is all about air defense. And you can do it with planes. You can do it with drones, which have been incredibly effective in Ukraine. We have to remember, Dana, it's not just America. There's also allies that we're working on, as you can see how we coordinated on the sanctions as we're coordinating on the issue of the planes. But we also are coordinating in many other ways, some of which don't get on your airways for good reason. It's in the middle of a war.
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, U.S. SENATE DEMOCRAT: We should provide those planes because they are potentially very important to the Ukrainian defense.
JONHS: Here at the capitol in the coming week, we expect to see even more legislation aimed at punishing Russia for the invasion of Ukraine, including the proposal to revoke Russia's most favored nation trading status.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she'd like to get that passed in the House of Representatives by the end of the week. Joe Johns, CNN, the Capitol.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, despite these bombardment so Ukraine's railway system continues to be a reliable lifeline for its people. If you can imagine you can actually still take a train to Kyiv, but from this part of the country, but fears of being targeted by Russia are a challenge for all of its operators. CNN's Scott McLean has that story.
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SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): First Light in Ternopil, Ukraine is the rising sun. The city's lights have been kept off since the war began, more than two weeks that have exhausted, overwhelmed and completely upended normal life.
But through it all, Ukraine's rail network has kept running. Every morning the railways executives led by 37 year old Oleksandr Kamyshin gather for a morning call. No cell phones, no zoom, just to Soviet era closed circuit phone system that connects every station. He won't stay here long. They can't. They believe they're a prime Russian target.
KAMYSHIN: This threatens us to move fast so that they don't catch it.
MCLEAN: How long can you stay in one place?
KAMYSHIN: Hours.
MCLEAN: Instead their work managing 231,000 employees continues on a single car train headed west for now. Often their work is aboard ordinary passenger trains to blend in with the masses. Since the war began, they've been in near constant motion crisscrossing the country to keep the Russians guessing.
[01:25:04]
The decision to leave their headquarters in Kyiv was made in the early morning hours of February 24. Kamyshin snapped one last picture with his two young kids, one still asleep.
MCLEAN (on camera): Are they still in Ukraine?
KAMYSHIN: Yeah.
MCLEAN: How does that make you feel?
KAMYSHIN: For me, it's easier when I know that they're safe. And I have time to do my job.
MCLEAN (voice-over): The country's rail network, one of the largest in the world has been a lifeline in war, moving desperately needed supplies in and desperate people out of danger, more than 2 million since the invasion began.
Schedules are drawn up the night before and changed in response to panic scenes like this one in Kharkiv or in the Lviv in the early days of war.
(On camera): How on earth have people still been able to use the trains in a war zone?
KAMYSHIN: That's something which is surprising for the whole country and for the president as well.
MCLEAN (voice-over): Surprising because every day the network is hit by Russian bombs. Small damage breaks the link between cities temporarily down to bridge indefinitely, near Kharkiv, an undetonated bomb fell right next to the tracks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (through translation): We are reacting and repairing a railway even under artillery shelling every day. Unfortunately, some of my colleagues have been killed and injured during shelling.
MCLEAN: 33 killed, 24 injured and counting.
(On camera): The difficulty working aboard a moving train is that the cell phone signal is not always great. Now, they do have Starlink internet systems now courtesy of Elon Musk but they barely ever turn them on because they say it makes it easier for the Russians to target their location.
(Voice-over): The Russians have taken control of rail links in cities like besieged Mariupol, Sumy, Kherson and Chernihiv. But for now, all of the major hubs are still connected by Ukrainian rail.
(On camera): How bad would it be if the Russians took these major stations?
KAMYSHIN: Really bad. Don't ask them how bad, but real bad.
MCLEAN (voice-over): When the train reaches Lviv, Kamyshin makes a quick visit to the main station and more calls and meetings and a message for the rest of the world.
KAMYSHIN: What we can do, we're going to do. What West can do, close the sky and all the rest we'll do ourselves.
MCLEAN: Scott McLean, CNN in western Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Still, I had new video shows Russian tanks firing inside a Ukrainian city where aid workers say hundreds of 1000s of people are trapped, unable to escape. Our breaking news coverage continues after the break.
And remember, if you want to help the people of Ukraine, you can go to cnn.com/impact. At last check, CNN viewers have helped raise nearly $5 million to help in Ukraine and neighboring countries with shelter food, water and other needs. There's a list, a curated list of organizations you can contribute to, to help. We'll be right back.
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[01:31:57]
GORANI: Russia and Ukraine are expected to hold another round of diplomatic talks in the coming hours. Officials on both sides have signaled, they are making some progress. But so far, negotiations have not yielded any major breakthroughs.
On the ground meantime in Ukraine, the fighting rages on. This video is from the besieged city of Mariupol. And it showed Russian tanks firing directly inside the city. Officials say hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped inside Mariupol. And aid workers say food, water and medicine, or running out quickly. But that heavy fighting has prevented humanitarian convoys from reaching the city.
And meanwhile Russia has expanded its offensive into western Ukraine. It carried out a deadly strike on a military base yesterday, just 25 kilometers from Poland's border, a NATO ally.
Ukrainian officials say at least 35 people were killed and more than 130 injured. And Ukraine's president is warning that Russian strikes could soon hit beyond Ukraine's borders and he is renewing his calls for a no-fly zone.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): If you do not close our sky, it is only a matter of time before Russian missiles fall on your territory, NATO territory. On the homes of citizens of NATO countries.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well earlier, I spoke with the Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst in defense strategy capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. I asked him about the risks involved, with Russia bombing so close to the Polish border.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MALCOLM DAVIS, SENIOR ANALYST, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE: I think, when you see this attack, you place it in the context of the warning by the Russian government earlier about treating western arms shipments into Ukraine as a hostile act.
And the willingness, on the part of the Russians to intercept or frustrate those the shipments. I think that this attack on that base near Poland. I think, it falls into place. Clearly, the Russians are trying to send a message that they will extend military operations across into western Ukraine. Both to attack the Ukrainian government forces but also potentially to attack any shipments of military supplies from NATO into Ukraine.
GORANI: Yes. What about Russia's request to China for more military and economic aid. China is obviously playing it cool. But China can't be happy about what's happening right now.
A plan on this year being it' s post COVID recovery year. This is really, really messing with its economic recovery, because commodity prices are going to through the roof. How do you see the Russia-China relationship going forward.
[01:34:48]
DAVIS: Well again, as you say, I think Beijing is going to treat this very carefully. They won't want to rush in and become enmeshed in Putin's war, and then be essentially hit with similar sort sanctions to what Russia is being suddenly hit with.
Because if they do supply military assistance to Russia, then they are deliberately breaking the international sanctions regime in providing assistance to the aggressor. So that would completely undermine their international posture.
So, I am struggling to see where the Chinese would actually gain from doing this beyond having Putin in their debt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: That was Malcolm Davis.
Ukrainian cities have fallen now under Russian occupation in recent days. But their residents are not going quietly.
This was the scene in Kherson Sunday morning. Hundreds of people turning out for one of the largest protests we've seen since the invasion began. At least one Russian soldier fired over their heads to try to disperse the crowd.
But the protesters continue to chant anti Russian slogans and slurs aimed at Vladimir Putin. Kherson's mayor says, his city's main weapon is unity. Clearly, they do not want the Russian invaders there.
And in another troubling development, the staff of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant are so tired, that they have stopped carrying out repairs, and maintenance of safety equipment, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The IAEA says the physical and psychological fatigue of working nonstop for nearly three weeks is partly to blame.
The agency's director general has proposed a plan to deliver assistance, but obviously, it does need to be approved by Ukrainian and Russian authorities that are occupying this plant, before anything is implemented. All right. I will see you with more from Lviv here in Ukraine at the top of the hour.
But for now Paula, back to you in Atlanta.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Hala.
And now some Ukrainians living abroad are now returning home to fight for their country. We'll meet one such family in the United States, just ahead.
[01:37:15]
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NEWTON: A recap of this hour's top developments. A U.S. official says Russia is asking China for military assistance and that includes drones in Ukraine. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington said he does not know anything about that report.
Now earlier, I spoke with CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger about the latest developments. And why he thinks the U.S. moved to make this information public.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: All through this war and the run up to the war. What we have seen is a consistent effort by the Biden administration to declassify intelligence, and make it public for America's benefit.
What does this do by revealing this? First, it makes Putin look as if he has bitten off more than he can chew. That he is going to the Chinese to bail him out of a military operation that he hadn't thought entirely through.
This drives Vladimir Putin crazy because he hates to be seen as sort of a vassal state to the more richer and more powerful Chinese.
Secondly, it puts the Chinese right in a really tough spot. It was only three weeks ago this weekend at the Munich Security Conference that the foreign minister of China told us that China respects sovereignty and the independence of nations. And then he added and that includes Ukraine.
So they can't be happy with what Putin has done and now by revealing this, the U.S. have put the Chinese in a really tough spot. If they say yes, and give the aid to Russia, then they're going back on what they said publicly three weeks ago.
If they say no, it becomes clear that the alliance of a sort that was announced between Putin and Xi at the opening of the Olympics in January, isn't worth much.
NEWTON: Yes and it definitely is taking a side either way -- either way they go down that road. So, as you said, the U.S. is really cornering them, at least on that.
I want to go to whether or not there can be a negotiated settlement on this. I will say that just in the last few hours, you know, you basically posted a fairly pessimistic story about what this is looking like.
I want to get to the issue that despite Putin's bravado, he knows this isn't going well. Is there something that can be exploited there? We just discussed China, but as you also point out, we've got the leaders in Turkey and Israel now trying as well.
SANGER: Turkey, Israel and France. And they are all talking about basically the same thing. Some kind of deal, in which Ukraine would declare that it is neutral, change its constitution, which currently calls for it to seek membership in NATO.
We've already heard President Zelenskyy say that he might be able to live with this because he has come to recognize that NATO wasn't going to let him in anytime soon.
The harder part would be the Russian demand that Ukraine recognize that Crimea is now a part of Russia and recognize these two semi- independent states, that Russia has recognized.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Our thanks there to CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger.
Now, still to come here for us, his retirement. Was that really a retirement? We don't know what that was. We're going to tell you that Tom Brady says he's now coming back for his 23rd NFL season. And you're going to want to hear the back story.
[01:44:46]
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NEWTON: So we have heard countless stories of courage in Ukraine since Russia's invasion began. Everyday people bravely staying behind, to fight for their country. And now some Ukrainians living overseas are returning home to lend their support.
CNN's Gary Tuchman spoke with a family in the U.S. worried for their loved ones who chose to go back home to their native Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At this house in Bucks County, Pennsylvania these Ukrainian American family members give each other comfort. All of these adults left Ukraine for America more than two decades ago. But once this war started, things changed.
Yuliya Penchak's husband Andriy has gone back to Ukraine. Gone back to help his native country.
YULIYA PENCHAK, UKRAINIAN-AMERICAN: I don't have any more tears left. I feel like I've cried them all out. It's very emotional.
TUCHMAN: But Yuliya's husband did not go alone. Her 62-year-old father Valentin flew with him. And they both met up with her younger brother, Arsen, who recently married.
So in this room Ver and Mikaila Penchak (ph) are the parents of Yuliya's husband. And Yuliya's mother Oleksandra Drobakha (ph) has her husband and son in Ukraine. It's complicated. And, sometimes, overwhelming.
[01:49:54]
OLEKSANDRA DROBAKHA, UKRAINIAN-AMERICAN: I'm proud for my son, for my husband, for my son-in-law. For all Ukraine. I'm proud.
TUCHMAN: Before Yuliya's husband Andriy flew to Ukraine, he was presented with helmets and bullet-proof vests, by one of the local police departments. Andriy and his two relatives are now part of supply distribution network to Ukrainians.
Yuliya, her family, and friends, arranged for cases of supplies to be flown into Poland, several days a week. Andriy and his two family members pick up the supplies and drive them across the border to Ukraine and distribute them. They also drive refugees from Ukraine to Poland.
PENCHAK: We have packed things like armored vests, helmets, gauze, tourniquet, two way radios, medicine.
TUCHMAN: Their primary location for delivering the items? The Ukrainian military base that was just hit by a deadly Russian attack. When she heard about the attack, Yuliya was extremely frightened.
PENCHAK: I started calling. I could not think. I couldn't think. I felt like I had, you know, white noise in my ears.
TUCHMAN: A short time later, she heard from her husband. They were all ok. But the fears for her family, which include cousins in the Ukrainian army, and her fears for Ukrainian civilians have resulted in --
PENCHAK: Panic attacks, unfortunately. Just unbelievable Sadness and sorrow for the suffering.
TUCHMAN: Yuliya and Andriy's three children are nine, seven, and three. Their parents are very upfront with them about what is going on.
Do you think your dad is brave?
ZLATA PENCHAK, FATHER IN UKRAINE: Yes.
TUCHMAN: How come?
Z. PENCHAK: Because he went to Ukraine, and there is a big war there.
TUCHMAN: Are you worried about him?
Z. PENCHAK: Yes.
TUCHMAN: You are a good daughter to be worried about him. But he promised you he will be ok, right?
Z. PENCHAK: Yes.
TUCHMAN: And that makes you feel good?
Z. PENCHAK: Yes.
TUCHMAN: Before we leave, Yuliya tries to call her husband. But there is no answer. She knows he is probably just fine. But once again she worries and hopes for a call back soon.
PENCHAK: I will keep watching Ukrainian soldiers telling us that they are winning. And telling us that everything will be over soon. So this is what gives me strength. And I don't spiral into a panic.
TUCHMAN: Do you believe that in your heart, that it will be over soon and victory will be Ukraine's?
PENCHAK: Victory will be Ukraine's. I believe that with all my heart. I hope it will be over soon.
TUCHMAN: Gary Tuchman, CNN, Langhorne, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: The 2022 BAFTAs where held in London, Sunday kicking off with a statement of support for the people of Ukraine. And it was, of course, a popular theme for the entire evening. Actors and filmmakers wore blue and yellow pins, or ribbons, to show their support.
Some also called on the U.K. to step up and do more to try and help the people of Ukraine. And that was including filmmakers stuck inside of the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAITRIONA BALFE, ACTRESS: We all feel what is happening in Ukraine is just absolutely horrific. It is disgusting. And you know, if anything, we just have to make it really known, loudly and clearly that we want the British government to do more. They are not doing enough.
BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH, ACTOR: We support Ukraine, and its people probably as a society (INAUDIBLE) for Europe. Staff there were trying to escape, there's loads of families at risk. To just be ever present of the horrors amongst the celebration that's cast a shadow over it. It's a two and a half hour flight from here. And they just experiencing war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: And this also happened. Actress and comedian Rebel Wilson insulted Russian President Vladimir Putin while introducing sign language interpreters, giving the middle finger to the camera.
Now, it was an emotional return to the pitch for Ukraine's Andriy Yarmolenko on Sunday. Now, the West Ham striker came off the bench to score the team's opening goal.
CNN World Sport anchor Patrick Snell has more now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: For Ukrainian international Andriy Yarmolenko, this day was about so much more than football.
The 32-year-old He had been on compassionate leave from West Ham since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But on Sunday he was back playing. After a sub benched to huge applause at London stadium. And then Yarmolenko with 20 minutes left, a sublime touch, and a superb finish for the opener in the house 2-1 premier league over Aston Villa. The player then visibly breaking down in tears, dropping to his knees. Mobbed by teammates, his reaction, both powerful, and poignant.
[01:54:49]
ANDRIY YARMOLENKO, UKRAINIAN FOOTBALL PLAYER: It was so emotional for me because you know the situation in my country. It is so difficult for me right now, at this moment thinking about football because every day in my country, the Russian army kill Ukrainians -- Ukrainian people.
It was just so emotional. That's really all I can say.
SNELL: The words of Andriy Yarmolenko there on Sunday.
Meantime, elsewhere in the Premier League, Chelsea fans arriving for their team's first home league fixture since the Blues' Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the U.K.
On Saturday, the English Premier League's board, disqualifying Abramovich is a club director. Chelsea are allowed to continue playing, under a special license, but they can't buy or sell players, sell new tickets to upcoming games, or sell any club merchandise.
In one corner of the ground, a banner, featuring Abramovich's face on the Russian flag, with the words, "The Roman Empire". A small amount of home fans, briefly chanting his name.
Chelsea beating Newcastle on Sunday, late on one - nil, thanks to (INAUDIBLE) brilliantly taken winner.
And a winning Sunday too, for Chelsea's women's team. The reigning super league champs also sealing their victory late on one - nil, at home. After an outstanding strike from Australian star, Sam Curr (ph), against Aston Villa.
Patrick Snell, CNN -- Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE) NEWTON: Well, I guess it is his prerogative, but the 44-year-old, legendary quarterback Tom Brady says he will return for his 23rd season in the NFL. Yes, if you are keeping track, it is quite a reversal.
Brady said he was retiring, just a few weeks ago, after his second season with Tampa Bay. But on Sunday, he tweeted, "These past two months I have realized, my place is still on the field, and not in the stands, and not at home either. That time will come, but it is not now."
Ok. A little bit of a distraction there for us.
That does it for us this hour. Stay with us.
I'm Paula Newton. Our breaking news coverage out of Ukraine continues with Hala Gorani right after the break.
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