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Americans Among Thousands Joining Fight in Ukraine; President Biden to Travel to Brussels; Civilian Death Toll Rises in Ukraine. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired March 15, 2022 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:02]

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: It now heads to the governor's desk.

The NATO secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, tweeting just moments ago he's convening an emergency, extraordinary NATO summit the 24th of March. That is next Thursday at NATO headquarters. The leaders will travel there to discuss, obviously, the invasion of Ukraine.

That's it for INSIDE POLITICS. We will see you back here this time tomorrow.

Ana Cabrera, Anderson Cooper pick up our coverage right now.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Hello, and thanks for joining us. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. Anderson Cooper is with us from Lviv, Ukraine.

We began this hour of breaking news coverage with President Zelenskyy not letting up in his fight against Russia or in his fight for the world to do more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Please close the sky. Close the airspace. Please stop the bombing. How many more cruise missiles have to fall on our cities until you make this happen?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: The latest bombs now falling in Kyiv, high-rise apartment buildings smoldering after deadly strikes. But despite this, right now, three key European leaders are heading here to the capital city to meet with Zelenskyy and send a defiant message to Russia of their own.

Kyiv's mayor visiting a site where four people were just killed, saying this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VITALI KLITSCHKO, MAYOR OF KYIV, UKRAINE: We're never going to leave. We will be -- defend our city. It's our homes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Well, next hour, the strictest curfew yet to be enforced in Kyiv begins. For 35 hours, residents will not be allowed to leave their homes or whatever buildings they're staying in.

Just north of Kyiv in Kharkiv, all the way on the eastern border with Russia, further shelling is hampering evacuation efforts. This city alone stuck was struck 65 times yesterday, 600 buildings destroyed there. The widespread attack, destruction is staggering, as the death toll among the youngest victims now climbs.

President Zelenskyy saying at least 97 children have been killed since the start of the invasion. We're told that peace talks between Ukraine and Russia are still ongoing.

CNN's Scott McLean is here with me in Lviv. CNN White House reporter Natasha Bertrand is in Brussels.

So, Scott, let's talk about what is going on right now in Kyiv.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so we had a lot of explosions earlier this morning. People would have been woken up around 6:00 in this morning -- this morning.

There was one explosion that happened south of the city. That's where a shell exploded right next to a house actually, caught it on fire. Shortly afterwards, an apartment building, 10-story apartment building actually just a stone's throw from the city center, was hit by more shelling there.

The bottom five stories of that apartment building caught fire. And then, in the western part of the city later on, a 16-story apartment building went up in flames, flames racing up and down it. A couple hours later, we saw new pictures of that area. It was still very much smoldering.

We're also seeing new shelling in Kharkiv, just on Monday alone, 65 incidences of shelling, according to the mayor's office. There are 600 buildings in that city that are completely flattened. And I remember, not long ago, I spoke to a couple at the border actually who was in Kharkiv sheltering in a subway station. They were there for a week.

And only then, when a bomb fell close to them, did they realize that this was not going to end soon. And their prediction has clearly turned out to be correct, because we're talking about schools. We're talking about medical facilities. A lot of civilian infrastructure has been bombed there. It is not a place you want to be.

COOPER: That long curfew, 36 hours, that allows security forces on the ground to essentially not only stop anybody who happens to be walking around, but also intercept any Russian patrols, that it makes it clear who is a combatant and who is not.

MCLEAN: It makes it a lot easier for the authorities there, exactly, to -- if there's somebody out, well, you should be suspicious of who exactly is going to be out.

Now, of course, people are allowed to leave if there's an emergency, obviously, to leave to go to a bomb shelter as well, because you have to imagine you probably wouldn't want to be spending time inside your home. Especially most people in Kyiv live in high-rise apartment buildings, given what we have seen.

Of course, the Russians continuing to insist they're hitting military targets. Just look at the pictures. It's clearly not the case.

COOPER: And Mariupol, obviously, a catastrophe still in that city.

Yesterday, some 160 or so vehicles, I think, were able to get out with people inside them. But the siege continues.

MCLEAN: Better news today.

So we understand from local officials there that about 2,000 private vehicles now were able to get out of the city today through this sort of unofficial corridor. There's another 2,000 that are waiting to get out of the city. But that's still a drop in the bucket, to be honest with you.

The last -- the latest estimates from the officials there figured that there's still 350,000 people in that city.

COOPER: Yes.

MCLEAN: And remember the humanitarian situation.

COOPER: They're not running buses. They're only allowing people in their personal vehicles.

MCLEAN: Exactly.

That's the latest information that we have. Of course, the Ukrainian have been trying to get aid trucks, trying to get buses in there to actually pick people up. It seems like they're putting personal vehicles and buses in a different category. Obviously, it'd be better if you could just load people on the buses.

[13:05:10]

The train there has been a lifeline for so many people in so many cities as well.

COOPER: Yes.

MCLEAN: But, for weeks now, that train has no longer been an option because of damage to the tracks and the simple fact that Ukrainians are not really in control of that area.

COOPER: Yes, officials in that city, of course, have said that more than 2,500 civilians have so far been killed. And, of course, we also had the attack on the maternity ward and those pictures of a mass grave being dug and filled in Mariupol several days ago. Natasha, tell us more about this meeting with E.U. leaders in Kyiv.

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: A really remarkable show of solidarity, Anderson, the Polish, Czech and Slovenian prime ministers traveling to Kyiv today to meet with President Zelenskyy amid this Russian onslaught in the outskirts of the city.

And it is a message they're trying to send, according to the Polish prime minister, that they believe that this is a moment in history that they need to be present for, that, because of the onslaught that we're seeing by the Russians, that they feel the need to go there, to show solidarity with the Ukrainians, and to show the Russians that they are united with Ukraine, and that the West and NATO and the E.U. are behind the Ukrainians.

Of course, it is very dangerous for them to be there. And it's unclear what kind of security precautions have been put in place for their visit. They are taking the train into the city, which is going to take a very long time, just because of the conditions on the ground.

But it is something that we have not seen in recent days or weeks from E.U. leaders, regardless of how much support they have expressed from Ukraine -- for Ukraine. To actually go into a city that has been shelled, where residential buildings and civilian infrastructure is being targeted regularly is pretty remarkable.

Now, in spite of that, of those attacks that we see by Russia, on the outskirts of Kyiv, getting closer and closer to that city center, there is evidence that they are in need of reinforcements here, that they are asking China for military and economic support in order to maintain their invasion of Ukraine.

We are reporting how that they're actually asking China for food for their troops. They can't even feed their troops at this point. They need those meals ready to eat, as they're known in the army, for their troops to actually sustain this invasion. And, of course, we have also reported that they have been asking the Chinese for drones and other military equipment.

So I asked Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO chief, here earlier today during a press conference whether the U.S. and NATO have actually seen any evidence that China has provided that assistance since it was asked for by the Russians recently, and he would not go into detail about that. But he did call on China to join the rest of the world in condemning Russia for this attack on Ukraine and said that NATO is watching extremely closely what China does in the coming days and weeks with regard to that support to Russia.

COOPER: Yes, Natasha Bertrand, appreciate that, Scott McLean as well here in Lviv.

Ana, the fact that the Russian government is asking China for something as basic as meals ready to eat, MREs, is to feed their troops, it just gives you a sense of some of the logistical problems they have been having on the ground here. CABRERA: It speaks to the setbacks we have been seeing and this issue

of their ground forces being stalled, which we're going to discuss right now with General Wesley Clark. He is the CNN military analyst and the former NATO supreme allied commander.

General, first, I do want to get your reaction to these European leaders, these three prime ministers, going into this war zone. It just seems so dangerous.

WESLEY CLARK, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I think it's really great that they're going in there to show support, but I hope, when they come out, they will carry the message and carry the day that more support needs to be given.

Ana, if you look at this situation and these horrible humanitarian conditions that people are having to live in and being subjected to by Putin's military, his artillery and his rockets, you ask, how could this happen in the 21st century?

It wouldn't be permitted anywhere else in the world. But what is it that is stopping the world from doing anything about it? It's Vladimir Putin's threat, his allusion to nuclear weapons.

So, if we don't understand how to handle that threat now, it's going to bedevil us in NATO, or in Taiwan. China's watching. And the whole world is watching this sight of the great United States of America. And we're letting Putin define the problem and draw the red lines. And we're watching this horrible situation.

And this is a real -- it's a real inflection point in U.S. foreign policy. We have got to find a way through this. The best defense for NATO is to keep Ukraine in the war. And I hope, in that NATO summit, that our labor leaders will recognize this and take the appropriate action.

CABRERA: General, just in, in fact, we have learned Biden will be traveling to that NATO summit next week. What needs to take place there?

CLARK: Well, I think that they're going to have to review the situation. They're going to have to look at what has happens if Ukraine is lost.

[13:10:01]

And what it will mean is a huge readjustment in defense budgets and spending overall for the United States. It means that we have to allocate a whole lot more forces to Europe. What about China? Maybe a huge increase in the defense budget. Can it be sustained? What happens to the sanctions?

And then, after they have weighed the problem of what happens if Ukraine falls, they have to consider, what more can be done to sustain Ukraine in the fight?

And, yes, there's a risk. There's always a risk in dealing with Mr. Putin. But is that risk going to mean that, when he comes after the Baltic states, Lithuania, Estonia, we say, well, we would defend them, but there's a risk?

CABRERA: Yes.

CLARK: When China comes after Taiwan, is there a risk?

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: General, I have got to jump in real fast, because we're going to go live to the White House and the White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki, right now.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: ... billion dollars in emergency funding to fight COVID-19.

Those consequences are dire, fewer monoclonal antibodies sent to states, an inability to purchase additional treatments, fewer tests available to Americans, less surveillance for future variants, and a risk of running short on vaccines.

For months, we have been engaging Congress about our needs for additional COVID response funds. Just to give you a few examples, in January, we notified Congress that responding to the unprecedented surge in cases due to Omicron would exhaust our funds.

Throughout February, we held briefings about the lack of funding and what the consequences would be if we didn't get additional funds. In the president's State of the Union address, the president called for additional COVID funding. And our national preparedness plan made clear that funding is needed.

In total, senior administration officials have held more than three dozen calls and meetings with Congress and at least 10 briefings to committees to communicate our needs, so that we can do what Americans can -- should expect from their government, protecting them from a once-in-a-generation pandemic.

I will finally say on this, with cases rising abroad, scientific and medical experts have been clear that, in the next couple of months, there could be increasing cases of COVID-19 here in the United States as well. We talked about this a bit yesterday. Waiting to provide funding until we're in a worse spot with the virus will be too late.

We need funding now, so we're prepared for whatever comes.

Also, some news some of you have been asking about. The president will travel to Brussels, Belgium, later this month, where he will join an extraordinary NATO summit on March 24 to discuss ongoing deterrence and defense efforts in response to Russia's unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine, as well as to reaffirm our ironclad commitment to our NATO allies.

He will also join a scheduled European Council summit to discuss our shared concerns about Ukraine, including transatlantic efforts to impose economic costs on Russia, provide humanitarian support to those affected by the violence and address other challenges related to the conflict.

I also wanted to note, because there has been so much information we have been putting out and so many sanctions putting -- we have put into place, some of the economic impacts that we're seeing in Russia, just to give you all an update on that.

We have made President Putin's war of choice a strategic failure. The unprecedented costs we have imposed with allies and partners have reversed 30 years of economic progress, something President Putin himself pushed for. And that has happened in less than a month.

Our actions have hit hard at the things President Putin cares about the most, degrading his military, access to cutting-edge technology, an ability to project power and influence, Central Bank reserves. About half of Putin's war chest is immobilized. You heard the finance minister confirm this just yesterday or the day before.

He can't use these rainy day funds to support his war in Ukraine. The ruble is less than a penny. It's the worst-performing emerging market currency. The Russian stock market has been closed for nearly three weeks, longest in its history, as they try to prevent a market crash.

Inflation in Russia has been rampant. Some forecasters are predicting 20 percent inflation for Russia by the end of the year. And the Russian -- and trillions of dollars in businesses have been disrupted by sanctions, putting the Russian financial sector under severe stress.

The economic outlook -- if you look at the economic outlook for the country, forecasters around the world are projecting a collapse of the Russian economy. The Institute for International Finance projects a 15 percent downturn, down from a projected growth rate of 3 percent before Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

And the private sector, as many of you have reported, on is withdrawing. Many companies, major companies in the financial energy and other sectors are leaving. J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Western Union, ExxonMobil, Shell and more are pulling their operations out of the country.

And as we continue to ratchet up pressure on Putin's oligarchs, wanted to also announced for you or reiterate for you for those of you who already know that, tomorrow, Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen and Attorney General Garland will host the launch meeting of the Russian Elites, Proxies and Oligarchs Multilateral Task Force.

[13:15:02]

And the task force was first announced in a statement by leaders, including President Biden, on February 26, as a way to go after corrupt gains from some of the individuals closest to Putin, no matter what -- where they're held around the world. And the task force, comprised of finance, ministry and justice or home ministry counterparts in Germany, Canada, Japan, France, Italy, Australia, the European Commission, and the United Kingdom will use their respective authorities to collect and share information against Russian targets, including sanctions, asset freezing, and civil and criminal asset seizure.

Let me give you just a couple of examples of assets that have already been seized.

Alexei Mordashov's 213-foot yacht was impounded in Italy. Gennady Timchenko's 132-foot yacht was seized in Italy. Andrey Melnichenko's 469-foot $578 million super yacht was seized in Italy. Sergey Chemezov's $140 million yacht was seized in Spain. Igor Sechin's 280- foot yacht was impounded in France. And Alisher Usmanov's $18 million resort was impounded in Sardinia. That is just the beginning.

Last thing I just wanted to note -- sorry. I have two quick things for you -- then we will get to the questions -- is on Ukrainian security assistance. The president will talk about this when he speaks this afternoon. And he will talk about it more extensively tomorrow.

As you know, there's $13.6 billion for Ukraine humanitarian security and economic assistance in the omnibus bill that the president is going to sign this afternoon. He will outline in more detail, I expect tomorrow, the specifics. But he will, of course, talk about it when he signs it this afternoon.

But just even up to date now, since taking office, the president has committed $1.2 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, including $550 million in just the last two weeks. We have approved -- he has approved four emergency security assistance packages to provide Ukraine the types of weapons they are using so effectively to defend their country, such as anti-armor and air defense weapons.

We are working to get Ukraine the equipment as quickly as possible. And we are -- still have the means to continue doing that. Over the past two weeks alone, we have delivered more than $300 million of security assistance to Ukraine, in addition to the transfers of U.S.- made equipment we are facilitating from our allies to Ukraine as well.

So I would note that we're on day 19 here. In addition to their incredible courage and bravery, one of the reasons that they're able to hold back and push back against the Russian military is because of the significant amount of military assistance we have provided.

Finally, I just wanted to note that today is Equal Pay Day, something we can all celebrate. President Biden and Vice President Harris have long championed equal pay as a cornerstone of the commitment to ensure all people have a fair and equal opportunity to get ahead.

To mark Equal Pay Day, today, the Biden/Harris administration announced a couple of new actions to promote women's empowerment and support women's family -- women -- working families across the country. The Office of Personnel Management announced that they want to participate in issuing a proposed regulation that will address the use of prior salary history in the hiring and pay setting process for federal employees.

The president will sign an executive order directing the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council to consider limiting the use of salary information in employment decisions by federal contractors. And the Department of Labor will release a report analyzing the impact of occupational segregation on women's economic security.

And the vice president will host an event later today, along with the Gender Policy Council.

I also just wanted to note the news that we heard from the CEO of FOX this morning that cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski -- I just want to pronounce his name the right way. Did I pronounce it the right way? OK.

Lost his life. He is someone who has served in many war zones over the course of time. He was a war zone photographer who covered nearly every international story for FOX News, from Iraq, to Afghanistan, to Syria, during his long tenure working there.

So, we just -- our thoughts, our prayers are with his family, with the entire community as well.

So let me stop there. And let's kick it off.

Chris.

QUESTION: OK.

So, President Zelenskyy is going to be speaking to Congress tomorrow. He's been pushing for a fighter jets, a no-fly zone. (OFF-MIKE) hear of those same requests tomorrow as well.

Has the administration's thinking shifted on that at all? And, also, there is rising domestic pressure for the U.S. to do more. How does the president plan to continue being like a voice of restraint in these situations and holding back some of those requests?

PSAKI: Well, first, I don't think the president views himself as a voice of restraint. We have provided and he has approved and expedited the delivery of more assistance, military and security assistance to Ukraine than any year in history.

And I did a bit of an outline for you at the beginning, $1.2 billion in assistance, that -- including $300 million that we have been able to get to Ukrainian fighters, helping them to hold back the Russian military over the past few weeks.

[13:20:05]

It is also true -- and there will be more that the president will be able to say over the next few days, given he is about to sign a 13.6 -- an omnibus bill that includes $13.6 billion in security assistance. So, I expect he will share more of those details in the next 24 hours.

It is also true that the president has to look at decisions that are made through the prism of what is in our national security interests and global security interests. And he continues to believe that a no- fly zone would be escalatory, could prompt a war with Russia.

I don't believe there's a lot of advocates calling for that at this point in time from Capitol Hill. But we certainly understand and recognize that is still a call from President Zelenskyy.

QUESTION: And on COVID...

CABRERA: OK, so we're going to continue to monitor the White House press conference right now. That was Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

You just heard all the ways that U.S. and allies have been clamping down on Russia, especially with the economic stuff, the sanctions and other penalties that Russians are now facing.

But she did reiterate still no direct military involvement there in Ukraine.

So I want to bring back General Wesley Clark and talk about the state of play and strategy on the ground right now, because we have seen Russian forces for some time now stalled, specifically in that area near Kyiv.

And yet their bombardments, General, are expanding. We heard from Scott McLean at the top about the big apartment complex that was hit in Kyiv just this morning. So, even if they're not moving forward on the ground, they are still causing more destruction than ever.

Your thoughts.

CLARK: Yes. Yes, that's exactly right.

What they're doing is, they're building up their ammunition stocks. They're preparing and mashing their forces. In the meantime, they're keeping up fires on the civilian areas in Kyiv.

They have got long-range artillery. They have got aircraft that can -- and missiles that can deliver these strikes. But this is all preparatory to the real attack on Kyiv, which hasn't occurred yet. They were also working to encircle from the south.

And there are some movements today from forces coming up from the south. It seems like that that risk is increasing from that direction also. When Kyiv becomes encircled, it's going to be increasingly difficult to get any assistance in there at all, at least from the outside, without taking more direct action.

So this is why it's so urgent that we get to safe zones in, that the humanitarian corridor be set in, that the United Nations call a stop to this.

CABRERA: OK, General Clark, I wish we had more time today. Thank you so much for being a resource for us and continuing to provide guidance as to what's happening there in Ukraine and in this battle.

CLARK: Thank you.

CABRERA: A number of Americans are now joining the thousands of foreign fighters in defending Ukraine. And we will talk to a U.S. Army veteran who is now there in Kyiv about what he's seeing and why he decided to join this fight.

Plus, a stunning act of defiance. A producer at a Russian state TV network crashes a broadcast to protest the war. What she's facing now.

And they famously stood up to a Russian warship, telling it to go F. itself. Well, now the Ukrainian Postal Service has honored the soldiers of Snake Island with this postage stamp. And, as you can see, it depicts a soldier giving a special salute to the Russians.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:27:45]

CABRERA: As Ukrainians battle to defend their country, they are getting help from volunteers from around the world.

A Ukrainian official tells CNN more than 20,000 foreign fighters have shown up so far to help, including Americans. Some, but not all, have military training and are being deployed around the country.

And Jericho Skye is one of those volunteer foreign fighters. He is a U.S. Army veteran from Montana who went to Ukraine last week to help in this fight against Russian forces. And he's joining us now from Kyiv.

Thank you for taking the time.

What courage you have. First, why? Why did you go? What made you feel so passionate that you're willing to risk your own life to fight for Ukraine?

JERICHO SKYE, U.S. ARMY VETERAN VOLUNTEERING TO FIGHT IN UKRAINE: Innocent civilians are being targeted and intentionally killed.

CABRERA: And so you watched that. And tell me what went through your mind.

SKYE: At first -- I don't really watch the news.

So, at first, I was like a little skeptical just because of how absolutely insane it was. So, to be watching that all just develop almost like an action movie or something, I was just like, this is insane.

And then I got over my skepticism really quickly when I realized, like, this is -- this isn't media hype. Like, they're not just showing us just the worst things. This is actually taking place.

CABRERA: Yes. SKYE: So, with my military experience and training, I felt that I

might be value and an asset to the people here on the front lines. And so I felt compelled and almost like a responsibility to duty to come out and offer my services.

CABRERA: And do you feel prepared for this battle? I know you have that military experience, but my understanding is you haven't actually gone to war in the past.

SKYE: Yes, ma'am, that's correct.

This is the first war I have been in. And I feel -- I feel prepared. I feel -- I have -- it's actually strange. Out here, I feel like a sense of this is what I was always supposed to do. I almost felt this is why I went into the army and trained and prepared.

And even a few months ago, just strangely enough, I started to practice my tactics and my shooting and my medical training, just kind of out of nowhere. And I'd actually been dreaming about something like this for about three years.

[13:30:00]