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Nancy Pelosi Makes Unannounced Trip to Kyiv; Finland and Sweden Weighing Option to Join NATO; Multiple Explosions in Odessa on Saturday; U.S. Lawmakers Hold News Conference after Kyiv Visit. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired May 01, 2022 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Paula Newton live in Atlanta.
And we begin with an unannounced visit to Ukraine's capital by a group of U.S. lawmakers led by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy just posted this video to his social media accounts. It shows Pelosi meeting a delegation of congressional Democrats to meet with President Zelenskyy in Kyiv.
Pelosi says the visit is a message of solidarity with Ukraine, saying, "Our commitment is to be there for you until the fight is done."
To the south meantime, a glimmer of hope perhaps is emerging for those trapped in the city of Mariupol. After weeks under siege and numerous failed evacuation attempts, around 20 civilians did manage to leave Saturday.
Russia did release a statement, saying 46 people had left residential buildings adjacent to the steel plant. Whether that's in addition to the 20 or someone is miscounting, we, at CNN here, can not confirm either way. That's just a tiny fraction of the thousand still stuck in that city.
Meantime, missile strikes hammered southern and Eastern Ukraine on Saturday. In Odessa, witnesses reported hearing several explosions -- and that's significant. Ukraine's military also confirmed that the runway of Odessa's airport had been destroyed. Zelenskyy vowed to rebuild.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We are restoring electricity supply, communications, water supply and gas supply. We are doing everything to return normal medicine, educational services, access to financial institutions. We are restoring roads. Of course, there is still a lot of work ahead.
The occupiers are still on our land and still do not recognize the apparent failure of their so-called operation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: More now on that unannounced visit to Kyiv. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is the highest-ranking U.S. official to travel to Ukraine since the war began. Matt Rivers is in Kyiv.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It has been about one week now since we saw a senior U.S. delegation coming to Kyiv. At that point it was U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin coming to meet with President Zelenskyy and his administration.
This time it is a U.S. congressional delegation led by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. She was joined by several other senior members of Congress. And we found out about this visit from a tweet from President Zelenskyy.
He tweeted out a video of the meeting. You see Speaker of the House Pelosi joined with other members of Congress, greeting President Zelenskyy.
They had meetings together in which Zelenskyy was quite effusive in his praise for the United States, thanking the United States for its continued support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, calling the United States a, quote, "leader" in that support.
Meanwhile, we heard from Speaker Pelosi in that meeting. Here's a little bit of what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER: We believe that we are visiting you to say thank you for your fight for freedom, your great frontier of freedom and that your fight is a fight for everyone. And so our commitment is to be there for you until the fight is done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIVERS: So really, that's just Speaker Pelosi continuing the show of public support from President Biden. It was a few days ago President Biden requested $33 billion from Congress in additional support for Ukraine.
It would be a mixture of humanitarian aid as well as heavy weaponry that Ukraine desperately needs and has been asking for, for a long time, in its fight against Russia.
Of course Pelosi will play a major role in shepherding that request through Congress, turning it into a legislative package that eventually President Biden would sign. And that would send that weaponry to Ukraine and make President Zelenskyy extremely happy.
Interestingly, this trip was a little different than the last senior delegation to the United States in that it followed the normal security norms we are used to. When these VIP trips happen to areas deemed high-risk in a security way.
[05:05:00]
RIVERS: Generally what happens is the meetings are announced after they take place.
That is what happened here. Of course, that didn't happen last week when the U.S. Secretaries of State and Defense came here. President Zelenskyy actually announced they would be coming. Speaker of the House Pelosi said her congressional trip will continue in Poland, where she's expected to meet with that country's president.
NEWTON: Thank you for that. And we are awaiting a press conference from Nancy Pelosi shortly. We'll bring it to you as soon as we have it.
Right now we want to bring you up to date on Finland and Sweden, who are seriously considering the option of joining NATO, which would infuriate Russia. Last month Finland's prime minister said her country's decision on NATO membership would be made within weeks, adding Finland alone would increase the border Russia shares with NATO by 1,300 kilometers and pose a serious threat to Moscow.
On Friday, leaders from Finland and Sweden held a joint news conference, saying they have been talking with each other as they weigh their options on whether to join the alliance. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PEKKA HAAVISTO, FINNISH FOREIGN MINISTER: Finland and Sweden have been in close contact during the whole crisis and will continue to discuss and keep its others informed. Sweden is our most important bilateral partner.
Concerning the process going on, it would be very important that Sweden and Finland would make the decision in the same direction and in the same timeframe while fully respecting the independence of our decision-making.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: For more on this I want to bring in the former prime minister of Sweden, Carl Bildt, joining me now from Stockholm.
Thank you for being with us, as you have a very strong view on this right now. You're saying adding Finland and Sweden to NATO will transform European security. And you know what I'm going to say, that it was precisely NATO expansion that has antagonized Russia.
And before you discount that, what do you think this sets up for the decades to come? It might set up not just a cold war in Europe but a very hot one.
CARL BILDT, FORMER SWEDISH PRIME MINISTER: That is all going to depend on Mr. Putin. The decision you can expect from Finland and Sweden within the next few weeks is clearly a consequence of the fact that he's decided to invade a sovereign European country.
That means that every European country now has to consider its security. That is a question of defense spending but for Finland and Sweden, consideration of security orientation and joining NATO.
It is only together that we can stand up to this sort of bullying and invasions that seems to be part of the Putin policies.
Consequences, well, we're going to have a fairly difficult security environment, to put it mildly, in Europe until Mr. Putin, until there is a significant change in Russian policy. As long as we have leadership in the Kremlin that uses military power to expand its reach and to bully and control other countries in the vicinity, the environment in Europe is going to be very difficult.
We can handle that better by working together within the European Union, needless to say, which is going to be more important as a security partner but also with the military alliance and with the United States through NATO.
NEWTON: But you do allow it risks escalation. We saw that Finland and after centuries of history and the last few decades, has found a way to be up against Russia there but not in fact antagonize the situation. This would be a whole new ball game.
BILDT: Yes, but we're -- we have no intention of provoking Russia in any sort of way. If you look at Norway, which has a smaller border with Russia, allegedly, I acknowledge that, but very close to very sensitive Russian military installations, the largest concentration of nuclear power or nuclear weapons they have in the north, Norway has managed to combine a policy of reassurance and deterrence against Russia.
And I think you will find that Finland and Sweden will try to do that, have that combination. At the same time, Swedish membership in this particular case will a backbone to the defense of the three Baltic states, which I think will be a contribution to the stability of Europe as a whole.
NEWTON: And I think a watershed that you even had Finland and Sweden say they would do this together. So much has changed in little more than two months.
I also want to talk to you about the marked policy shift from the United States. Defense Secretary Austin saying in Ukraine that the goal now seems to be to weaken Russia's military capacity.
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NEWTON: I ask you, could this further divide the U.S. and Europe? There are some differences. France and Germany already said last week that they're not comfortable with this kind of posture coming from the United States.
BILDT: Well, to weaken Russia is an obvious goal at the moment, it's a tactic is one. That's why weapons are being sent to Russia and sanctions have been imposed.
But the ultimate goals are the ones that lay down a resolution, for example, by the U.N. General Assembly, that the statements by the European Union, Russia must leave Ukrainian territory. That's it.
That is the stated and that is the obvious goal of the policies that are being pursued. Then there are a number of different subcomponents of that. And that include necessarily weakening the potential of Russia to continue its aggression. That's fairly obvious that that has to be part of the policy to achieve the aims that have been set forward in the resolution of the General Assembly.
NEWTON: I know NATO has already gamed this out. But if Russia continues to say, as the U.S. and allies continue to arm Ukraine in more lethal ways, that military pipeline, they say that's fair game.
What happens if Russia actually does strike those supply lines?
And I'm even talking about a supply line within NATO borders.
BILDT: Yes, as you indicate, they are already striking supply lines inside Ukraine. That's part of ongoing war. We should be aware of the fact they will do that even more. Whether they will take the further step of making military attacks on NATO territory, that would be a very grave step indeed.
And exactly what NATO and the U.S. will do, that's something I don't really know. But I think they're aware of the fact that would take the conflict to a whole different level. We can only hope there will be such changes in policy wise and otherwise in Moscow that they understand that they are losing and on a dangerous track.
I don't see that happening at the moment. But we must keep insisting on that. Back to what the United States and everyone else has called for, leave Ukrainian territory and have peace between Russia and Ukraine.
NEWTON: And it's clear that you feel that should be done from a position of strength, which you think means NATO expansion.
But to go back to my earlier point, you are saying that, even if this escalates and perhaps NATO borders come into play, you still think it's worth the risk to stand up to Russia right now.
BILDT: Absolutely. We have no choice. If you understand after Russia, you lie down. And we've seen in the brutal pictures coming out of Ukraine, what that could mean. That is the very clear message coming out of the Russian action. And that is why you see this dramatic shift in public opinion first in Finland then in Sweden and this very significant change in the security architecture of Europe, which is will be when they join NATO.
NEWTON: As I said, it risks not just a cold war but a continued hot war in the middle of Europe. Carl Bildt, thank you so much. We appreciate your insight.
BILDT: Thank you.
NEWTON: As we mentioned, Russian missiles have again struck Odessa. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has the latest for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Strikes on Odessa have been intermittent since the war began, targeting often military infrastructure. And the one we've just seen, no exception, hitting the airport, apparently its runway.
And it's unclear where they originated from. There have been images of Russia putting submarines and launching missiles in the Black Sea. We've seen Russian ships off the coast, one key one hit and destroyed recently.
So a lot of Russian activity to try and pressure Odessa. The broad issue, many people, a Russian speaking city of over 1 million will be asking themselves, is this the prelude for a wider assault on that city or a bid to pressure it and keep Ukrainian military officials guessing as to what Russia's goal along that Black Sea coast is?
They did say that the move toward the Black Sea coast would be part of a wider bid to control that area. But they've been trying that for months and they've failed. They failed to get past the first city, Mykolaiv, in multiple bids over the past months.
What is the current sudden push we're seeing from Russia aimed at?
Is it West toward Odessa?
Or is it a distraction?
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WALSH: Are they coming for here, Kryvyi Rih, the economic hub, the hometown of President Zelenskyy of Ukraine?
Or are they headed east to join up with the offensive that Russia's been pushing hard there as well?
You are hearing air raid sirens behind me, not uncommon. No explosions tonight. But a broader sense of concern here in this quiet but well- populated central city that something is brewing to their south. We're seeing villages change hands fast and Ukraine pushing back at times. But certainly concerns that Russia's goals are in this direction.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Our thanks to Nick Paton Walsh there. We mentioned earlier that there are still hundreds of people inside
that Mariupol complex. Ukraine says about 20 civilians managed to leave. Russia said 46 had left. It's not clear what the different numbers may represent.
But either way, it's just a tiny fraction of the thousands still stuck in that city. Earlier, my colleague, Isa Soares, spoke with a Ukrainian lawmaker and asked what's next for those still inside that battered city.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DMYTRO GURIN, UKRAINIAN MP: I'm very, very pessimistic about relocation from Mariupol, which is the golden ballot in Russian propaganda. They all this 80 years, they decide that Mariupol is a Nazi nest. And they decided to destroy this Nazi nest.
And all the time they said we are opening humanitarian corridor, all this time is lie. After the general secretary of United Nations came to Russia and then came to Ukraine. And the main reason was Mariupol and the situation is in Mariupol. They, yes, made this for 20 people.
But I am really pessimistic about all the other people in Mariupol, more than 1,000 civilians, and our army.
ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're talking about what we've heard about inside the Azovstal steel plant, where the Ukrainian commander tells us 20 civilians have been evacuated. So you're saying that you are pessimistic of further evacuations for the remainder of the civilians inside that steel plant, is that correct?
GURIN: Yes.
SOARES: Do you know whether they're going to try again today?
GURIN: We are trying day by day. We are trying to locate people. We are trying to have this deal with Russians every day, every day. And it doesn't work. They don't want.
SOARES: And what does that mean?
We've talked about the civilians.
Do you have details about what this deal entails?
Do we know what will happen to the soldiers, including the wounded soldiers?
Are they even part of this evacuation plan, Dmytro?
GURIN: Of course we want to locate all the wounded soldiers and the civilians. That's understandable. Most of the civilians are families of Ukrainian soldiers. And after Bucha, we know what will happen with them if they will be captured. These women, these children, they will be raped and they will be killed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: OK, we will continue to cover our breaking news. We are awaiting a press conference by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from Europe, from Poland, just after her visit to Kyiv. Stay with us, we'll have more after the break.
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NEWTON: And we want to bring you straight to Poland. You see there Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, who will tell us about her trip to Kyiv. Let's listen in.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER: Mr. McGovern, who is a champion in the Congress. Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Adam Schiff. Chair of the Intelligence Committee, (INAUDIBLE), subcommittee (INAUDIBLE).
Congressman Bill Keating (INAUDIBLE) as well as members of the Armed Services Committee, Intelligence and Armed Services.
And the veterans who have brought that experience to this country (INAUDIBLE).
Our delegation has the solemn opportunity, the great honor to meet with the president of Ukraine yesterday. Our discussion centered around the subject at hand as would you suspect. Security, humanitarian assistance, economic assistance and eventual rebuilding (INAUDIBLE).
We are proud today to have a message of unity from the Congress of the United States, a message of appreciation from the American people for his leadership and admiration for the people of Ukraine for their courage.
And we continue their engagement in Poland, we will be thanking the Polish government for their hospitality and more than that to refugees and to learn (INAUDIBLE). What more needs to be done (INAUDIBLE). Our conversations with President Zelenskyy and our colleagues will address.
It is with great sorrow that we come here but with great pride. We leave with a fuller (ph) understanding of what needs to be done with a deeper appreciation of inspiration from those who are in this fight and, again, a resolve to move quickly to pass legislation and initiatives that President Biden put forth.
We're very proud of our president, his experience as a member of (INAUDIBLE) Foreign Affairs Committee for a number of years and the Vice President of the United States and now president. He knows the challenges in the fight against democracy versus
oppression and autocracy. And he has unified, he's been a force for unity as well as in the United States and with that (INAUDIBLE).
REP. JIM MCGOVERN (D-MA): Thank you very much. I'm really honored to be here in Poland. I have Polish on my mother's side (INAUDIBLE) Ukraine. My wife's family is half Ukrainian on her mother's side. It was a special visit.
And I just want to begin by saying that President Zelenskyy is an inspiration. And so are the people of Ukraine. And all of us stand with them.
I want to thank Speaker Pelosi for being the first official CODEL to Kyiv and I'm grateful for her long-term commitment to democracy, human rights and freedom.
Putin's cruel war is no longer only a war against the people of Ukraine. It is also a war against the world's most vulnerable. And Ukraine, as we all know, is basically the bread basket of the world, growing wheat, maize, sunflower oil, so many other things, to countries all around the world, especially in Africa and in the Middle East.
It provides important food to relief organizations, the United Nations' World Food Programme. And all of these organizations are dedicated to trying to prevent an increase in hunger. And yet this war, Putin's war, is exacerbating hunger all around the world with deliberate targeting of food supplies --
[05:25:00]
MCGOVERN: -- that resulted in great pain in Ukraine and around the world. Food prices have risen. Energy prices have risen and that, in turn, means hunger is on the rise.
What kind of person does that?
In Ukraine, we talked to President Zelenskyy about the importance of providing assistance directly to Ukraine so that he has the ability and the flexibility to provide what is necessary to people in need, whether they are internally displaced, whether they are in the most conflicted areas, whether some families are in Ukraine and some in Poland, whatever the situation.
Making sure they have the flexibility is important. I think that's the message that we all agree with.
We also continue to fund our international aid organizations like (INAUDIBLE) programs. And we must find a way to help Ukrainians establish a humanitarian corridor to have the world allowed them to ship food by sea to help the poorest people in the world, so they don't go hungry.
Our dear friend, Chef Jose Andres, one of the leaders of World Central Kitchen, (INAUDIBLE) all the time that food is love. And it's not a weapon in war. It is a fundamental human right to every single person on the planet.
And I don't think Putin cares (INAUDIBLE). He obviously has no (INAUDIBLE) human suffering. (INAUDIBLE). Let me just finish with this. There is good and evil in the world. And we have seen the goodness in Ukrainian people. We saw the goodness in President Zelenskyy and in so many others.
And here in Poland, helping the refugees and helping provide peace of mind to people who are fleeing violence. We've seen the good in our own country, with young school children raising money to help make sure people are fed. (INAUDIBLE).
But we've also seen evil. Putin's war is evil. The war crimes, the targeting maternity hospitals, the massacre of people, that is evil. And (INAUDIBLE) young school children are raising money to help make sure people are fed who are fleeing the violence.
But we've also seen evil, Putin's war is evil. The war crimes, the targeting of maternity hospitals, the massacre of people. That is evil. And at the end of the day, we all believe that (INAUDIBLE). So I'm honored to be on this trip.
And, again, I want to thank Speaker Pelosi for her courage in leading it.
REP. GREGORY MEEKS (D-NY): I also (INAUDIBLE). This is my second trip to Poland within a month. And it is an indication of the dedication of (INAUDIBLE) that we in the United States Congress, the unity that we bring, that we're going to stand by President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people.
This is a time when history is recording what we do and what we don't. This is a time when we stand up for democracy or we allow (INAUDIBLE) to (INAUDIBLE). And meeting with President Zelenskyy, he gave us a message of thanks to the people of the U.S., of American, to President Joe Biden, (INAUDIBLE), saying thank you for the unity.
And that's the message that people (INAUDIBLE) the unity between the United States and our NATO allies, our E.U. allies and our allies (INAUDIBLE) significant and (INAUDIBLE).
And we'll also join those or ask those who have not yet come together to join us, to make sure that we understand that unity means (INAUDIBLE) sanctions that will even show the world that we stand by right as opposed to evil. And it's not going to be easy. But if we stand in that unified manner, as we have been, good will overcome evil.
And he talked about how (INAUDIBLE). He was pleased that we passed a number of bills recently.
[05:30:00]
MEEKS: Particularly, seizure and assistance and, of course, lend and lease. He called that out immediately upon arrival. He also indicated that the House Foreign Affairs rededicated seven bills, passed this summer, moving forward to try to get them in front of the president to sign.
We'll continue to (INAUDIBLE) our efforts to demonstrate and (INAUDIBLE) our unity with the people of Ukraine, our unity with the United States Congress and our unity with our allies.
And I'd like to bring forward the chair of the Intelligence Committee, Chairman Adam Schiff.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA), CHAIR, HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Thank you.
And thank you, Madam Speaker, for organizing this. I'm honored to be with you and (INAUDIBLE) as well.
Last night we had a three-hour meeting with President Zelenskyy and his leadership team. We discussed sanctions and how we could strengthen them. We discussed weapons and how we could increase the supply so Ukraine could defend itself against Russian aggression.
We discussed economic assistance, including assistance for humanitarian assistance and what we could do and the rest of the world could to support Ukraine.
This is a struggle of freedom against tyranny. And in that struggle, Ukraine is on the front lines. The whole freedom of the whole world has an interest in the outcome of this war and ensuring that Ukraine is victorious.
And we are determined to do everything in our power to make it so. On the Intelligence Committee, we are particularly proud of the role that good intelligence had played in supporting our Ukrainian allies. We had good intelligence prior to the war in establishing Putin's plans and missions, in stripping away the pretext and demonstrating his naked aggression by this war by Russia.
That intelligence cooperation goes on. We are determined to make sure that we provide good and timely information to Ukraine to allow it to defend itself.
We are in awe of what Ukraine has been able to achieve and the courage of the Ukrainian people. And we express our gratitude to President Zelenskyy for his personal courage and that of all his country. It is really extraordinary.
We are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and we will until victory is won.
Now it's my great pleasure to introduce Representative Jason Crow of Colorado.
REP. JASON CROW (D-CO): Thank you, Chairman Schiff.
Thank you, Speaker Pelosi. And as a combat veteran myself, with three areas of focus, weapons, weapons and weapons. We have to make sure the Ukrainians have what they need to win. What we have seen in the last two months is their ferocity, their
intense pride, their ability to fight and their ability to win if they have the support to so. We had an exchange of ideas with President Zelenskyy and the senior leaders about how we can bet do that, how to continue to get the ammunition to them, the fuel, the weapons they already have, how do we change the nature of our support and give them new and more advanced weaponry to meet the next phase of this battle.
And how do we train Ukrainian military and soldiers to use those new systems while they are also simultaneously fighting.
And we had a great exchange of ideas and I look forward to returning to Washington to work with my colleagues and put those into action. One thing is really clear, this delegation and President Biden have made very clear with his most recent aid package request, it is a historic request that we're going to push hard in the U.S. Congress to help pass.
And it sends a very simple message. We not interested in stalemates. We are not interested in going back to the status quo. The United States of America is in this to win it, in Ukraine until victory is own. Thank you.
And now my pleasure to introduce my friend, Barbara Lee, from California.
REP. BARBARA LEE (D-CA): Thank you very much.
[05:35:00]
LEE: Let me first thank our Speaker for her tremendous leadership and for her courage and for bringing this delegation together on behalf of the American people.
As you heard, we stand with the Ukrainian people until freedom is won, until this war is won and, in fact, as chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, we want to make sure that we send a signal to the Ukrainian people, that our U.S. tax dollars are going to ensure that democracy prevails and that Ukraine prevails, the people of Ukraine.
And in that context, we now, as you've heard, are looking at moving forward with the $33 billion request, which the president has put forward, to support our military and security assistance for the Ukrainian people, for humanitarian assistance for the United Nations agencies, for our Treasury Department, all of those agencies within our federal government that are moving forward to support the Ukrainian people in this very devastating bloodbath of Putin.
This is a moment in history, it's a defining moment, quite frankly, whether or not the world goes forward with our democratic principles or moves backwards, which is what Putin is attempting to do. But that's not going to happen.
We're going to do everything we can do within our power and, fortunately, serving as the chair of the subcommittee, we have an opportunity to really drill down now with our partners in Ukraine and in Poland to make sure that the resources are targeted, to make sure that the light does outshine the darkness.
So I want to thank Speaker Pelosi, all our members and thank the Ukrainian people for showing us the strength and resilience and what it means to fight, to fight, to fight, to make sure that freedom and justice and democracy prevails.
We're going to stay there until, as everyone has said, and we have witnessed freedom is won.
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Next, let me bring forward now, Mr. Keating from Massachusetts, who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee -- and Armed Services.
REP. WILLIAM KEATING (D-MA): I just want to thank Speaker Pelosi for her leadership. And once again, making sure the world knows, as well as Ukraine knows and Poland knows, where the United States stands and, importantly, where they'll continue to stand.
Yesterday, this side of the border, we met with leaders with incredible courage. These are leaders who did not have military uniforms on. They were humanitarian leaders, international leaders and leaders from Ukraine, who, every single day, are risking their lives to help other people.
They detailed to us the horrors of the hidden and silent casualties that are actually numbering in the several millions right now in the greatest migration since World War II. Their stories were appalling, about the brutality that they were facing, the Ukrainian people were facing.
[05:40:00]
KEATING: They told us about the war crimes and how important it was that we pass the $33 billion plan that was forwarded by President Biden. And we know that everyone standing here and in Congress on both sides of the aisle are ready to do just that.
I want to salute Polish contribution, their human contribution. I want to salute those brave people that we never see, that never don a uniform and risk their lives every day for their work.
This is an unprecedented moment. And it's a moment showing great strength and humanity and values. And the values of the West will win this. I want to thank our delegation and the Speaker, making sure the world doesn't question for a second the solidarity of the transatlantic bond that's there, that extends even beyond NATO and will continue into the future.
Thank you all. Thank you all.
PELOSI: Thank you, my colleagues, and I'm pleased to take a few questions. We'll begin.
Thank you, my colleagues. We're pleased to take a few questions if you want to begin.
You want me to make this pronunciation correct?
Let me try. Isetta la Dorsia (ph).
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) what's come to your attention the most during the (INAUDIBLE)?
What's come to your attention the most?
PELOSI: What's come to my attention the most, one thing we did know is that the courage of the Ukrainian people was something so remarkable. I would say that our conversation with President Zelenskyy was no surprise.
But not only his courage and his leadership but his detailed knowledge of every subject we brought up, into how the best way was to get food, as, as a security measure, as an economic measure for the country, as a strategic measure as well, was really -- his knowledge and his knowledge of detail was dazzling, as was as it came to weapons, I think you would agree.
He was conversant back and forth and Mr. Crow, Jason Crow, a veteran himself and member of the Intelligence and Armed Services, had very specific questions and we made great progress because of that.
When it came to sanctions, which is Mr. Meeks' committee largely, he had very positive suggestions to make and understood the refinement here and there. I don't want to say that we were surprised that he understood it, it was dazzling to go from one subject to the next and including intelligence, which is a very important part of our discussion and how -- and how we go forward.
So it was a remarkable master class of leadership on the part of President Zelenskyy. And that's the most recent. We look forward to continuing our conversations in Poland and in gratitude to the Polish people and Polish government for their more than hospitality to the Ukrainian people coming into Poland.
OK. Here we go. I better take this thing off.
OK, Myra.
QUESTION: So I have a lot of questions. But --
PELOSI: We don't have a lot of time.
(LAUGHTER)
QUESTION: I mean, we have a lot of other questions.
QUESTION: Do you have any timeline along the $300 billion (INAUDIBLE).
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
QUESTION: How are you going to deal with (INAUDIBLE) European Union, specifically on sanctions?
Do you think the European Union is supposed to actually put the back on the (INAUDIBLE) and what the United States is ready to do to help Europeans?
And third --
PELOSI: Is that OK with the rest of you?
(LAUGHTER)
PELOSI: We're just going to have a certain number of questions.
QUESTION: -- specifically of Russia using chemical and nuclear weapons.
What do you think, if that would happen, what United States and what are NATO supposed to do.
PELOSI: With all -- which is your preferred question?
(LAUGHTER)
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
PELOSI: Let me just start with the first one. It isn't $300 billion, it's $33 billion, which is an enormous amount of money. We are very proud of the $13.6 billion that we have sent. And we're down to the last drop of that.
[05:45:00]
PELOSI: So under the leadership of the Appropriations Committee, which (INAUDIBLE) is a leader, we are already writing the bill for the $33 billion for weapons, for security, for humanitarian assistance and for economic assistance.
We are very proud that that is on top of what we have already done in terms of sanctions with stopping the purchase of Russian oil, stopping the normal trade relations with Russia, as Mr. Meeks mentioned.
Lend-lease, which we passed this week, which the president will sign shortly and the -- I call seize and freeze of assets that, when they thaw, they'll be used to rebuild Ukraine after victory.
The -- again, let's see someone else ask about unity and if not we'll come back to it as well as any threats of a bully like Putin in terms of use of unconventional weaponry.
With that, we'll go to Josh Feininger (ph).
That's so easy.
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
PELOSI: My colleagues, any (INAUDIBLE) you want to chime in on any of these questions, please do.
QUESTION: I have a two-part question but there's somewhat related to what you just heard. The first, the sausage-making piece of this, there seems to be bipartisan agreement that's needed. But it's already getting kind of wrapped up in various debate over the, you know, COVID relief and immigration.
And how do you make sure it doesn't get bogged down in this typical inertia?
And the other question has to do with rhetoric. And we're now sending far more in the way of weapons. Secretary Austin's comments the other day about degrading the Russian military.
And where is the line?
I guess we don't know.
How far is the U.S. prepared to or can go to prevent provoking something far worse?
PELOSI: When you say provoking something far worse, you mean...
QUESTION: A response from Russia.
(CROSSTALK)
PELOSI: I don't -- let me just speak for myself on the second part. Do not be bullied by bullies. If they are making threats, you cannot back down. That's my view of it. That, you, we're there for the fight. And you cannot, you cannot fold to a bully.
Yes, I mean, this is called legislating, that you have other proposals that may want to get on the engine that they know is leaving the station. And we do have to pass our COVID legislation. And we will do all of it.
Whether we do it together, which is my preference, we'll see. But it will not bog down the process.
Barbara, did you want to speak to that?
LEE: Well, we're in the process, as the Speaker said, of actually writing the bill right now. And the negotiations will take place, well, are taking place as we speak.
But I think what's important is to recognize, as the president has put forward the $33 billion and so much of that is desperately needed. Now we intend to out of that look at a little over $1.5 billion a month to help with the shortfall that the Ukrainian government is faced with. And so there are many components of this bill that require us to move
very quickly as the Speaker said. We're negotiating and that's how democracy works in America. So we don't know the outcome. But we certainly know we're going to stand with the Ukrainian people.
PELOSI: And soon.
LEE: And soon.
PELOSI: Any other comments on bullies?
(LAUGHTER)
SCHIFF: On that subject of bullies, your question about potential escalation, let's not forget here: Russia invaded Ukraine. Ukraine is defending itself. And Russia seems to be saying, if the United States, if the rest of the world dares defend Ukraine, the situation will escalate.
We're going to defend Ukraine and there is a great deal obviously at stake for the Ukrainian people. But there's a great deal at stake for everyone.
If Putin can succeed in invading his neighbors and get away with it, what is it that will stop him at Ukraine?
He has demonstrated his designs with Georgia, Moldova, perhaps with the Baltics and elsewhere, here in Poland obviously there are the most paramount concerns. And so this is, first and foremost, about Ukraine but it is not only about Ukraine.
It is about a dictator in the Kremlin, making war like it is World War II all over again, with a massive invasion of his neighbor. And he must be stopped.
[05:50:00]
SCHIFF: And we're prepared to provide Ukraine with all necessary to stop and end this war.
MCGOVERN: He asked a question about whether or not what we're saying here is provocative. The reality is, Putin has provoked all the things that we are talking about here today.
As Adam Schiff pointed out, he's the one who illegally and, in an unprovoked way, invaded Ukraine. And I think the better question is whether the world will hold him to account because he has crossed many lines.
He has committed war crimes. He has targeted maternity hospitals. He has engaged in mass killings, which we have now documented. And the United States and other countries around the world need to be supportive of preserving that evidence.
And the question that should also be asked is whether the world will hold him to account for his war crimes because, if we don't, the likelihood of him or someone else doing the same thing increases. And so, so we want this war to end.
We want the killing to stop. And, again, the implications of this war are not just about what's happening to the people of Ukraine; as I pointed out, it's what's happening to the people of the world.
I mean, he is exacerbating a hunger crisis on this planet. We all should be deeply concerned about that.
And so, you know, we need to hold him accountable, once this is over with. You know, I support the International Criminal Court holding him accountable. We obviously support them. But he's the one who provoked this. This is Putin's war. And what we are doing is we are standing up to a bully.
MEEKS: And that goes with what the unity piece is. What Putin did not count on was us being involved. And he's seeing unity now like he never dreamt would happen. He thought that he could (INAUDIBLE). He hasn't been able to do that. He has utilized his Russian propaganda all around the world with misinformation with the goal to divide us.
It has not happened and it will not happen. So when we talk about sanctions and, yes, we're going to increase some and bring it together, not just one nation but all of us collectively.
And we will review -- and that's what we talked about also, what thus far has been successful and what we need to do to put more pressure on. So nothing is going to decrease. Everything is going to increase, pressure from the outside, pressure from the inside.
There is nowhere for him to go. We're going to continue until he, Putin, surrenders.
PELOSI: Since we have spoken about this with the president and others, addressed the question about the unity of the NATO countries and what happens if Putin tries to do something unconventional in terms of weapons.
MEEKS: Well, I think, Madam Speaker, you said it all. If he does anything in regard to unconventional weapons, dealing with anything like chemical weapons or any kind of strategical (sic) nukes, all bets are off.
We're not going to back down to a bully. Sometimes bullies keep talking. But if they cross, he knows he's going to have to face the consequences. He needs to know that. There is no backsliding or backing up. That's not going to divide us. It will only bring us closer together, to make sure that we repudiate him and stop his aggression.
KEATING: If I could just mention, our allies, European Union is in the process of, what I term the mother of all sanctions. They are in the process of blocking Russian imports of gas and oil, the most crippling thing that Russia could ever see.
And they're doing it in a methodical way so that the price doesn't spike and Putin doesn't profit in the interim. So that shouldn't be criticized. That's just common sense. That's great sacrifice by our allies on so many other things. It affects their lives, what they're doing every day.
We're doing the same in the U.S. So we're as strong as we could ever be, I think, at any time, historically, when we have two countries that never joined World War II, engaging on the effort themselves, in Switzerland and Sweden. And we have two nations that might choose, on their own accord, to join NATO very shortly.
PELOSI: The next question is from Martin Krasny.
[05:55:00]
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) 5,000 U.S. soldiers (INAUDIBLE) NATO (INAUDIBLE) should be -- could be established in eastern Poland (INAUDIBLE).
CROW: Yes, so, before the invasion there was about 80,000 U.S. military personnel stationed throughout Europe on a permanent and a rotational basis. We have plused that up to about 105,000. We have surged in an additional 25,000 forces.
And what we've seen from NATO is we've gone from four battle groups to now eight battle groups. So a very firm commitment by NATO to increase the presence.
What we're going to have to do, back in Washington, is figure out what does that enduring presence look like, both in terms of the overall troop number but also the distribution of those forces and what it's likely to look like --
NEWTON: OK, we were just listening in to a press conference in Poland with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. lawmakers there.
Of note, Nancy Pelosi was just in Kyiv and when asked about provoking Vladimir Putin, she said, you do not, you are not bullied by bullies. If they are making threats, in her words, you cannot fold to a bully.
Of note as well, those U.S. legislators saying we're not interested in a stalemate. We're here until this war is won.
And that wraps it up for this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. The press conference continues and we will bring you that late breaking news out of Ukraine. But for now, for our international viewers, "MISSION AHEAD" is next.
If you are watching in the U.S. or Canada, our breaking coverage continues with "NEW DAY," with Amara Walker.
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