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Several Explosions Heard In Ukrainian Capital Of Kyiv; Ukrainian Influencer Bringing The Front Lines To Social Media; President Zelenskyy Says His Children Know What Ukraine Is Fighting For; Interview With Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH); Confirmation Hearings For Judge Jackson Begin Tomorrow. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired March 20, 2022 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:24]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINE (through translator): We have to use any format, any chance or possibility of talking to Putin, but if these attempts fail, that would mean that this is a third world war.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yet another horrifying attack on innocent civilians we're being told took place in the early hours of this morning in a place that's being described as hell on earth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): You should see it with your own eyes. It is a state of horror.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm sitting here with the secretary of Defense, and we're in a very tumultuous time. Are we going to be OK?

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sirens have continued to go off here in the capital Kyiv as the Ministry of Defense on the Ukrainian armed forces continuing to claim that they're pushing the Russians back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): You wake up during the night when you hear the sirens. You hear any little sound. You start to shake. Maybe I need to take my child and run away again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This cost is multiplied every single day that the West chooses not to take part in a way that matters, not to help us imposing a no-fly zone.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Pamela Brown in Washington.

LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon in Kyiv, Ukraine. We are -- we join you with some breaking news right now. Several loud explosions heard just a short time ago in Kyiv. Earlier this evening heavy aircraft -- antiaircraft fire erupted as Ukrainian troops fired at something. We are awaiting more information on that. We'll bring it to you. We're also going to talk with our Frederik Pleitgen live in Kyiv. That'll happen in just a moment.

You know, Thursday will mark one month since Russia invaded Ukraine, and in that time Vladimir Putin's troops have laid waste to cities like Kharkiv and Mariupol. While Ukrainian troops and many civilians fight valiantly to hold Russia at bay, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy isn't naive. He knows that negotiations with Putin are critical and this is what he told CNN today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENSKYY (through translator): We're losing people on a daily basis, innocent people on the ground. Russian forces have come to exterminate us, to kill us. And we can demonstrate that the dignity of our people and our army that we are able to deal a powerful blow, we are able to strike back.

But, unfortunately, our dignity is not going to preserve the lives, so I think that we have to use any format, any chance in order to have a possibility of negotiating the possibility of talking to Putin. But if these attempts fail, that would mean that this is a third world war.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So Zelenskyy's words may sound dire if you're watching these battles on television. But I can tell you, they are brutally honest and accurate to anyone here in Ukraine. Today, for instance, we are learning that a Russian tank reportedly opened fire on a care home. It was in the eastern part of the country, killing 56 elderly residents.

Putin's forces are also accused of shelling an art school, that was in Mariupol, where 400 civilians had sought shelter from Russia's relentless bombardment. The number of casualties not quite clear yet. And the Kremlin brags that it has now used hypersonic missiles for a second time amid all of the chaos. President Biden and NATO leaders will meet in Brussels looking for a way to stop the carnage. As Estonia's prime minister put it today on CNN, Putin must now win this war.

So I want to take you now to Kyiv. We're going to go live there where our very own Frederik Pleitgen is joining us tonight.

Frederik, hello to you. What do you know about the explosions just heard in the capital?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, don. Well, it certainly seems clear to us from our position here that Kyiv tonight is very much a city under aerial attack by the Russians, and we did hear those very loud explosions that took place, I would say, about 30 to 45 minutes ago.

Still not clear exactly what they were. However, we are seeing from Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, he's already communicating on Telegram saying that he believes that there were several explosions in a district in the northeast -- north, northeast of Kyiv. Unclear what exactly was hit but certainly it did feel like a massive impact.

[18:05:01]

And over the course of the past couple of days what we've seen happen is that the capital has been hit by Russian rockets, by Russian aerial dropped bombs as well, but also some of the Russian rockets have been intercepted as well but the warheads have then dropped on places. So at this point in time unclear what happened.

However, it has been a recurring theme this entire evening, Don, that we've almost constantly heard air raid sirens go off here in Kyiv and for a while you can see on your screen right now we have had a lot of antiaircraft fire coming out of the capital, also, including surface- to-air missiles.

And what we saw at one point was sort of an illuminated dot moving across the sky, which we believe may have been some form of Russian aircraft or Russian rocket that was flying across the capital. Again, that drawing a lot of antiaircraft, fired guns firing into the air with explosive munitions that then sort of blow up when they reach a certain altitude. So it certainly has been, Don, a very busy evening so far and it certainly appears as though it might remain that way throughout the course of the night -- Don.

LEMON: All right, Frederik Pleitgen, live for us in Kyiv tonight as we are live in Lviv.

I want to bring in now CNN military analyst and retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton.

Colonel, thank you for joining us. As you hear Fred's reports about tonight's explosions, talk to me about Russia's progress in encircling Ukraine? It has been called the anaconda strategy?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, Don, and you know, I think that is actually a really good name for this strategy. So if we look at the broader map of Ukraine, you can see some really interesting things here because if you see everything that's going on around the edge here, we're beginning to see an encirclement happening right there. So with that you get a big idea that this is what they're trying to do.

Now when you look directly at Kyiv, you see some other things that are happening here. There's a lot of activity right in this area and in this area and also some more in the western part of Kyiv. A lot of what the map doesn't show is that there are going to be a lot of individual engagements that are happening particularly in the western part, the northeastern part and the northwestern area just outside of the city.

So what those individual engagements will show is that the Ukrainians are moving forward into each of these different areas, and it really will depend on how well they do whether or not this map changes in terms of where we see the Russian forces.

LEMON: You know, I heard about this earlier. I found it really interesting about this flooding, this dam. Flooding north of Kyiv. The satellite images we have of this flooding at this dam north of Kyiv, we don't have reporting on exactly what has happened there but Ukrainian forces, could they intentionally be flooding an area to slow down Russian forces, Colonel?

LEIGHTON: Absolutely, Don. And here's one of the things that we've heard a little bit about this before today. A few weeks ago we started hearing some things about the Ukrainians deliberately flooding areas in and around Kyiv. Well, this is apparently what they're doing. And if you take a look here at some of the imagery, you can see that the water areas have actually changed a bit in some of these areas.

And in the area particularly north of the city it makes the land much more muddy and what will happen is -- the idea here is that these floodings will actually create a mess for the Russian military. They'll bog them down literally and figuratively and make their advances much, much harder to execute.

LEMON: Also today the Russian military claiming that it launched more strikes with hypersonic and cruise missiles. Last night and earlier today they said they did it. What is your theory on why Russia is moving to that type of weapon, and is that concerning for you?

LEIGHTON: Well, it is concerning in the sense that this is a missile that is really undetectable, and here we have a MiG-31 that is taking off and we have this photo and this video of them launching a Kinzhal missile. The Kinzhal, meaning dagger in Russian, is a form of hypersonic missile. The key here is the speed. It makes it undetectable and makes it very difficult for air defenses to take this missile out of the sky.

Now what we can do is take the platform out, so, in this case, if they had taken the MiG-31 out it would have, of course, resulted in no missile being fired or at least being fired errantly, so that's the kind of reason that this is a dangerous weapon because it goes so fast and it's really hard to detect.

LEMON: So east and south of where I am right now in Lviv, the port city of Mykolaiv is where a Russian bombing may have taken the highest civilian casualties so far in this war. I mean, this is very disturbing footage that we have right now of what was a military barracks, Colonel. Rescuers are still hoping to find survivors in that rubble. But witnesses say dozens of Ukrainian troops were killed in the bombing.

[18:10:03]

Do you read anything into the location of this attack near the Black Sea and this port city? What does that say if anything about the Russians' battle plan?

LEIGHTON: Don, I think what it tells us is this. So Mykolaiv is right up here. And if you look at the map you see it's just northwest of Kherson, which the Russians have taken. And then it is just to the northeast of Odessa. Odessa is Ukraine's major port city. It is the third largest city in the country and all of the grain that

-- almost of the grain that Ukraine exports goes through here. The Russian plan is to move west. It's got to be to move west toward Odessa from Kherson and the Mykolaiv area.

If they do this what they will end up doing is they'll actually end up cutting the city off from the rest of the country. And the big goal that the Russians have is to move west and take over the entire coastline. And if they do that, that will end up actually making Ukraine a landlocked country. That's why this is important and that's why this gets to be a major theater of this war.

LEMON: Just one more question, Colonel. Would you have thought the Russian soldiers or troops would have done what they're doing earlier, at least trying to cut off certain cities? Because it doesn't appear that they have made much progress, if any, in this war.

LEIGHTON: That's right, Don. I would have expected them to move much more quickly. I would have expected them to go in, take the cities one by one, have a much more deliberate plan to go after each one of them, cut them off, encircle them, and basically subjugate them. They were not able to do this, and the reason they weren't able to do this is because, in part, the Ukrainians have put up such massive resistance.

LEMON: All right. Colonel Cedric Leighton, thank you very much. I appreciate that.

Pamela, back to you.

BROWN: All right, Don, we'll be back with you soon there on the ground in Lviv, Ukraine. Thanks so much.

Well, the U.N. says nearly 1,000 civilians have been killed and about 1500 injured since Russia invaded Ukraine. Most of these casualties were caused by weapons with a wide impact area including heavy artillery and rockets along with missiles and air strikes.

The U.N. also reports that more than 10 million -- let me say that again, 10 million Ukrainians have had to flee their homes. That is nearly a quarter of the nation's total population. For context, that's even more people than currently live in New York City.

Meantime, the World Food Program says it's only prepared to feed three million people in Ukraine and warns that this war will affect food security around the globe. The program buys half of its grain from Ukraine but farmers are more likely to be fighting than planting crops right now.

And when we come back on this Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy telling CNN if talks with Putin fail, it may mean a third world war. More of that exclusive interview ahead.

Also this hour, slicing through Putin's digital iron curtain, meet the Ukrainian influencer bringing the front lines to social media.

And historic hearings. Lawmakers weigh the nomination of the first black woman for the Supreme Court.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:17:31]

LEMON: So just weeks ago a Ukrainian influencer's TikTok was full of personal finance tips and motivational messages like this one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTINA KORBAN, POSTING WAR UPDATES ON TIKTOK: You want to live a happy life, the formula is very simple actually. Here it is. Expect very little from everybody and expect a lot from yourself. That's it.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: But on February 23rd, her tone completely shifted. In this video she describes the first explosions in Kyiv when the Russian invasion began.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KORBAN: Guys, I'm in bed right now. I'm recording this because I can't sleep. I'm in Kyiv, Ukraine. The whole city is up. There have been massive explosions somewhere in the distance but it shook the whole house. This might be the beginning of something serious.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, since that video went environmental Kristina Korban has continued to update her followers on the realities of life in war torn Ukraine. Kristina joins me now.

And I'm so happy that you're joining us. I hope that you're safe. We've been talking throughout the week on CNN, here we are on a Sunday night, you're still here. What do you want people to know the most, Kristina?

KORBAN: Well, people haven't realized this is definitely one of the largest refugee crises that we have had in modern day history and in such a short amount of time it's probably -- possibly the largest we've had with over three million people that have left abroad and over six million displaced internally.

It's turned into an enormous humanitarian crisis, and it's very hard to help people because they're being held in camp-like environments in these occupied territories. So it's just a very difficult situation just to paint a picture.

LEMON: Yes. The biggest humanitarian crisis since World War II for Europe. What kinds of questions are you getting from your followers?

KORBAN: Well, obviously they check up on me and my family every day to make sure that we're alive and we're OK. The questions that they mainly ask are, what is the food situation like, are there shortages? They want to know why I'm still here. Why I haven't left. And obviously one of the biggest questions that they do ask is, how can they help. That's definitely a big one.

LEMON: You know, over the past few weeks some of your TikToks have actually gotten removed. Any idea why that is?

[18:20:04]

KORBAN: Well, I think we all realize that social media has a very large influence on the public, and if you attain a mass following, unfortunately, that can be seen as a threat to certain ideologies and therefore certain things that you say can sometimes be banned, and even if you're sharing just from your own experience or opinions, unfortunately, that's just the reality of being a creator, sometimes you will be silenced.

LEMON: You are providing a very valuable service. I told you that before as we have been going around the region speaking to people and even speaking to some Russians who are, you know, who have moved out of Russia to Ukraine and other areas. They have been saying social media is really the only place that they can get accurate, independent, free information and not propaganda, the propaganda that is being sold to the people in Russia.

Are you worried about getting banned on the platform, and if so, what would that mean for the people here?

KORBAN: Well, obviously being banned and taken down is always a risk. And that's definitely a risk especially if you're someone like me who is actually speaking out and sharing information about such a hot, sensitive topic like a war. But what would that mean? It would mean that I'm doing something right. If there's a need to be me to be taken down, I would take it as I'm doing something right.

LEMON: But then your message won't get out if you are taken down.

KORBAN: I understand but what the steps I would take after that I would simply create another account. I do have a backup account. There's also other social media platforms that can be used. There's more than one way to get your voice across.

LEMON: You're doing all you can do, Kristina, to help those in need including selling pro-Ukraine T-shirts and hoodies. You've established a fundraising campaign that has already raised over $28,000. Can you tell us just a little bit more about both of these projects and how our viewers can help if they want to.

KORBAN: Yes, absolutely. I have set up two donation funds. One is a monetary one where people can simply donate financially and the other that you spoke of is a collaboration with Bonfire. They helped me set everything up and that is the Ukrainian merch with the famous phrase of where the warship was sent and what the street signs in Ukraine have been changed to and people can find that in my social media bios.

And those are two ways that they can donate directly through me but obviously people should always donate wherever they feel comfortable. There's more than one way to help.

LEMON: Kristina Korban, please be safe. Thank you very much. We'll see you soon, OK?

KORBAN: Thank you for having me.

LEMON: And, Pamela, it's amazing to see and witness the resolve of the Ukrainian people. I get to witness it through the television, through satellite, and now I'm on the ground here witnessing it in person. And it is really something to behold. She said if they try to stop her, you heard her, she'll just try and do it another way. It's amazing to see.

BROWN: It really is just seeing how strong and brave she is, and now you get to witness it firsthand there on the ground. Just so many incredible stories of strength from those in Ukraine and those who have fled as well. The 10 million refugees who have now left the country according to the U.N.

All right, Don, we'll be back with you shortly.

Up next, tonight the president of Ukraine telling CNN what he thinks can end this war. And as he leads his country, how does he explain the violence to his children? That emotional answer up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:28:23]

LEMON: And, Pamela, it is indeed an honor to be on with you on a Sunday night to share your show and talk about what's happening here especially since I just got on the ground in Ukraine. I have to tell you that Lviv is a beautiful -- it is still beautiful, a vibrant city. Not so vibrant this evening. There is a 10:00 curfew where people have to be off the streets, where businesses are closed. There's no public transportation.

Basically everything is closed. They don't even light the municipal centers and the historic buildings, even the television antennas aren't lit. You can see the city is dark pretty much because businesses have to close as well. But just walking around there are still people out and I'm going to give the viewers a little bit of a tour of Lviv coming up in our next hour. And it will be interesting to see the sort of dichotomy that you see.

Part of a bustling city and then all of a sudden it shuts down and then at the end you'll see what I'm talking about, just about, you know, the contrast from one place to another.

BROWN: Yes, that is really interesting especially because we have seen the Russian forces move further west in some of their attacks. Right near the Polish border there. But yet people are still moving forward with life there in Lviv, Ukraine, and you're going to show us what it looks like. And as you said that dichotomy of on one hand people living their lives and on the other hand being shut down in restraints because of the war that is happening there on the ground. So we're going to be back with you shortly, John, but first we want to

-- Don, I should say. But first we want to go to this exclusive interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria.

[18:30:02]

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says he is ready to negotiate with Putin to stop the war and he also shared how he explains the violence to his children.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST, FAREED ZAKARIA GPS: President Biden has called Vladimir Putin a war criminal. And yet you have called for negotiations with him. Will it be hard, will it be painful for you to have to sit down with Putin were he to agree and negotiate with him?

PRES. VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINE (through translator): I am ready for negotiations with him. I was ready over the last two years and I think that -- I think that without negotiations we cannot end this war. I think that all the people who think that this dialogue is shallow and that it is not going to resolve anything, they just don't understand that this is very valuable. If there is just 1 percent chance for us to stop this war, I think that we need to take this chance.

ZAKARIA: You know the Russian demands, they want you to recognize that Crimea is part of Russia, that the two republics in the Donbas are independent republics. They want a guarantee, perhaps in the Ukrainian constitution, that Ukraine will never be a member of NATO. Are you willing to make those compromises?

ZELENSKYY (through translator): There are compromises for which we cannot be ready as an independent state. Any compromises related to our territorial integrity and our sovereignty -- we have to find a model of understanding to prevent further wars between our territories that we control and temporary occupied territories. So whatever the discussions that we have in our negotiating allegations, I think that it's just -- the two of us, me and Putin, who can make an agreement on this.

ZAKARIA: You're a young man, you have a young family, and I have to -- I keep wondering, how do you explain to your children what is going on?

ZELENSKYY (through translator): My children know for sure what is happening and I don't know whether it's good or bad. I have not explained anything to my children. They have said to me that war is raging in Ukraine and at our home we have the same freedom of speech as we have in our country and they know what we are fighting for.

I think that my -- that my children should not be prohibited from seeing any kinds of videos of what Russia has made. My son -- my son has to be aware of it because while my son is alive that means that some Ukrainian army member is giving up his own life for this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Very powerful interview there with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine.

Coming up, I'm going to talk to a former army ranger and now Republican congressman from Ohio. What does Warren Davidson think about Russia's military in Ukraine, right now. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:38:10]

BROWN: As Russian forces try to advance towards Kyiv, they are facing a new problem. They're getting bogged down because of a dam releasing water north of the city. Look at this right here. It's unclear how exactly this happened. Did Ukrainian troops open the floodgates on purpose or was it hit by a Russian missile strike? We just don't know. But satellite images from the European Space Agency show a lot of land in the area is flooded.

And it's not just water slowing Russia's advance. Ukrainian resistance has kept Putin's troops from entering the capital now nearly a month in.

With us now, Congressman Warren Davidson, Republican from Ohio and a former U.S. army ranger.

Congressman, thanks for coming on. So, look, as I pointed out, we are watching now the third full week of this armed conflict inflicted upon Ukraine by Russia. As a former infantryman, an officer and West Point graduate, how do you assess the Russian army's strategy so far and their apparent miscalculation of Ukrainian resistance?

REP. WARREN DAVIDSON (R-OH): Yes, thanks for having me on, Pamela. And look, I'm not positive that the Russian army thought that they were going to go to war. There were early reports, public reports that some of the troops in the Russian army thought they were on a training exercise. I think in some ways Vladimir Putin was surprised that Zelenskyy didn't negotiate. Nevertheless, you know, they are at war.

Putin's unjustly invaded Ukraine and we're seeing a really determined resistance by the Ukrainian military, and just the average citizens in Ukraine, a large number of them have taken up arms and taken actions. And look, things like flooding the roadways and softening the ground do make it harder for the armored columns to advance on Kyiv.

[18:40:00]

So, you know, you look for more than what Putin was bargaining for out of this, and that seems to be the case.

BROWN: I just want to be clear on what you said in the beginning. It is true there are reports that some of the Russian military forces didn't know that they were going to be part of this invading the country, but you don't doubt that Putin's intent was to invade Ukraine, right, or do you? DAVIDSON: No, he didn't accidentally send his military over the

border.

BROWN: Right. OK. I just wanted to be sure we were getting that straight.

DAVIDSON: And it was very much on purpose. I just think he thought that Zelenskyy would negotiate and not cross, you know, what Putin had drawn as an arbitrary line in the sand, and then Putin launched the invasion. I mean, our intelligence said that he was going to do it for a long time. We told the world what Putin was planning, and you know, kudos to the Biden administration for declassifying some of that intelligence and making it public.

BROWN: So I want to talk about the massive spending package that passed the House this month including that nearly $14 billion in defense and various aid to Ukraine and other Eastern European countries. You joined 53 other Republicans in voting against it. You say that you didn't like that it was part of this larger spending package. If it had been a separate standalone bill would you have voted yes instead?

DAVIDSON: Likely. And, you know, it would have been nice to have it subject to amendment. I mean there are a few things I would have changed, but yes, I probably would have voted for that as a standalone package. You know, there were 69 totals, so overwhelmingly Republicans that were opposed to this defense bill, and part of that was just process. I mean, you know, they published this at 2:00 in the morning and then one of the vote later that morning frankly.

So, you know, we shouldn't reward -- either party shouldn't reward the leadership and frankly both parties have done tactics like that. But we sent letters to the administration, to the leadership in the House and the Senate saying, you know, we should vote on this in a separate way. I think the debate about it would have cleared up a lot about what are the lines where we want to draw, and how do we fundamentally hold NATO accountable?

This is one of the things that's missing in there. You know, weakness has invited aggression. None of that excuses what Putin has done but to make sure this war doesn't spread, we don't just need to give aid to Ukraine. We need to make sure that NATO is prepared and fundamentally some of those discussions about how to make sure NATO is prepared should have been included in the aid package.

BROWN: And as you note the funding that has been passed by Congress to go to Ukraine includes sending over troops to help in NATO countries to beef up their defenses in the wake of what is happening in Ukraine.

And, you know, I hear what you're saying in terms of the fact that Ukraine is not a NATO country but what do you see to those U.S. officials who have this big fear that if Vladimir Putin can take control of Ukraine that he's just going to continue to try to move and take over other sovereign countries and burgeoning democracies like Ukraine to expand his empire and that that is why this matters so much and that is why this aid -- they need this aid. DAVIDSON: Well, they certainly need the aid in Ukraine and so do NATO

neighboring countries. A good portion of it is for humanitarian assistance. You know, millions of refugees at this point fleeing the war and within NATO countries the best way to strengthen them, yes. America is there as an ally within NATO. But we're not there to fight the war for NATO. We're not NATO mercenaries.

We need to see -- this is a problem where Germany for a generation at least has underfunded their military obligations under the NATO treaty and, frankly, continue to become more and more dependent upon Russian energy. And I think that's -- that combined with some other events this past year, including the very poorly executed exit from Afghanistan, you know, made Putin feel like now might be a time that he could get away with something that he clearly didn't feel like he could get away with while Donald Trump was president and Mike Pompeo was secretary of State.

BROWN: OK. I know that's a big right-wing talking point, but you are essentially absolving Putin from making this decision to invade Ukraine by saying, oh, it's all President Biden's fault. He saw this as the great opportunity to go in. I mean, aren't you just --

DAVIDSON: No, not at all.

BROWN: I mean, but that's really what you're saying. You're saying that, well, he didn't under Trump even though Trump kowtowed to Putin and took Putin's word over the U.S. intelligence agency over Russian interference in the U.S. election but that he chose this time because of Biden. That's what you're saying, right?

DAVIDSON: Well, I'm saying that Putin is the aggressor here. Nothing about what he's doing is just. There should be no way to blur the lines there and somehow excuse what Vladimir Putin has done but nevertheless there was no will on Putin's part to actually do this while Donald Trump was president.

[18:45:05]

It wasn't because Putin just now magically became a bad guy. He's always been a bad guy. He just didn't think he could get away with it prior to this. And frankly, there were also events in Ukraine that made Putin feel like he might be able to get away with it or maybe where he felt he had to do it. I mean, certainly there are things that Putin takes offense to that he shouldn't. Ukraine is its own country. They have an inherent right to self-defense and self-determination. They've been occupied by Russia unjustly since 2014.

But for Vladimir Putin when the U.S. signed a strategic partnership agreement in September that was a line that he thought he would confront Zelenskyy on, and I think he felt that Zelenskyy would probably negotiate.

BROWN: Right.

DAVIDSON: But clearly Zelenskyy isn't in the negotiating mood at the time that the invasion took place. I've been encouraged to say hey, if there's only 1 percent chance --

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: I want to ask you quickly about Zelenskyy. I'm running out of time --

DAVIDSON: So hopefully there's a path to get there.

BROWN: Right. And I want to ask about Zelenskyy and, again, just make it clear that there are a lot of different points out there about why Putin is invading now and there's no clear line that he chose to do it now because of President Biden but I do want to ask you about Zelenskyy because your fellow Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn in North Carolina on camera called Ukraine's president a thug and said that his government is, quote, "evil."

Plenty of lawmakers on your side of the aisle have condemned that saying he's wrong. That clip is playing on Russian TV and other pro- Putin news outlets. What is your reaction to a fellow Republican saying Zelenskyy is a thug rather than Vladimir Putin who launched this invasion?

DAVIDSON: Well, I certainly don't agree with Madison Cawthorn and whatever you think of President Zelenskyy he was unjustly invaded by Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy has really led heroically his country to resist this invasion, you know, by Russia. So -- really by Vladimir Putin. I feel bad for the average citizen. They don't have a lot to say in the selection of their leader, with Vladimir Putin.

But Zelenskyy -- look, there's a reason Ukraine is not a part of NATO. It's not just because they are neighbors with Russia. There are some corruption issues inside Ukraine that have been systemic. You know, in 2015, you know, Representative Conyers was celebrating an amendment he got passed to prevent any of the U.S. funding going to Ukraine that was going to go to a neo-Nazi Azov battalion.

And so there are things that -- in Ukraine that European countries and the United States have encouraged them to clean up so that if they do want to embrace a more Western path that they are more compatible with the more Western culture. And we're rooting for them to be successful on that.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: And no doubt, no doubt Ukraine has had --

DAVIDSON: So you don't have to say one person is good and the other is evil or one culture is bad and the other is perfect.

BROWN: No --

DAVIDSON: But you can say very clearly Ukraine was unjustly invaded. There is no just war by Vladimir Putin here.

BROWN: That is something I think that we can most certainly agree on.

Congressman Warren Davidson, thank you for coming on and sharing your perspective on the show. We really appreciate it.

DAVIDSON: Yes, thank you, Pamela.

BROWN: Thank you.

We'll be right back.

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[18:53:05]

LEMON: Hello, everyone, Don Lemon live here in Lviv, Ukraine. Just moments ago I need to tell you about this, the mayor of Kyiv said that one person has been killed after explosions hit a residential and business areas of the capital and that paramedics, rescuers and police are on the scene now.

This news came after CNN's team on the ground in Kyiv reported hearing several explosions. We need to tell you that we are working on getting more information for you, and as soon as we get it we will report it to you.

Also something I just -- I want to clear up. In the beginning of the show, it was said that Estonia's prime minister put it today on CNN that Putin must not win this war. It may have sounded like I said now win this war, but it's not win this war. I just wanted to clear that up because we want to be extra clear this is such an important story and I want to make sure that we get it right here on CNN.

And Pamela, in the meantime, things are shaping up here. We have the breaking news, the information we need to follow up on what happened in Kyiv but it's going to be a very busy week in Washington.

BROWN: Yes, that's right, Don, certainly, tomorrow confirmation hearings are set to begin for President Biden's Supreme Court nominee. If confirmed, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson would be the first black woman to sit on the high court.

And with me now, CNN legal analyst and Supreme Court biographer, Joan Biskupic.

So, Joan, which senators will you be watching during these hearings?

JOAN BISKUPIC, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, I'm waiting for a very dramatic Monday tomorrow. First of all, let's start with the Democrat who's going to chair these committee hearings for the very first time. Dick Durbin, Illinois Democrat, will be there. It's very high profile, high stress position. Remember Joe Biden used to do it back in our day, Pam, and so I'll just see what kind of committee he runs here. He wants to make sure he's fair to all stakeholders and that -- this will be something to watch with him.

Then for the Republicans, I'll mention two for you. Lindsey Graham who almost always provides very quotable dramatic moments but on the substance, I would say, I'm interested in him because he was one of the three Republicans who voted for Judge Jackson on the first go- around.

[18:55:08]

She was part of the -- when she was up for the D.C. Circuit Court, there were three Republicans who voted for her, Lindsey Graham, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins. He's already said he's not sure what he's going to do and he's actually sounded a little bit negative but I would watch him because I think he could give her the bipartisan support that President Biden would like her to have.

And then finally, Josh Hawley, the Republican from Missouri who has already been out there, Pam, with statements about how she's been lenient to child pornographers. He's looked at some of her records from her time as a lower court judge, and then also on the U.S. Sentencing Commission. And he has exaggerated her record, she is very much within the bounds of what lower court judges have done and he's taken some of her statements from the Sentencing Commission out of context.

But I still think this is such a sensitive area, very horrible crimes, that these are the kinds of things that can kind of take on a life of their own.

BROWN: All right, Joan, thank you. We'll be right back.

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