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Biden Administration Requests $33 Billion in Ukraine Aid; U.S.: Russian Progress "Slow & Uneven" in Donbas Region and NATO Chief Warns War in Ukraine Could Drag on "For Months & Years"; "Nomad" Premieres Sunday at 10:00 PM; 2 High-Profile Russian Oligarchs Found Dead Just Days Apart; White House Announces Plan to Use Assets Seized from Russian Oligarchs to Help Ukraine. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired April 28, 2022 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00]

GEN. WESLEY CLARK, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: They either going to have to pull out of those prepared positions at the nose of the salient and race for the Dnieper River bridges, or they're going to get encircled. And then that's its own problem.

So we've got significant a military challenge facing us within the next few days. Maybe we get two weeks. That equipment that was announced last week, it's not going to be there by then. This is a really critical time.

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: We were watching closely. Thank you for laying it out and painting the picture.

Ambassador, the U.N. secretary-general said the war will only end when Russia decides to end it. Do you agree?

BILL RICHARDSON, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: Well, I would defer all the military issues to General Clark, who is also a great diplomacy everything.

My concern is the humanitarian assistance going into Ukraine. I know the secretary of the U.N. is there or has been there. And that's really important. That's really important, food assistance, refugee assistance.

And this, Ana, is where the U.N. is good. The U.N. has not been responsive on the Security Council because of the veto power of China and Russia.

But where the U.N., humanitarian assistance, especially if this is going to drag on militarily for a while, and that's what the secretary-general of the NATO is saying, and I think Wes is saying, General Clark.

So my main concern is humanitarian assistance effectively going into the Ukraine.

CABRERA: We can all appreciate that. Ambassador, nobody seems to be swaying Putin. And you do have so much

experience with high-level talks. So I wonder, do you think anyone has the power to get Russia to stop?

RICHARDSON: Well, look, I think that what is needed is some kind of intervention, diplomatic intervention. China can make a difference. India can make a difference.

I would like to see the pope with his moral influence. I would like to see a special envoy by the United Nations, somebody that can come in and talk to both sides.

It's obvious that the U.S. and NATO, Ukraine and Russia, are right now in enormous differences.

But I was hopeful, Ana, when we were able to get Trevor Reed out, private efforts like my foundation, the Biden administration.

Russia is talking at least on humanitarian grounds, on a very deserving American Marine that needs to get out, that got out, that's home. So that's a little ray of hope, a little good news that happened yesterday.

CABRERA: So how do you explain the attacks on the evacuation routes then for innocent civilians in Ukraine when it comes to Russia's willingness to do good on this one level of negotiating over the release of Trevor Reed, for example.

But then there seem, you know, cut-throat when it comes to the slightest bit of kindness to the Ukrainian people?

RICHARDSON: This is the U.N. can make a difference. The humanitarian corridors are desperately needed. And you're right, it hasn't happened.

But this is where U.N. intervention can help. The General Assembly, the various entities that the U.N., the refugee agencies, the humanitarian agencies, the World Food Program.

I think moral authority is where the international community at the U.N. and the U.N. secretary-general.

The most pressing humanitarian needs are the opening of the humanitarian corridors. And that's not happening. What I'm saying is that the U.N. can make a difference to make this happen.

And the secretary-general of the U.N. is a very able guy. And I'm hoping that that's his main agenda as he's meeting with the Ukrainian government.

CABRERA: General Clark, U.S. intelligence --

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: Please, go ahead. CLARK: Yes. I was going to come in on what the question was, because I

was -- I have greatest respect for the secretary-general of U.N. I know him. He supported me when I was NATO commander.

But the statement that he's released is actually a very dangerous thing for him to be wishing. If you could stop Russia right now and say, freeze, a lot of people would be very happy. But you would be rewarding aggression.

This is a country who has threatened nuclear war, done an unprovoked attack, taken half the territory of Ukraine, including the most valuable part of Ukraine in the south.

And if the war would simply stop and stop everything right now, and let's just talk about it, unless Russia pulls out, we've accepted a great breach of the entire rules-based international system which we've lived under for 70 years.

[13:35:01]

So we need to give support to Ukraine. They need to drive Russia out and then we get a peace agreement that maybe we can live with.

CABRERA: There's also the war crimes issue, right? General Clark, U.S. Intel leaders say they have evidence that Ukrainians were killed execution style, tortured, raped.

Today, a Ukrainian prosecutor actually named 10 Russian soldiers, named them, suspected of crimes like this in Bucha. The soldiers named were of various ranks, four privates, four corporals, two privates.

Your thoughts on Ukraine now identifying the soldiers and their various ranks?

CLARK: I think it's very important they do to identified and publicized.

This is what I'm saying, Ana. It's not just about -- as much as we all want to stop the killing, it's not just about stopping the killing.

This is an attack on the global system, as General Milley said a couple days ago on CNN. So there are huge issues at stake here, including the war crimes issue.

If you just stop the killing, do we really think that Russia is going to say, OK, you can have the soldiers and bring the trial? Of course not. They're going to deny it. So this is all wrapped up in this enormously complex problem.

In the whole post-war era, we've never had a nuclear-armed state deliberately, unprovoked, launch an attack on a neighbor like this with the intent of eradicating the country.

So we've got to do more than stop the killing. We've got to stop the process that enables a nuclear-armed state to invade a neighbor and try to destroy it. CABRERA: Ambassador, final thought?

RICHARDSON: Well, look, I think the general has been very accurate. Now, again, I think there's more we can do to help the people of Ukraine. Humanitarian-wise, the corridors, food, medical assistance, refugees.

And here's where I think the international community, through the United Nations, can make a difference.

I know the situation is very dire. But I also think it's important that we focus on Paul Whalen, an American Marine still in detention in Russia, and Brittney Griner, who is there also, the basketball player.

And you can't forget those issues too. We have to bring our hostages home. And that requires a discussion, a negotiation with the Russians, as we did with Trevor Reed. That's what I'm concentrating on.

So that's a reason I'm not expounding on the expertise of my good friend, General Clark. Because I have to deal with the Russians on some of these issues.

And so does many other entities that are trying to get these two individuals released.

CABRERA: I can appreciate that. And I think we can all rejoice on the release of Trevor Reed and the good work you did as well as others who were involved in that.

Thank you so much for what you did there. Your efforts and for joining us today.

Ambassador Bill Richardson and General Wesley Clark, as always, I appreciate you both.

[13:38:20]

Since Putin's invasion began, countries around the world have been going after super-rich Russians, sanctioning their yachts, their homes, vast fortunes. But something else is mysterious going on here. Some of these high-level citizens have been found dead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:43:28]

CABRERA: In a time of major division and polarization in the U.S. and around the world, the universal threads that connect us can get overlooked.

Carlton McCoy is shining a light on that. The all-new CNN original series "NOMAD," with Carlton McCoy, is a journey of food, music, art and culture.

Carlton is a classically trained chef, master sommelier, and a seasoned traveler who is at home everywhere, from his grandmother's kitchen to the top restaurants in the world.

Here's a preview of Carlton's recent trip to the suburbs of Paris.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARLTON MCCOY, CHEF & HOST, "NOMAD": Julian is the creator of French string food magazine "Free Cut." A founder of Family first, a food- focused creative agency that pairs big brands and mega stars with bold new concepts.

We could have gotten the best table at any fancy restaurant in Paris but, instead, he wanted me to try his mom's home cooking.

He's a troublemaker.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

MCCOY: You can tell.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here's to, that moment.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome.

MCCOY: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

MCCOY: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

MCCOY: OK, what's in the inside?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

MCCOY: Black mushroom.

Is this quail egg?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Quail egg.

MCCOY: Beautiful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is -- this is --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cow tongue. Cow tongue. (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

MCCOY: From the sugar cane shrimp or cow tongue to green papaya salad, this is a true Vietnamese family style meal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[13:45:00] CABRERA: And joining us now is the host of "NOMAD," Carlton McCoy.

Good to see you.

Good to see you. Thank you for having me.

CABRERA: That looks delicious, for one. Two, it looked like you were having fun. And I'm looking forward to seeing more. Such a small peak.

So people get to know you a little bit more. You grew up in southeast Washington D.C. And you learned to cook at your grandmother's house.

MCCOY: Yes.

CABRERA: And straight out of high school, you got a scholarship to the Culinary Institute of America.

MCCOY: Yes.

CABRERA: And then you've since become only the second African-American to get this prestigious title of master sommelier. How do you think all of those experiences prepared you for this journey you're about to embark on?

MCCOY: I think I was raised with a deep admiration and respect for food culture. And as my career allowed me the resources to travel, that became a really easy way to enter people's culture and to open people up to explore the way they lived.

And coming from southeast D.C., which is a pretty impoverished part of our culture in our country, this is all new to me. And it's sort of, within me, built an appetite for learning how people live in the world, and how different it was from the world that I grew up in.

And since then, I've just been doing that, just trying to explore these sorts of cultural pillars in the way in which people interact.

CABRERA: I always think about food being a source of comfort.

MCCOY: Yes.

CABRERA: You know, something that's nurturing, and something that connects. Even though there's such vast differences in vultures and types of food. Right?

MCCOY: Yes. Well, it's one of these things I realized, if you go to a place and people see that you admire and respect their food culture and you know enough about it, they open their doors up to you and they open their hearts. And they'll connect to you like family.

I mean, how many meals I've had in people's homes, at their table when I don't even speak the same language, but we connect over the meal because it's something that I think, on the human level, we can all connect to and understand.

CABRERA: So we showed that clip out of Paris. MCCOY: Yes.

CABRERA: A little outside of Paris.

Tell us a little bit more about what we might see in that episode or what you want people to take away from it.

MCCOY: That scene I was just watching, it made me smile. It was, unexpectedly, it's a pure story of that family. You know, that family, look at that scene. You wouldn't think you were in Paris.

That family is a multigenerational Parisian family. She came as a refugee from Vietnam and built this home for her family in the outskirts of Paris. And that's what we want to explore.

I've spent a lot of time in Paris. We started to realize that the demographic makeup of Paris has changed dramatically over the last 20 years.

And it doesn't discount what currently exists there. People still walk around with baguettes and braids. But there's another part of the culture that we wanted to explore, and to put on the stage for people to see.

A lot of that, that culture is being brought in from a lot of immigrant groups that are now Parisians.

CABRERA: Well, you're opening our eyes and our minds and our stomachs, too.

Thank you so much --

MCCOY: Thanks for having me.

CABRERA: -- for being here, Carlton. Good to see you.

Catch the series premiere of "NOMAD," Sunday night at 10:00, only on CNN.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:52:32]

CABRERA: The former bank executive who fled Russia to fight with Ukraine is questioning the mysterious death of at least one high- profile Russian oligarch and his family. He said he doesn't believe it was a murder-suicide like Russia claims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IGOR VOLOBUEV, FORMER GAZPROMBANK V.P., LEFT RUSSIA FOR UKRAINE (through translation): I think he knew something. And he must have posed some sort of risk.

His job was to deal with private banking. That means dealing with VIP clients. He was in charge of very large amounts of money.

So did he kill himself? I don't think so. I think he knew something and that he posed some sort of risk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: CNN's Tom Foreman joins us now.

Tom, there have been a couple of high-profile Russian deaths in recent days. What are you learning?

TOM FOREMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, not a lot. Because they are mysterious. Vladislav Avayev died in Moscow in a high-rise apartment that he had there. He was found dead with his wife and daughter, all by gunshot wound.

But this is in Moscow. The chances of getting information out of the police there are going to be extremely, extremely limited.

Sergey Protosenya died in Spain, in the Catalonian region in the northeastern part of that country, sort of on the coast there, also with his wife and daughter.

The Spanish authorities are investigating there. So if we're going to find any real answers, it is probably more likely here.

But you're right, Ana, this is something that has occurred before. People who were very high placed in the Putin administration, in the kleptocracy of Russia, suddenly wind up on the outs for some reason. Then they wind up dead.

Is that what happened in these two cases? We don't know.

But with all the lack of transparency from the Russian government, it may be a while before we know.

CABRERA: You can't help but wonder.

FOREMAN: Yes.

CABRERA: Let's talk about now what the U.S. is doing. The Biden administration doubling down on efforts to target Russian oligarchs and their wealth. Tell us more about that.

FOREMAN: Yes. They are introducing new legislation here. They are pushing through the ideas of saying, look, the government, what we need to do is beef up the Kleptocapture Task Force.

This is something we probably never would have even heard of a few months ago.

But basically, all of this worldwide effort for the Justice Department, Treasury Department to go after the assets of very wealthy Russians out there, who have made their assets by propping up the Putin government and, you know, using the government for their personal enrichment. [13:55:00]

They want to go after sanctioned Russians. They want to streamline the process of seizing their high-value assets.

For example, like this yacht that was seized off the coast of Spain earlier this month, a 255-foot yacht, worth $90 million.

They want to seize this stuff faster, sell it faster, and then use that money to fund the Ukrainian resistance and rebuilding.

CABRERA: Tom Foreman, thank you for that reporting.

FOREMAN: You're welcome.

CABRERA: That does it for us. I'll be back tomorrow at 1:00 Eastern. You can always follow me on Twitter, in the meantime, @AnaCabrera. Thanks for being here.

The news continues right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)