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Fighting Rages Around Kyiv, Ukraine Reclaims Ground; Western Leaders Tout Unity After Emergency Summits; Zelenskyy Asks NATO for Just 1% of its Planes & Tanks; U.N.: Nearly 3.7 Million People Flee Ukraine Since Invasion; Moscow Relies on Friends to Blunt Western Sanctions; Moscow Relies on Friends to Blunt Western Sanctions; Kremlin Vague on Whereabouts of Defense Minister Shoigu; North Korea Missile Launch; Ukrainian Teen Describes Attack While Escaping Chernihiv. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired March 25, 2022 - 01:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:00:22]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers around the world and in the United States as well this hour. I'm Hala Gorani coming to you live from the Lviv in Ukraine.

Well, there is unfortunately no break in the fighting across the country and around Ukraine's capital as authorities report heavy rocket attacks from Russian forces. Take a look at the latest map, Ukrainian forces claim they've recaptured ground east of Kyiv, previously occupied by the Russians. Battles are also raging in the eastern city of Kharkiv and the southern port city of Mariupol.

And a new video shows the destruction in the town of Irpin to the northwest of Kyiv. The destruction is obviously as you can see there on your screen absolutely overwhelming. The mayor says Russian forces are using grad rocket systems, but that Ukraine's army is still controlling 80% of this devastated city.

The Regional Governor in Kharkiv is reporting that six people that were lining up for aid were killed when a Russian missile hit a shopping mall parking lot, yet more civilian lives last.

The American President Joe Biden will meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in just a few hours before he travels to Poland to visit American troops. He and other world leaders met Thursday in Brussels, where they warned there would be a response if Russia ever used chemical weapons in Ukraine.

Now, not everyone agreed that Russia should be expelled from the G20 and its next summit in November. But Western leaders were keen to show a united front against Moscow and in support of Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOE BIDEN, (D) U.S. PRESIDENT: Putin was banking on NATO being split. NATO has never, never been more united than it is today. Putin is getting exactly the opposite what he intended to have as a consequence of going into Ukraine. The single most important thing is for us to stay unified. And the world continue to focus on what a brute this guy is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: This guy, meaning Vladimir Putin. CNN's International Diplomatic Editor, Nic Robertson, is live this hour in Brussels. So they are presenting a united front, there are those still disagreements behind the scenes on some of the more radical measures like completely cutting off Russia's oil and gas sector?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, and that's one of the points of discussion with Ursula von der Leyen and the President Biden will be having today. Ursula von der Leyen has been saying that the European Union is really sort of in a safe place in terms of energy supplies this winter. But what it's actually doing is sort of going under a rug, or putting yourself in a position of radically drawing down the amount of gas on all supplies that it gets from Russia, trying to cut them by two-thirds this year.

And Ursula von der Leyen has been saying that she's looking to the United States to help sort of backfill that if you will. And there's expected to be a commitment from the United States, from President Biden to give a potentially 14 billion cubic meters of LNG, Liquefied Natural Gas to the European Union to sort of supplement the supply that that could be, or the European Union will need to find an alternate resource from rather than getting it from Russia.

And I think that's why what we've seen here is rather than new sanctions are being put in place, the sort of language that has been used as obviously been unity and as unity, but it's about sort of assessing where the sanctions have got to, and plugging the holes where Russia might be finding workarounds around those sanctions and getting the message out to other countries that might support Russia to get around those sanctions not to do that.

So if there had been more unity, as you say, and Europe perhaps wasn't as dependent on Russian gas and oil, then potentially there could have been stronger sanctions there. But there was the opportunity for other strong sanctions or the Polish President had put forward the -- or rather, the Polish Prime Minister had put forward the idea that there could be a trade blockade with Russia, on land and on sea. And of course, President Biden later today going on to Poland. So perhaps hear more about those ideas, how that can be managed. But there is a sense in Europe at the moment that, that countries are going through economic pain from putting on sanctions that if there is too much economic pain then there'll be pushback from the populations.

[01:05:11]

And, of course, the leaders here are in democracies, unlike Russia. They're in democracies here. And if there's pushback from the population, that has political costs for leaders here, so the leaders who came here to meet with President Biden, if they were to accept tougher sanctions, that would have a greater impact on their countries, you know, that can cost them their positions as leaders. So this is why there really hasn't been another step forward with a fifth round of sanctions at this stage, rather, the idea to assess what these are doing, plug the holes and make sure that there's unity and, of course, unity was the principal effort of President Biden coming here. Hala.

GORANI: All right, Nic Robertson, thank you very much, live in Brussels.

NATO's Secretary General says he thinks a full-fledged war between the Alliance and Russia is unlikely. But Jens Stoltenberg admits NATO is reinforcing its chemical, biological and nuclear defenses. He spoke with Christiane Amanpour, about NATO's united response to Russia's invasion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: I think it will send a very clear message to Putin and that he gets the opposite of what he wants. He wanted less NATO at this border. She's getting more NATO at his supporters. He wanted to divide us. He's getting more united, NATO. This was actually the case also after 2014 when he invaded Ukraine for the first time. After that, we have reinforced our alliances more than done for generations. And now we build on top of that, even further enforcement --

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And are you convinced because the President of Ukraine also addressed your summit and it was behind closed doors, but he also, he put out the video and he said, amongst other things, just give us just 1% of what you have, and we'll be OK. Is he getting enough to defend his country?

STOLTENBERG: Allies listened very carefully to President Zelenskyy. And we all admire his courage and the bravery of -- he's demonstrating every day and of the Ukrainian people. NATO allies are providing a significant support to Ukraine. And this support is making a difference every day, because that's one of the reasons why they're able to resist the invading Russian forces is first and foremost the courage of the soldiers. But more than equipment from NATO allied countries, air defense, anti-tank is making a huge difference on the background every day.

AMANPOUR: Jens Stoltenberg there. The U.S. says it's likely Ukraine did exactly what it has claimed and that is strike a Russian warship. You'll remember we brought this to you yesterday, turning it into a fireball on Thursday, a U.S. defense official asked, but it's still unclear what weapon was used in the attack. But this is a port that's controlled by the Russians so it would have had to have been fired from afar. Phil Black has the story, but we warn you some images in his report are graphic.

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Russian military says, it's in control of this port. That fiercely burning ship suggests other words, the landing vessel Orsk began exploding in Gdansk not long after sunrise. Other boats and warships can be seen scrambling to get away from the fire as debris falls in the water around there.

Ukraine says it destroyed the Orsk and the fire spread to a weapons dipper. Ukraine hasn't revealed what weapons it used to carry out the attack.

At Izyum, fiercely fought over territory in the east. A local man inspects what's left of his city, pointing out bodies when he sees them. While shells continue to fall nearby. Russia's military says all this is in their control now. Ukraine says the fight for Izyum isn't over.

Driving through Mariupol is an apocalyptic experience. Bodies and debris lie on the road. Someone is shooting. The driver slammed his foot down to get away. Being outside in this besieged city is dangerous. But after weeks of Russia's blockade and constant bombardment people in Mariupol have no choice but to line up outside for food.

This video from Kharkiv proves the risk. It's the panicked aftermath of a Russian strike on a parking lot where people were also waiting for aid. The region's governor says six people were killed. And this tour is through what remains of Chernihiv in the country's north. The city's mayor is driving. He says complete carnage has been unleashed here. Civilians across Ukraine's towns and cities documenting that devastated communities because they want people everywhere to see and understand. Phil Black, CNN, Lviv, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[01:10:10]

GORANI: While the U.S. is getting ready to accept a new wave of Ukrainian refugees. We'll have details on that story. Plus, a major increase in humanitarian aid. Stay with us for that. We'll be right back. You're watching CNN.

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GORANI: Well, a month into Russia's invasion of this country, the U.S. is ramping up its humanitarian assistance in a major way. The Biden administration announced the U.S. will take in up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees and others fleeing Russian aggression. It also pledged more than $1 billion in aid for necessities like food, medicine and shelter.

[01:15:00]

Now, the number of people escaping Ukraine is now approaching 3.7 million according to the U.N. The vast majority have been crossing into Poland although many are using that as a launch point to reach other parts of Europe. And Moldova has taken in close to 400,000 refugees from Ukraine and received a $30 million in aid from the U.S.

Conor O'Loughlin is coordinating the refugee response in that country, and he comes to us from the capital, Chisinau. Thanks for being with us. We spoke a few days ago talk to us about how things have changed in the last few days, because the refugee flows have not stopped coming out of the -- out of this country?

CONOR O'LOUGHLIN, CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE: They certainly have not stopped. We're still witnessing 1000s of people streaming into Moldova. Even yesterday, we spoke with two families, two women with her children who came from Odessa. And they saw what is happening in Mariupol. And they told us that they don't want to be in Odessa, if that's what happens there as well, and they've come to protect their children. And I think that portends what, you know, could happen here as well, and that we will see a surge of refugees coming into the country. It's worth recalling that we're only one month into this crisis. And the consequences are unprecedented. And if the conflict continues, in Moldova here, we certainly have to be prepared for a huge number more refugees that could come in.

GORANI: It's interesting that it's anticipatory in the sense that they're just seeing what's going on in Mariupol. And though Odessa has not been hit or encircled, that they're just don't want to end up in the basement of a theater or getting hit by Russian shells and missiles in a city that has no drinking water, that kind of thing. I imagine most of the refugees, and we've covered so many refugee crises before, they don't want to be in Moldova, they want to be in their own homes, and their real hope is that they'll be able to go back?

O'LOUGHLIN: That's very true. And many of the refugees we speak to stay in Moldova, because their ultimate hope is to you to return to Ukraine as soon as possible. And so they want to stay in proximity to Ukraine, and dream of going back soon. But as we know, as I mentioned, we are one month into this conflict, there is no end in sight. And so also as part of our humanitarian response, we have to be thinking about long term support for Ukrainian refugees. And you mentioned it is very, very welcome the support from the U.S. governments, and that additional humanitarian aid that will come that allows us as Catholic Relief Services, both to provide immediate relief, which we do in the form of hot meals, you know, a safe place to stay, and also to prepare us for our future consequences as well of this conflict.

GORANI: But obviously, these are short-term needs and longer-term, people need proper housing, they need to send their kids to school, they need a normal life. Talk to us about in your experience, the longer term challenges of managing refugee flows from war zones?

O'LOUGHLIN: Those longer-term challenges are there. And I think our experiences that we do need to think longer term also. We do need to be thinking, as you mentioned, about eventually access to school, access to income. At the moment, we do need to provide immediate humanitarian relief. People are coming with whatever disposable income that they may have. But ultimately, you know, people may be here in the longer term as well. And there has been an outpouring of goodwill from, you know, the Moldovan government from citizens here as well. And sustaining that is very, very important as well, because, you know, people may be here in Moldova, in a small country in one of the poorest countries in Europe, and sustaining, you know, a number of people that is unprecedented in Europe. There are more refugees in Moldova per capita than any other country. And so it is critical that as we look at this response that we provide, you know, that acute relief now, but we also begin to think in terms of longer term support, particularly for, you know, children that you mentioned. I know the statistics now are that more than half the children in Ukraine are displaced because of this crisis. And so we do need to refocus on our efforts.

GORANI: That's -- yeah, a figure that came to us from UNICEF. We in fact, interviewed their representative here, James Elder, yesterday to talk to us about some of the also psychological trauma that you're mentioning, that children have been experiencing.

Most of the refugees are women and children because men have been conscripted in this country between the ages of 18 and 60. They're not allowed to leave. They have to stay here to resist the Russian invasion. What is it like for these families because it's not just that they're displaced, they're also broken up a lot of them?

[01:20:09]

O'LOUGHLIN: That's the unique feature, I think of this crisis, you know, the separation of families at borders, and we have witnessed this, whereby women and children are saying goodbye to their husbands, and coming across the border, and over 90% of the profile is women and children and elderly as well. And that -- those are in a vulnerable situation, you know, highly, highly distressed and suffering the trauma of this, and we, you know, our responses -- you know, as a humanitarian agency has to be tailored to that. We have to provide safe spaces for women and children and spaces for children that they can interact and play together. And then, you know, unique services for women, including, as you mentioned, you know, the emotional devastation of this, of this crisis is also very, very acute. And so counseling services, psychological support is really, really key in this response.

GORANI: All right, Conor O'Loughlin, thanks very much for joining us from Moldova.

Russia's military is reported to be losing ground in Ukraine and the Russian Defense Minister has all but disappeared from public view, without explanation. Why is that? We'll explore that question next.

Plus, Russia may be turning into an economic pariah but it still has friends to do business with despite Western sanctions. We'll be right back.

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[01:25:53]

GORANI: The American President, Joe Biden, says he personally favors kicking Russia out of G20, but admits it's up to other members to decide. One of them is China, which has opposed removing Russia from the G20. Before arriving in Europe, Mr. Biden said he spoke with the Chinese leader and spelled out the adverse consequences of aiding Russia's war effort. Here's what the President said on Thursday in Brussels.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I think that China understands that its economic futures much more closely tied to the west than it is to Russia. And so I'm hopeful that he does not get engaged.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: Well, talking about engagement, some countries are still open for business with Russia. They keep their options open and try to balance their ties with the West without shutting the door on Moscow completely. As Gabe Cohen reports, the world's most populous democracy is one of them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Putin's international support shrinks, India is showing they're still a friend, reportedly buying up 3 million barrels of discounted Russian oil, spurning pressure from Western nations like the U.S. to isolate the Kremlin and crush the economy with sanctions.

Since the war started, the two nations have kept trading with Russian oil exports to India up six fold that cheap oil is just a drop in the bucket for India, which imports far more from other countries. But it reflects the strategic partnership neither nation wants to lose.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): India is one of Russia's key partners. The relationship between our states is of strategic and especially privileged nature.

COHEN: It's a bond built on defense spending India buy somewhere between 60% and 85% of their weapons from Russia key to containing Pakistan and China along their border, while India is slowly diversifying that spending, they're still under contract to buy a $5.4 billion air defense system from Russia, along with a $3.1 billion line of tanks.

AMIT COWSHISH, FORMER INDIAN DEFENSE OFFICIAL: So you can't certainly break that relationship. The Indian Defense preparedness as it were going to be very, very seriously hampered.

COHEN: So India's response to Russia's atrocities in Ukraine has been careful and calculated. On a call last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to Putin to end the violence. But at the U.N., India was one of 35 countries that abstained from a vote to condemn Russia for the invasion. Several nations are taking a similar approach to Russia balancing pressure from the west and their own political and economic interests, remaining neutral enough to keep trading with both sides.

China is buying up more Russian oil and has vowed to keep their normal trade relationship. Complicating that the Kremlin's asked China for military and economic support, according to U.S. officials. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is something we are monitoring closely.

COHEN: Brazil voted to condemn Russia at the U.N. but still plans to buy Russian fertilizer, which makes up about 20% of their imported supply as their massive agriculture industry faces a shortage but the key export protecting Putin's economy is energy. And a huge portion still goes to Europe.

JEFF SCHOTT, PETERSON INSTITUTE: That is providing a sufficient lifeline for the Russian economy to keep it afloat.

COHEN: Countries like Germany, France and Italy have pushed back against calls to cut off that supply immediately. Though the E.U. says it will slash gas imports by 66% this year.

OLAF SCHOLZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translation): But to do that, from one day to the next would mean plunging our country and the whole of Europe into a recession.

COHEN: The U.S. could sanction nations for doing business with Russia. In India's case, the White House says they haven't crossed the line, though it's unclear where that line actually is.

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The rest of the world is watching where you're going to stand as it relates to this conflict.

COHEN (on camera): Now, some experts think as this war escalates, it'll get harder for countries to stay neutral and yet there was a U.N. vote on Thursday to call for Russia to stop its invasion, 38 countries abstained. They stayed neutral in that vote a month to go to condemn Russia only 35 countries abstain. So, based on that does it look like more countries are necessarily heating pressure to pick a side. Gabe Cohen, CNN, Washington.

[01:29:46]

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Well, senior U.S. Defense officials say that they have not heard from the Russian military since the invasion even though both sides routinely stay in touch.

The Pentagon spokesperson says that over the past month, neither U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin nor Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley have been able to get through to their Russian counterparts.

Now, one possible reason for the radio silence may be Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is sick. That is one of the working theories. There are unconfirmed reports that he is not in very good health.

The Kremlin has been evasive and it doesn't help that Sergei Shoigu war machine in Ukraine is taking quite a beating.

CNN's Tom Foreman has that story for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the earliest days of the war, Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu was in plain sight, the long- standing and well-known face of the military.

Now in recent weeks, he has been all but invisible. He can see briefly in this video, newly-released by state-owned television, but it's not clear when it was recorded. He is not wearing his uniform, and he does not speak. So speculation about Shoigu position is running wild.

ANDREI SOLDATOV, RUSSIAN IVTV REPORTER: Everything about the reputation of the Russian military is about Shoigu. So he needs to be present. He needs to be visible for this very reason. And he's not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Shoigu, your assessment?

FOREMAN: Shoigu came into the war firmly behind Russia's stance on Ukraine. Even as his army's advance bogged down and casualties mounted, he told Putin on March 11th all is going according to the plan.

His loyalty to Putin is widely considered unshakable, their relationship stretching back decades to include not just work, but also shared vacations, riding horses, fishing, relaxing in the Russian countryside.

SOLDATOV: He was always, always extremely loyal to Putin. He never questioned his actions, never showed any ambition to become someone bigger than the minister of defense. That is his thing, to stay loyal to Putin.

FOREMAN: Yet when CNN asked a Kremlin spokesperson to explain Shoigu's sudden disappearance, the answer was terse. "The defense minister has a lot on his play at the moment, now is not exactly the time for media activity."

And it all comes in the wake of a Reuters report that another Putin insider has quit his job and left the country over the war with Ukraine.

For now, it is anyone's guess what has happened to the defense minister. All we really know is that he seems to be missing in action with no real explanation as to why.

Tom Foreman, CNN -- Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: Thanks for that, Tom.

We have this just in to CNN. New satellite images from the eastern city of Izyum show the damage from days of fighting. You can see a massive crater with a burnt out school on one side. Part of a hospital across the street is also destroyed. Other images show damage to an apartment complex and a church.

There do not to appear to be any identifiable military targets in the city's center. Also a column of Russian artillery vehicles are seen just north of the city. And two bridges that have been destroyed appear to be replaced by pontoon bridges.

I'll have more from Ukraine in just a few minutes.

But first let's bring in John Vause in Atlanta.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hala, thank you for that. We will see you again soon.

But when we come back here on CNN, launch for launch. After North Korea tested its so-called monster missile, South Korea responded by firing its own missile from air, land and sea. But what would really happen if the north fired an ICBM directly at the United States?

[01:34:12]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: With the world's attention focused on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Kim Jong-un decided now would be a good time to test what he says is North Korea's biggest and most powerful ICBM and South Korea responded in kind.

Firing off a number of missiles from the sea, from the land and from the air. South Korea's president says the North violated a moratorium on developing ICBMs, a charge which will have little impact on Kim Jong-un. State run media released these images of Kim apparently overseeing the launch, the first test of an ICBM in five years.

This so-called monster missile is part of what Kim says is his nuclear war deterrent system. And here's why this missile launch is cause for concern. It was fired straight up, vertically, reaching a maximum altitude of more than 3,700 miles, stayed in the air for 71 minutes, traveling higher and longer than any previous tests before crashing into the waters between North Korea and Japan.

If the missile was fired on a standard trajectory, most experts believe it would travel more than 8,000 miles, placing all of the continental United States in within range.

Kim Jong-un made it clear that this ICBM test was a show of strength directed at the U.S. In the past, similar threats have been downplayed by U.S. defense officials, pointing to the country's missile defense system as (INAUDIBLE) stopping it. But now some experts are saying that might not be the case.

Will Ripley has details.

[01:39:54]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one, ignition.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: America's missile defense system, the best and perhaps only line of defense from a North Korean nuclear missile aimed at the U.S.

Now a stunning warning from some of America's leading experts.

FREDERICK K. LAMB, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS: If North Korea were to fire a nuclear armed ICBMs at the United States, we cannot be assured that our missile defense system would prevent the loss of millions of Americans.

RIPLEY: Kim Jong-un's most powerful test in almost five years, an intercontinental ballistic missile. A warning to President Joe Biden and America as North Korea sharpens its nuclear sword.

For years, U.S. leaders have reassured the public --

MIKE PENCE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Missile defense begins here.

RIPLEY: -- and America's allies --

LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: They should be very confident.

RIPLEY: -- missile defense systems can keep them safe.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We can easily shoot them out of the sky.

RIPLEY: Senior defense officials project confidence the U.S. could also shoot down a North Korean ICBM.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The defense of the homeland --

RIPLEY: These experts say the odds of success are very low.

LAURA GREGO, STANTON NUCLEAR SECURITY FELLOW, MIT: It has been described as hitting a bullet with a bullet, trying to hit a warhead.

RIPLEY: For the first study of its kind in ten years, commissioned by the American Physical Society. Their conclusion, despite more than six decades of missile defense efforts and $350 billion U.S. taxpayer dollars, no missile defense system has been shown to be effective against realistic ICBM tests.

Why is it so hard to shoot down an ICBM?

LAMB: That warhead undoubtedly will be accompanied by decoys and by things that full (ph) of the defense or over (INAUDIBLE) or overwhelm the defense.

RIPLEY: A fundamental problem.

JAMES D. WELL, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: We do not see in the next 15 years that an effective defense can be mounted against ICBMs.

RIPLEY: The current system has only been tested 19 times since 1999.

GREGO: And those tests, they have been essentially scripted for success. Even still the test has only succeeded around half the time.

RIPLEY: But what about all those successful intercepts in the Middle East? What about the Iron Dome?

WELLS: ICBMs are a qualitatively different threat than any of the missiles that we have read about in the news, traveling significantly higher and having potential penetration aids and countermeasures.

RIPLEY: CNN reached out to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. When asked about the report's findings, a spokesperson cited this defense report from January. It says "The middle defense system has demonstrated a measure of capability to defend the United States, deployed forces and allies from a rogue nation's missile tack. And that its most advanced radar will be able to separate the warhead from a cloud of decoys.

U.S. think tank CSIS says these images show an undeclared North Korean missile base, just miles from the Chinese border, a potential launch site for ICBMs.

JOSEPH YUN, FORMER U.S. ENVOY TO NORTH KOREA: We need to understand that there is no military solution.

RIPLEY: Former U.S. Ambassador and special convoy to North Korea Joseph Yun believes the only option is for President Biden to take the page from the playbook of former President Trump and reach out directly to Kim Jong-un.

Do you think it is a mistake the Biden administration is not focusing more on North Korea?

YUN: I think it is a mistake. I think the longer the situation continues, more serious will the provocations be.

RIPLEY: He says diplomacy may be the only way to keep the missiles from flying, to keep America safe.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Well, for four weeks now, we've heard too many harrowing stories from Ukrainians and dangerous journeys to safety.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One second and I see a yellow explosion, sound in the ears. And I just remember I woke up in the road.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: After the break, we will catch up with that young man who almost died trying to escape Putin's war of choice.

[01:44:12]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) VAUSE: So this is life in Ukraine one month into this war. The besieged city of Mariupol, all but reduced to rubble by Russian artillery and missiles. And the few who either cannot or will not leave now forced to wait in long lines for humanitarian assistance, distributed at a shopping center by Russia.

Chernihiv, north of Kyiv, is another city left in ruins by Russia's onslaught. The city's mayor recorded these images while driving through the city. Debris is everywhere, fires still burning, devastation seems overwhelming.

Among the thousands who fled is Andriy, who barely escaped alive along with his family. He was forced to leave his home at gunpoint. And he tells CNN's John Berman as they headed away from the city their car hit a landmine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Can you tell me what happened?

ANDRIY, ESCAPED CHERNIHIV: We sit in car and I remember I looked at my broken watch at 11:00. We go to ride. Around five minutes, I see like a road and some sort of grass or something.

And one second and I see a yellow explosion. Sound in ears. And I just remember I woke up on the road. I see the broken car. I see my mother going in the fire.

[01:49:54]

ANDRIY (through translator): My mother was still alive while she was on fire. I started crawling away from the road and then I felt a pain in my left clavicle.

I have -- broken. I feel blood in my left ear. Then I hear shooting, not from weapons, rockets or something. I cling to the stairs and hide here.

I am screaming one time for two minutes or three. It was very cold. I had just been soaked.

BERMAN: You can't walk?

ANDRIY: I can't walk. Some people in the village hear the explosion. Those people take us to his house.

Wrapped up some blankets.

BERMAN: And your mother during this?

ANDRIY: She died. She died at that location. She was still alive when she got on fire. She caught fire and she just burned.

When doctors drove me to the hospital, I looked for some people from the defense or police to find my father.

BERMAN: You and your father, are you ok in your hearts?

ANDRIY: My father is hard, you understand your wife is dead and you look to your son. I can just end up without -- you understand.

Myself, I think I have not realized everything to its full extent.

BERMAN: What do you want the world to know about your mother?

ANDRIY: I'm sorry.

BERMAN: I'm sorry.

ANDRIY: Excuse me. Thank you.

I want you to know that my mother was a very beautiful women. She always liked things to be tidy and clean. My father and I always supported her (INAUDIBLE). Right now it is very difficult without my mother.

BERMAN: She has a beautiful and brave son.

ANDRIY: Thank you.

BERMAN: And I am so sorry you've gone through this. Do you think you will get back to Chernihiv?

ANDRIY: Will I back Chernihiv? When the war ends, I will go back to my city. I want to rebuild my city because it is my city. All my life living in this. It is very hard to look what is going on in my city.

BERMAN: What will you do now?

ANDRIY: Now I just play guitar. I just want to -- I want to distance myself from this war.

Maybe I cannot explain it.

BERMAN: I understand. You want to get away from this at least somehow if you can to play music. Be a 15-year-old kid? Can you play right now? Can you play the guitar?

[01:54:58]

ANDRIY: This song of a group, a band. A song called "Night".

BERMAN: It is nice to see you smile.

I hope you live a long and meaningful life? And I'm glad you made it through this.

I'm so sorry for what you've been through.

Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: I'm John Vause. Stay with us. I'll be back next hour.

Our breaking news coverage continues with Hala Gorani in Lviv after a short break.

[01:56:00]

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