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Russian Shelling Intensifies In suburbs Around Kyiv; Ukrainian Family Flees Mariupol After Home Destroyed; Poland Overwhelmed By Magnitude Of Refugee Crisis; Russia Forces Consolidating Control Outside Mariupol; Biden Says He was Expressing Outrage with Putin Remark; Academy Investigating Will Smith's Actions at Oscars. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired March 29, 2022 - 00:00   ET

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

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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome everyone to our viewers around the world and also in the United States this hour. I'm Hala Gorani live in Lviv, Ukraine.

We are just a few hours away from the first face-to-face talks in more than two weeks between Russia and Ukraine. Negotiators are set to meet in Istanbul, Turkey, where Ukraine says its main goal is to secure a ceasefire.

However, if you look on the ground, scenes of destruction across the country are not inspiring optimism at all. Russia has been targeting fuel depots, and in the past few days, including this one in the western city of Lutsk, the mayor is asking people to stay in their shelters and stop posting videos of the scene.

To the South in Mariupol, Ukrainian officials estimate 90 percent of the residential buildings are damaged, 90. The city's mayor is calling for a complete evacuation of remaining civilians. But he says humanitarian corridors are in the hands of the occupiers, meaning Russian forces.

And shelling has intensified around the capital Kyiv, Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister says Russian forces are trying to establish a corridor around the city to block supply routes.

However, the mayor of Irpin, a Kyiv suburb says Ukrainian fighters have retaken the area and some Russian forces are offering to surrender. CNN cannot independently verify that claim.

Not far from Irpin, North of the capital lies a village that now bears the scars of Russia's relentless attacks, damaged streets, destroyed buildings and completely shattered lives.

Our Fred Pleitgen traveled to the area and gave us this firsthand look at the devastation.

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FRED PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Kyiv remains under full on attack by Vladimir Putin's army, Ukrainian officials saying Russian forces are trying to storm the capital but failing, unleashing artillery barrages on civilian areas in the process.

We drove to the village Novi Petrivtsi, North of Kyiv, only a few miles from the front line. Even the streets here are pockmarked with shrapnel and massive impact craters, whole buildings laid to waste.

I mean, just look at the utter destruction caused by this massive explosion. There's some really thick brick walls and even they were annihilated by the force of whatever landed here.

The people here tell us they only felt one really large explosion, and it wounded several people and killed a small child.

That child was 2-year-old Stephan (PH), killed while in his bed when the house came under fire.

These videos given to us by local authorities show the chaos in the aftermath as the wounded appear in shock, residents and rescuers tried to save those who were inside. Stephan pronounced dead on the scene.

Stephan was Oleg Shpak's second youngest child. We found Oleg sifting through the rubble of his house days later

Inside he shows me the damage caused by the explosion. He was at work when his home was hit. His wife, the other children and his mother-in- law had already been brought to the hospital when he arrived at the house.

Stephan couldn't be saved. And because of staff shortages at the morgue, Oleg had to prepare his son's body for burial himself.

OLEG SHPAK, SON KILLED BY RUSSIAN SHELLING (through translator): I had to wash him to dress him. His head from his right ear to his left ear, one large hematoma, his arms, his legs, a total hematoma not compatible with life. And besides that, lots of other wounds were discovered after death.

PLEITGEN: Many other houses have also been hit here. The police tell me the Russians shell the town every day.

We bumped into 84-year-old Halyna in the town center. She was a child when the Nazis invaded this area and says now things are worse.

HALYNA, NOVI PETRIVTSI RESIDENT (through translator): Worse than fascists when the Germans were here and entered our homes, they would shoot at the ceiling but they would not touch us. They move the scene to the woods, but they did not shoot us like the Russian soldiers are shooting now, killing children.

PLEITGEN: The Kremlin claims its forces don't target civilian areas. But the U.S., NATO and the Ukrainian say the Russians are frustrated by their lack of progress and are firing longer range weapons because they can't make headway on the ground.

VLADYSLAV ODINTSOV, KYIV REGIONAL POLICE (through translator): They understand that sooner or later, our troops will push them out of our territory. Now, the Russians are doing dirty tricks. They shoot more at civilian areas than the positions of the Ukrainian army.

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PLEITGEN: Ukraine's army says it's pressing its own counter offensive trying to dislodge Russian troops from the outskirts of Kyiv.

The Kremlin's forces, meanwhile, so far unable to take the Ukrainian capital, or instead laying waste to its suburbs.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Novi Petrivtsi, Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: Joining me now from Florida, CNN Military Analyst retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, he's a former U.S. Army commanding general for Europe and Seventh Army. Thanks very much for joining us.

When the Russians want to be precise, they are precise, they hit a fuel depot here a few miles away from my position, they hit an aircraft repair hanger very precisely.

But yet, in the suburbs of Kyiv and Mariupol, they seem to be fine with firing long range missiles that are very imprecise and killing many civilians. So, what is there -- what are they doing exactly?

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING (Ret.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, it's a differentiation between the precision based on striking targets that you believe are of military importance, like we've seen repeated strikes against fuel facilities, oil tanks, things like that. So, they're looking specifically to try and take away the logistics flow from the Ukrainian army.

On the other hand, a civilian, the firing of missiles, rockets, artillery, area, firewall, weapons, imprecise dropping of dumb bombs from airplanes, when they can get into the area, beyond the ability of the Ukrainian Air Defense to attack those planes. They don't care, Hala, it's just a matter of terrorism, destruction, catastrophic effects, they want to strike this kind of terror. And as we've seen already, several areas of Ukrainian towns have reported civilian deaths in the hundreds and in some cases, like in Mariupol, 5,000 or so, including about 200 children.

So, this is intentional on the part of the Russians, it is to cause that refugee flow, more confusion, more terror, while the Ukrainian army is forced to decide, should we continue to fight the Russians or should we help our civilian population, so they're put on the horns of a dilemma in terms of what the military and the territorial forces can do to not only fight the enemy, but also contribute to the safety of their citizens. GORANI: And big picture, where does this war stand for the Russians, because they've certainly not taken any big cities? Mariupol seems to have all but fallen to their forces. But that's after having flattened the place really into submission and into a pile of rubble. So, what about the overall picture for Russia now?

HERTLING: Well, what I've said repeatedly, Hala, is they had four objectives coming in here, they wanted to seize the capital in order to displace the Ukrainian government, Mr. Zelenskyy. They wanted to subjugate the nation of Ukraine by defeating its army, either encircling it or destroying it.

Number three, they wanted to further divide NATO and number four, their four strategic objectives was to try and further divide the United States while at the same time, increasing their economic capabilities in Europe through oil, they have failed in all of those five strategic objectives because they have not been able to execute the tactical and operational plan in the different areas.

We'll take a look where Fred just was, North of Kyiv, you know, their major -- the Russian's major attack routes were from the Northwest, the North and from the East out of Kharkiv. They have stalled in all three of those acces of advance, the Ukrainian forces are pushing them back.

And in fact, we're seeing the fight in Irpin right now. I think probably tomorrow, we'll see an additional fight and hast them all in Buka (PH). And there is the potential that Russian forces could be surrounded in those key areas North of Ukraine -- Kyiv. I'm sorry.

GORANI: The Ukrainian say though, we need more weapons. We need more anti aircraft, weaponry. We need fighter jets because we can't protect ourselves from this terror that is raining down on us from the skies.

How much of a difference would it make if the Ukrainians got the weapons they are asking for?

HERTLING: Well, I think they are getting literally hundreds of those kinds of weapons, Hala, but I think we're about to transition into a period where both sides are fighting a battle of attrition.

The Russians came in fighting a battle of annihilation they wanted to surround and destroy the Russian army. They are now attempting to a trip back. This is a very dangerous situation.

In an operational perspective, the person -- the army that gains the supply and logistics stronghold, they're able to resupply their forces are the ones that will win a battle of attrition.

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HERTLING: The Russians have been terrible in their resupply. They have been inept across the board in their planning and execution of resupply operations.

Ukrainian forces have been getting those resupplies primarily from their own stocks, but also supplemented by NATO. They are firing or they are asking for 100 javelins, the anti-tank missiles, 100 stingers a day. Is it possible to deliver those? It absolutely is.

But again, you're seeing the precision attacks on some of the supply locations and the throughput line by Russia. So that will hinder that resupply operation.

I believe NATO will continue to push those supplies, Ukraine will continue to get them and they will continue to fight a very good active defense and attrition warfare against the Russians. We're seeing that in spades already.

GORANI: Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, thanks so much as always for joining us.

Well, more than 400,000 people lived in Mariupol before Russia's invasion, but less than half of them remain. The city's mayor is calling for full evacuation but says that the corridors are largely under the control of Russian forces.

CNN's Ivan Watson spoke with residents who've made it out of Mariupol but are very much unsure of their next move.

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IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Shattered by Russian artillery. The windshield of a car that a Ukrainian family used to make their two-day escaped from the besieged port city of Mariupol.

We meet Natalia shortly after her family reaches relative safety in the parking lot of a superstore on the edge of the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhia.

The day before yesterday, an artillery shell hit our house, she says, half of the house is gone. This is what was left.

NATALIA, FLED HOME IN MARIUPOL (through translator): Russia sees this, I want them to know that they aren't defending us. They are killing us because they seem to think they're defending us. And that's just not true.

WATSON: This parking lot, an unofficial gateway to Ukrainian controlled territory for more than 70,000 Ukrainians who official say fled Mariupol. The evacuees look shell shocked.

They arrive in vehicles draped with white rags and signs that say children and some like 4-year-old Alisa Isaeva show up in yellow school buses.

They were bombing us, she says, bombing us with planes and tanks. Alisa's aunt Liliya says she suffered from a concussion for days after a strike hit her home.

LILIYA NALISKO, FLED MARIUPOL (through translator): We walked among corpses. There were bodies under the evergreens, soldiers without heads, without arms. They lie in there. Nobody is gathering them.

There was such fear that I feel like I was underwater. I wanted to wake up and now I'm here. And this feels like some kind of a dream.

WATSON: Inside the superstore, volunteers and the city government are trying to help.

Newly arrived evacuees are welcomed at this support center where they're offered warm meals, access to medics and information about how to travel deeper into safer parts of Ukrainian territory. There's also a bulletin board here where some people are offering free repair of shattered car windows. And there are also postings here, looking for information about missing loved ones.

For some who survived, Russia's modern day siege. This is the first hint of safety they've had in weeks.

Outside Yulia Mishodova and her son Stanislav have just arrived. Stanislav is chatty and upbeat, but his mother appears unsteady. When Russian warplanes bombed, she says, the family hid under the dining room table surrounded by pillows.

YULIA MISHODOVA, FLED MARIUPOL (through translator): When the plane flew past, we were sheltering in the center of town. Until now, my ear still hurts from the shockwave.

WATSON: The unlikely safe haven provided in this parking lot is precarious. Ukrainian officials say Russian troops are positioned barely a half hour's drive away from here.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Zaporizhia, Ukraine.

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GORANI: And when we come back, a packed convention hall in the Polish capital has transformed into the largest hub for Ukrainian refugees in all of Europe, we'll take you inside.

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GORANI: A Kremlin spokesperson is again answering questions about nuclear weapons, saying Russia will not use them as a result of any outcome in Ukraine.

However, Dmitry Peskov says Moscow will use such weapons if there is a threat to the existence of his country. Listen.

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DMITRY PESKOV, KREMLIN SPOKESPERSON: Any outcome of the operation, of course, is not a reason for usage of a nuclear weapon. We have a security concept that very clearly states that only when there is a threat for existence of the state in our country, we can use and we will actually use nuclear weapons to eliminate the threat for the existence of our country.

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GORANI: Well, also in that interview, Peskov called the U.S. president's comments about Vladimir Putin quite alarming. You will recall that during his speech in Poland, Joe Biden said the Russian leader should not remain in power though he has since said he was not calling for regime change.

Peskov called it a personal insult aa said it's not up to the U.S. leader to decide who will be the president of Russia.

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GORANI: Now, in other developments, the number of people escaping Ukraine appears to be shrinking. The European Union's Home Affairs Commissioner says 200,000 people were once arriving in the E.U. each day. Now it's closer to 40,000.

She says that out of the nearly four million people who have fled, 800,000 have already applied for temporary E.U. protection.

Meanwhile, there are concerns that Europe could see a repeat of the 2015 migrant crisis that caused a lot of bickering between member states. But E.U. interior ministers have apparently agreed on a block wide plan for registering refugees, as well as coordinating transportation and their plan does not involve quotas.

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YIVA JOHANSSON, E.U. COMMISSIONER FOR HOME AFFAIRS: We are not working on any quotas or any distribution of migrants towards of some specific quotas. This is voluntarily where member states step in and say we can do more. And they are doing that right now.

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GORANI: Well, as you saw on the map, Poland has taken in well over two million refugees. However, it is not clear how many are passing through and heading to other parts of Europe from there.

Those who are sticking around are putting a big strain on Polish relief efforts. Kyung Lah was at a refugee center in Warsaw that is overwhelmed.

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KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Nothing can help 5-year-old Yan understand how he and his mother ended up here. A packed convention hall in Warsaw Poland, filled with thousands of Ukrainians.

He's constantly afraid? He's always afraid?

He's afraid to sleep alone says his mother Katya Krush, after nights in this basement, as Russian missiles leveled his neighborhood two hours North of Kyiv. Everything is fine, she tells him. Are you sure there's nothing flying

here, he asks.

TOMASZ SZYPULA, PRESIDENT, PTAK WARSAW EXPO: They even don't know why they're here. They think maybe they come for some kind of vacation or it's --

LAH: They don't comprehend. Because they're too young.

SZYPULA: Yes, too young.

LAH: Multiply Yan by thousands of people a day and that's who Tomasz Szypula is trying to help at what's now the largest Ukrainian refugee hub in all of Europe with up to 7,000 refugees here a day.

SZYPULA: I must work. You know, and I don't have to think about such things too much because it's really difficult and it's a tragedy you'll see. That's -- it's better not to think about that.

LAH: The 1.5 million square foot Expo is now a gateway to the rest of the world where after crossing into Poland, refugees begin the real process of finding a temporary life beyond war.

Their waiting to go somewhere.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Estonia.

SZYPULA: They're getting to Estonia.

LAH: Those with no destination yet, wait.

How long has this been going on?

SZYPULA: It's less than a month.

LAH: Less than a month.

That becomes more challenging as a war stretches on.

Thank you, Warsaw says this woman Ukrainian. One of the more than two million Ukrainian refugees who have arrived in Poland, more than 300,000 in Warsaw alone.

RAFAL TRZASKOWSKI, MAYOR OF WARSAW: The Polish people will welcome Ukrainians whatever happens because they are fighting for our freedom. And we do understand that but of course there is a certain limit, human limit what we can -- what we can do.

LAH: When you say you're at capacity, what do you mean?

TRZASKOWSKI: We've offered as a country free education, free health care to all of our guests, which of course means that you know, our schools are going to be filled within weeks that our hospitals are going to jam.

LAH: Warsaw's mayor says no one will be turned away, but he needs help to help Yan, his mother and the people of Ukraine.

The Polish people accepted us well she says. They are good people.

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LAH (on camera): The mayor says that what he would really like to see is some sort of official system between the Polish national government and international and European allies to streamline this entire process.

And he left us with this astonishing statistic. He says that there are now 30 percent more school aged children in Warsaw than there was just one month ago.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Warsaw, Poland.

GORANI: Well, meanwhile, the U.N. chief is making a renewed push for a humanitarian ceasefire. Listen.

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ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL: A cessation of hostilities will allow essential humanitarian aid to be delivered and enable civilians to move around safely. It will save lives, prevent suffering and protect civilians.

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GORANI: Well, Antonio Guterres went on to say that since the start of the Russian invasion, the U.N.'s humanitarian agencies and their partners have provided life saving aid to nearly 900,000 people inside Ukraine and U.N. staff are working to reach many more in the weeks ahead.

Now, if you would like to safely help people affected by Russia's war in Ukraine who may be in need of basic necessities go to CNN.com/Impact. And there, we've listed many ways that you can help.

We're going to take a short break, back with more from Lviv in just a moment.

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GORANI: Well, as Russia's war in Ukraine grinds into its second month, Russian forces appear closer than ever to capturing the southern city of Mariupol.

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Taking it would help Russia create a land bridge linking Crimea -- Crimea, I should say, to areas of Eastern Ukraine controlled by Russian-backed separatists. You see it there on the map quite clearly.

But for now, Ukraine says its forces are maintaining a defense inside the city, where thousands of civilians remain trapped after weeks of heavy fighting.

On Monday, Mariupol's mayor urged evacuations, but he says that the humanitarian corridors are largely under Russian control.

CNN's Phil Black has that story.

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PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Russia is so close to taking the prize of Mariupol these soldiers are already celebrating. The flag going up on this local government building is from one of the Russian-backed separatist regions in the Ukraine's East.

"The Ukrainians peeled off. Praise the almighty," this soldier says. "The guys are in a good mood, and we are working according to the order of Putin."

We get rare glimpses of Russia's efforts to take the city street by street. These soldiers are from the Russian republic of Chechnya. Its propaganda video from their leader, which CNN has geolocated to Mariupol. Mariupol's mayor, Vadym Boychenko, tells me that the fight isn't over.

(on camera): What happened? But what has happened to the Ukrainian soldiers defending Mariupol? Are there any left?

"They hold the line, and they stand to the end," he says, "to the last drop of blood."

It's not only Ukrainian soldiers trapped here. The city council estimates there are still around 170,000 civilians in this devastated city. And 90 percent of homes have been damaged or destroyed.

Valentina (ph) enters what's left after the only home she's ever known, the place where she raised her family. She wasn't here when the shell hit. She's been hiding in the basement. She doesn't want to leave. She knows she can't stay.

But many will never leave. The council says almost 5,000 people have been killed during the four-week siege, including more than 200 children. Russia is so close to taking its prize. But it will be a blackened shell of a city, and it's unlikely the people they're conquering will ever forgive them.

Phil Black, CNN, Lviv, Western Ukraine.

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GORANI: Another round of talks between Ukraine and Russia is just hours away. It comes as we're learning new details about an incident on the sidelines of an earlier meeting involving a key Russian oligarch.

The source close to Ukraine's negotiating team tells CNN Roman Abramovich and two Ukrainian diplomats suffered minor skin peeling and sore eyes after talks in Turkey a few weeks ago.

Abramovich, who's emerged as an intermediary between Russia and Ukraine, declined to comment on the incident. "The Wall Street Journal" previously reported that the group suffered symptoms of a suspected poisoning.

But a U.S. official told Reuters the symptoms appear to be caused by environmental factors and not poison. We'll keep ourselves on top of that story.

I'll have more from Lviv, Ukraine, at the top of the hour, but first, let's bring in Lynda Kinkade in Atlanta -- Lynda.

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks to you, Hala and the team. We will check in with you again at the top of the hour.

Well, still to come, U.S. President Joe Biden clarified what he meant when he said Vladimir Putin should not remain in power.

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KINKADE: Welcome back. The first face-to-face talks between Ukraine and Russia in more than two weeks is set for the coming hours in Turkey.

Both delegations arrived in Istanbul Monday. Ukraine's foreign minister says, at a minimum, negotiators will discuss humanitarian issues and, at a maximum, they will reach an agreement on a cease- fire.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said on Sunday that peace without delay and the restoration of normal life are the obvious goals for this round of talks.

Well, meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden is trying to explain what he met and why he said Vladimir Putin could not remain in power. He took questions on Monday about his off-the-cup remark during a major speech in Poland, which stunned some world leaders and U.S. officials.

CNN's M.J. Lee reports from the White House.

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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm not walking anything back.

M.J. LEE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tonight, President Biden standing by his off-the-cup remarks about Vladimir Putin that sent waves across the globe.

BIDEN: The fact of the matter is, I was expressing the moral outrage I felt toward the way Putin is dealing and the actions of this man. His -- his brutality. Half the children of Ukraine. I've just come from being with those families. LEE: Biden fielding numerous questions from reporters at the White

House about this unscripted comment in Warsaw, Poland, that came on the heels of an emergency gathering of global leaders amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

BIDEN: For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power.

LEE: The president emphasizing that the one thing he was not referring to was U.S. support for regime change in Russia.

BIDEN: I want to make it clear: I wasn't then, or am I now, articulating a policy change. I was expressing the moral outrage that I felt. And I make no apologies for it.

LEE: And also downplaying the numerous concerns that his unplanned comments raised, including that they would complicate diplomatic efforts.

BIDEN: No, I don't think it does.

LEE: And that there are escalatory.

BIDEN: Other governments have suggested that this is a problem; I'm escalating things. Now, did it weaken NATO? No, it hasn't. NATO has never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever been as strong as it is today. Never.

LEE: Both at home and abroad. Those nine consequential words from the president of the United States had already triggered intense criticism. Some frustrated Republican lawmakers urging the president to choose his words more carefully.

SEN. ROB PORTMAN (R-OH): I think all of us believe that the world would be a better place without Vladimir Putin. But second, that's not the official U.S. policy, and by saying that, that regime change is our strategy, effectively, it plays into the hands of the Russian propagandists and plays into the hands of Vladimir Putin. So it was a mistake, and the president recognized that, and the White House has walked it back.

SEN. JAMES RISCH (R-ID): There's not a whole lot more you can do to escalate than to call for regime change. That is not the policy of the United States of America. Please, Mr. President, stay on script.

LEE: Throughout Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Biden often not holding back his words when discussing his Russian counterpart, sometimes his language different from official White House positions.

BIDEN: Standing together against a murderous dictator, a pure thug, who is waging an immoral war against the people of Ukraine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is Putin a war criminal, sir? Are you ready to call [Putin] a war criminal?

BIDEN: He is a war criminal.

He's a butcher.

LEE: French President Emmanuel Macron saying that that last comment is not helpful for diplomacy.

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): I wouldn't use this type of wording, because I continue to hold discussions with President Putin.

LEE (on camera): President Biden also asked whether Vladimir Putin might see his comments from over the weekend as escalatory, Biden saying, "I don't care." He said that Putin is somebody who will do whatever he wants, regardless of what he may be hearing, including from his own advisers, referring to him as an irrational actor.

On the question of whether he would be willing to meet with Putin in the future, he said it entirely depends on what he might want to discuss.

M.J. Lee, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: European affairs commentator Dominic Thomas joins us now from Paris. Good to have you with us, Dominic.

DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Thank you, Lynda.

KINKADE: So the U.S. president is standing by that comment that Putin cannot remain in power, but offering clarity, saying he was expressing moral outrage, that Putin's behavior is unacceptable, and saying that he was speaking to the Russian people.

A lot of commentators have said those words might escalate the conflict in Ukraine. Does Putin really care what anyone says? Is there too much being made of this off-the-cuff comment?

THOMAS: I think there was initially, certainly through -- through the weekend. Weekend news shows, newspaper headlines, there was a lot of discussion about this, and it's clear that President Putin will take any opportunity to present to the Russian people threats that come from the United States or from the West as a way to justify his activities.

But as we know, President Biden has repeatedly referred to him as an autocrat and a war criminal and a butcher and so on. So this was unfortunate. It was a distraction from what was otherwise a crucial trip. A trip on the ground that clearly meant emotions were running high, especially as President Biden met with displaced people and refugees.

But ultimately, the goal of the trip was to prepare people for the long-term discussions and negotiations, the importance of supporting and defending Ukraine, and finding a solution towards achieving peace.

So it was unfortunate. It was not helpful. But I think that folks have moved on to more important things at this particular stage. KINKADE: And let's move on to more important things. In the coming

hours, there are talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators set to happen in Turkey. The last in-person talks made no progress. Although we did see those reports emerge of a suspected poisoning of a key Russian oligarch and two Ukrainian diplomats. Reportedly, suffering some minor skin peeling and some sore eyes.

What are the concerns going into this meeting? What needs to happen to move the needle?

THOMAS: When needs to happen to move the needle is that they obviously don't have to be flexibility, concessions, and compromise. I think it's absolutely crucial that the Ukrainian delegation and the Russian delegation, as it potentially paves the way for a head-to-head meeting between President Zelenskyy and President Putin is able to operate, kind of in a private setting, without listening to all the chatter and what is taking place on the outside.

So that each side has the opportunity to evolve from their positions and to focus on the immediate priorities, which is to stop the killing, to stop the systematic destruction of Ukrainian towns and cities, and to address the humanitarian crisis.

Having said that, each side is going to need assurances. If Ukraine is going to accept some kind of two-state solution, a move towards some kind of neutrality, it's going to need to know what sort of military and protection it's going to have. How the country is going to be reconstructed.

[00:45:10]

And I think ultimately, as these discussions move on, the international community is going to be brought back into the fray, because President Putin is going -- is going to want to know clearly and ambiguously what is going to happen in terms of sanctions, oil and gas, and security in the region, before he's willing to interrupt these incursions into Ukraine.

KINKADE: A Putin spokesperson told PBS that nuclear weapons will only be used when there is a threat to the existence of the Russian state. And in an interview with Christiane Amanpour, he also did not take nuclear weapons off the table. What should we make of those comments?

THOMAS: Once again, I think that throughout this entire process, he has understood, first of all, NATO's reluctance to get involved in the conflict, directly on the ground because of the risk of escalation.

And throughout this process, he has made allusions to nuclear weapons as the sort of ultimate sort of demonstration to the extent of which he is willing to go.

So by reintroducing that, he is preparing himself for these tough kind of negotiations. When it comes to NATO, when it comes to statements from the United States, uses of chemical weapons, use of nuclear weapons, will dramatically shift the nature of the conflict, and I think then potentially making it almost impossible for others to not get involved in this particular conflict.

So I think at this stage, the question of the existential threat is, of course, linked to your question earlier on about Biden's statement talking about regime change, which ultimately, as far as Putin is concerned, very much a threat to the future not only of him, but of his country. And so these considerations are all there as he enters into these negotiations.

KINKADE: Well, let's hope we see some progress with these negotiations. Dominic Thomas, as always, good to have you with us. Thank you.

THOMAS: Thank you, Lynda.

KINKADE: Well, still to come, the fallout from the slap seen around the world. Will Smith is issuing an apology to Chris Rock, as the Motion Picture Academy begins a review of Smith's conduct at the Oscars.

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[00:51:32]

KINKADE: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade.

Well, Will Smith has issued an apology for slapping Chris Rock at Sunday's Academy Awards.

In a post on Instagram, Smith wrote, "Violence in all forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear, and I reacted emotionally."

He added, "I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line, and I was wrong. I'm embarrassed, and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There's no place for violence in a world of love and kindness."

Well, the Motion Picture Academy is launching a formal review into Smith's conduct, witnessed live by millions of viewers around the world.

CNN's Brian Todd reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS ROCK, COMEDIAN: I'm up here. Uh-oh.

Oh, wow. Wow.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is launching a formal review to determine whether star actor Will Smith will be disciplined for the slap heard around the world.

And in a new statement, the Academy says it condemns Smith for slapping comedian Chris Rock during the Oscars telecast.

The incident was touched off when Rock, while presenting an award, made a joke about Smith's wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith, and her shaved head.

ROCK: Jada, I love you. "G.I. Jane II," can't wait to see it. All right?

TODD: Jada Pinkett Smith, who ruled her eyes at the joke, suffers from alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss.

ROCK: That was a nice one. OK, I'm out here. Uh-oh.

Oh, wow. Wow.

TODD: Just after the slap, censors muted the telecast, but an uncensored Japanese feed shows Smith yelling the same phrase at Rock twice, after slapping him.

ROCK: Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING JAPANESE)

WILL SMITH, ACTOR: Keep my wife's name out of your (EXPLETIVE DELETED) mouth.

ROCK: Wow, dude.

SMITH: Yes.

ROCK: It was a "G.I. Jane" joke.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING JAPANESE)

SMITH: Keep my wife's name out of your (EXPLETIVE DELETED) mouth.

TODD: After the ceremony, the Academy tweeted a short statement, saying it does not condone violence of any form, but Smith was allowed to go onstage and speak after winning the Oscar for Best Actor for the film "King Richard," where he tearfully apologized, but not to Chris Rock.

SMITH: I want to apologize to the Academy. I want to apologize to all of my fellow nominees.

Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said. I look like the crazy father just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things.

TODD: A source close to the situation now tells CNN the Academy leadership strongly considered removing Smith from the telecast after the incident, but that the decision makers were seated in different places and couldn't mobilize to make a decision before Smith received the award.

Later that evening, an editor from "Variety" posted this video of Smith dancing at an after party.

(on camera): CNN has reached out to the Academy to see what disciplined may come.

We have reached out to Will Smith's publicist for comment and to Chris Rock's representatives. The LAPD says that rock declined to press charges.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[00:55:04]

KINKADE: Well, here in the U.S., the Academy Awards drew a larger audience than last year. According to early numbers, Nielsen numbers that show that the show drew an average of 15.3 million viewers for ABC on Sunday. That's a 56 percent increase from last year's show, which brought in just under 10 million viewers, which was an all-time low.

It's not clear yet whether there was a surge in viewership after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock, but the altercation blew up on social media, which may have drawn more people to tune in for the show's final hour.

Well, I'm Lynda Kinkade, at the CNN center in Atlanta. We're going to go back to Hala Gorani, live in Lviv after a break. Stay with us. You're watching CNN.

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