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Russia on Defense; President Biden Visits Poland. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired March 25, 2022 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:18]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Hello. I'm Victor Blackwell in New York. Welcome to CNN NEWSROOM.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: And I'm Wolf Blitzer in Warsaw, Poland.

Just moments ago, President Joe Biden landed here in Warsaw. Tomorrow, he will meet with Ukrainian refugees living here and deliver what the White House calls a major address about Russia's war in Ukraine.

Earlier today, President Biden met with the Polish president, Polish President Duda, near the Poland-Ukraine border and received an update about the humanitarian crisis that's unfolding. He also met with U.S. soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division.

BLACKWELL: And we're just getting updates into CNN on Russia's military operation.

Russian forces around the capital city of Kyiv have moved from offensive positions to defensive ones. That's according to a senior U.S. official. The official also says that Russia is moving troops into Ukraine from Georgia as reinforcements.

And the U.K. Defense Ministry says that Ukraine's forces have made some major gains. They have retaken towns and positions east of Kyiv. We also have a clearer picture of how deadly the war in Ukraine has become. The city council of Mariupol says that at least 300 people are believed to have been killed in that Russian attack on a theater that was being used as a bomb shelter.

And this is new video from inside the theater just moments, moments after the bombing nine days ago. And you can see -- look at all the people -- just how crowded that theater was.

We also have drone video taken in the town of Irpin. Intense fighting also reported in Izyum. That's in the east. Entire neighborhoods, look at this, just destroyed. There's nothing left here. New satellite images show the burnt wreckage of a school and partially destroyed hospital.

CNN senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen is with us now live from Kyiv. Fred, tell us more about what you're learning about Mariupol and that

-- the attack on that bomb shelter, the theater?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's an awful situation.

Of course, we do now have that first video. You were just showing some of it. And I think one of the things that really stands out on that video is obviously the scale of the destruction, which is awful.

But, also, if you look at the people who are moving around there and sort of trying to get out after that explosion took place -- we have to remind our viewers this happened more than a week ago, but this was this video was taken right after the explosion -- is just how many women and children there were among the people who obviously got hit inside that theater after those bombs were dropped.

And you're absolutely right, Victor, the Municipal Council of Mariupol now saying that they believe that more than 300 or around 300 people were killed in that strike. And the reason why they say that is actually because they have spoken to people who got out of there who gave them the information. It's very difficult even for any sort of services, rescue service, to get to that place, because Mariupol, of course, is under constant shelling by the Russian military.

I think the latest figure we had was that a bomb drops there every 10 minutes, the city, of course, also completely surrounded, continues to be seeking capabilities around it, and under siege as well. The City Council of Mariupol also saying they believe that around 200 people may have survived that strike.

And, of course, one of the things that we always have to keep in mind as we speak about that horrible incident is the fact that satellite images show that there was the word "Children"in very large letters written both in front of and in back of that building on the ground, so any pilot that would have dropped that bomb would have been able to see that.

You see it on your screen right now, the word "Deti," which means children in Russian language, clearly written for any pilot that would have been flying there. Nevertheless, bombs were dropped on that building, and now from the Municipal Council that at least around 300 people killed in that strike, horrendous incident, obviously, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Yes, Mariupol still being battered.

But there is a degree of confidence we're hearing from Ukrainian military officials, the U.K. as well, that there have been some gains that Ukrainian forces have made. Tell us about those.

PLEITGEN: Yes, some serious gains, actually.

In the past couple of days, I would say the Ukrainian military -- and we actually see this and feel this on the ground as well. There certainly has been an acceleration on the part of the Ukrainians. We are here from our position hearing a lot of outgoing fire throughout the entire day pretty much and have over the past couple of days, multiple rocket launching systems, artillery systems.

There are still a lot of air alarms here as well. But you can also feel in the Ukrainian capital that the folks here seem a bit more confident that their army is moving forward.

[14:05:00]

And if we look at some of the places where these gains are taking place, it's towards the northwest of Kyiv, especially around that area of Irpin. And as our show was starting, you were showing some of the video, drone video,from Irpin with a lot of destroyed buildings there.

That's because the Ukrainian military says they hold about 80 percent of that district, that suburb of Kyiv, and the Russians still hold some of it, but the Russians are shelling the other part of Irpin, obviously making it very difficult for anybody there who is on the ground, and still destroying a lot of buildings.

The other place where the Ukrainian say they have made a lot of gains -- here's some of that drone footage from Irpin. Really devastating to see some of those fires still raging on the ground there, and so many buildings just completely destroyed there in Irpin, not very far from where we are right now.

I would say it's about -- maybe about 20 miles from where I'm standing right now, that utter devastation. And that is something that really continues. We actually recently spoke to the mayor of Irpin, who is in that town. He said that he was being shelled as well.

To the east, the Ukrainians also making gains. They say that they have taken a town that's about 35 miles east of the Ukrainian capital. They're looking to inflict some more losses on the Russians there. So, really, you do see the Ukrainians pushing Russian forces back.

And, as you have noted, the U.S. saying that they believe that the Russians now very much in a defensive position, and, at this point in time, not able to mount another attack to try and take the Ukrainian capital, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Fred, I have seen this video. It is -- it's really dramatic, these huge plumes of black smoke. Russia claims to have destroyed a large Ukrainian fuel depot.

What more do you know about that?

PLEITGEN: Yes, extremely large.

And this is a place that is sort of to the southwest of the Ukrainian capital. You can see that massive plume of smoke. And the Russians say that this is -- that this -- or that this was, I guess, the largest still intact -- the largest fuel depot that was still intact of the Ukrainian military.

They said that they used a Kalibr cruise missile to hit it, and then obviously destroy it. And then you have the fuel burning with that massive plume of smoke. Obviously, that was a problem for the Ukrainian forces, hampering their logistics, making it difficult, obviously, to get fuel to their forces.

Nevertheless, the Ukrainians continue to say that they are the ones who believe, they believe, right now have the initiative, despite this setback that took place.

But you do also see that the Ukrainian forces still very much on alert. Incidents like this is one of the reasons why we keep hearing these air raid sirens. Obviously, these would be cruise missile attacks, air attacks that the Russians are mounting, and the Ukrainians really trying to fight that off with some of those longer- range air defense systems that they still have in place, Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right, Fred Pleitgen for us in Kyiv.

Thank you, Fred.

Wolf, I will send it to you in Poland.

BLITZER: All right, thanks very much, Victor.

There's breaking news we're following. A senior U.S. defense official, a senior U.S. defense official now says Russian forces around Kyiv have stopped ground movements towards the capital city of Ukraine.

Now, for the very latest, let's go to Barbara Starr. She's over at the Pentagon for us.

So, I know you have been briefed on this, Barbara. What can you tell us?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, this is a fundamental shift on the ground for Russian military goals.

Since the very beginning of the invasion, they have wanted to take the capital. They have wanted to invade. They have wanted to overthrow the government.

They are a long way from that happening, a senior defense official telling reporters a short time ago -- and I want to quote directly, so everyone gets the full picture -- the official saying -- quote -- "It appears that the Russians are, at least for the moment, not pursuing a ground offensive towards Kyiv. They are digging in. They're establishing defensive positions. They don't show any signs of being willing to move on Kyiv from the ground."

And that is in keeping of our assessment of a couple of days ago that they are going to prioritize the eastern part of the country. So, what the Pentagon is now saying is they believe the Russians digging in on the ground, staying where they are, defending where they are, no longer moving or seeking to advance on the capital.

There are still airstrikes, to be sure, but their ground movements now much more focused in the east in the Donbass region, where Russian- backed forces control part of that area already. So it's a really important shift on the ground, Wolf.

BLITZER: Very important, indeed.

And while these Russian troops, I take it, are digging in, Barbara, we are also learning -- correct me if I'm wrong -- that Russia is actually moving troops from Georgia to Ukraine. What do you know about this?

STARR: Well, the same senior defense officials said they are now, for the first time, beginning to see indications of Russian troops that have been in Georgia, in the Russian-occupied portions of Georgia now for some time, moving towards Ukraine.

Now, this is very significant as well, because it means the Russian forces that are there on the ground are not enough for what the Russians want to accomplish. And if they want to focus on that eastern region now from the ground, these may be the forces that they are bringing in to help them do that, the Russians clearly suffering significant losses, digging in defensively on the ground, still launching airstrikes.

[14:10:20]

That should be very clear. Still operating from the air, but, on the ground, clearly suffering losses and now trying to reinforce.

BLITZER: Yes, on top of all of this, you have additional reporting, Barbara, on how Russia is actually running low on air-launched cruise missiles. Tell us about that.

STARR: So, this is very significant, because these are the precision air-launched missiles they have been using for some of these airstrikes.

They can launch at very long range, keeping their airplanes out of Ukraine airspace, launching these missiles to strike hundreds of miles away. All the indications that the U.S. has is, those inventories of precision munitions running low for the Russians.

But to even compound the problem for them, they're suffering failure rates, 20 percent, up to 60 percent, we're told, by the United States' assessment, of Russian air-launched munitions. Precision munitions are not successfully launching. They're suffering very high failure rates, the U.S. believes, and that now, of course, even hindering the air campaign that they have been relying on -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Very significant developments, indeed.

Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, thank you very much.

President Biden, meanwhile, is pledging humanitarian and military aid for the region following his meeting with Poland's president and various aid groups. The president also met with U.S. troops from the 82nd Airborne Division stationed here in Poland. He thanked them for their service, and even sat down and had a slice of pizza with them.

Here's part of what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're in a new phase, your generation. We're at an inflection point.

I don't want to sound too philosophic here, but you're in the midst of a fight between democracies and oligarchs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Tomorrow, President Biden will meet with some of the two million Ukrainian refugees now, now in Poland. They have come over the past month.

Let's bring in our chief White House correspondent, Kaitlan Collins. She's also here with us in Warsaw.

Kaitlan, so what do we expect to hear from the president when he delivers where the White House officials are calling a major address tomorrow?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, what we're hearing is that it really will be a culmination of the president's time here in Europe, from what he has seen with these diplomatic talks that he had with allies when you and I were in Brussels.

To today seeing the human toll of this Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the millions of people who have been displaced from their homes, with millions of them coming here to Poland, which is why this is where President Biden chose to -- came, to see up close what is happening, to meet with the Polish president, who, of course, has been shepherding this entire situation, and being briefed by the humanitarian officials who are on the ground dealing with this day in and day out for now a month into this.

And President Biden was talking earlier as he was getting this briefing, saying that he himself actually wished to make one more stop on this trip, but indicated he wasn't allowed. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Part of my disappointment is that I can't see it firsthand, like I have in other places. They will not let me, understandably, I guess, cross the border and take a look what's going on in Ukraine.

But I'm eager to hear from you, the humanitarian community, about what you see, what you're doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Now, Wolf, we had talked to White House officials leading up to this trip, asking if there was going to be a stop in Ukraine for President Biden. They seemed to just totally rule it out, obviously, noting it's an active war zone. They believe it would be unsafe for President Biden to go. But he was saying there he wished he could have gone. And so that was also part of this trip today, where he went and met with members of the 82nd Airborne Division. Those are part of those troops who are here as a very visible deterrent to President Putin, showing the forces that are now here in Europe and the president saying that the U.S. forces are now numbering 100,000 forces in Europe.

That is a number that has not been seen in some time, Wolf, and just speaking to the level of what effort NATO is taking here to try to shore up their own defenses, in light of this Russian aggression that has understandably caused a lot of concern among those NATO allies who are on the eastern flank, who share a border with Ukraine or with Russia, and are concerned that what they're seeing in Ukraine could potentially happen to them, something that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has said he believes could ultimately happen.

Though we should know it would trigger a different response from President Biden. He has said that, if they go into NATO territory and attack them, that then that would warrant, of course, a NATO and a U.S. response.

[14:15:00]

Now, Wolf, all this comes as, tomorrow, we are told President Biden will come face to face with some of these Ukrainian refugees here in Poland. Of course, that has been such a big aspect of this.

And the president has also pledged to take up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees in the United States.

BLITZER: Also, today, Kaitlan, President Biden announced a new initiative meant to try to deprive Putin of European energy profits.

Tell us about that.

COLLINS: Yes, this is an announcement that he made before he left Brussels to come here to Poland.

They would basically want to be able to change Europe's dependence, which is very heavy, on Russian energy, because they believe that has played a complicating factor and how European countries have responded to Russia in the past. It's playing a role now, because we know that they have been more hesitant to sanction Russia -- the Russian energy market, because they depend on it so much, and they can't just easily turn it off.

And so this announcement today from President Biden attempting to shore up shipments of liquefied natural gas here in Europe, from the United States and other partners, is really a big symbolic one. It's not necessarily completely going to go into effect right now. It's going to take several years for something like that to really have an effect.

But President Biden was saying today that it's worth it, that they are ready to take that step, because, otherwise, this is a critical economic lifeline for Russia. And they believe it's helping fund Putin's wars and Putin's invasions of sovereign countries and these indiscriminate killings of civilians.

And so that's why he spoke to the importance of that, though it is a really challenging step for Europe to take, because importing gas, fuel is a lot more difficult than it would be for others. And so that's really the issue at hand here, though that is an announcement that they made. It is something they're trying to do, of course, as part of this strategic overall broader effort to punish Putin, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, good point, Kaitlan Collins, here in Warsaw with us.

Kaitlan, we will get back to you. Thank you very much.

Victor. I got to tell you, these Polish officials, just like other NATO allies that border Ukraine, they are all pretty nervous right now.

BLACKWELL: Yes. The entire region is, Wolf.

Wolf, thank you. We will get right back to you.

Turkey's president says that Ukraine and Russia, they seem to have reached an understanding, as he calls it, on some topics of disagreement during negotiations. We will have details on that.

Plus, an adviser to Mariupol's mayor says about 600 people are believed to have survived that Russian bomb attack on the theater. New video shows people trying to get out.

Up next, we will speak to a member of Ukraine's Parliament whose parents managed to get out of that city.

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[14:21:55]

BLACKWELL: Just in, a city official in Mariupol said that about 600 people have survived a Russian attack on the city's drama theater. That was nine days ago. Earlier, officials announced that roughly 300 people had died in that airstrike.

New video shows the aftermath. And we're talking just minutes after the attack on that theater. It was being used as a bomb shelter. And look at this. You can see the debris on the floor, holes in the walls there, and people trying to make their way down a staircase to get out, a lot of them covered in dust.

Ukrainian Parliament member Dmytro Gurin is from Mariupol. And he is with me now. Thank you for being with me.

I mean, first your reaction to the numbers that we're hearing; 600, yes, we're able to get out of this with their lives, but 300 or more died in that attack.

DMYTRO GURIN, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: We had around 1,300 people there.

They were pregnant women, children, elderly, young mothers. And 600 is alive. The second half is dead.

BLACKWELL: And the discrepancy may be, we know that there are still people searching the rubble, trying to find out if they can find people there at that theater.

You're from Mariupol. And most people are seeing this city for the first time like this, under siege, on fire, most of it destroyed. What has it been like for these last four weeks for you to look at your city this way?

GURIN: They destroyed 15 years of my past, everything I know, my school, my university, all central buildings in the city, and all my neighborhood is totally destroyed.

It was like 130,000 people, and it is not possible to restore it. And, in general, like, 80 percent of buildings are destroyed or horribly damaged and cannot be restored. And we will have to build a new Mariupol from scratch after we will kick out Russians out of there.

BLACKWELL: I want your reaction to the breaking news that we just got from our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, who says that a senior defense official said that Russians are at least for the moment not pursuing this ground offensive toward Kyiv.

They're establishing -- instead of offensive positions, they're now digging in with defensive positions and they're going to prioritize the east.

GURIN: That is true.

That is real image around Kyiv. And we had two big operations in western bank of Dnipro and on eastern bank near Irpin and towards Kharkiv. And near Irpin, Bucha and Gostomel. Those were always -- all the suburbs of Kyiv, are horribly damaged and almost destroyed.

[14:25:02]

And Russian troops there are encircled. On the eastern direction from Kyiv, we have -- we moved Russian troops, like, from 30 to 40 kilometers out of Kyiv. And now it looks like it is not possible to capture Kyiv, because we have a real defense now in Kyiv.

And it has become more and more powerful every day. And the siege also, it's -- really, siege is not possible because we have a lot of food in Kyiv already. And we have -- all these risks are lower and lower every day.

And started to come back to the Kyiv. And the city becomes alive more and more every day. Yesterday, I were in Kyiv, and we were having polka on the street, because, like, first weeks, all the city were dead.

BLACKWELL: Member of the Ukrainian Parliament Dmytro Gurin, thank you so much for your time, sir.

President Biden and U.S. allies announce a new effort to cut Russian energy imports to Europe. The president says a task force will help the continent reduce its dependence on Russian oil and gas.

The impact on the Russian economy -- that's ahead.

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