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Ukraine's President Set to Address G7 Leaders; G7 Leaders to Try Capping Price of Russian Oil; Heavy Russian Bombardment on Eastern Ukraine Front Lines; Demonstrations in DC for and Against Abortion Rights; Abortion Rights Advocates Demonstrate in Los Angeles; Many States Moving to Ban Abortion in Wake of Decision. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired June 27, 2022 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: It is Monday, June 27th. We are now four months into Russia's war on Ukraine and what Moscow thought would be a quick take over has turned into a grinding conflict that has displaced millions and killed thousands.

Now after countless pleas for more weapons, sanctions and Ukraine's president is asking global leaders to do more as he addresses the G7 meeting in Germany expected as early as this hour.

Well, as day two of the summit gets underway, leaders are looking for ways to step up the pressure on Moscow while also trying to soften, of course, the economic fallout. But their unity is being tested. Leaders are now facing political blowback at home as the prices for energy, food and other goods surge. On Sunday U.S. President Joe Biden urged allies to stand strong and confront those challenges head on. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The entire world is feeling the impact of Russia's brutal war in Ukraine and on our energy markets. We need worldwide effort to invest in transformative clean energy projects, to ensure the critical infrastructure is resilient to changing climate, when democracies demonstrate what we can do, all that we have to offer, I have no doubt that we'll win the competition every time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is urging the U.S. and other allies not to falter when it comes to supporting Ukraine. Warning that the consequences of a Russian Victory could be catastrophic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: This is something that America historically does and has to do, and that is to step up for peace and freedom and democracy. And if we let Putin get away with it and just annex, conquer, sizeable parts of a free independent sovereign country, which is what he is poised to do, if not the whole thing. Then the consequences for the world are absolutely catastrophic. It means we're legitimating further acquisition by him by violence, of other parts of the former Soviet Union. We're legitimating aggression in other parts of the world, and you can see the read across in east Asia. You can see the consequences the lessons that will be drawn.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Boris Johnson there Speaking to our Jake Tapper. Meanwhile, Russian state media says President Vladimir Putin will soon make his first foreign trip since launching the war on Ukraine. President Putin is also expected to travel to Belarus this week to meet with his close ally President Alexander Lukashenko. That partnership was brought up on Sunday when Ukraine's president made a direct appeal to the Belarusian people.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): You are being drawn into the war, and even more actively than in February and in the spring months. The Kremlin has already decided everything for you. Your lives are worth nothing to them. But you are not slaves or cannon fodder. You do not have to die and you can prevent anyone from deciding for you what awaits you next.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: U.S. is poised to announce as soon as this week that he has purchased an advanced missile defense system for Ukraine which will provide medium to long range surface to air defenses. That is according to a source familiar with the matter.

Cities in Ukraine's eastern Luhansk region now under near constant bombardment. Some places are heavy damaged as Russia attacks the frontlines. The Ukrainian region head says Russian forces are relentlessly destroying homes, industrial sites as well as local government buildings.

Scores of Russian missiles hit Ukraine over the weekend. One of those attacks hit an apartment building and kindergarten in Kyiv. One person was killed. At least six others were wound. And these images really show one of the wounded victims, a 7-year-old girl. Her family said she was cut by debris as she slept.

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian official confirms they attempted to assassinate someone they called a local traitor in Russian occupied Kherson. The woman targeted in the attack was not hurt. It is the latest in a series of attempts in recent weeks to kill officials in the Russian backed administration.

And CNN is covering this story from every angle. Our Fred Pleitgen is live for us in Germany. And our Salma Abdelaziz is in Kyiv with the latest there.

[04:05:00] But I want to start this hour with Kevin Liptak in Austria near this year summit. And Kevin, in the last few minutes G7 leaders have agreed to cap the price of Russian oil. Do we know, Kevin, how much they're going to cap it and how exactly this is going to happen?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, there are a lot of unknowns about this plan, and I think it's more accurate to say right now that they have agreed to try to cap the price of Russian oil because officials say that they haven't necessarily determined the mechanism by which they'll do that yet. But, of course, what they want to do is deprive Russia of its oil revenues. And as the price of oil has skyrocketed, Russia's oil revenues are actually up despite global bans on it from around the world.

And so, they believe that it could both deprive Russia of its oil revenues, but also help mitigate the effects of higher gas prices at home. So, this plane is still coming together. They have sort of agreed -- to agree do it and they will task their finance ministers and others in their governments to sort of urgently look at going about doing that. But that is going to be a significant take away from the G7 today.

They also plan to announce a number of new sanctions that they will apply on Russian officials and Russian defense companies. They will also announce new support for Ukraine to help fill its budgetary shortfall. So, all of these announcements coming out of the meetings today, that's on the sanction side.

They also plan to announce some new security assistance over the coming days. There is that missile defense system that you mentioned. Also, ammunition and radar. So, all of this coming out of the president's summits here in Germany.

Now, what the White House wants to do is essentially turn the momentum around in Ukraine as Russia continues to make small gains in the east. There is a real imperative, I think, to try and give the Ukrainians what they need to sort of push back where they can. The summit was began with those missile strikes in Kyiv, and I think that really sort of stiffened spine of these leaders to show unity and to show resolve as they meet. President Biden talked about that as he was meeting with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholes. Listen to a little bit of what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: We have to stay together because Putin is counting on from the beginning that somehow NATO would and the G7 would splinter, but we haven't and we're not going to, so can't let this aggression take the form it has and get away with it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: Now, staying united could become more difficult in the months and weeks ahead. These leaders aren't always on the same page about what the next phase of this war might look like. Whether it involves more robust negotiations with the Russians, or if it looks for a more decisive victory on the battle field. That's something these leaders will have to hash out as the summit continues today here in the Alps --Isa.

SOARES: Thanks very much, Kevin. Do stay with us. I want to go to our Fred Pleitgen who is listening in. And Fred, I really want to get your reaction to what we heard from the G7 leaders there announcing there they attempt to cap the price of Russian oil. You were recently in Moscow for us. What Kevin was saying that actually Russia and Putin, you know, oil revenues up. How do you think President Putin will react to this?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you're absolutely right, first of all, Isa. The oil revenues are significantly up. The gas revenues certainly also not down either. And essentially for Vladimir Putin, that comes from the fact that he's trying to reorient his economy more towards the East. As you know, a lot of the shortfalls and the sales of Russian oil have been more than made up for, for instance, from China and India buying more Russian oil. Of course, for them at discounted prices.

But nevertheless, the oil price has gone up so much that Vladimir Putin is actually making a lot of money from the fact that he's been sanctioned and a lot of Western nations are not buying oil and gas or trying to buy less gas from the Russians than they have been before.

But I think in general -- and we just heard there from Kevin -- the leaders here at the G summit were saying -- which is not far from where I am at all -- is that they understand that they're facing a very determined Russian leader. And that's certainly also something that I witnessed when I was in St. Petersburg, for instance, a week- and-a-half ago and Vladimir Putin spoke there. What the Russians say they understand is their economy is in a lot of trouble because of a lot of the sanctions that you heard the leaders spoke about there. They understand that there's more coming. And so, they're urgently trying to reorient that economy towards other nations. Towards nations like China, India, towards Iran, for instance, as well. But also, some Central Asian countries.

It's very interesting to hear Vladimir Putin planning his first trip abroad in a very long time, certainly since the invasion began, to also try and strengthen some of those economic ties as well. And I think one of the things that the G7 leaders understand and why they're trying to talk so much about resolve is that they do understand that they are facing a Russian leader who is very determined and who does feel that to a certain extent the Russians have found their footing in that war in Ukraine.

[04:10:05]

Kevin was talking about some of those incremental gains that the Russians have recently been making.

And you know, Isa, there was some talk at the beginning of what the Russians call the special military operation, at the beginning of the invasion about whether or not Vladimir Putin had trouble with his health, whether he had some sort of mental problems even. Certainly, what we saw in St. Petersburg was a Russian leader who was speaking very strong, who seemed very determined, and who clearly understands the implications of what he's doing and is determined to follow through on that path.

And that is what the G7 leaders were coming together here in this area. That's what they face. And they certainly seem to understand that they are up against someone who is still very much strong in his office and very much determined to see the things through that he started -- Isa.

SOARES: Yes, how rattled, do you think, Fred, President Putin will be by this G7 meeting? You said, you know, he's reportedly traveled outside of Russia for the first time since February 24, since the war started. Is this a sign from your viewpoint of a more confident Putin, a Putin that's, you know, in it for the long hall, clearly playing the long game here?

PLEITGEN: I think that Vladimir Putin certainly at this point in time is very confident. I mean, one of the things that we heard when we were in Russia is that he said that his, you know, special military operation, as he calls it, obviously meaning the invasion that the Russians are currently conducting in Ukraine, that that is not going to stop until all of their military objectives have been achieved.

I was unable to speak to his spokesman, to Dmitry Peskov. And he said that that certainly means the Russians want to take all of Donbas. Obviously, they say these are the Republics of Luhansk and Donetsk, who we're going to take this area. Which then possibly could have a referendum and then begin to integrate into Russia.

But in the end, they want to have that territory. And I asked them, does that mean they're going to stop if they, if they manage to get those, those territories? And he wouldn't commit to that. He said that maybe or maybe not, that that was up to the military. So certainly, right now the Russians feel more confident in their military operation, but they do, of course, still understand that there is substantial world powers who are up against them.

And that's why you see Vladimir Putin trying to, you know, push his economy or move his economy more towards -- orientation towards countries like China and also, of course, trying to make it more autonomous from things like Western technology. It's a huge task. It's not clear whether or not it's going to work. But certainly, the Western nations would be making a mistake if they believe that Vladimir Putin was in any way showing any sort of weakness -- Isa.

SOARES: And as you are talking, we are looking at live images from Krun, Germany with the G7 leaders there around that table. And you'll see on the edge of the screen -- sorry the camera is a bit shaky now. At the edge of the screen on the monitor was President Zelenskyy who was due, of course, to address those G7 leaders. Of course, we will bring that to you as soon as it happens.

Fred do stay with us. I want to go quickly to Salma who is on the ground in Kyiv. The city, of course, there has been, Salma, faced a barrage of missiles over the weekend. We are expecting President Zelenskyy to ask for military assistance. Do you think this will move the needle on the frontlines? Because Russia has indeed gained momentum as of late.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Absolutely, Isa. I mean, one could argue that Russia is having its best bout since the start of the invasion. Let's talk about Donbas. You heard Fred there talking about that is a major goal for President Putin to take full control of that region. It's made up, again, of Luhansk and the Donetsk areas. And in Luhansk we've seen in recent days, Ukrainian forces saying they're going to have to pull out of the key city, out of Severodonetsk. Essentially Russian forces bombing Ukrainian troops into submission.

This is an uneven war in every single way, Isa. Russia has more manpower. It has more weapons. One could argue it is willing to inflict more brutality, and you're seeing that play out on the frontlines all along the east where Ukrainian troops are on the back foot having to pull out again of a key city, Severodonetsk. They seem on the edge of being encircled in another area, Lysychansk. That's the sister city, again, in the Luhansk region, part of the wider Donbas. Absolutely, Russia has the momentum right now on the battleground.

On the Ukrainian sides we're hearing there's 100 to 200 soldiers dying every single day all along those frontlines. That they're running out of artillery in what is an artillery war. And Isa, you might ask, well, we keep hearing about military aid. Why is that not helping? Why is that not changing things on the ground? There are precious few of these long range weapons that are being provided by Ukraine's allies. These also take weeks for troops to be trained on them. They take weeks before they arrive on the battleground. That means that there's this huge delay in making a difference. And we have not seen them making a difference lately as I mentioned.

So, you're now looking at war that is potentially going to drag out for years. Russian military might, again, that superior military force, ten times the artillery power of Ukraine's. The determination you heard there of President Putin to take this territory, to land grab.

[04:15:00]

And those G7 leaders are going to have to ask the question, how do you prop up a military force that is clearly weaker in the face of growing Russian aggression, in the face of an insistent strategy to grab through brute force again, Ukrainian territory, how do you do that in the long term, Isa? How do you continue to help Ukraine if that's what they're going to do?

SOARES: And how do you in the face of pressures at home, of course, with rising prices, oil prices, food prices, inflation, that also plays a part as well as the fear of fatigue which is something you have addressed before, Salma. Salma Abdelaziz for us there in Kyiv. Fred Pleitgen and Kevin Liptak, thank you to you both.

Now, shock waves from the recent Supreme Court decision ending national abortion rights are rippling across the United States. And abortion rights supporters have spent much of the weekend in the streets -- on the streets there. Plus, we'll show you of how protests Sunday in Los Angeles and tell you what California is doing to protect abortion providers and patients. Both of those stories after a very short break. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:20:00]

SOARES: Protecting abortion rights is now front and center in some states after the Supreme Court's decision ending constitutional protection for the procedure. California lawmakers have passed a bill protecting both providers and patients. And from Washington, D.C. to Atlanta to Los Angeles, abortion rights advocates are voicing their frustration. The first poll conducted after the court's decision is out. The CBS News/YouGov poll found that nearly 60 percent of Americans think the ruling was the wrong move. More than half said it was a step backward for America.

But demonstrators for and against abortion rights made their voices heard in front of the Supreme Court building in Washington on Sunday. Sunland Serfaty has that. And then Camila Bernal will have more on protests in California. First though here's Sunland.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUNLEN, SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: There has certainly been some emotional and tense moments outside of the Supreme Court where, for hours, there were hundreds and hundreds of demonstrators protesting Friday's historic Supreme Court decision. There were people on both sides of the aisle and we certainly heard those passions from people on opposing viewpoints on this issue.

MARK BAGWELL RETIRED TEACHER: Personal opinion is I'm happy with it. But one of the reasons is it now gives each individual state the right to decide for itself what it wants its law to be regarding abortion, which is true about numerous other things and no one complains about it.

JENNIFER CHAVEZ, MOTHER: For us, if you weren't outraged by the Supreme Court decision that was made this week, then you're not paying attention to what's happening in this country. And you need to open your eyes and educate yourself. Maternal mortality rates are shameful. It's atrocious, and it's disproportionately people of color and people that don't have access to resources. And to take that away from them, to take away their agency, to take away their ability to make these decisions for themselves, and to access the health care that they need, it's shameful and it's not what this country is about.

SERFATY: And overall, we did see these protests remained largely peaceful. In late in the day, we did see a large group of those protesters who were speaking out against the ruling, and they took their demonstration on the move. They left here on the Supreme Court. They marched down Independence Avenue, closing down the streets, and they went to the White House. They said that they wanted President Biden to see and hear that they are angry.

Sunland Serfaty, CNN, outside the Supreme Court.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the third day of protests here in the downtown Los Angeles area. And today the crowd has been listening to speakers. Many of them sharing their personal stories about even getting an abortion. One of the speakers saying she does not regret her abortion and is actually very thankful for what her abortion has allowed her to accomplish.

Organizers are telling this crowd to introduce themselves to each other, saying that these are the people that will fight with them over the next couple of months. They're also telling many of these protesters to focus on abortion funds because they say money and volunteer work will make a difference as they prepare California for an influx of women coming from other states in search of an abortion here in California.

That is actually a sanctuary state where legislature and the governor have said they will stand up and fight back against abortion bans. They have said that they will protect not just the women of California, but also women from other states. Governor Gavin Newsom signing a bill into law that actually protects both providers and patients against civil action taken in another state.

So, a lot of the protesters here thankful for the work that California will be doing over the next couple of months, but they do say that a lot more needs to be done. They believe they will have a lot to do over the next couple of months, but they say that the work starts right here on the streets.

Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Well, several U.S. states are moving quickly to ban abortion in the wake of the court's ruling. A number of them already had trigger bans in place. In Georgia, a restrictive law that bans abortion when a fetal heartbeat can be detected about six weeks into pregnancy is expected to take effect soon. Republican Governor Brian Kemp signed the legislation after it passed, it was then suspended by a federal court. Democrat Stacey Abrams and who is challenging Kemp in the gubernatorial election says the six-week ban will be the law within days.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STACEY ABRAMS, GEORGIA DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Brian Kemp, the current governor, signed an extreme six-weeks ban on abortion. That's six weeks. Often before women know they're pregnant. And in Georgia where half of our counties do not have an OB/GYN, it can be that they won't find out they're pregnant until after it's too late to have this medical opportunity. We know that the right to choose should not be divvied up among states. [04:25:00]

And that the sinister practice of taking constitutional rights and allowing each state to decide the quality of your citizenship is wrong. Women deserve bodily autonomy. They deserve the right to make these choices. And in Georgia in particular, in a matter of days, this six-week ban will be the law of the land. That is horrendous. That is appalling and it is wrong. As the next governor I'm going to do everything in my power to reverse it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, Brian Kemp isn't the only Republican governor whose action on abortion will likely stoke more division in the country. The Governors of South Dakota and Arkansas are both defending their positions against abortion. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTI NOEM (R), SOUTH DAKOTA GOVERNOR: I believe every life is precious. Our trigger law does reflect that if it's to save the life of a mother that an abortion is still illegal. And we know so much more using technology and science than we did even 10, 15 years ago about what these babies go through, the pain they feel in the womb. We'll continue to make sure those lives are protected. And I just never believed that having a tragedy or a tragic situation happen to someone is a reason to have another tragedy occur.

ASA HUTCHINSON (R) ARKANSAS GOVERNOR: We're going to work hard to make sure that mothers have the services that they need. We're going to expand adoption services to meet those needs.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Well, Democrats, meantime, hope the fight over abortion will take center stage during midterm elections later this year. One Republican strategist says extreme bans could lead to consequences at the ballot box.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH LONGWELL, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I've been a Republican for a long time, but ever since Donald Trump I have watched this Republican Party radicalize and become more extreme. And I think right now there's a number of governors who are the Republican Party candidates in states like Pennsylvania with Doug Mastriano where they believe in absolutely no exceptions in the case of rape, incest, life of the mother. And I think that, you know, the task for Democrats is really going to be sort of prosecuting that case broadly of extremism against these Republicans. Because they are out of step with where sort of the average person is who does want some restrictions on abortions, but doesn't want, you know, total restrictions on abortions. And that's what I see in the focus groups from the swing voting women. The idea of, you know, a total restriction really sits poorly with them.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SOARES: Well, corporate giants across the range of industries are

promising to help their employees who need abortions in states that outlaw the procedure. Many are promising to pay travel costs for employees and some will pay expenses for their dependents as well. But experts say the policies are not without risk and the companies face the possibility of legal action.

Still to come right here on CNN NEWSROOM, millions under heat alert as record temperatures spread across the United States. CNN's Pedram Javaheri is tracking it all.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: After one of the wettest and coolest starts to the spring and eventually summer season across the Western U.S. and the Northwestern U.S. in particular, big-time heat and near record temperatures in a few spots. We'll break this down all coming up in a few minutes.

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