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Shanghai Further Tightening Lockdown Measures; Russia Marks WWII Victory Day As It Wages War On Ukraine; Police Officer Stabbed In Jerusalem; Russia Bombs School Shelter; G7 Pledges Support to Ukraine; Justin Trudeau Visits Ukraine; Philippine Presidential Elections Underway. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired May 09, 2022 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. I'm Isa Soares live in Ukraine with the latest on the war here. As this country continues to defend itself against an unprovoked invasion, its neighbor and attacker, Russia, celebrates Victory Day.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: And I'm Rosemary Church at CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta following other top stories. Polls are open, now it's up to voters in the Philippines to choose their next president. We will take you to Manila for the latest.

SOARES: Welcome to the show everyone. It's 9:00 a.m. here in Ukraine, but all eyes are on Moscow where Russia's annual Victory Day parade is about an hour or so away. And this is video from rehearsals from Saturday, the holiday marks the defeat of Nazi Germany during World War II. But today, under really the shadow of a new war in Europe, the event has taken on ardent (ph) significance.

Western leaders, as well as analysts have warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could use this holiday to make a major announcement about the war in Ukraine. The Victory Day celebration in Moscow of course come one day after Ukraine marked its own day of remembrance with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accusing Russia of failing to learn the lessons of World War II.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODOMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translation): Russia has forgotten everything that was very important to the victors of World War II. But Ukraine and the whole free world were reminded so that no one would forget. So that really important words never again, which are repeated all over the free world, every year on the days of remembrance of the victims of World War II regain their weight again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, based on video released on Sunday, a Russian deputy prime minister has visited Mariupol. That's the country's highest ranking official to set foot there since the war started. The southern Ukrainian port city, as you've been seeing, has been decimated by weeks of bombardment.

And now it's almost entirely under Russian control except right here, inside the sprawling Azovstal steel plant. That's where a group of Ukrainian soldiers are still hold up refusing to surrender and vowing to fight to the death. Meanwhile, many of the civilian to spent weeks sheltering alongside those troops are now back in Ukrainian-held territory.

The Red Cross said Sunday more than 170 evacuees from Azovstal as well as the city of Mariupol as a whole had arrived in Zaporizhzhia. And remember, we told you yesterday, roughly at this, time about the Russian airstrikes on a school in the Luhansk region where people were sheltering. Dozens of people are dead. Sam Kiley spoke to some of those who survived the nightmare.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This for Vladimir Putin is what a modern Russian victory looks like. Dozens dead or missing from a Russian air strike on a Russian-speaking village as part of a Russian campaign that Putin says is to protect his kinfolk in Ukraine.

The rescuers are saying the heat is overwhelming. Local authorities fear about 60 people died here. This was a school in Bilohorivka in eastern Ukraine. Villages were sheltering in its basement. Some had been there for weeks. Survivors were left with little but grief. We asked if his family had been with him. His mother didn't survive.

(On camera): It is not lost on anybody here that on the eve of Vladimir Putin's celebration of the Soviet victory in the second world war over Nazi Germany, it is civilians who are suffering the most in the name of Vladimir Putin's denazification of Ukraine, a country with a Jewish president.

I got slammed down by a slab, bent into a ball, then another explosion small rocks sprinkled darkness. Then I looked, and the dust settled and a ray of light appeared. Sergey (ph) crawled out and then he dug me out, dug Uncle Tolya (ph) out, dug Aunt Ira (ph) out. We crawled all in a fog, he said.

[02:05:00]

Ukraine has stalled Russia's plans for conquest, so the Kremlin added strategic sites like oil supplies to its target list and stepped up its air strikes against civilians in eastern Ukraine, this week hitting a residential block in the strategic city of Kramatorsk.

Ukrainian politicians refer to Putin's campaign ideology as a fascist creed they call (inaudible). Speaking soon after the latest air strike, he said, they shoot prisoners, they torture women and children, they rape, they loot. They go step by step towards Naziism.

Such explanations for what is happening here don't really answer the painful question, why. Sam Kiley, CNN, Bakhmut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOAARES: Heartbreaking piece there from our Sam Kiley and team. Well ahead of Russia's Victory Day celebration, G7 leaders met virtually with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to show really their ongoing solidarity as well as support for Ukraine. They also issued a rather scathing statement accusing President Vladimir Putin of bringing shame to Russia with his war on Ukraine.

For more on this, I want to bring in CNN's Nic Robertson who has joined me from Helsinki, Finland. And Nic, give us a bit more on what they said in the statement from what I saw on the last hour. Pretty scathing. What did they say?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, they really sort of foreshadowing and overshadowing if you will, President Putin's Victory Day speech expected in an hour or so from now, saying that President Putin is dishonoring the memory of all the Soviet citizens, civilians and Red Army soldiers who died in the Second World War, 20 million or so died fighting Nazism. But Putin has picked on this to make it a Russian victory, rather forgetting the European involvement and pitching it as a victory of a Nazism, which is how he pitches his fight in Ukraine.

So that is an overshadowing statement. And overshadowing as well the resolve of the G7 to continue to support not just in the short term with military and immediate financial aid, but in terms of rebuilding of Ukraine and support for the government so it can continue to pay the sort of daily bills that come up for any government in particular at this time.

And the address that Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave the G7 leaders was one that was, again, compelling and asking them for the leadership and support at this time. But also talking about the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine which is what he and Ukrainians will fight for. And that pledge from the G7 continues to support with that.

And no coincidence that it fell on the day, on the 8th of May, yesterday. Victory in Europe day, when all European nations celebrate the victory over Nazism at the end of World War II with the Nazis unconditional surrender. Russia, of, course chooses the 9th of May, a different day.

SOARES: And it wasn't just, Nic, from what I understand, just a show of solidarity, but they also committed to phasing out Russian oil. I mean, how realistic is this?

ROBERTSON: Well, they framed it in an interesting way. To do it in a timely and orderly way, which tells you that there wasn't a specific or tied down on a date. We know that the European Union has decided to end Russian oil imports, which is hugely significant because of the amount of income.

That means, Russia, on a daily basis, about a $1 billion a day in terms of oil, in terms of money going to Russia from the European Union for oil. The European Union has said that it aims to do that by the end of the year, but there are holdouts. We know Slovakia has an issue with that. We know that Hungary says that it won't do it. So that is all in contention there.

But at the G7, we know Japan, for example, that at import about 3.1 or 3.6 percent of its oil imports come from Russia. They have committed to ending oil imports. So, it's uneven for the different G7 nations to be able to do it. But this commitment is there now. And that's significant, because it means less money going to Russia.

SOARES: Nic Robertson for us in Helsinki, Finland. Thanks very much, Nic. Well, U.S. First Lady Jill Biden is now the latest high-profile really American to visit Ukraine. She crossed into the country from Slovakia meetings. You could see there with Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska, on Sunday.

[02:10:01]

This is the first time Mrs. Zelenska has been seen in public since the war began. They met at a school that now serves as a temporary housing for displaced Ukrainians. The White House says Mrs. Biden will meet with the president in Slovakia later today and then head back to the United States.

And in another show of solidarity, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a trip to Ukraine to meet with President Zelenskyy on Sunday. During his visit, Mr. Trudeau announced that Canada will supply more military aid to Ukraine and reopen its embassy in Kyiv. Meantime, American diplomats returned to the U.S. embassy in Kyiv for the first time since the war in Ukraine began. They timed their visit on Sunday to commemorate Victory Day -- victory in Europe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTINA KVIEN, ACTING U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: When Secretary of State Blinken was in Kyiv last month, he told President Zelenskyy that our team would return to the capital city promptly. So, today, we are here to make good on that promise. And, it really is great to be back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: The State Department says this was not an official reopening of the U.S. embassy, but a step in the right direction. Here with me now is a familiar face, of course, Mike Bociurkiw joins me now. He's a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and a former spokesperson for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Mike, well, great to have you with us here on this day that really all eyes clearly on Moscow.

We are expecting to hear from Putin in the next hour or so. Let me pick up really from where we left off. Canada opening an embassy in Kyiv. How significant is that? What is the message of that convey you think?

MICHAEL BOCIURKIW, SENIOR FELLOW, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: Sure. Thanks for having me. Well, as a Canadian, I'm very happy that that's been happening because I've been calling for it for quite some time. You know, Canada is a middle power and it has historically projected itself to be very strong. Trudeau has famously said the world needs more Canada and, yet, our diplomats were one of the first to leave Kyiv and one of the last to come back.

But of course, symbolically, it's good that Canada is showing its support to the Zelenskyy government. Canada was after all one of the first western countries to recognize Ukrainian independence. Zelenskyy, I think has told western leaders if you are going to come all this way don't come empty-handed.

Trudeau did come with some, you know, offers of ammunition and that sort of thing, but it's out of sync with what the Ukrainian (inaudible) leaders are calling for, attack helicopters, anti-ship weapons, tanks, that sort of thing.

SOARES: But, the message really is to the outside world and indeed to Russia, this will not, this war that you are waging on us will not stop us from our presence here. It won't stop our presence. That is how you interpret that message.

BOCIURKIW: Right. Yes, yes. That business will continue on and, you know, it's really important, too, because this allows our diplomats as well as other diplomats who have opened to interact with the Ukrainian government and with stakeholders, what is really needed now is assessment work to be done.

Where exactly for example is the humanitarian needs? Where should they be directed and also what kind of weaponry? So, that is very difficult to do over Zoom calls. So, the diplomats have to be on the ground

SOARES: Let's talk about the humanitarian need because this is something I'm hearing more and more often from officials here, from the deputy mayor, because obviously we have seen millions of people flee Ukraine, about 7.7 million are displaced and this is a big concern.

BOCIURKIW: Yes. We had an Atlantic Council called -- panel rather a few days ago, and the deputy prime minister (inaudible) made it clear is that the west has to be a lot more kind of calculating in terms of what kind of humanitarian aid it gives.

We also had some aid workers and they gave pretty horrific stories of how the bottlenecks are affecting their operations. The cost of containers and stuff like that are very high. But I think the big need right now from what we've heard and I guess last week on here was housing for IDP's them.

OARES: Yes.

BOCIURKIW: And the hardening thing to say that it's happening right now, there are a lot of Ukrainians helping Ukrainians, local NGO's that have taken matter into their own hands and are building housing, but also stimulating the economy in places like (inaudible) by buying locally, sourcing locally, even getting IDP's to work to help build housing. SOARES: Have -- do you think that, you know, the attacks we've seen

on infrastructure, on supply here, has that had an impact on the movement of goods, on the price of wheat and so forth?

BOCIURKIW: Well, in terms of rail (inaudible) is awesome in terms of rebuilding rails d stuff like that, but some of the delays are actually man-made. I had contacts go to the Polish border yesterday. They tried to leave Ukraine. They counted a queue of (inaudible) kilometers long because the Polish customs are now insisting that everything be checked and x-rayed. So that is creating a new set of bottlenecks.

SOARES: Right.

BOCIURKIW: But in terms of supports and abilities to get (inaudible) to a lot of Russian bombardment on silos and on infrastructure, which is going to have a big ripple effect on the world of economy. It already is. And also on the Ukrainian economy.

[02:15:03]

SOARES: Of course, that's very important. We are waiting to hear obviously from President Putin, obviously. What is the sense, from your perspective, what we might hear?

BOCIURKIW: Well, on one end of the speculation spectrum is that President Putin will declare victory. That is it, we're out of here. We will hold on to what we have. I don't agree --

SOARES: Do you agree? Do you think that's going to happen?

BOCIURKIW: No I'm more on the other side of the side of the assessment given what Mr. Putin has said, given his tremendous ego, given his age as well. He wants to leave a legacy and his, I think, bottom line, is to take over that entire country of Ukraine and then some.

But I don't think you'll be able to do that. So I think what they're going to do is hold on to the Donbas, but increase their footprint there. And then secure that crucial land bridge between mainland Russia and then Crimea and of course with Mariupol being in the middle.

SOARES: So really an extension of this, was a protracted (inaudible) is what we're looking at how you think?

BOCIURKIW: As long as they have the ability, the firing of those long range missiles, cruise missiles, the ones that are able to strike distant cities like Lviv. That is my big worry right now, with the Ukrainians not having the capability to control their skies, they need western technology. And one great way to do that, the Russians will still have the ability to do that strike wherever they please including on rail infrastructure.

SOAKERS: Of course, Michael Bociurkiw, you and I will be talking throughout the next few hours. Thank you very much. And it was a doggone good day for one Jack Russell Terrier in

Ukraine's capital. On Sunday, Mike and I were talking about this a few minutes ago. Patron became a national hero for his work with the country's bomb disposal team. He's credited with uncovering some 150 munitions during his time on the job.

President Zelenskyy honored Patron and his owner with an award gave a reward for their service to Ukraine on Sunday. During the meeting, you can see there with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He's very cute indeed.

Now, just ahead, millions of Filipinos are heading to the polls to pick their next president. We'll be joined by a Philippine journalist and Nobel Prize winner Maria Ressa to discuss how countries the election.

After some progress in letting Shanghai's residents escape the confines of lockdown (inaudible) officials are tightening restrictions once again. We'll have a live report from Beijing just ahead. You're watching "CNN Newsroom."

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[02:20:00]

CHUCH: Welcome back everyone, I'm Rosemary Church. Voters across the Philippines are choosing their president for the next six years. She is also the author of the growing book, how to stand up to a dictator. The race pits the current vice president against the namesake son of the country's controversial former dictator. Maria Ressa joins me now to discuss the election. She is the CEO of the online news site "Rappler." She's been a journalist in Asia for more than 25 years including working as CNN's bureau chief in Manila. And last year, she was one of two journalists who won the Nobel Peace Prize with the committee citing her efforts to expose growing authoritarianism in her native Philippines. She's also the author of the upcoming book, "How to Stand Up to a Dictator." Maria, a real pleasure to talk with you again after so many years. Thank you for being with us.

MARIA RESSA, CEO AND PRESIDENT, RAPPLER: No, thanks for having me, Rosemary. But Rosemary, one thing, it's now 36 years. This is my 36th year as a journalist. And fittingly, you know, I came in at the tail end of a Marcos and now we're coming back full circle it seems.

CHURCH: Exactly. Thank you for clarifying that. We appreciate it. And of course, the Philippine presidential elections are now underway with the Marcos family hoping to return to power. And that could very well happen if the polls are to be believed.

Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos, Jr. is the son of the nation's former ousted dictator. So, if he wins, what would he bring to the table and what would that mean for the country?

RESSA: Well, I think first, if he wins, this will show not just Filipinos, but will show the world the impact of disinformation on a democracy. Part of the reason that he has led in the statistical surveys is because as early as 2014, "Rappler" has documented information operations. Disinformation networks that have in plain view, changed history. That's the first step.

The second, what does he bring? He has campaigned on his father's track record, which, if you think that 36 years ago, his father was chased out in a people power revolt. Now, the namesake comes in and says, you know, my -- he actually, when he launched his campaign, used his father's song, which brought up nightmares for human rights activists.

But, you know, now seems to work. And part of the reason that is, is because in plain sight, we were able to see the shift. Historical revisionism, a denial of the past, and this is -- his campaign is on unity when ironically, the information operations (inaudible) has brought him forward, has actually targeted his opponents, has ceded meta narratives that are lies and -- you know, when -- if when he wins, he will determine the future of this country, but simultaneously, it's passed.

CHURCH: Yes, and Maria, Marcos' closest rival is Leni Robredo. Does she have any chance of beating Marcos? And what are the main voter issues that are driving this election right now?

RESSA: I think the first thing you need to see is that statistical survey -- these elections will show whether statistical surveys actually work. Especially in a country where disinformation, where Facebook is where people get their information, where this is for the six years in a row, Filipinos have spent the most time online and on social media.

Repeating history, it's another Marcos against another widow. Except this widow is a lawyer, has a track record as a legislator, is the former vice president.

[02:25:04]

And, at the end of February, right around the same time as Ukraine and Zelenskyy, Leni Robredo seemed to have sparked inspiration in a way that we haven't seen since 1986. And since them, you're seeing hundreds of thousands of people coming to her campaign rallies. Whether it's happened, -- it will happen in enough time to affect the vote. That is what we'll see in the next few hours.

But the last thing I'll say is, that whatever happens next, this country has never been here before. The kind of volunteer spirit that Leni Robredo has sparked that in order to get out of social media, there are volunteers going house to house. That has never happened in the Philippines.

And again, what did she did bring to this? I think a track record, a solid track record, a human rights background. Her campaign is full of platforms versus say Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., who is campaigning on unity.

CHURCH: And Maria, a large portion of the 67 million eligible voters in the country are expected to turnout for this election. Millions showing their enthusiasm by lining up before dawn. But some problems have already been reported. What more are you learning about that and what level of turnout do you think will be seen in the end, do you think?

RESSA: So, as you know, this country has a high voter turnout, 75 percent is normal, right. But this time around we've seen, but partly because of the pandemic, voting hours have been extended. The machines that we're using, so the Philippines had the first automated, fully automated end to end elections in 2010, globally.

The machines we are using are old and so far, the kind of failures so far are still seemed to be within the statistical margins for the machines that we're using. It's going to be the level of violence, whether people can get to vote. It's going to be the count that will come in quickly. By this time tomorrow we'll have an idea of who will be our next president.

But there's more than that. There are more than 18,000 government officials that are being elected now. So, I hate to say it's a wait and see.

CHURCH: It is most definitely. And I know you will be watching this very closely as will we. Maria Ressa, an absolute pleasure to get your analysis on this. Many thanks for joining us.

In Hong Kong, Chief Executive Carrie Lam just met with her newly confirmed successor, John Lee. Lee was selected on Sunday as the city's next leader by members of a Chinese government vetted committee. In a short statement, Lee said there are major tasks that need to be accomplished before he takes office on July 1st including finalizing plans of government reorganizations, and COVID-19 policies. He did not provide specific details about those changes. Unidentified Participant^

Well, on Sunday, China reported more than 4,200 new COVID-19 cases. The majority were in the hard hit city of Shanghai, which has been coping with a crippling lockdown, which officials are now tightening even further.

And for more on that, I'm joined by CNN's Steven Jiang. He is there in Beijing. Good to see you, Steven. So, Shanghai residents have already been under lockdown for more than a month, and now authorities are planning to tighten those restrictions even more. What does that mean exactly? And what more are you learning to about more mass testing that is now expected in Beijing where you are?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Rosemary, things in Shanghai really took a rather ominous turn after the country's supreme leader, President Xi Jinping made clear late last week that he was not only sticking to a strict zero COVID policy, but also demanding officials to, in his words, resolutely fight with any doubts, distortion, or rejection of this policy.

And that's exactly what has happened since especially in Shanghai where we're seeing officials increasingly adopting military campaign style with tactics to not just to contain COVID, but also of course prove their loyalty to Xi Jinping.

And that's why we are seeing a growing member Shanghai residents now being re-sealed into their homes after the authorities actually eased off lockdown restrictions for a few days in districts without positive cases.

That's also why we are seeing a growing number of residents including the elderly and those who are sick with other illness is being forcibly removed from their homes and sent to a hastily built quarantine camps with horrific conditions.

And that includes not just only positive cases but, in many cases, people living on the same floor or in the entire building.

[02:29:58]

So, all of that, obviously, very unnerving to already very jittery population. Including workers who are forced to live on factory floors to resume production.

In one viral video, we see dozens of workers at Quanta. This is a major supplier to Apple and Tesla in Shanghai. Dozens of workers overwhelming hazmat suited security guards and trying to vote over factory gates to escape because they had learned there might be cases, positive cases among the workers.

So all of that, of course, is really weighing heavily on the Chinese economy, disrupting global supply chains but also of course, taking a very heavy psychological toll on millions of Chinese across the country, including people here in Beijing. Even though there is still no citywide lockdown, even though the daily case count is still in the dozens. The authorities here have been ramping up restrictions as well.

Especially in Chaoyang District, the city's biggest and where we are located. We have been, of course, ordered to work from home and they are also shutting down all non-essential services and suspending most public transportation not to mention the incessant mass testing you mentioned. I just took my ninth test in the past two weeks early this morning. And officials have made clear this is going to be a requirement to access most public places if and when they reopen. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Very difficult situation for so many people there. Steven Jiang, many thanks. Appreciate it.

Well, soon, the Russian president will give a major address on what could become a pivotal day for Russia, Ukraine and the Western allies. We will talk about what he might say, and how this could affect the war. We're back in just a moment.

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[02:35:00]

SOARES: Welcome back, everyone I'm Isa Soares. In less than an hour, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to address his country from Red Square and the world will be closely listening to what he says about Ukraine. Russia is celebrating its annual Victory Day which marks the Soviet Union's triumph over Nazi Germany in 1945.

A military parade is expected to get underway in Moscow very soon. These images looking at are from rehearsals on Saturday. While on Sunday, President Putin addressed the breakaways, Republican Eastern Ukraine and reportedly said he was confident that "As in 1945, victory will be ours."

Let's get more on all of this and what we can expect. Carl Bildt is a former Prime Minister of Sweden, which is considering applying for NATO membership. He is with us from Stockholm this morning. Carl, very good morning. Thank you very much for joining us. I had a quick look at your Twitter a few minutes ago and I said that you said this about -- you said this, I'm going to quote. He said -- let me (INAUDIBLE) that President Zelenskyy had a very dramatic scenery for his very strong speech today. I think President Putin tomorrow will look very different.

What exactly did you -- do you mean by that? What are we expecting to see and hear from your vantage point from Putin today?

CARL BILDT, FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF SWEDEN: I think we are see -- we're going to see him in connection with tanks and soldiers in large numbers. President Zelenskyy yesterday was standing in the middle of the devastated part of key that had been destroyed. And it is usual outfit. I think President Putin is going to try to present power, trying to increase his propaganda, wrap up the rhetoric in order to install some confidence in the Russian people that things are going to work out all right, which increasingly, it's -- obvious he's not.

SOARES: But this is something that we hear, Carl, pretty much every year. This sort of propaganda image of power and military might, it is -- we've been hearing it for years. Do you think that he will declare, officially war in Ukraine or double down on mobilization efforts?

BILDT: I think he will, clearly. He will have to double down because if you see what's been happening during this war, I mean, he lost the battle for Kyiv, the initial one, that was mostly been fairly painful. The second phase, the south and east hasn't made much headway at all during the past few weeks.

SOARES: Yes.

BILDT: So, either he would have scaled down extremely unlikely, or he must double down. And then he must double down on -- I think on war efforts, on the propaganda against the West, against Nazis, against Ukraine. And double down also against the repression internally in Russia in order to keep the situation under control. He's in position long term, and he can only escalate in order to try to get out.

SOARES: And I suspect is not just a show of fanfare for the West or -- and his own people, but also P.R. exercise for his troops, no doubt.

BILDT: Well, yes. And for the domestic consumption, I mean, he's, the Russian -- will suffer quite a lot of pain due -- because of this. And he could motivates them, he will shore up domestic support for it, and that humans do by increased propaganda, increased rhetoric against the West, and increased repression as well. I mean, they go hand in hand. You can't do without -- to which extent he will go for full mobilization.

All remains to be seen, I doubt that. But clearly, he is now mobilizing for the military forces in order to bring (INAUDIBLE)

SOARES: So, if he does double down, do you think are the West and its allies are prepared to go even further in terms of sanctions? Because we saw the U.S. yesterday announce promise, of course of Kremlin- controlled -- sanctions against Kremlin controlled media country companies. Where do you think -- how far is the West prepare to go here?

BILDT: I think -- I think the West is prepared to go. But I don't think that's (INAUDIBLE) the sanctions no doubt has a long term. What is immediately necessary is the weapons deliveries to sustain the ammunition and weapons to the Ukrainian forces, because weapons are -- particular munitions are expendable. And a lot of it has been consumed already. So, that's going to be the key.

It's going to be divided -- decide on the battlefield and our will of the United States and of Europeans to sustain our deliveries or weapons and ammunitions of war material and financial support to Ukraine is going to be absolutely grateful. Sanctions are important but that's a long term.

SOARES: That's a long term. The short term is that kind of military aid and financial aid as you're pointing out to Ukraine. Let me ask you about NATO expansion here. How quickly do you think that Sweden and Finland will asked to join NATO? Would that escalate perhaps further escalate tensions?

[02:40:09]

BILDT: I don't think it will. Tensions are very high as they are we have the war in Europe. We can be very much close to that. I think we can expect for spending in Sweden to declare their intention within little more than a week. There are political protests on the way in both of our countries that are different processes but highly parallel. So, when that has happened, there will be a sort of a process inside NATO to have the negotiations.

And often that has been complete but I don't think that will take too much time. Ratification in the member states.

SOARES: So, a little more than a week. We shall keep an eye on that. The former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt joining us from Stockholm. Thank you very much, sir. Appreciate it.

Now, here in Ukraine, a World War II: veteran feels there is little really to celebrate. 97-year-old Ivan Lisun soon fought for the Soviet Union in Poland, Belarus and Germany. It was even decorated for his courage fighting against the Nazis. Now his beloved home has been destroyed due to nearby Russian attacks. He is having to rummage through the debris to see what he can recover.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN LISUN, WORD WAR II SOVIET ARMY VETERAN (through translator): Right now we are on the grounds of my old home. I was born and raised here by my parents. At the moment, as you can see, I'm trying to rebuild my life here after bombardment.

I feel really bad now. Because I served in the Soviet Union for seven years, defending whose homeland Russia's or Ukraine's. What's happening now is more shameful than before, since Putin's command. When he became president, everything got even worse. How can you humiliate people like this?

What can I say? I'm very worried. I don't sleep at night. Since 2014 when this mess started, I felt it back then.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Powerful words there from the Army veteran. Lisun says he's currently staying with his daughter at the neighbor's house nearby. And I'll be back at the top of the hour with the latest developments of course in Ukraine.

After the break, our Rosemary Church has more on the day's top news stories including the latest on an Israeli police officer who was attacked in Jerusalem on Sunday. That story just ahead. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:46:00]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. An Israeli border police officer was stabbed in Jerusalem on Sunday. Police say the suspect is a Palestinian who was living in Israel illegally. CNN's Hadas Gold has the details.

HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This incident took place at the Damascus Gate which is one of the main entrances to the Old City of Jerusalem for Muslim worshippers to reach the holy sites there. And it's often a flashpoint between Israeli forces and Palestinians. On Sunday evening, Israeli police say a 19-year-old Palestinian man approached a police post near the gate with a knife.

And police say when they approached him for questioning, he stabbed a 24-year-old officer in the upper body. Police say they opened fire hitting the man. And both men were taken to the hospital for treatment.

Earlier on Sunday, Israeli forces announced they had caught two Palestinian suspects alleged to have carried out a deadly terror attack on Thursday night in the Israeli town of El'ad. The suspects who police say killed three and seriously injured at least four others with a gun and an axe were caught in a forested area not far from the town where the attack took place. Israeli officials said hundreds of forces were involved in the three-day manhunt, which used everything from drones to DNA technology.

Now Israeli Palestinian tensions have soared over the past month and a half or so. Thursday's this attack was the sixth such attack targeting Israeli since last March, bringing the death toll to at least 18. And as a result, Israeli forces have set up raids and what they say are counterterrorism operations in the West Bank where at least two dozen Palestinians have been killed.

And regular clashes at Jerusalem's holiest site, the Al Aqsa Mosque compound also known as the Temple Mount, have inflamed tensions near the boiling point that helped spark last year's 11-day war between Hamas militants and the Israeli army. Hadas Gold, CNN, Jerusalem.

CHURCH: And there was more violence in the region on Sunday. Palestinian and Israeli authorities said a 17-year-old Palestinian man was shot and killed. It happened at an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Israel Defense Forces say the man had a knife and he was shot by a civilian after he entered the settlement.

Well, at least 30 people are now confirmed dead after Friday's explosion at a Cuban Hotel. Rescue workers continued searching the hotels ruins in Havana on Sunday. Officials have said survivors may still be trapped inside. And some two dozen people who escaped the wreckage have been hospitalized with injuries. Cuban authorities say a gas leak is thought to have caused the blast at the hotel Saratoga.

And we are following the mysterious deaths of three Americans staying at a resort in the Bahamas. CNN has learned that another American a woman who got sick at the same property according to a Bahamian official is now in a Miami hospital in serious condition. Her identity has not yet been released. Foul play is not suspected in the three deaths, although police are still investigating.

And coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM. It was a star-studded debut for Formula One racing in Miami. Up next. All the glitz glamour and speed from the track. We're back in just a moment.

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CHURCH: Welcome back. Well blazing sun and speed for the first time ever. Formula One is racing in Miami. At least one driver calls it the Super Bowl of Formula One. With stars like Tom Brady and a former first lady in attendance. CNN World Sports Amanda Davies was at the track and has the details.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: For all the A-listers here in Miami, lucky enough to have got their hands on the hottest ticket in town. Max Verstappen made sure to remind everyone who is the real star of this show at the moment. The defending world champion driving with all the confidence of a man at the top of his game. Stealing the lead from his championship rival Charles Leclerc to claim his third victory of the season despite a less than perfect race to build up.

It is the man from Ferrari still leading the way though in the standings. So, what did the two team principles make of it after the race? I spoke to them to find out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIAN HORNER, PRINCIPAL OF THE RED BULL FORMULA ONE TEAM: I thought it was going to be a tough one to win but, you know, Max, the crucial part was first of all to start, managing to split the Ferraris and then he just hung with Charles and was able to look after that right front tire and then make the pass and then really control the race. You know, from that point he was fully in control and then unfortunately the safety car brought them right back together.

And then it took a while to break the DRS which was very powerful here. But, you know, no mistakes and he managed to bring it home. So, it was -- a great a great one.

DAVIES: But perhaps not the win that you're hoping for but how do you assess it as a day?

MATTIA BINOTTO, PRINCIPAL, SCUDERIA FERRARI TEAM: As you said, I've seen starting on the first show you are always hoping for a better result. And not winning is always somehow disappointing at that stage but being disappointed for a second and third place is great. But the -- I think it will be a great battle from now to the end of the season. I hope that we can be part of the fight.

[02:55:07]

BINOTTO: We'll certainly be determined, try to improve our car as much as we can. And starting from Barcelona.

DAVIES: Two wins in two. Is this the momentum back in family and your camp?

HORNER: No. There's a long, long way to go. And you can see -- it's really fine margins with Ferrari and another great fight with them today.

DAVIES: And after such a positive start to the season, and they're such a sense of confidence within the team. What is the feeling now? Do you feel the momentum has maybe shifted a little bit away?

BINOTTO: No, I don't think so. After five races, we are still leading both championship, both Drivers' and Constructor. And I think that we should be very happy with that one. The battle is very close. So, we are in the fight, we are really determined to improve the car and hopefully already in Barcelona, we can be closer.

DAVIES: And finally, overall reflections on the first race in Miami and the Reception the Formula One's received.

HORNER: It's been a great event. It's been, you know, a huge event. And it's great to see the American public really, you know, buying into Formula One and getting excited about it. And, you know, they put on a show like no other and, you know, it was a good enough race today. And looking forward to coming back in a few weeks to Montreal, Austin later in the year and of course, Las Vegas next year. (END VIDEOTAPE)

DAVIES: On the ground, it's difficult not to have been swept up in the excitement of this moment for Formula One. This city so used to hosting major sporting events, has certainly put on a show. But from Miami and the newest race on the calendar, a real contrast. Up next to one of the oldest Barcelona and the Spanish Grand Prix for race six. Amanda Davies, CNN, Miami.

CHURCH: And thanks for your company. I'm Rosemary church, Isa Soares will be back with more news after the break. As we prepare for the start of the Victory Day parade in Moscow. We're expecting Russian President Vladimir Putin who you see there to speak and we will of course bring that to you. Stay with us. You're watching CNN.

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