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Biden: Vladimir Putin "Cannot Remain In Power"; Russian Missiles Striking Ukrainian Fuel Depots; Conflict Exacerbating Existing Food Shortages; Polish Monastery Takes In Moms And Kids; Ukrainian Troops Push Counteroffensive Near Capital; Taliban Renege On Allowing Girls Back In Schools; Ukrainian Refugee Wins Jerusalem Marathon; Estonian Women Train To Fight. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired March 27, 2022 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
U.S. President Joe Biden is back at the White House now, after a flurry of high-stakes summits in Europe to address the war in Ukraine. But before leaving Europe, he delivered an unprecedented broadside at Russia's leader. Listen to this.
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Brutality will never grind down the will to be free. Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia, for free people refuse to live in a world of hopelessness and darkness.
We will have a different future, a brighter future rooted in democracy and principle, hope and light, of decency and dignity, of freedom and possibilities. For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The American president told the world that Vladimir Putin must go. But the White House said that last part was ad libbed and denied the president was calling for regime change in Moscow. That crucial sentence came after the president offered this powerful warning to Moscow.
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BIDEN: Don't even think about moving on one single inch of NATO territory. We have sacred obligation. We have a sacred obligation under Article 5 to defend each and every inch of NATO territory with the full force of our collective power.
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BRUNHUBER: Even as Biden was still in Poland, Russia confirms its missiles landed just across the border in Western Ukraine, striking a fuel storage facility in the city of Lviv. Ukrainian forces claim they've recaptured several towns from the Russians, including this village near the Russian border.
New video purports to show the Ukrainians attacking Russian troops, holed up inside a school.
And in a town near Chernobyl, the sound of gunfire and stun grenades echoed through the streets, as defiant residents protested this arrival of Russian troops. Against this backdrop, Ukraine's president again publicly pressured the West for more military assistance. Here he is.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): What is the price of the security?
This is very specific. These are planes for Ukraine. These are tanks for our state. This is anti-missile defense. This is anti-ship weaponry. This is what our partners have. This is what is covered with dust at their storage facilities. After all, this is all for freedom, not only in Ukraine. This is for freedom in Europe.
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BRUNHUBER: Our Phil Black is in Lviv, Ukraine.
So Phil, let's start with the attacks that we've been seeing there where you are. I know you've been out reporting on one attack on a fuel depot there yesterday. And I believe Russian authorities briefed on those attacks today.
What's the latest?
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, there were two clear -- well, there are some clear dynamics that are established and playing out in this war almost every day.
And one of them is Russia using its undeniable superiority in terms of airpower and missiles and so forth to be able to strike at specific targets, almost at will, almost anywhere across this vast country.
And we saw that yesterday here in Lviv, with those multiple strikes on two targets. One was a fuel depot. The other one has been described by Ukrainian authorities only as military infrastructure.
But the Russians, now reporting on those attacks, say that the other target was a radio repair plant of some kind. But there is -- these are just simply the latest in Russia's very specific strikes on what clearly support logistical-type sites, that are providing necessary help to Ukraine's military defense. It's the third fuel depot to be destroyed in various sites across the
country in recent days. The other clear dynamic we're seeing, Ukrainian forces on the ground, launching counteroffensive operations. We've been talking a lot about this, this week, in the context of pushing back Russian troops around the capital, Kyiv.
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BLACK: And now we have reports and evidence of Ukrainian soldiers successfully launching counteroffensive operations near the city of Kharkiv in the far east, Ukraine's second biggest city, which, for much of this war, has been significantly encircled under -- and experiencing massive bombardment every day.
Now Ukrainian soldiers there are pushing Russia's soldiers back to the east and have taken control of villages, some 12 miles, about 20 kilometers or so, from the center of Kharkiv itself. This is intense fighting and it's taking place very close to the Russian border -- Kim.
BRUNHUBER: So under all of this bombardment and the attacks and everything else that we're seeing, just how is the morale of the Ukrainians are you're speaking to there?
BLACK: Unquestionably defiant. And the one point that every Ukrainian makes now is that this is a unified country.
And it is a country that hasn't had a history for being unified, because there are -- it is divided in a sense, by a mix of cultures, the very specific Ukrainian or more specific Ukrainian identity, exclusively Ukrainian identity here in the west of the country and then to the east and to the south, other regions, where there is a greater ethnic and cultural influence from Russia.
But now, today, under attack from Russia, all of these groups say they are Ukrainian, identify very strongly as Ukrainian and believe that Ukraine, as a country, as an identity, as a culture and so forth, will survive.
So there is no doubt that those who are not under the immediate impact of the bombardment are defiant. But of course, for the millions that have had to flee their homes, for those that are under bombardment, like in the city of Mariupol and so forth, it is a question of everyday survival.
These are people that are still living under desperate conditions, with very little food and water, without any sense of safety or security and without any obvious way of seeking out that safety. So Ukraine's defiance continues. But there is no doubt that, in some parts of the country, the situation for civilians in particular is particularly dire, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Absolutely. Phil Black, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
Well, one of the hardest-hit cities has been Mykolaiv. Many homes have been reduced to rubble. But Russian forces in the area have suffered recent setbacks. As Ben Wedeman reports, some residents of Mykolaiv are daring to hope that the tides of war could be starting to turn in their favor.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Once more, the people of Mykolaiv can have their daily bread.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
WEDEMAN: "I see a change," says Maxim.
"Now it's getting back to normal. I really hope it will last."
The Ukrainian army and volunteer fighters have pushed Russian forces east, sparing this port city, blocking Russia's push to seize the country's entire western Black Sea coast. The supermarkets are fully open, even if some shelves are empty. Fresh milk still missing.
Alexander and his family seem to savor the mundane task of grocery shopping.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
WEDEMAN (voice-over): He begins to tell us the Russians stopped, when his wife interrupts him to say, "We're still afraid."
WEDEMAN: On the surface, life seems to be resuming most of its regular rhythms. But that's just the surface.
All over the city, there are piles of these old tires, intended to be set alight to obscure the vision of invading Russian forces. And there's also, among the tires, Molotov cocktails.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): Around the city, signs of destruction. This empty hotel struck several days ago in the early afternoon.
Natasha wasn't home nearby when it happened. In this predominantly ethnic Russian city, she scoffs at the idea Russia is waging war on her behalf.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not for our home. And not for Russian people.
WEDEMAN: The Red Cross has turned this wedding hall into a center providing medicine, diapers and other supplies. What they can't provide, however, is a sense this nightmare is coming to an end -- Ben Wedeman, CNN, Mykolaiv, Ukraine.
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BRUNHUBER: Ukraine was once known as the bread basket of Europe and it supplies wheat to the whole world. But the war quickly put an end to that, causing an already dire hunger crisis to get worse. We'll have that story after the break. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: We're already seeing how Russia's war is being felt beyond Ukraine's borders, millions of refugees streaming into its neighbors. But the impact is also being felt far beyond those frontiers, thousands of miles away, in some of the poorest countries on the planet.
Ukraine has long been referred to as the bread basket, first of the Soviet Union, then Europe and now for the world.
Consider this: the World Food Programme says that Ukraine, together with Russia, are responsible for almost 30 percent of the global wheat trade. The agency warns that any serious disruption, whether from conflict or sanctions, could push food prices beyond their current 10- year highs.
And that raises the threat of food insecurity for millions of people, especially those who are already under stress because of high levels of food inflation in their countries. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of this while addressing the Doha forum on Saturday. Here he is.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Russian troops are covering fields in Ukraine with mines. They are exploding agrarian equipment. They are destroying our ports. They are destroying all our resources needed for agriculture.
Why they are doing this?
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ZELENSKYY (through translator): Our country will have enough food, still. But the absence of exports from Ukraine will deal a severe blow to many countries worldwide, to most of the world, to Latin America and other countries worldwide.
The invader is trying to take back its old privileges and we should not allow the sparsity of food in the world because of this war.
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BRUNHUBER: And joining me now to talk about this is Martin Frick, the director of the World Food Programme global office in Berlin.
Thank you so much for being here with us. So looking at food production in Ukraine and the planting season there, the problem goes beyond agricultural equipment being destroyed by Russia, which Ukraine's president referred to in that clip. It's also the fact that many of the farmers, who would be planting
now, are fighting instead. So the planting season, as I understand it, is about a week away.
Assuming, obviously, the war doesn't end by then, what happens?
Is there any way it can still be saved?
MARTIN FRICK, WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME: Well, that's exactly right. The Ukrainian war is just the one war that the world cannot afford. Already now, we have 22 percent of the wheat export of Ukraine blocked, 42 percent of the rice export.
And that's the annual production. So if this war isn't ending fast, we will see long-lasting consequences, as all of the supply of Ukraine will basically not happen over the next months.
BRUNHUBER: So I mean, in terms of the effects this will have, first, let's look at Ukraine itself.
How will this affect the food security there in the coming months?
FRICK: Well, five weeks ago, you could go and have sushi or go to a burger joint in Kyiv. Now it's a country that is increasingly depending on food aid. A country of 40 million people, that's actually feeding 400 million people, is now receiving aid in the last four weeks.
We have been reaching more than 700,000 beneficiaries. But the World Food Programme is ramping up for 1.2 million by the end of this month and 2 million by the end of April. So, increasingly, the situation is getting worse. Food infrastructure is breaking down and we are prepositioning food for emergency situations.
BRUNHUBER: And as we heard there from Ukraine's president in that clip earlier and something you at the World Food Programme have been warning about for some time now, this will affect people on the other side of the globe as well.
FRICK: That's exactly right. We have already now a ring of fire of hunger all around the globe. And countries, particularly in the Middle East, in the Horn of Africa, are highly dependent on food import.
Take Lebanon, where 50 percent of the wheat has been coming from Ukraine; Egypt importing more than 80 percent of their grains. All of them will feel the steeply increasing prices on the world market.
But also the prices for fuel, as shipment needs to take place for much further remote destinations than Ukraine or Russia.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, I just noted down a statistic here. Some 26 countries around the world get more than half of their wheat from Ukraine and Russia. So food insecurity or a food crisis, they are such abstract terms.
So concretely, what effect will this have? Are we talking widespread famine, people literally starving to death here?
FRICK: It's really in our hands. Basically there's enough food on the planet. The problem that these poor countries and the poorest families is have is the affordability of food. It's just simply becoming too expensive for families who are already living at the edge.
So what we've got to do, in the short term, supporting these countries and these families, just keep in mind that, after two years of COVID, many of those places are deeply in debts anyway and just cannot afford higher prices, when the local currency is going down.
In the longer term, we need to build resilience against these shocks and help countries really to produce more food domestically.
BRUNHUBER: And we heard the head of the African bank, asking for $1 billion to help support some of these agricultural programs and to get more food for these countries. And of course, we have to think, I mean, you mentioned sort of longer term. Some past food crises have led to instability, even revolution in developing countries.
Is that a possible outcome here, which would then displace yet more people and cause more refugee crises?
FRICK: I, unfortunately, believe this is really a plausible scenario.
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FRICK: In the last food crisis, we had a fraction of the live conflicts of today. Today, the Ukraine war comes on top of other situations-- think Ethiopia, Yemen, protracted crises, Afghanistan. It's all around the globe. So if we don't invest in these countries now, we really risk to see large-scale destabilization in fragile countries.
BRUNHUBER: All right, hopefully, the world can respond. And hopefully peace can come soon to avert the worst of this. Martin Frick with the World Food Programme, thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate it.
FRICK: Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: One group that's trying to solve the immediate food needs of Ukrainians is World Central Kitchen. The group positioned itself at Ukraine's border crossings to feed those fleeing the war. The group's CEO explained how it works to my colleague, Hala Gorani.
NATE MOOK, CEO, WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN: Here in Ukraine, it's really about supporting the communities, the families leaving their communities from the east, to places like here in Lviv and the West and also getting food to those cities for Ukrainians that are not able to leave.
So it's very complicated. We've got incredible partners, Ukrainian restaurants, that have activated across the country. We're also sending truckloads of food. And starting this weekend, we're sending rail -- these are rail wagons, filled with food -- out to cities that are very hardhit, including Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhya, which is supporting many of the evacuees from Mariupol.
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BRUNHUBER: Well, now safe in Poland, many refugees are describing horrific conditions brought on by Russia's war against Ukraine.
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OLHA MOLIBOHA, UKRAINIAN REFUGEE (through translator): People have nowhere to live. All infrastructure is destroyed. There is no water, no electricity, nothing. But our people are like this. They will simply start defending themselves. We will defend ourselves to the last as long as we are alive.
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BRUNHUBER: According to the U.N., more than 3.8 million people have fled to safety in other countries, since the war began.
Now while in Poland, President Biden met with Ukrainian refugees at the national stadium, carrying a Ukrainian girl in his arms and offering comfort to the displaced. CNN's Melissa Bell is live in Przemysl, Poland, and she joins us now.
So Melissa, tell us more about Biden's visit and sort of how people reacted to that.
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was an important visit. We're talking about the American president coming all the way to NATO's eastern flank. So not just Warsaw, from where he made what had already been billed by his officials as a major speech, he'd come all the way to the border, so within 60 miles of Ukraine.
So there was a symbolic value there and the speech itself, referencing Poland's history, Europe's history and referencing Pope John Paul II's historic 1979 "Be not afraid," speech.
And I think for Poland, it was an important moment because of that important message of solidarity that he brought and for the so many millions of refugees now on the roads, of course, as well. The fact that he spoke to them. The fact that he took time to hear their stories.
Have a listen to what one woman told us yesterday. She had just got off the train herself and talked a little bit about her journey and the way so many of these people fleeing become families as they go.
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MARYNA LIKKEI, UKRAINIAN REFUGEE: I've come a long, yes, and he's from Sumy, like the east side, where it's very dangerous situation. So I was with them. And they are -- they were telling me about their situation, that they had to leave their place because of the attacks. BELL: You left behind your husband.
LIKKEI: Yes.
BELL: Like so many of the women that we have spoken to these last few days. Tell us, tell us how that feels.
LIKKEI: Yes, it is -- we are really scared. And so we understand the situation. But we have to be on the separate side. Yes, but in general, it is really sad. And I am really disappointed to leave my family and my husband. Yes, but we understand that we have to do it.
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BELL: And yet, for all this sadness that you hear in these individual stories of women, with their children often, having left their husbands, partners behind, to do the fighting, it is, of course, all of those many millions that are displaced, still within the country that have not managed to flee, Kim, that have the worst stories at all.
Some 6.5 million people displaced within Ukraine and, beyond that, the 12 million, according to U.N. estimates, who are trapped in those besieged towns, who simply cannot get out. And of course, it is their fate that is most worrying of all, even as this conflict now drags into its second month.
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BRUNHUBER: All right, thanks so much, Melissa Bell, really appreciate it.
A monastery in Poland has become a refuge for families fleeing the war in Ukraine. The Benedictine Sisters Monastery in southeastern Poland have become home to several mothers and their kids, escaping the violence.
Most are from Western Ukraine, where the fighting is less intense. But uncertainty and air raid alarms prompted the refugees to flee.
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ZORIANA-MARIYA KRUK, UKRAINIAN REFUGEE (through translator): I think that I made the right decision removing my child from Ukraine. It's a disturbing environment.
Even if the journey here was hard for my child, she feels more comfortable now. I'm happy for her and we will find a job, somehow. The people here are helping us so much. So I think everything will be all right.
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BRUNHUBER: Poland is home to the biggest Ukrainian diaspora in the region, even before the war.
If you want to help people in Ukraine who might need food, shelter and water, go to cnn.com/impact and you'll find several ways you can help.
Thanks for watching. I'm Kim Brunhuber. For our international viewers, "LIVING GOLF" is next.
For those in North America, we're back with more breaking news from Ukraine after this short break. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back. More on our top story this hour.
U.S. President Joe Biden is back at the White House after traveling to Europe to rally support for Ukraine amid Russia's invasion. Biden ended his trip in Poland, where he delivered a forceful rebuke of Russia's president, saying that Vladimir Putin cannot remain in power.
That comment sent shock waves around the globe, although the White House later said Biden wasn't calling for regime change. During a speech, the U.S. President framed Russia's war in Ukraine as a battle between democracy and autocracy and reiterated America's unity with Ukraine's fight.
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BIDEN: My message to the people of Ukraine is a message I delivered today to Ukraine's foreign minister and defense minister, who I believe are here tonight. We stand with you, period.
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BRUNHUBER: U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken is in Israel right now. He made a statement, standing alongside minister Yair Lapid. In a news conference moments ago, he was asked about President Biden's comments about Russian's President Putin. Here he is, listen.
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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I think the president and the White House made the point last night that, quite simply, President Putin cannot be empowered to wage war or engage in aggression against Ukraine or anywhere else.
As you know and as you heard us say repeatedly, we do not have a strategy of regime change in Russia or anywhere else, for that matter. In this case, it's up to the people of the country in question. It's up to the Russian people.
But we do have strategy to strongly support Ukraine; we have been doing that, rallying partners and allies around the world, including with unprecedented amounts of security assistance. It's having a meaningful impact on Ukraine's ability to defend itself
from this onslaught of planes and tanks and other weapons. We have a strategy to put unprecedented pressure on Russia. And we're carrying that forward.
And we have a strategy to make sure that we're providing all of the humanitarian support that we can. And we have a strategy to reinforce NATO. All of that is going forward. The president laid that out in great detail yesterday. And that's what we're focused on.
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BRUNHUBER: Now President Biden's words are ringing hollow for some people in Ukraine. On Twitter, Ukrainian lawmaker Inna Sovsun reacted, and said, "The bombs are exploding in Kyiv and Kharkiv, not in Warsaw."
She said that many Ukrainians were disappointed with the speech, hoping for bigger security guarantees from the U.S. and its allies.
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INNA SOVSUN, UKRAINIAN MP: I wanted to hear some concrete action, some steps that will be taken to help us here in this war. Again, I don't mean to sound ungrateful. We actually appreciate a lot the help that we have been receiving.
But unfortunately, we need more. We need more weapons in order to be able to protect our skies. We need those fighter jets. And we really did have hope that President Biden visiting Poland will actually result in a solution to this, in weeks that we have been asking for, for weeks, from the beginning of the war.
But after the visit and after the speech, I did follow the social media and the posts by other people. And the general reaction was that of disappointment.
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BRUNHUBER: We're seeing Ukrainian troops make gains around Kyiv, though intense fighting continues near the capital city. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has that.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Massive battles continue here around the Kyiv area while it seems, though, the Russians might be somewhat on the back foot.
And Ukrainians are certainly saying they are pressing what they call a counteroffensive, especially toward the northwest of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and also toward the northeast of the capital as well.
The Ukrainians claiming that they took some area back. For instance, if we look at the suburb of Irpin, Ukrainians say that they have about 80 percent of that area right now. However, they also say that they are still being shelled by Russian forces.
Now, needless to say, despite these gains, this city is still very much on a war footing because, of course, the Ukrainians understand that the gains they've made so far are very fragile.
There are still a lot of checkpoints here inside the city; cars being checked, especially by the territorial defense forces. But what we do see is that there are more people who are out and about. There is some shops that are opening.
And also, there seems to be a lot more traffic than there has been in the past couple of weeks.
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PLEITGEN: While we also see the territorial defense forces -- they are still preparing for if the Russians might come back and might enter the city -- in fact, we saw some were practicing throwing Molotov cocktails in the most effective way.
Still, they say, right now, the mood here in the city is improving.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Old businesses are returning to work, where more and more shops open every day. And you can see even, you know, even traffic is becoming much, much more dense than even two or three days ago.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This was a strong city with strong citizens. And we defend it a lot because this is the capital. And this is, like, logical, that they would try to attack us more, once again and again.
PLEITGEN: But you will win?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. No doubt.
PLEITGEN: While the folks from those territorial defense forces certainly seem to be very confident, I think it's still pretty clear to the leadership here that the gains that they have made so far, especially around Kyiv, are things that can be reversed.
There still is a massive army standing essentially at the gates to this city. And, certainly, going to be some pretty tough battles still ahead -- Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Kyiv.
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BRUNHUBER: CNN's David McKenzie is tracking the diplomatic situation for us in London.
So David, let's start with the global uproar about Biden's famous six words there. "This man cannot remain in power," talking about, of course, Vladimir Putin.
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right. And I think what is clear here is that the Russian government, particularly the Kremlin, will use this in what they see as a way to prove that the U.S. was always trying to unseat Putin.
Very soon after the statement was made, that was not part of the prepared remarks, saying it's not up to President Biden, it's up to the Russian people.
And you can be sure that they will be using this as evidence, in their mind, two countries which are on the fence, if you can believe it, still, about this conflict, in particular, China.
But outside of the rhetoric, it is this several-day visit from Biden, where you can see he was rallying the NATO and the G7 to continue to support the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian leadership. But as you heard from that lawmaker earlier in the show and also from the president last night, they want more support. Here's President Zelenskyy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): One percent of all the planes, 1 percent of all the tanks. That's all we're asking for, just 1 percent. We do not ask for more and we've already been waiting 31 days.
Who runs the U.N. Atlantic committee?
Is it Moscow because of intimidation?
Partners need to step up assistance to Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKENZIE: And that's something that NATO has not been willing to do. While they are giving a great deal of money and defensive weapons, as it were, they haven't taken the step to give fighter jets or tanks or armored vehicles to Ukraine, something that the president of Ukraine has been asking for, for many days.
You heard there from Fred, that there have been, recently, battlefield successes by the outgunned Ukrainian military. They say, to consolidate that, they need more.
But despite the rhetoric from President Biden, which, to some, was a call for regime change on the ground and in practical terms, they haven't taken that step to increase the military assistance to these kinds of weapons -- Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much. Appreciate that, David McKenzie in London.
Just ahead, women and girls in Afghanistan are outraged over a recent Taliban decision, which also led to the cancellation of U.S. meetings with the ruling government. We'll have details coming up from our Paula Newton. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Girls and women protesters hit the streets of Kabul on Saturday, just days after the Taliban in Afghanistan reneged on a promise and made education for many young women difficult, if not impossible.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): The demonstrators chanted against the Taliban's decision to keep girls above sixth grade out of school. It's supposedly until appropriate school uniforms are designed. But demonstrators weren't buying that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Unfortunately, by the advent of the Taliban, all our schools were closed. We, girls, are allowed to study same like boys. Islam has given us this right. But the Taliban has taken this right from us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The move quickly drew international condemnation. Paula Newton has more.
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Taliban decision to bar Afghan girls above 6th grade from returning to school has triggered a concrete backlash.
American officials say Wednesday's decision could be a potential turning point in engagement, as they cancelled planned meetings with the Taliban in Doha.
JALINA PORTER, DEPUTY STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: The decision by the Taliban, if it is not swiftly reversed, will profoundly harm the Afghan people, the country's prospects for economic growth and the Taliban's ambition to improve their relations with the international community.
NEWTON (voice-over): For the first time in more than seven months, Afghan schools reopened Wednesday for a much anticipated return. But it was a day that ended in heartbreak, tears and anger for many after the Taliban announced girls above sixth great must stay home.
That decision came just hours after schools have reopened. Many eager female students arriving back only to find they wouldn't be let inside.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why are they playing with our future?
We have rights. We are humans from this country. We want to be free. We just want to continue our education. Is it a sin that we are girls? NEWTON (voice-over): A Taliban news agency said the delay is so uniforms can be designed according to Sharia and Afghan customs. But the decision is viewed by many as an excuse as condemnation rings out across the globe.
NED PRICE, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: This is a betrayal of public commitments that the Taliban leadership made to the Afghan people and to the international community.
NEWTON: In a tweet, Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai says, "I had one hope for today, that Afghan girls walking to school would not be sent back home. But the Taliban did not keep their promise. They will keep finding excuses to stop girls from learning, because they are afraid of educated girls and empowered women."
Others also expressing dismay.
RAVINA SHAMDASANI, SPOKESPERSON, U.N. HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: This is of grave concern at a time when the country desperately needs to overcome multiple intersecting crises.
STEPHANE DUJARRIC, SPOKESPERSON, U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL: No country can grow by excluding women and girls from education. I mean the fact that we still had to say this in the 21st century --
NEWTON (voice-over): In recent months, the Taliban have repeatedly insisted they would not go back to how things were in the late 90s and early 2000s when women and girls were banned from working or going to school.
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NEWTON (voice-over): It has been seven months since this now iconic scene of thousands stranded at the airport in Kabul, desperately trying to leave after the Taliban's takeover.
Now those left behind, seeing human rights withering away, among them the tearful schoolgirls whose hopes of an education are now shattered -- Paula Newton, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Formula 1 officials say the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will take place this weekend, despite an attack on nearby oil facilities. Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the explosion at the Aramco facility. CNN "WORLD SPORT" anchor Patrick Snell has the latest.
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PATRICK SNELL, CNN HOST (voice-over): Qualifying for this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix going ahead on Saturday, despite an attack on an oil facility not far from the Jeddah Street Circuit.
Smoke seen billowing over the city during Friday's practice in a buildup to a race that falls on the seventh anniversary of the Saudi- led intervention in Yemen's civil war.
In a joint statement, Formula 1, along with the sport's governing body, confirming extensive discussion between all stakeholders, the Saudi government authorities and security agencies, who have given full and detailed assurances that the event is secure.
That statement issued after the second practice session was delayed by 50 minutes, as teams and drivers were called to meet race organizers. Those talks were lengthy and continuing on into the early hours of Saturday.
Mercedes' team principal telling reporters that teams have been assured and that we are protected.
Sources, though, telling CNN, drivers did feel uneasy after the attack and many did not want to drive in the race. This, however, the stance of the sport's seven-time world champion.
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We know how immensely robust you are. But the last 24 hours has been a distraction.
Has that affected your mindset at all?
LEWIS HAMILTON, SEVEN-TIME WORLD CHAMPION: No. No, we're professional. We look out whatever needs.
SNELL (voice-over): Meantime, Saturday qualifying seeing Mick Schumacher, the son of German legend Michael, involved in a horrific high-speed crash, losing control of his car and crashing head on at the exit of turn 12.
The session delayed for nearly an hour, as marshals cleared the track of debris. But he was sitting up on a stretcher and chatting as he was waiting to be loaded into the air ambulance en route to hospital before being later released.
Thankfully, according to his team, the young German physically and in good condition but he won't be taking part in Sunday's race.
GUENTHER STEINER, HAAS TEAM PRINCIPAL: I spoke with his mom a few times and kept her updated. He has no injuries that you can see. They just wanted to check on him, do some scans to see there is no damage from the impact from the forces.
SNELL (voice-over): Elsewhere, frustrations for Hamilton; the Englishman eliminated early in 16th place. And a special moment on Saturday, as the Mexican Red Bull star sealing his first-ever poll position in Formula 1 -- Patrick Snell, CNN, Atlanta.
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BRUNHUBER: While the war in Ukraine may not have spread to Estonia, these women here aren't taking any chances. We've got details on their group and how it plans to keep war off its doorstep, coming up.
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BRUNHUBER: The winner of this year's Jerusalem Marathon is a Ukrainian refugee. Valentina Verzka fled from Ukraine to Poland with her daughter while her husband stayed to fight.
On Friday, she was the first woman to cross the finish line out of approximately 25,000 runners. Her time was 2 hours, 45 minutes and 54 seconds and she used her victory to make a call for peace. Here she is.
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VALENTINA VERZKA, JERUSALEM MARATHON WINNER AND UKRAINIAN REFUGEE: This was a very difficult marathon but we beat it. I hope today everybody hear me and I send my love. I send my love to all the world.
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BRUNHUBER: She was due to fly back to Poland on Saturday, where she's one of more than 2.2 million people who have taken refuge there.
Well, like Ukraine, Estonia is a former Soviet republic and that's enough to put many there on edge, including a group of women, who have taken up arms to make sure the horrors of war in Ukraine don't cross over their borders. Lynda Kinkade has their story.
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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In rural northern Estonia, these women are learning how to prepare for the worst.
KRISTEL ERIKS, WOMEN'S VOLUNTARY DEFENSE ORGANIZATION: If I'm needed, if I need to actually fight, I will fight.
KINKADE (voice-over): Aged 20 to 60, these are the new recruits of the Women's Voluntary Defense Organization, part of Estonia's state- run paramilitary defense. Since the start of the Russian invasion into Ukraine, membership has soared.
HELEN ALLAS, WOMEN'S VOLUNTARY DEFENSE ORGANIZATION: Already over 500 out of the 2,000 have sent in their application to join the organization.
KINKADE (voice-over): Estonia is among the Baltic states once controlled by Russia. But since 2004, they've been members of NATO and the European Union. Estonia's prime minister says her country feels no direct military threat from the current Russia-Ukraine conflict. But these women are not convinced.
MERLE VIRNB, WOMEN'S VOLUNTARY DEFENSE ORGANIZATION: I think most of us in Baltic are living right now in frightening situation because it's just not normal what's going on. And we have to prepare, I think. I just can't sit and wait to see if something happens.
KINKADE (voice-over): After a freezing night spent in self-built tents, these new recruits learn about rifles and bullets, how to apply camouflage, navigate in the woods and communicate over walkie-talkie, readying to defend themselves and their country against violence they hope never comes -- Lynda Kinkade, CNN.
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BRUNHUBER: The tragedy at the bombed theater in Mariupol has struck a nerve far and wide. The Victious (ph) theater in Berlin painted the Russian word for children in the pavement. That's exactly how it was written outside of Mariupol's academic drama theater on March 16th, in a futile attempt to avoid being bombed.
Of the 1,300 or so men, women and children believed to be huddled inside, about 300 were feared killed in the attack. Now it's worth noting this is World Theater Day. And it will be interesting to see if other venues around the world follow suit to show solidarity with Ukraine.
I'm Kim Brunhuber. Our breaking news coverage of the war in Ukraine continues next on "NEW DAY." You're watching CNN.
