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Explosions in Russia?; Russia Cuts Off Gas to Two European Nations; Russia Frees U.S. Prisoner Trevor Reed. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired April 27, 2022 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00]

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: Dr. Anthony Fauci says he made the decision after the vice president tested positive for COVID-19 Tuesday, but Fauci also expressing optimism about the overall state of the pandemic in the country.

He said, at this moment ,the United States is -- quote -- "out of the pandemic phase of COVID," citing low cases and hospitalizations.

Thanks for joining us on INSIDE POLITICS today. Hope to see you tomorrow.

Ana Cabrera picks up our coverage right now.

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Hello, and thanks for joining us. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York.

The power of diplomacy in a time of war, a stunning prisoner swap with Russia. U.S. Marine Corps veteran Trevor Reed is free after nearly three years in a Russian prison. His parents had grown increasingly worried about his health, saying he was coughing up blood and he appeared to have tuberculosis and a broken rib.

Now, in return for his release, the U.S. freed Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot sentenced to 20 years in an American prison for drug smuggling.

Reed's parents spoke to their son after he and Yaroshenko were physically swapped out at an airport tarmac in Turkey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOEY REED, FATHER OF TREVOR REED: He sounds kind of subdued. And I think he's a little overwhelmed.

PAULA REED, MOTHER OF TREVOR REED: Yes, he seemed to be in shock a little bit.

J. REED: They had moved him to another prison. They had moved to a Moscow prison this week. We didn't know that. He in -- went to the same prison that I think Paul Whelan was held in for a long time, Lefortovo prison.

And then they flew him from there to Turkey. And then Trevor quickly told us that they -- the American plane pulled up next to the Russian plane and they walked both prisoners across at the same time, like you see in the movies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Just in, we have learned that Russian prisoner was returned home.

And CNN's Kaitlan Collins joins us now from the White House, along with Kylie Atwood at the State Department.

Kylie, first, what have you learned about how this came to be and why now?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's a good question of why now.

And U.S. officials aren't being explicit about that. What they're saying is that this was a limited opportunity for them to have some conversations with Russia to get Trevor Reed released that ended up being successful, that this wasn't a conversation that bled into other diplomatic conversations about the war in Ukraine.

They're saying this isn't going to change the Biden administration's approach to the war in Ukraine. Now, Konstantin Yaroshenko, as you said, he was charged by the United States with drug smuggling, with smuggling cocaine. He was in the midst of serving a 20-year prison sentence. And he served about half of that.

Now, U.S. officials are saying that, even though they cut this deal with the Russians, and he is heading back to Russia, that doesn't diminish Konstantin Yaroshenko's guilt. And that is a key aspect of this, because Trevor Reed, according to U.S. officials and all of our reporting, wasn't actually guilty of what he was charged with by the Russians. They were detaining him for reasons that were, quite frankly, unclear.

So that is significant here. And we should note that this prisoner exchange took place in Turkey earlier today. The Russians are beginning to put out some striking images of that taking place on a tarmac -- Ana.

CABRERA: Kylie, what more do we know about the Russian, Konstantin Yaroshenko, exchanged for Reed?

ATWOOD: Well, as I was saying, he was serving his prison sentence here in the United States when this took place.

And it's interesting that Russians have actually brought up Konstantin Yaroshenko in the past as someone they wanted released, explicitly mentioning him publicly and also in private conversations, we are told.

So this is someone that had been on the table for quite some time, which I think begs the question as to why did this come to fruition now, if the Russians were talking about this person and we know that the United States wanted Trevor Reed released?

And, of course, in the context of this conversation, we should note that there are still Americans who are detained in Russia. We have Paul Whelan. We have a WNBA star Brittney Griner who is still there. So the State Department is working to release those Americans.

And, of course, because this prisoner exchange happened, there will be questions by Americans who are detained all over the world as to if there can be prisoner exchanges in their instance as well -- Ana.

CABRERA: And, Kaitlan, this is obviously fantastic news for Trevor Reed and his family. But as we're discussing, he was one of three Americans held in Russia. How did he become the lucky one?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, that raises such a big question here of, why this, why now and why Trevor Reed?

And, of course, you do still have Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner, who are detained, wrongfully, according to the United States, in Russia. This is something that you have seen Paul Whelan's brother weigh in on this today, saying that he also wants his brother to be released.

And as you heard from Trevor Reed's dad today, they did not realize, but when they got a call from their son today -- they got a call from the State Department and then they were on the phone with Trevor Reed -- they found out that he had been staying in one of the prisons that Paul Whelan at one point had actually been in.

[13:05:05]

And so, of course, this still raises questions about when they would get released, when that could happen. I think a lot of people are surprised that Trevor Reed's release is coming, of course, given the context of the moment that we're in.

Two things here I think that really were important factors. One is Trevor Reed's health, because that has been something you have seen his family talk about time and time again, saying that he was coughing up blood, that he was in very poor health. He was going on hunger strikes repeatedly to draw attention to the lack of health care that he was getting while he was being held by the Russians.

And his parents also say they believe something that was a big factor in all of this was a meeting that they had with President Biden here at the White House last month. You remember it was a day -- it was raining very heavily here at the White House. His parents were standing outside. They were demonstrating, trying to bring attention to his case, saying that he was going on a second hunger strike.

They wanted to meet with President Biden about this because they wanted to get the attention and the issue in front of him to talk about it and to make their case for getting their son home. And, today, when they were talking to "NEW DAY," they said that they believed that that was a huge point of what played a factor in actually having this release happen and having it happen now. CABRERA: Kaitlan Collins and Kylie Atwood, thank you both.

I'm joined now by David Whelan. His twin brother, Paul, is a former s Marine who was convicted in Russia of espionage nearly two years ago. He was sentenced to 16 years and remains a prisoner there.

And, David, your brother is on all of our hearts today. Paul was mentioned by the Reed family and in President Biden's statement as well. What was your reaction when you heard of Trevor Reed's release?

DAVID WHELAN, BROTHER OF DETAINED AMERICAN: Well, as so often happens, we heard from the media that it had happened.

And so surprise, elation for the Reeds. It's so great when an American hostage is released anywhere in the world, and then obviously disappointment, because we always hope that Paul will be the next one who gets to come home. And he isn't.

CABRERA: I know you believe Paul's case may be more difficult. Are you hopeful you will still get a call like the Reed family received today?

WHELAN: We're always hopeful that eventually Paul will be released.

CABRERA: Why do you think Paul's case may be more difficult?

WHELAN: Well, I think the Russian government has made it clear from the very start, from the weekend back in 2018 when Paul was first arrested by the FSB, that they were hoping to get Viktor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko, the merchant of death and a drug smuggler.

And they were hoping that Paul would be the way for them to get that concession from the American government. And, so far, the decision- makers in Washington have decided not to make those concessions. And I completely understand why, although, as I think it was Kaitlan who just mentioned, if they're willing to exchange Yaroshenko now, why didn't they do it a long time ago?

But it may be that what Russia is asking for in exchange for Paul is beyond what the president is willing to do.

CABRERA: In fact, it was just years ago that your brother actually named Yaroshenko as someone he could be exchanged for.

So I wonder, is there any part of you today that feels like this should have been your brother today?

WHELAN: Well, obviously, I would love for it to have been Paul to have been released.

I think the concern we have now is that, in a sense, the Biden administration has put some concessions no longer on the table. And Mr. Yaroshenko going home is obviously one concession that the U.S. can no longer make.

And it has maybe set an upper ceiling for not being willing to make concessions like Mr. Bout as well. And, again, I totally understand that from the American perspective. But it's a hard thing to accept as the family member.

CABRERA: Understandably.

We are told Trevor Reed was suffering from serious health concerns, which was a driving factor in reaching this outcome, we are told. I wonder, when was the last time you talked with Paul, and what do you know about his condition currently?

WHELAN: Oh, I haven't spoken to Paul says October 2018. But he's able to speak to our parents on a regular basis. And he sounds as healthy as you would be in a Russian labor camp.

It takes a couple of months to get dental care, and he's currently getting some. And he's hoping to be able to continue to buy fruits and vegetables to keep his health up. But if the sanctions continue to bite, or if the U.S. Embassy has to withdraw from Russia, than our ability to get him money so that he can do those things will be impossible.

CABRERA: You have given credit to the Biden administration for its outreach to your family and on behalf of your family in Paul's case.

How often is your family in contact with the Biden administration?

WHELAN: Well, at different levels.

We speak weekly with the American citizen service folks in Moscow. My sister speaks regularly with the Special Presidential Envoy's Office. At higher levels, it's been quite a while since we have heard from them. And perhaps that means that they're working on Paul's case, but it also in this case might mean that they're not doing anything.

CABRERA: David, President Biden said this today -- and I quote -- "We won't stop until Paul Whelan and others join Trevor in the loving arms of family and friends."

[13:10:00]

In your opinion, what more can the Biden administration do to bring Paul home?

WHELAN: Well, it echoes his statement from last summer, when President Biden said that he wouldn't walk away from either Paul or Trevor's case.

And so we're hopeful that he will stick to that. But, fundamentally, it requires courage and it requires decision-making. And it requires the ability to make concessions that the Russians want. And I'm not sure that I have a lot of confidence that the current administration or, frankly, any administration has that courage or those concessions.

CABRERA: David Whelan, I know it's a bittersweet day for you. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and your hopes for your own brother. We wish him the best and your whole family as well. WHELAN: Thanks so much for having me.

CABRERA: Meantime, Russia just unleashed one of its most powerful weapons against the West.

For the first time since it invaded Ukraine, the Kremlin has totally cut off critical natural gas supplies to two European nations, Poland and Bulgaria. And it is threatening to do the same to others unless they give it what it wants. European leaders call this move a direct attack and blackmail.

Let me bring in CNN's Matt Egan.

Matt, this is sort of like a high-stakes game of chicken here that has some serious implications for global energy markets and also for really millions of people in Europe who rely on Russian energy for heating.

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Yes, absolutely.

The stakes here couldn't be much higher. And this is clearly a major escalation in this economic conflict. Let's talk about what's happening here. Sanctions by the West are really crushing Russia's economy. And so Vladimir Putin is trying to prop up the ruble.

And he decided to do that by saying, if unfriendly countries don't pay for natural gas in rubles, if they try to pay in euros, like usual, he's turning off the gas. And now, for the first time, he's explicitly carrying out that threat. This is a huge deal, because Europe really relies on Russian energy.

Just look at all these pipelines bringing natural gas from Russia to all of these different countries in Europe. These two economies, they are so intertwined. Zooming in on the two countries specifically involved here, Poland, got about half of the natural gas that it consumed from Russia, Bulgaria, 80 percent.

Prices. We saw European natural gas prices, they spiked about 18 percent overnight. They have come back down, only around 4 percent higher. That's pretty muted, given the implications here. I think that's because, thankfully, this is not happening during the dead of winter, and also because, those two countries, they don't rely on gas as much for power as some other countries in Europe.

But, Ana, that's -- all of this has clearly raised the specter of Russia potentially turning off the gas elsewhere in Europe.

CABRERA: But it's also a little bit of a gamble for Putin, no?

I mean, couldn't this have economic impacts at home in Russia as well?

EGAN: Absolutely.

I mean, if Putin overplayed his hand here, you could totally see this better, because don't forget, the Russian economy is built on other countries buying their stuff, especially fossil fuels. So here's a great stat for you; $400 million per day, that's how much money Europe sent to Russia for natural gas alone.

So, clearly, the risk for Russia is that this decision to weaponize their energy exports is actually going to speed up the loss of their best customer. And European officials are vowing to do just that. They're saying that the era of fossil fuels from Russia in Europe, that is coming to a close. And I think that this move by Vladimir Putin is only going to speed that up.

CABRERA: Yes, push them to look elsewhere for that energy...

EGAN: Exactly.

CABRERA: ... supply, instead of Russia.

Thank you so much, Matt Egan, as always.

And we have this just in. The vice president of Russia's -- at least one of Russia's largest private banks, Igor Volobuev, has quit his job and has left Russia in protest over the war in Ukraine. He says he plans to join the Kyiv territorial defense.

In a video posted by an independent Russian online publication, Volobuev says he was born in Ukraine and he couldn't live a well-fed, contented life while his father, who lives in his hometown, is being killed.

Now, by the way, his father is now safe, we have learned, but Volobuev says this war is a crime on the part of Putin and, in fact, the Russian people as well.

We are on top of all the military headlines coming out of Ukraine as well today, Russia gaining ground in the east, but it's also taking hits on its own soil. We will dig into the state of play there.

Plus, Dr. Fauci just said the U.S. is now out of the pandemic phase. So, why did he just say he's avoiding a big event in D.C. out of COVID concerns?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:18:52]

CABRERA: Russia is gaining more ground in Eastern Ukraine. Several towns and villages have now fallen.

But Russia apparently is taking its hits too. State media overnight reported three separate explosions on Russian soil, including this one at an ammunition depot. And we should note Russia has falsely claimed Ukrainian attacks before to portray themselves as victims.

But, this morning, an adviser to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy did acknowledge the depot in a statement, saying -- quote -- "Karma is a cruel thing."

And CNN's Scott McLean is live now in Lviv.

Scott, what more do we know about these explosions on Russian soil?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Ana, it seems like the footprint of this war is widening dramatically.

The first strike on Russian soil was about 10 miles from the Ukrainian border, again, on Russian soil. That's where an ammunition depot was hit. According to the Russian authorities, no civilians were hit, no residential structures were hit. And if you look at this place on the map, it's a very small village, very sparsely populated, and so that seems entirely likely.

A few -- a little while after that, another explosion was heard, this time about 75 miles or so inside of Russia. The Russians say that those explosions, though, were actually the air defense system working.

[13:20:09]

A few hours after that, though, there was a third strike, this time about 200 miles into Russia. We're not entirely clear on what exactly was hit in that case, but the city that was apparently being targeted is a hub for military and transportation. So it is not hard to imagine that this would be a potential target for any Ukrainian strikes.

Now, the Ukrainians, as you mentioned, they're not directly fessing up and saying that they did this, but they might as well be. An adviser to President Zelenskyy said that, sooner or later, some debts need to be paid and also, as you mentioned, karma is a cruel thing. And they even seemed to take a line out of the Russian -- the Russian playbook, saying the Belgorod, Voronezh -- sorry -- Voronezh and Kursk regions are now also beginning to actively study such a concept as demilitarization.

Demilitarization is how the Russians, of course, are justifying this war in Ukraine, trying to demilitarize the country because they apparently think that this country poses some kind of a threat to them.

CABRERA: And so, Scott, let's talk about what the Russians have been able to do in Ukraine, the latest cities to fall to Russian control.

Tell us about their latest advances.

MCLEAN: Sure.

So, we're talking about towns and villages in the eastern part of the country. That is where the volume of fighting has really stepped up in recent days, because the volume of Russian troops there has really stepped up in recent days.

The Ukrainians say that they have been able to repel some Russian attacks, talking about the number of tanks that they have been able to take out, the number of artillery positions and other pieces of Russian equipment. Another presidential adviser, though, said just this morning that some of the fighting that's happening in the eastern part of the country is among the most brutal battles since World War II finished.

And, again, that's because of the volume of Russian troops, he says. The Luhansk region in the eastern part of the country has taken intense shelling in the last 24 hours, according to Ukrainian sources. In fact, a hospital in Severodonetsk, according to local officials there, has just taken a hit from shelling today on -- Ana.

CABRERA: Scott McLean, thank you.

Joining us now are Major General Michael Repass, former commander of U.S. Special Operations forces in Europe, and Beth Sanner, former deputy director of national intelligence.

Beth, first, your reaction to Ukraine's losses in the east. What do these Russian advances tell you?

BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, we're just at the very beginning of this, Ana.

We have a long way to go. And weapons continue to flow in. So, while these are important, they're also very incremental. And so the Ukrainians are also taking the battle to the Russians.

CABRERA: And, General, top U.S. military officials say Ukraine will win if it gets the weapons it needs fast enough.

As Ukraine waits for some of these resources, how do they slow down Russia with what they have?

GEN. MICHAEL REPASS (RET.), U.S. ARMY: So they do a lot of things that they already have in their inventory.

They use the weapons that they have. Specifically, they use the long- range artillery that they have and also some missiles in the inventory to be able to reach deep and slow them down.

I think what's going on in the east with the attack across a broad front is, they're moving slowly and deliberately, as to not outrace their logistics lines. And the Ukrainians are perhaps moving back to more defensible terrain, trading terrain for perhaps time in this case, and certainly more defensible terrain.

CABRERA: And, General, we just reported on the three separate strikes in Russian territory, including one at that ammunition depot near Belgorod.

And while Ukraine hasn't officially claimed responsibility, again, the quote from the adviser to President Zelenskyy speaks volumes, right, when he says karma is a cruel thing.

Should Ukraine go on the offensive this way? Could this have an impact on Russia's ability to keep fighting?

REPASS: Absolutely.

Yes, they should go any offensive. They should not give Russia sanctuary to be able to do whatever they want to do, first thing. Second thing is, yes, it will have an effect, in that they're putting an operational dilemma on the Russians.

Specifically, now that these attacks have happened in Russian -- on Russian soil, they have to defend it some kind of way, either by land or by air, probably by both. That means whatever they are using to defend those critical transportation and logistics nodes is not available for use in Ukraine.

There are five battalion tactical groups across the border near Belgorod. Those units cannot be committed now, because it's very clear that Ukraine has the ability and the will to reach deep and go after Russian capabilities.

[13:25:07]

CABRERA: Beth, economically, Russia is hurting. Is Russia cutting off gas to Poland and Bulgaria a risky move for Putin, because Russia is losing money here?

SANNER: Absolutely.

REPASS: Absolutely.

I think the way that it's going to be backfiring for them is much more in that it's going to push the E.U. to move toward an oil embargo.

And oil is actually a much bigger part of Russian revenue, 40 percent of their revenue, and two-thirds more than gas. But I think it's just going to reinforce E.U. resolve to stand up to Russia. So we're going to probably see that oil embargo. And, in fact, the Bulgarians, the prime minister is in Kyiv today. And it may actually reverse their policy of not providing arms to Ukraine, because their government is divided.

I think it's going to be a lot harder for their government to stand up, the Socialists, who are pro-Russian, to say, oh, we shouldn't give arms to Ukraine, because now the Russians aren't being great friends, are they?

CABRERA: I wish we had more time today. Got to leave it there.

Thank you both so much, Beth Sanner General Repass. I appreciate your time and your expertise.

Trevor Reed's parents just spoke outside their home in Texas. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J. REED: ... United States.

So we don't know where he's going or anything yet. So...

P. REED: We have been told we won't see him today.

J. REED: Yes.

P. REED: So...

J. REED: Hopefully tomorrow.

QUESTION: I mean, as a mom, just what is going through your head right now?

P. REED: Finally, after waiting all this time, I'm going to be able to hug my kid, and put my arms around him.

I had a little bit of a panic attack when he told me he was going to spend the whole summer in Russia, so nine months, and then now it's been almost 1,000 days. So I'm just excited to see him.

QUESTION: Can you tell us about the flags you're hanging up and why you're hanging them up?

J. REED: (OFF-MIKE) either the Texas flag or a POW flag. (OFF-MIKE)

QUESTION: Thank you.

QUESTION: Thank you so much.

QUESTION: And you're expecting that -- you're not going anywhere to D.C. or anything like that?

J. REED: Well, we may be leaving this evening. But we're not sure where we're going. So...

P. REED: We're waiting for some people to come and give us the logistics of how the rest of the day is going to play out. So...

J. REED: But we will be here until at least late tonight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Late tonight. We will be here until midnight, I would imagine.

J. REED: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For sure.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) briefing or security or anything like that? Have they said anything?

J. REED: The biggest issue is his health. If you have seen any of the videos today of him getting out of the FSB van to get into the FSB jet, it...

P. REED: He looks terrible to us.

(CROSSTALK)

P. REED: As his parents, we know he does not look well. He's very thin.

J. REED: He was walking strange. And it looked like they had to help him get up in the airplane.

P. REED: Yes, he didn't look good.

So, I understand there's some medical personnel on the plane with him and they're checking him out. So that's our main concern right now. And the debriefing and all that stuff, that can come later. We just want to make sure that his health is good.

J. REED: We anticipate him going to a military hospital. So...

P. REED: Thank you. We will talk probably later on.

QUESTION: OK. thanks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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