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Russian and Ukrainian Officials to Meet Face-to-Face; President Biden Criticized for His Confusing Statements; Russian Forces Block Supplies to Ukraine; Russia Banned President Zelenskyy's Interview; Negev Summit a Historic Event; Queen Elizabeth Back to Action; Will Smith's Apology for His Behavior. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired March 29, 2022 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers around the world and in the United States, I'm Hala Gorani reporting live from Lviv in Ukraine where it is just past 10 a.m.

Russia and Ukraine are set to begin their first face-to-face peace talks in more than two weeks today. Negotiators will meet in Istanbul, Turkey, where Ukraine says its main goal is to secure a ceasefire but scenes of destruction across the country are not inspiring optimism.

Russia has been targeting fuel depots in the past few days including this one in the western city of Lutsk. The mayor is asking the residents to stay safe in their shelters. 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. The mayor of Irpin, however, a key suburb, says that Ukrainian fighters have retaken the area and some Russian forces are offering to surrender.

CNN cannot independently verify that claim. Kharkiv in the east is another city that has suffered brutal Russian attacks. The U.N. and its partners say they were able to deliver food and medical supplies to the area on Monday still very much suffering from the shelling and bombardments.

And meanwhile, Joe Biden on the diplomatic front says he is not walking back his comments that, Vladimir Putin, quote, "cannot remain in power." The U.S. President says he was expressing his moral outrage but not making a policy change of regime change.

Even as Russian shelling intensifies around Kyiv's suburbs, we've been able to get a firsthand look at some of the devastation caused by these brutal attacks. But we want to warn you, some of the images are graphic.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen traveled to one village north of the capital. FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: 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 lines. 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 is 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 two- year-old Stefan (Ph) killed while in his bed when the house came under fire. These videos given to us by local authorities show the chaos and the aftermath. As the wounded appear in shock residents and rescuers trying to save those inside. Stefan (ph) pronounced dead on the scene.

Stefan 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. Stefan 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 RUSSAIN SHELLING (through translator): I had to watch 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 Halina 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 fascist. When the Germans were here, entering our homes, they would shoot at the ceiling, but they would not touch us. They moved us into the woods, but they did not shoot us like the Russian soldiers are shooting now. Killing children.

[03:05:02]

PLEITGEN: The Kremlin claims its forces don't target civilian areas but the U.S., NATO and the Ukrainians 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.

UNKNOWN (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 the villain areas, then the positions of the Ukrainian army. 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 Ukrainian capital, are instead laying waste to its suburbs.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Novi Petrivtsi, Ukraine.

GORANI: Well, this hour, as we mentioned Ukrainian and Russian negotiators are set to meet face-to- face for the first time in more than two weeks for talks in Istanbul. But Russia's invasion has stalled on several fronts, no major concessions are expected from Moscow.

CNN's, Arwa Damon is in Istanbul and joins us now at the very latest. And Turkish officials who are hosting these talks have been saying that they see some glimmer of hope. What do we expect out of negotiations, Arwa?

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hala, what we've been hearing so far is that it seems as if both sides are growing closer to what's being described as something of a middle ground. And as we have been reporting we do now know that the Ukrainians are willing to discuss Ukraine being a non- nuclear neutral country. Of course, given that there are certain security guarantees, but that would, in effect, mean that Ukraine at least for the foreseeable future would not become a NATO member. And that has been one of Russia's key sticking points.

We just did hear from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressing both delegations before those meetings were to start. Saying that he believed that there was a pathway for peace moving forward and making one particularly interesting comment to both of them. Saying that he expected that these negotiations had reached a stage where concrete results should be achieved.

Now, all of that being said, is there going to be some sort of peace agreement that is going to be coming out of this? I mean, one would hope so, one would want to think that that could actually be the case but it is highly unlikely. But what we could potentially see, and this would be very significant for the population in Ukraine, is some sort of a more solid negotiation when it comes to those humanitarian corridors.

And this is something that we have been hearing from the Ukrainian side, that they have been going into this, saying that they want to really assess whether or not Russia is serious about these talks or whether they are just paying lip service in terms of playing this part of the game or whether Russia is actually serious about opening up more humanitarian corridors and actually allowing those humanitarian corridors to be safe and secure.

But at this moment, both sides have begun their meetings. They are expected to be lasting for the better part of the day and at the end of them, we're just going to have to wait and see what both sides say, and what is actually accomplished.

GORANI: All right, and we'll keep in close touch with you, Arwa Damon live in Istanbul with the latest on that diplomatic front.

Meanwhile, the American President, Joe Biden, is trying to explain what he meant and why he said that Vladimir Putin cannot remain in power. He said that at the end of his speech in Warsaw, Poland, a few days ago. He took questions on Monday about his off-the-cuff remark during that major speech in Warsaw which stunned some world leaders as well as some U.S. officials.

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

M.J. LEE, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Tonight, President Biden standing by his off-the-cuff 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 how Putin is dealing. And the actions of this man -- just brutality. Half the children in 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 emphasized that the one thing he was not referring to was U.S. support for regime change in Russia.

BIDEN: I just want to make a clear I wasn't then, nor I am now, articulating a policy change. I was expressing more outrage for what I feel and I will make no apologies for it.

[03:09:59]

LEE: Biden 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 they are escalatory.

BIDEN: Other governments have suggested that this is a problem, I'm escalating things. No. And it has weakened NATO? No, it hasn't. NATO has never, ever, ever, ever been a 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 the world would be

a better place without Vladimir Putin. But second, that is not the official U.S. policy, and by saying that the regime changes our strategy effectively. It plays into the hands of the Russian propaganda. And it plays into the hands of Vladimir Putin. So, it was a mistake and the president recognize 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 escalated 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 t 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.

UNKNOWN: Is Putin a war criminal, sir? Are you ready to call him a war criminal?

BIDEN: I think he is a war criminal. He is a butcher.

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

EMMANUEL MACRON PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): I wouldn't use this time for (Inaudible) because I continue to hold discussions with President Putin.

LEE: 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 will be willing to meet with Putin in the future, he said it entirely depends on what's he might want to discuss.

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

GORANI: Still to come, evacuees fleeing the violence in Mariupol describe the devastation they are leaving behind. The details when we return.

[03:15:00]

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GORANI: Well, the European Union's home affairs commissioner says children make up half of the refugees from Ukraine who have arrived into the E.U. and that some 800,000 people who have already applied for temporary E.U. protection. That is out of nearly four million who fled Ukraine since the invasion.

Meanwhile, European leaders say this refugee crisis must not in any way mirror the migrant crisis of 2015 that exposed a lot of infighting and the shortcomings of Europe's asylum system. E.U. interior ministers have now apparently agreed on a block wide plan for registering refugees, as well as coordinating transportation. And this plan does not involve quotas.

More than 400,000 people used to live in Mariupol before Russia's invasion. But less than half of that number remains. The city's mayor is calling for a full evacuation, but he says the evacuation corridors are largely under the control of Russian forces.

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Shuttered by Russian artillery, the windshield of a car that a Ukrainian family used to make their two-day escape 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 when 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): If Russia sees this, I want them to know that they aren't defending us, they are killing us because they seem to think they are 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 officials say, fled Mariupol. The evacuees look shell-shocked. They arrive in vehicles draped with white rags and signs that say children. And some like four-year-old Aliza Esayva (Ph) show up in yellow school buses. "

"They were bombing us," she says. "Bombing us with planes and tanks." Aliza's aunt Nalilia says she suffered from a concussion four days after a strike hit her home.

NALILIA NALISKO, FLED MARIUPOL (through translator): We walked among corpses. There were bodies on onto the evergreens. Soldiers without hats, without arms, they're lying there. Nobody is getting them. There was such fear that I felt like I was underwater. I wanted to wake up. Now I'm here, and this feels like some kind of a dream.

WATSON: Inside the super store, volunteers and the city government are trying to help. Newly-arrived evacuees are welcomed at the support center where they are offered more meals, access to medics and information about how to travel deeper into safer parts of Ukrainian territory.

[03:19:58]

There is 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 have had in weeks. Outside, Yulia Mishodova and her son Stanislav (ph) have just arrived. Stanislav (Ph) 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 ears 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 hours' drive away from here.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.

GORANI: All right, well, welcoming our guest now here in Lviv, John Shmorhun. He is a volunteer and the director of the Ukrainian Education Platform. You have been working since 2014 in the Donbas area. Correct? Rebuilding homes. Tell us about the organization.

JOHN SHMORHUN, DIRECTOR, UKRAINIAN EDUCATION PLATFORM: Well, first of all, the Ukraine education platform has been working for 20 years. I joined literally a month ago when the war started. I have businesses in Kyiv with my wife.

So, but in 2014, when the war started, the Ukrainian education Platform was basically rebuilding homes destroyed by the war. And, since this new war has started, we have begun in addition to providing humanitarian assistance, we have begun rebuilding homes in the safer areas of western Ukraine.

GORANI: Is the goal ultimately to allow people who are displaced to remain in the country, and not become refugees, not forced to cross the border?

SHMORHUN: Yes, absolutely. We don't want refugees. We want IDP's.

GORANI: Yes.

SHMORHUN: We want people to stay in Ukraine and help rebuild Ukraine. But, in building homes, you know, building house is not building a home. You need to build a home. You need to provide community support, you need to integrate people, they need psychological support. They need, you know, social and emotional support. Job training, and things like that.

GORANI: What kind of homes are you building? Are they temporary structures?

SHMORHUN: So, these are semi-permanent. We are just starting, Hala, so they are semi-permanent. They are existing buildings that are being reconverted inside into homes.

GORANI: I see.

SHMORHUN: So, the plumbing, everything has to be done for the -- for these people.

GORANI: How many people have you've been able to accommodate so far?

SHMORHUN: Well, over the years we have accommodated basically thousands of people. OK? In terms of the homes themselves, hundreds. But we know now that we need to ramp up --

GORANI: Sure.

SHMORHUN: -- and ramp up significantly. So, we are reaching out to donor organizations, actively for support.

GORANI: And you need -- you need people to convert these homes, and there's a drain on resources for various essential. I'm doing a story on farms here that are losing their workers, either because they are volunteering to fight, or because some of the personnel has left the country altogether. How do you find people to help you in these times?

SHMORHUN: Well, very good question, Hala.

GORANI: yes.

SHMORHUN: In those areas we have -- we find volunteers. As a matter of fact, we have in the organization 300 volunteers that work with us on a -- on a continuous basis. But in the local areas, in the small municipalities, we find volunteers, but we also bringing the IDP's to help as well.

GORANI: Right.

SHMORHUN: Because they have the future homes in front of them.

GORANI: Right.

SHMORHUN: So that is how it works.

GORANI: But I -- one of the things you told me before the show today, is that refugees never want to be refugees. I think there is such a misunderstanding from people who are welcoming sometimes refugees, or who watch these flows, this human flows of misery. That somehow people are, you know, going to take advantage of social services, or something, nobody wants to ever be a refugee. No one wants to leave their home.

SHMORHUN: That's exactly right, Hala. We were --

(CROSSTALK)

GORANI: It's so important to underline that.

SHMORHUN: We were in Poland a few -- last week, and we met with the Swiss president who, the Swiss government is very active in Poland providing help. And, yes, we talked to refugees, very few really want to stay.

GORANI: Yes.

SHMORHUN: They want to come back.

GORANI: Of course.

SHMORHUN: First of all, these are mothers and children. The men are in Ukraine. They are the ones that are fighting. Because 18 to 60- year-olds aren't allowed to leave the country.

[03:25:09]

GORANI: And that is a special feature of this crisis, is that the families are breaking up as well.

SHMORHUN: Yes.

GORANI: So, you don't have family units traveling together.

SHMORHUN: That's correct.

GORANI: So how are you funded, and if anyone watching would like to contribute, can they? Can they on a personal level?

SHMORHUN: Absolutely. It's Ukrainian Education Platform, I guess we can send that message out later. But we are funded through large donors, we have large donors coming in from Switzerland, we also have a lot of smaller donors coming from the U.S. So, it's really a combination. But the real big step now is to go out to the major donors, such as USAID with whom we have worked with in the past for larger funds, as well as to the E.U., and some of the smaller countries in Europe.

GORANI: Because one home converted is, can you put a cost on that?

SHMORHUN: Well, it varies per square meter cost, they vary.

GORANI: Yes.

SHMORHUN: Because a lot of the renovations is superficial.

GORANI: Sure.

SHMORHUN: You know, the inside. But, so, I really can't put a cost to it.

GORANI: OK. But just sometimes it gives people an idea of like when they give this sum, what, you know, it can produce in terms of benefits for a refugee.

SHMORHUN: Yes.

GORANI: But anyways, John Shmorhun, thank you so much for joining us, and good luck to you and your team on the ground as you work to rehouse people who have been displaced. SHMORHUN: Thank you very much.

GORANI: And if you would like to safely and securely help people in Ukraine, who may be in need of shelter, there is a list of organizations that you can find on our web site at cnn.com/impact.

All right, coming up on CNN, why Russians will never get to see the Ukrainian president's interview with a move of independent Russian journalist inside their own country. That's next.

[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GORANI: Welcome back. I'm Hala Gorani in Lviv.

As Russia's war in Ukraine grinds into its second month, Russian forces seem to be using a new strategy of attack with troops largely stalled on the ground. Russia is firing missiles at fuel depots across Ukraine and that includes this one near the western city of Lutsk.

We are also getting a new look at destruction left behind in Ukraine's second largest city in Kharkiv. It is shocking. On Monday the United Nations said it would be able to bring food, medicine, and some other humanitarian supplies into this city.

But in the capital Kyiv, Ukraine's defense minister -- deputy defense minister says Russian forces are now attempting to block supply routes around the city. And fierce fighting has continued in Kyiv's suburbs for days as Ukrainian forces attempt to retake areas near the capital.

On Monday, Ukrainian officials said troops have successfully reclaimed the suburb of Irpin, but to the south the besieged city of Mariupol appears closer than ever to falling under Russian control. Ukraine says its forces are maintaining a defense inside the city, but the mayor says evacuation corridors out of Mariupol are now largely controlled by Russian troops.

Now with the latest round of Ukraine Russia talks kicking off in Istanbul, Russia's demand for recognition of its annexation of Crimea and independents for the Donbas region are key sticking points.

Atika Shubert joins us live from Valencia, Spain with more on that. Atika?

ATIKA SHUBERT, JOURNALIST: That's right, Hala. And we've just seen pictures actually of negotiators from both Russia and Ukraine sitting down to the table, opened with remarks by the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. So, it does seem that things are underway. And there is some hope that we could get some draft today, some substance out of these talks as you point out, the biggest sticking point remains that Ukraine territorial integrity the peninsula of Crimea, and the disputed Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

Russia insists that Ukraine must recognize Crimea as a part of Russia, after it was annexed by Russian in 2014. And, to recognize the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk. These are those regions of eastern Ukraine under the control of Russian-backed separatists.

Now Ukraine of course says it will not accept that. And that it sees both all of these territories still as part, an integral part of Ukraine. So I don't think we are going to see any movement on that issue. Where we might see some movement however is on the issue of neutrality.

Russia has said that Ukraine must not become a member of NATO, and Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Russian journalist in an interview that he was willing to accept that, and that Ukraine could remain neutral. However, it is not as easy as not promising a member of NATO because it's actually embedded in Ukraine's constitution to try -- to strive to join NATO.

[05:05:01]

So, instead, what we might see the Ukrainian negotiating team do is offer neutrality to -- and promises not to join NATO as long as there are security guarantees from other countries to aid it in the event of more Russian aggression.

If that happens however, it would still require a referendum and then a constitutional change, so any change on the ground would still take months, possibly up to a year, Hala.

GORANI: All right, Atika, thanks very much.

Well, while Ukraine's President Zelenskyy maybe winning the information war in his country, Vladimir Putin has built a digital iron curtain around his. This prevents ordinary Russians from getting information, or opinions that the Kremlin does not want them to see.

The latest item added to the information blacklist, President Zelenskyy's interview with independent Russian journalists.

Matthew Chance has that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This was a groundbreaking interview with what the Kremlin sees as an enemy head of state. The first four Russian journalists covering this war. But for many Russians the words of President Zelenskyy including his offers of compromise for peace will never be heard.

Russian authorities banning the interview before it was even broadcasts and now vowing to investigate the journalists who carried it out. Journalists like Tikhon Dzyadko, the editor-in -chief of TV Rain. An independent Russian channel forced off the air earlier this month.

"No to war his editorial staff" said as they walked off their Moscow set.

TIKHON DZYADKO, RUSSIAN JOURNALIST: There is a digital iron curtain on the Ukrainian topic in Russia. And we see that there is a, I would say military censorship in Russia. And all the information which is not going from Russian ministry of defense or from the Kremlin is forbidden. So, it is really important to tell the people the truth. Or at least to tell them what's the other side of the conflict of the war thinks.

CHANCE: Why do you think it is so important for the Kremlin to keep such a tight grip on that -- on that flow of information and on the message, they want Russian people to hear?

DZYADKO: Almost the whole story of Russian war in Ukraine is a big lie. Just from the beginning. Even the word war is not being used by the Russian government. We understand that this is not true. We understand that there is a war. We understand that a lot of civilians die there every day. And we understand that a lot of Russian soldiers as well die there every day.

And Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he is the person who has a lot of information on what is going on there, and of course, he give us this information during this interview. And of course, Russian government doesn't want this information to be spread in Russia.

CHANCE: This is what the Kremlin does want Russians to see. Blanket coverage on state media of its special military operation that Russian forces cast as liberators and heroes.

There have been displays of dissent like this one of a journalist holding up an anti-war placard during Russia's main daily newscast but program was quickly cut away. But for millions of Russians the idea their country is a force for good fighting neo-Nazis in Ukraine. Be welcomed by the people there is much more appealing than the hard truth.

Why is it such a successful strategy? Why are people so ready to believe that propaganda?

DZYADKO: There is a huge part of the Russian society of people who are in denial, people who just do not want to admit that their country, our country, my country is bombing civilian objects and schools and hospitals and, et cetera, et cetera. It's hard to admit that maybe there is something very wrong with your -- with your homeland. And that somehow, we, as a citizen of Russia, is somehow responsible for it.

CHANCE: Hard to admit perhaps, but with tough new information laws increasingly illegal too. Russia's criminalizing of the truth is this war's latest casualty.

Matthew Chance, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: Well, that will do it for me in Lviv, Ukraine. For more, I'm turning it over to Rosemary Church at the CNN center.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: And thank you, Hala, for your reporting in Ukraine. Do stay safe there. And straight ahead, a landmark summit in the Middle East. U.S.,

Israeli, and Arab foreign ministers gathering for the first time to discuss a range of security issues. We'll take a look.

[03:40:01]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Well, talks between Ukraine and Russia are underway in Istanbul this hour amid a continued effort to bring an end to the ongoing war. But on the ground in Ukraine, the fighting continues. Russian shelling has intensified around Kyiv suburbs.

[22:45:00]

Ukraine's deputy defense minister says Russian forces are trying to establish a corridor around the city to block supply routes. Meantime, in the Kyiv suburb of Irpin the mayor says Ukrainian forces have reclaimed the area from Russian forces, though CNN cannot independently verify that claim.

A landmark summit in the Middle East between the U.S., Israel and four Arab nations has wrapped up with Israel's foreign minister hailing the talks as a new architecture for the region.

Journalist Elliott Gotkine has the details now from Jerusalem.

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: The Negev summit was billed as historic, for the first time the four Arab foreign ministers have met together with their Israeli counterparts and the U.S. secretary of state, and in southern Israel to boot, as well as enabling the ministers to get to know each other.

It also gives the U.S. the opportunity to show its commitment to its regional allies and to assuage their concerns about America's intention to join the Iran nuclear agreement. Indeed, one of the main topics of discussion according to one of the officials in the room was how to deter the Islamic republic and its proxies from further support for groups like Hezbollah and prevent them from destabilizing the region.

The diplomats vowed to make the Negev group a permanent form for foreign ministers, with professional working groups looking at ways to improve health, food security, and counterterrorism in the region. And with the exception of Israel's foreign minister, they reiterated their support for two-state solution with Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

But the Jordanians weren't here. Indeed, after the Negev summit wrapped up King Abdullah II paid a visit to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The region cannot enjoy security and stability said the king without a just comprehensive solution to the Palestinian cause.

Security of course was very much on the minds of the minister's meeting in Sde Boker in southern Israel. On the eve of the summit, gunmen sprayed bullets pf passersby in the north of the country killing two and injuring six. As the Moroccan foreign minister put it, "our presence today is the best response to such attacks."

Elliott Gotkine, CNN, Jerusalem.

CHURCH: A royal gathering later today maybe Queen Elizabeth's first public event in months. The latest on a memorial service honoring Prince Philip live from London, coming up.

[03:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, the world will be watching to see if Britain's Queen Elizabeth will attend a memorial service later today in honor of her late husband Prince Philip. The 95-year-old monarch has not attended a public event since falling ill late last year from an unspecified illness. And that was before she had a confirmed case of COVID last month.

Reports say the queen was actively involved in planning today's service of thanksgiving. It will pay tribute to Prince Philip who died last year.

And for more on this, we want to bring in CNN's Anna Stewart, she joins us live from London. Good to see you. Good morning, Anna.

So, what were you learning about whether the queen will attend this tribute to her late husband Prince Philip, and what's planned for this royal gathering?

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Well, in terms of what's planned, today is very much going to be in the service perhaps that the royal family would have liked to have given for the funeral of Prince Philip last year, but couldn't as a result of the pandemic. And I don't think any of us will probably ever forget that stark image of her majesty sat in a pew all by herself for that funeral with just 30 people in attendance in that chapel with no singing.

Today, it will be incredibly different for the service of Thanksgiving with hundreds of people expected to attend, members of the royal family, friends, a very long guest list I see, so David (Inaudible) on there -- also members of royal families from overseas.

And hundreds of people that represent the charities and organizations that Prince Philip was a patron of. We will see for instance, lining from the entry points to Westminster Abbey here, members of the cadets and also, duke of Edinburgh Award holders, that is something Prince Philip set up.

So today, really a testament to his life of service that he committed to in marriage, and really fulfilled with gusto. In terms of the queen, we do expect her to attend. For days now there have been concerns given she has to cancel a number of events largely due to mobility that she might not make it but we do expect her to be here today. She's often seen using a walking stick now, and as you mentioned, her

health has been a huge concern in recent months. There was an admission to hospital last year for an undisclosed testing, there was a bad back that saw her have to miss a remembrance Sunday service last year, and most recently at the end of last month she was diagnosed with COVID-19. Something she has now recovered from. But lots of health concerns there, but hopefully, fingers crossed, she should be here today. Rosemary?

CHURCH: The queen at 95 years of age. She has had a lot to deal with of late. Anna Stewart joining us live from London. Many thanks.

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 a 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 is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.

[03:25:08]

But this apology is not the end of the saga for Smith, the Motion Picture Academy has condemned his actions, it's also launching a formal review into his conduct, saying, further consequences are possible.

And that does it for this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. Our breaking news coverage continues after a short break. Stay with us.

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ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and right around the world. I'm Isa Soares in London.