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NATO Adds Two More Members; U.S. to Strengthen its Military Might in Europe; Ukraine Felt Being Left Out; President Xi Jinping Arrives in Hong Kong; China Policy Chooses the Media They Like; Lithuania Anticipates Russia's Moves; Vladimir Putin Bluff About NATO's Expansion; Buckingham Palace Learned Their Lessons Well; House Committee Aims to Hear from Key Witness; Torrential Rain Inundated Bangladesh; R. Kelly Sentenced 30 Years to Prison. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired June 30, 2022 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
Just ahead on CNN Newsroom, Sweden and Finland are on track to become NATO members as the alliance formally invited them to join. CNN has reporters spanned out across the globe with the details.
Plus, we'll look at how Ukraine and Russia reacting to the NATO expansion. We'll go live to Kyiv and London with the latest.
And as Hong Kong marks the 25th handover anniversary from Britain to China, we'll look back at President Xi's legacy during his decade as China's leader.
UNKNOWN: Live from CNN center, this is CNN Newsroom with Lynda Kinkade.
KINKADE: Well, NATO leaders kick off their final day of their summit in Madrid, Spain next hour vowing to support Ukraine in the face of Russia's invasion. U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to arrive in about an hour at the North Atlantic Council session and hold a news conference later today.
On Wednesday, NATO officially invited Finland Sweden to join, directly undercutting Vladimir Putin's goal of keeping the alliance in check. Russia's invasion of Ukraine is also prompting NATO's most significant strengthening since the Cold War.
The U.S. will establish a new army headquarter in -- in -- headquarters in Poland, as well as deploy thousands of additional troops, fighter jets, ships, and air defenses right across Europe. NATO's updated strategic concept document, caused Russia the most significant and direct threat to peace in Europe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: President Putin has not
succeeded in closing NATO's door. He's getting the opposite of what he wants. He wants less NATO. President Putin is getting more NATO by Finland and Sweden joining our alliance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: The additions of Sweden and Finland will more than double NATO's land border with Russia. Vladimir Putin says he is not bothered by the expansion, but would respond to any threats from those territories.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We don't have problems with Sweden and Finland like we do with Ukraine. We don't have territorial differences. There is nothing that could bother us about Sweden and Finland joining NATO. If Sweden and Finland wish to, they can join, that's up to them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, while western leaders are celebrating Finland and Sweden's imminent inclusion into NATO, Ukraine's president is feeling like the odd man out. Why, he asks, is Ukraine's years-long request to join the defense alliance seeming to fall on deaf ears?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): NATO's open-door policy shouldn't remind us of the mechanism of the old Kyiv metro barriers. They are open. But as soon as you approach them, they are shut until you pay. Has Ukraine not paid enough? Has our contribution to the defense to Europe and the entire civilization not enough?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, President Zelenskyy laid a chord on western powers to put more pressure on Moscow. Saying current sanctions are not enough. He says Russia continues to attack civilian targets across Ukraine including 10 missile strikes on Wednesday Mykolaiv killing five people.
Well, Ukrainians are celebrating the return of 144 Ukrainian troops in a prisoner swap. Nearly 100 of them had defended the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol before they were forced to surrender more than one year ago. Ukraine's defense ministry says many of their returning soldiers are badly wounded.
Well, CNN correspondents are covering the conflict from every angle. Our Kevin Liptak is in Madrid, Scott McLean is in Kyiv, our Nina dos Santos is in the capital of Lithuania, and Nada Bashir will join us from London.
Let's go to Kevin first in Madrid. And Kevin, obviously, NATO is expanding. This is the opposite of what Vladimir Putin wanted at the outset when he began this invasion of Ukraine. And we are also hearing that the U.S. is planning to put more troops permanently in Europe?
[03:04:59]
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, that's right. Putin's aims in this war seems to have backfired somewhat. Leaders will leave this NATO summit in Madrid, with the renewed sense of purpose for this defense alliance. It's getting bigger, it's getting more muscular, it's getting more focused.
And you see that in that new mission statement identifying Russia as the most significant threat to allied security. Remember, NATO had sort of gone back and forth for years about how to approach Russia. But their approach now seems very determined.
Also mentioning China for the first time in that mission statement, saying that the budding relationship between Beijing and Moscow, undercuts the goals of NATO. And so, the accomplishments here have been quite historic.
NATO is prepared to welcome two members, Finland and Sweden, who had been long nonaligned when it came to military alliances. And the secretary general said that that could happen very quickly once the 30-member parliaments all ratify that.
President Biden announcing significant strengthening of the eastern flank. He is sending ships to Spain, planes to the United Kingdom, and that permanent army headquarters in Poland. That had been something that President Putin had resisted for so long. President Biden decided that now is the time to do that.
Now, the open question hanging over all of this is whether any of the decisions announced at the summits this week, whether it's new sanctions on Russia, new security assistance, this newly invigorated NATO, whether any of that will have the effect of turning the tide on the ground in Ukraine where the momentum still does seem to be favoring Russia, as it continues to making small gains in the east.
And now, the top U.S. intelligence official the director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, painted a somewhat grim portrait of the situation on the ground in Ukraine. Yesterday, she said that the consensus of the American intelligence is that the war will last quite a bit longer. And that President Putin is willing to stick it out because he believes that the west's willingness to remain engaged will eventually wane.
Now yesterday, President Zelenskyy, when he addressed to NATO leaders said that this war should not drag on. He made an appeal for more modern artillery in order to sort of regain the initiative on the ground in Ukraine. And remember, he told the G7 leaders that he wants this war to conclude by years' end.
And so, as the leaders depart there are a lot of open questions about the next phase of this war will look like. But certainly, the NATO alliance itself has a new sense of purpose as it heads into this next phase, Lynda.
KINKADE: Yes, it certainly does. We can only hope this war ends soon. Kevin Liptak for us in Madrid, thank you very much.
CNN's Scott McLean is joining us now from Kyiv. And Scott, Amnesty International report has found that the attack on that Mariupol theater which was used to shot hundreds of people, is a clear war crime. And we are learning this as Putin denies that Russia attacked that shopping mall in Kremenchuk. A city far from the battlefield?
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the closest front line in Kremenchuk -- to Kremenchuk is probably 100 miles away, 150 or 60 kilometers or so to the south or front line to the east is even farther than that. And so Kremenchuk is in central Ukraine. It is by and large relatively peaceful place to be. Say for the air raid sirens which are frequent in many cities across the country as the number of missile strikes it seems in recent days have really picked up not just around the front lines but elsewhere as well.
And so, a lot of people in Kremenchuk at the time that these missiles actually fell were, you know, just at the mall. A thousand people according to the president. There were people in the nearby park just out for a stroll. This was by and large life as usual and the Ukrainians say that the Russians deliberately targeted this very busy mall.
There were two missile strikes just minutes apart. One in the mall, one on a nearby facility that Ukrainians say was used to house, or used to manufacture equipment for repairing roadways. The Russians tell a much different story. They say that they targeted that facility a cache of weapons nearby that mall, and the ensuing explosions from those munitions caught the mall on Friday. It was merely collateral damage.
But my colleague had a chance to go out there yesterday to Kremenchuk to take a look for herself, and she was toured around by the chief prosecutor of that region and at that warehouse, or at that manufacturing facility Ukrainians say used for road paving equipment. He says that there is no evidence that there were any arms any munitions stored there. If there were, surely the explosion from that missile would have cause subsequent explosions with the actual ammunition. And you'd find bullet holes everywhere. And they simply haven't found that.
[22:09:53]
Similarly, Human Rights Watch was out there Tuesday and Wednesday to do their own investigation and they also concluded that there is simply no evidence that any ammunition was stored there. You have the Ukrainians insist that there are no military targets in the vicinity of that area within miles of that area. There is no legitimate military targets.
And so, their point is that, look, the Russians continue to target civilian areas. Something that you mentioned they've done before that theater in Mariupol back in March. They've also targeted hospitals, health care facilities, schools. Even just yesterday in Mykolaiv, the president says it was 10 civilian targets hit by missile strikes including a five-story apartment killing at least five people, Lynda.
KINKADE: Terrific, Scott McLean for us in Kyiv, staying across that all. Thanks very much.
Well, President Biden is telling NATO leaders he thinks the alliance is more united than ever in the face of Russian aggression. But it was only a few years ago when some were questioning and NATO's relevance. I asked CNN political analyst Josh Rogin about the change.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSH ROGIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: It's very clear that NATO is united when it comes to defending NATO from Russia, what's less clear is that whether or not the NATO countries are united when it comes to defending Ukraine from Russia.
And while we've seen a bolstering of NATO forces, a recognition of the importance of NATO to protecting its member countries, at the same time it is very clear that the summit, and the G7 summit before it, did not produce a quantitative or qualitative increase in support, especially in arms support for Ukrainians who are in the midst of the brutal part of their fight with Russia in the east.
Not a lot of new weapons, Ukraine did not get the weapons that it wanted in terms of long-range artillery. So, yes, NATO is united, but if it's not doing the things that are going to allow the Ukrainians to push Russia back and finish the war sooner rather than later, then what good is that unity in the end.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. And, Josh, Ukraine of course currently at war with Russia, desperately wants membership in NATO. Why won't the alliance agreed to let Ukraine in? And what would it mean, in the very unlikely case that they did?
ROGIN: Well, what's really interesting, I think, is if you look at the communique that they released today from the NATO summit, it doesn't even mention Ukraine membership into NATO. That's a change from just last year where last year's communique's say that Ukraine was on the path to NATO membership, and should be and will eventually become a part of NATO. Why did they drop that?
It seems that actually they're moving further away from Ukraine being a member rather than closer. And that's troubling from Ukraine's perspective to be sure. The reason of course is that the NATO countries don't want to provoke Russia, and of course now that Russia is occupying 20 percent of NATO -- of Ukraine in addition to what they already stole, it's really hard to incorporate a country that's occupied into NATO.
But I think what we've seen is a trend of NATO putting up the walls around the countries that Are in it now, and including Sweden and Finland and then closing the door behind them.
(END VIDEOTAPE) KINKADE: Our thanks to CNN political analyst and Washington Post
columnist Josh Rogin.
Well, Israeli lawmakers are about to set the stage for the country's fifth election in less than four years. The country's parliament, the Knesset is back in session ahead of a vote to dissolve it. But, as Hadas Gold reports, it has been a messy process.
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was an evening of political chaos in Israel. The Israeli parliament was originally supposed to vote on its dissolution before midnight, but political squabbling in the last- minute deal making dragging out the process. At one point, parliament members were rushed back to the floor late in the evening only to have the last-minute effort fall apart almost as quickly as it began.
The parliament is now expected to reconvene Thursday morning to try again, and start the votes needed to dissolve itself after the governing coalition lost its majority and decided they'd rather devolve themselves rather than let the opposition do it.
Once parliament is officially disbanded, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, a centrist and former journalist and anchor will become caretaker prime the moment the clock strikes 12.01 on Friday as per coalition agreement. And new elections will be triggered in the fall.
All of this political upheaval and the new elections presenting a huge opportunity for former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to return to power, even though he's facing an ongoing corruption trial and the polls don't necessarily show that his bloc of parties will have enough votes to secure a majority.
But Netanyahu who will now have one fewer competitor, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced on Wednesday evening that he will not run in the fall elections, and is leaving politics for now, saying now is my time to step back a little, and look at things from the outside.
Hadas Gold, CNN, Jerusalem.
[03:15:02]
KINKADE: Well still to come on CNN Newsroom, an historic visit by China's leader to Hong Kong to mark the 25th anniversary of its handover to China. Our Ivan Watson is there.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Lynda, Hong Kong is preparing for this 25th anniversary of its handover from British rule to Chinese rule. The city is also gearing up for this visit from the Chinese President Xi Jinping, which we believe will be the first time he has left mainland China since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. I'll have a live report after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Happening now in Hong Kong, Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in the city ahead of Friday's events marking 25 years since Hong Kong's handover from Britain to China. Mr. Xi is set to attend a handover ceremony and the inauguration of incoming Hong Kong chief executive John Lee.
This is his first trip outside the mainland since the pandemic began. CNN's Blake Essig is in Hong Kong and joins us now live. Certainly, some colorful images coming to us right now as the president arrived in the city. Take us through the plans.
BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, Lynda, we are watching it have been just as it happened when President Xi Jinping arrived. You have a lot of people waving flags, chanting welcome as he arrived at west Kowloon train station.
Look, the details surrounding Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Hong Kong have been shrouded in secrecy. But what we do know is that Xi is supposed to have arrived earlier today. He arrived at west Kowloon train station moments ago. He'll be here at Science Park in about two hours or so.
The purpose of his visit to this particular location which already serves as a tech hub and innovation hub it really has to do with the greater bay area plan which involves Hong Kong and Macau, and nine other cities in mainland China to creating this tech hub.
But what we are looking at right now as far as what Xi Jinping is doing, is he's actually been greeted by the current chief executive Carrie Lam. Tomorrow is inauguration for the incoming chief executive John Lee. He was in charge of the security -- former police officer in charge of the security during the protests in 2019 and 2020. You know, a very influential figure as far as the pro-Beijing movement here in Hong Kong.
[03:19:52]
But, yes, as we are watching everything kind of play out, as we speak, you know, greeting people, standing right by the train, again, people still waving flags here to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the British handover to China.
Hong Kong's handover to China -- yes, and at this point again, he is here for two days. We know, Lynda, that he's going to say in Shenzhen which is a city just across the border in mainland China. You know he has taken the high-speed rail which has been essentially closed off to the public for the past two years.
He is staying in Shenzhen in part because of the COVID situation here in Hong Kong, more than 1,000 cases reported for the past two weeks. In Shenzhen the cases have been in the single digits for about a week and they have a much greater control over COVID protocol in Shenzhen as opposed to Hong Kong.
And so, he is here for at least today, tomorrow through the inauguration, and the 25th anniversary celebrations. And as you said, the first time that he's been to Hong Kong in about five years, and the first time that he's been outside of mainland China for two years. Lynda? KINKADE: Yes, incredible that this is his first, the first time he's
left mainland China since the COVID pandemic began. Just looking at these pictures, obviously, every single person we are seeing has a mask on. It's certainly strict requirements with regards to COVID while the president is in the city.
ESSIG: Yes, absolutely. Masks are a requirement, there is clearly a concern, you know, for the health situation, the COVID situation here. They are clearly taking a lot of security measures to keep people away from him. Not only, you know, the concerns of domestic terrorism and protest, but also the people that have been allowed to be near him have enforced to quarantine and test for several days now in order to make sure that he is not exposed to any potential, you know, to come across, or anywhere near to somebody who might have COVID.
So, taking every precaution necessary. And it is interesting, again, you know, when we've been driving around town today the streets have been very quiet, you're not seeing a lot of people out in the streets where there are usually a lot of people. Police are everywhere. Anywhere where the -- President Xi Jinping is expected to be a pass by, you have police, a lot of police, you know, every 10, 15 feet, groups of them. You have water barriers that have been every precaution necessary to make sure that anyone that's not supposed to be near President Xi Jinping has no opportunity to get anywhere nearby.
KINKADE: Right. Our thanks to you, Blake. We might come back to you. But I want to bring in Ivan Watson into the conversation who is also covering the story from Hong Kong for us. And I want to ask you about what this all means 25 years since Britain transferred Hong Kong back to China. Ivan, just explain how Hong Kong has changed specifically in recent years?
WATSON: Yes. I mean, there has been a period of dramatic change here. The Hong Kong that Xi Jinping visited five years ago at the 20th anniversary. I think is very different from the one he's visiting today. For example, all of the elected opposition lawmakers who were in Hong Kong's legislature, most of them today are either in jail, or they have fled abroad. Many of them their political parties have disbanded.
You have scores of trade unions, of student unions, that has disbanded as well. Independent media here in Hong Kong such as the Apple Daily newspaper were targeted by the security forces and shut down. There was security during Xi Jinping's previous visit five years ago, but now, you are not allowed to have an independent political demonstration which used to be part of, kind of the fabric of the city.
We haven't seen any protests on the streets, really, in more than two years. With many of the people who had organized these demonstrations in the past also behind bars facing a different -- a variety of different charges or they've been forced to flee overseas.
So, dissent has been largely crushed here and pacified. And in its place, you have supporters of Beijing, and the local Hong Kong appointed government who are promoting an idea of stability here. Saying that Xi Jinping and the new Hong Kong government that will be inaugurated, they're helping bring stability back to a city that was roiled by increasingly violent street protests.
[03:25:02]
Several years back in 2019, the stability does not quite extend to COVID, as Blake Essig was just talking about. Hong Kong in the last 24 hours has registered around 2,000 new COVID cases. That's more than the entire mainland China has counted by far. And that's part of the incredible precautions that we are seeing around this visit from the Chinese president, to a Chinese city.
There is real fear of this virus. Beijing, the Chinese government, pushes a zero COVID policy. It's something that Xi Jinping, doubled, tripled, quadrupled down on in a visit to Wuhan, a mainland Chinese city that was the first epicenter of the COVID outbreak back at the end of 2019.
Part of the COVID, zero COVID policy has made Hong Kong one of the most isolated places in the world, Lynda. Not only is it one of the most strictest quarantines in the world for people trying to travel here from the outside, at least seven days in hotel quarantine, but the internal border between Hong Kong and mainland China is also largely closed. And that has really hurt the economy here, and contributed to a brain drain of an exodus where you have a net decline in the population of the city in the last year.
The authorities here are promoting this anniversary with the slogan, a new era, stability, prosperity, and opportunity. And Xi Jinping is taking a bit of a victory lap here as mainland China and Hong Kong look to the next 25 years of what is supposed to be a one-country two systems formula where the city is supposed to have autonomy, and a different kind of culture and business life, and capitalism, as opposed to the socialism system in mainland China. Linda?
KINKADE: So much great context there for us, Ivan, that you're giving us. I want to ask you about why some of the media have been barred from covering Xi Jinping's visit to the city. I understand that you are invited to cover some of the events and then police rejected your application. Did they give a reason?
WATSON: No. I mean I know this from personal experience. I received an e-mail from the Hong Kong government on Saturday asking to apply to cover the events of this anniversary, which I did. And then, this gives you a sense of the precautions here, I was told that I had to start to take daily PCR COVID test from a government facility starting Sunday. And that I would have to check into a hotel, I was not told which hotel, for isolation starting Wednesday for the July 1st, Friday, event.
And then I received a phone call after several days of tests, on Tuesday night informing me that the police had rejected my application to cover the event, I'd been invited to cover in the first place. I asked on what grounds, and no answer was given to me by the government bureaucrat who informed me of this. We've since learned through journalist associations and other media
and local reporting, that at least 10 different news organizations have also seen their correspondents rejected from covering this. And I think that also underscores the changes that the city has undergone from five years ago.
Five years ago, I was able to see Xi Jinping and film as he conducted a military demonstration. He was driven in a jeep and saluting Chinese military forces that were arrayed at a base here in Hong Kong. In this case, reporters are not being allowed. Either for fear, I guess, of contamination of COVID, or perhaps of fear of control that independent journalists cannot be controlled. I mean, that is my speculation.
But it gets to the hallmarks of Xi Jinping's China which focuses on, there is a big priority on control in general, state control. Not leaving space for dissent. And you see that in the censorship regime in mainland China in the internet there and in social media. And the second pillar of that, really since COVID was first detected in China in 2019 which is, destroy COVID, this virus at any cost.
[03:29:56]
And it is taking a big rest, in fact, for a mainland Chinese delegation to come down here to Hong Kong where there is so much more of the virus versus on mainland China.
KINKADE: All right. Ivan Watson for us in Hong Kong. Great to have you on the story. Our thanks also to Blake earlier for joining us. We will stay across these developments during this, the next few days as the president of China visits Hong Kong.
Russia's Baltic and neighbors have plenty of historic reasons to be wary of Moscow's military aggression. Coming up, how the war in Ukraine has led many Lithuanians to volunteer to help defend their country in case of Russian attack.
Plus, Vladimir Putin say he isn't too concerned about Sweden and Finland joining NATO. We'll explain why after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
NATO leaders are gathering this hour for the final day of their summit in Madrid, Spain. U.S. President Joe Biden is among the heads of state making his way to the meeting. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is scheduled to formally kick off the day's events in about 30 minutes.
The alliance is vowing to strengthen its defenses in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. And to that end, President Biden has announced a major infusion of American forces and military equipment including a new permanent army headquarters in Poland, along with thousands of additional troops, fighter jets, ships and air defenses across Europe. And NATO is formally invited Sweden and Finland to join the organization. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Putin is looking for the (Inaudible) of Europe and to get the NATOlization of Europe, and that's exactly what he didn't want, but exactly what needs to be done to guarantee security for Europe. I think it's a -- I think it's necessary, and I'm looking forward to it happening formally.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, the Baltic states bordering Russia have been on edge ever since Moscow invaded Ukraine.
CNN's Nina dos Santos joins us from a Lithuanian capital. And where you are, Nina, many people are joining the militia because there is a history that makes them pretty wary.
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, and they also feel that they are caught in a moment of history as well that could go either way, Lynda. The two developments that you talked about just before Sweden and Finland joining NATO as well as the permanent two base south of the border from where I am over in Poland, will radically reshaped the security dynamics of the whole of the Baltic region.
[03:35:02]
Because what it will do is it will make the Baltic Sea now a complete NATO area, and that could stoke the ire of Russia. That is what the people of Lithuania and further up in Estonia, in Latvia and the northern Baltics are particularly worried about. And as you said, yes, they are starting to take matters into their own hands to make sure that they also can contribute to their protection.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DOS SANTOS: Having a neighbor like Russia keeps Vytas Grudzinskas up at night. Armed with his machine gun and a Maltese terrier he is the first line of defense if the Kremlin's troops at the end of his street take one step onto NATO's soil.
That is where Russia starts?
VYTAS GRUDZINSKAS, LITHUANIAN RIFLEMEN'S UNION: Yes, Russia.
DOS SANTOS: At the end of your street?
GRUDZINSKAS: Yes.
DOS SANTOS: Vytas says he can see the soldiers after dark with his night vision goggles, he points to a shooting range over the hill. You often hear the shots, he says, from there. Soviet occupation is a deeply personal memory in this part of Europe. Vytas says his own father was among the quarter of a million Lithuanian's to be sent to gulags where many perished. So, when Russia annexed Crimea, Vytas joined Lithuania's historic
volunteer militia, the Riflemen Union run by a regional commander also desperate to avoid a return to Russian rule.
EGIDIJUS PAPECKYS, COMMANDER, RIFLEMEN'S 4TH REGIONAL COMMAND: Everybody has the same story, somebody was shot by a Soviet, for example, by a Soviet (Inaudible) or was sent to Siberia, just because we were Lithuanians.
DOS SANTOS: The riflemen's membership has increased tenfold since the war in Ukraine began. Young adults keen to gets to trained up. Every Lithuanian knows that Russia is a threat says this new recruit in his 30s. And in this part of the southern Baltics that threat feels very real.
I'm standing on what is currently one of the world's hottest borders right inside NATO territory, its attractive land called the Suwalki Corridor between Lithuania and Poland which also lies to the west here between Kaliningrad, the heavily fortified nuclearized Baltic outpost of Russia, and over there, the Kremlin's ally, Belarus about 60 miles in that direction. The fear is, if Ukraine were to fall, Russia's army could roll right through here.
GABRIELIUS LANDSBERGIS, LITHUANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: We always said that we need additional allied troops within Lithuanian territory, in case Mr. Putin or his friends will try something.
DOS SANTOS: Lithuania's move to block the transit of some goods to Kaliningrad has raised the stakes just as NATO leaders meet, and Russia has already retaliated with ongoing cyberattacks.
MARGIRIS ABUKEVICIUS, LITHUANIAN VICE MINISTER OF DEFENCE: We have started witnessing an increase in more intensity in cyber activities against our state institutions, against some critical operators, especially transport.
DOS SANTOS: Realizing it may get just one shot at protecting the Baltics, the alliance will now more than double the 3,000 troops stationed here today, when they arrive, the riflemen will be ready.
PAPECKYS: We are ready to fight with NATO, together with NATO, shoulder to shoulder.
DOS SANTOS: Vytas and his fellow volunteers have faith in NATO's protection, but living so close to Russia, they also have to be ready for anything.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DOS SANTOS: So, as you heard there, Lynda, there is going to be more troops here in Lithuania. This is a country of only 2.8 million people in the Baltic states further to the north of Latvia and Estonia are also small countries, with small populations but they are going to have to get used to having large presences of foreign troops to protect this crucial northern corridor of Europe, as of course the dynamics of NATO are radically re-altered with the entrance of Finland and Sweden in the Baltics. Back to you.
KINKADE: Yes, times are changing. Nina dos Santos, interesting reporting there. Thanks very much.
Well, adding Sweden and Finland to NATO would more than double NATO's border with Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin had repeatedly cited the threat of NATO expansion as one of his justifications for invading Ukraine, yet the dramatic increase in NATO members does not seem to face the Russian leader. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We don't have problems with Sweden and Finland like we do with Ukraine. We don't have territorial differences. There is nothing that could bother us about Sweden and Finland joining NATO. If Finland and Sweden wish to, they can join. That's up to them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: CNN's Nada Bashir joins us from London, and I have to wonder whether Vladimir Putin was saying that for greeted teeth. What should we make of those comments?
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, look, Lynda, the Kremlin and indeed, President Putin have long been vocal in his opposition to the prospect of NATO's expansion. Now of course now we are seeing Finland and Sweden bringing an end to decades of neutrality. Not only it made a foreign policy shift for the two nations, but also a significant blow to President Putin.
[03:40:00]
Now we heard there of course he said that Russia has no problem with Sweden and Finland joining NATO, that the country has no territorial differences with Sweden and Finland in the same way that it does with Ukraine.
But we have previously had warnings from the Kremlin directed at Sweden and Finland against joining NATO, warning that there would be serious political and military consequences there, of course that message coming from President Putin yesterday. But it has to be said that he also issued a fresh warning to the alliance, that any military infrastructure or contingents deployed to Sweden and Finland in the future would force Russia to respond in kind.
And he also said that in his words, these latest expansions towards Finland and Sweden would obviously create tensions in the region. Now we have seen Russia in the last week or so really stepping up its regional defense capabilities.
President Putin confirming that Russia plans to send nuclear capable missile systems to Belarus. We understand that the Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov is currently in Belarus holding talks with his counterpart there. And on Tuesday, the Russian defense ministry confirmed that Russia and
the Kremlin are currently working on plans to step up their defenses working on strengthening Russia's western border in view of this latest expansion by NATO. So, there are clearly some concerns there by NATO.
But despite the fact that we've heard President Putin saying that Russia has no problem with this latest expansion by NATO, there still the question of the prospect of a future expansion with Ukraine. That will of course be significantly different for Russia and a key concern there. And of course, as you mentioned this has really backfired for Russia, this goes against one of President Putin's primary objectives over the course of this military invasion in Ukraine.
We are seeing a more cohesive and united NATO. President Biden speaking in Madrid this week saying that NATO has never been stronger. The U.S. government is stepping up its military presence in Europe, bolstering its NATO support here on Russia's border. So clearly, this has gone in the complete opposite direction of President Putin.
But the question of Ukraine's membership or prospect of Ukraine's future membership of the alliance still hangs over NATO. And Kremlin, and indeed, President Putin will be keeping a very, very close eye on NATO's actions on this front. Lynda?
KINKADE: No doubt. All right. Nada Bashir for us in London, thanks very much.
Still to come on CNN Newsroom, a court has handed France's harshest sentence to the only surviving member of the group that carried out the deadly 2015 Paris terror attacks. The details ahead.
Plus, it was a shocker, bullying allegations made against Meghan Markle, the duchess of Sussex during her time as a working royal. An investigation into the claims is now complete. We'll have more on that story in a live report just ahead.
And before we go to the break, NATO leaders meeting in Madrid were treated to a performance by Kyiv's symphony orchestra. The musicians received a standing ovation by world leaders as they paid homage to their homeland.
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KINKADE: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom.
I want to go back to the U.K. where an examination into bullying allegations made against Meghan Markle, the duchess of Sussex, is complete. She had been accused of treating some of the royal staff poorly. But Meghan and Prince Harry have denied the claims.
CNN's Max Foster joins us now live from London. And Max, what more do we know about this report? MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this goes back to a Times
article last year which suggested that two members of Kensington Palace staff, which is where the Sussexes were, were based, they were forced out because of the behavior of the duchess, in particular and confidence of another member staff was undermined.
So, then we heard that there would be a review from Buckingham Palace into these allegations. And this is the first time we've really heard about any sort of result, or any light really on what that review was about. It's not actually looking -- it didn't actually look into the bullying allegations, it looked into the handling of the bullying accusations.
Buckingham Palace saying, lessons have been learned, and there has been this review and recommendations have been adopted, and they have been shown to the people who took part in that review. The problem is, we don't know who took part in the review, whether or not the Sussexes were involved, we're not told, just that members of staff who were involved have been informed of it.
So, something has changed here. There have been lessons learned, but it's more about the handling of the process as opposed to, you know, standing up any allegations of the duchess was abusive in any way. Her side hasn't said anything in relation to this, and I think the palace really wants to close the book on this and move on.
Because we only learned about this really about a wider briefing that we had yesterday, which was about the Sovereign Grant review which is how all the accounting in the palaces work. This came into that conversation, but actually isn't part of the report. So, quite complex process of events here, but I think the palace is trying to say all of this has been dealt with, and everyone is satisfied with how it's been dealt with.
KINKADE: Yes, certainly complex. Max Foster for us in London. Thanks so much. We will see you for more news the next hour.
Well, the House select committee investigating the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol has now subpoenaed Donald Trump's former White House counsel Pat Cipollone. He is considered a key witness who repeatedly resisted Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
The subpoena was issued a day after that explosive testimony from a former White House aide Cassidy Hutchison who described in unhinged Donald Trump in the days leading up to the capitol riot. Here's what Hutchinson said Tuesday about one of her interactions with Cipollone.
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CASSIDY HUTCHINSON, FORMER AIDE TO WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF MARK MEADOWS: I saw Mr. Cipollone right before I walked out onto west exactly that morning. And Mr. Cipollone said something to the effect of, please make sure we don't go up to the capitol, Cassidy. Keep in touch with me. We are going to get charged with every crime imaginable if we make that movement happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, Cipollone sat for a closed-door interview with the committee in April, but he has refused to talk further since then.
Well, still to come on CNN newsroom, Bangladesh hit with the worst flooding in decades. Millions of people without homes. We'll have a live report.
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KINKADE: Well, a desperate need for aid in Bangladesh after what's being called the worst floods in living memory. More than seven million people need shelter and emergency relief. Torrential rains have cause rivers to overflow, leaving hundreds of thousands of homes underwater. And the worst hit areas entire neighborhoods are submerged.
Vedika Sud joins me now live just outside New Delhi. And it's hard to imagine the scale of this where there is seven million people needing aid and entire neighborhoods and including schools and businesses are underwater.
VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER: Absolutely, Lynda, the situation remains grim not only in Bangladesh, but neighboring country, India as well. Northeastern parts of Bangladesh remain submerged and so do some states in northeast India. The combined death toll unfortunately stands at 219 as we speak.
Let me bring you an update on Bangladesh first up. Now torrential rains have devastated many parts of northeastern Bangladesh. According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, the IFRC, there are two districts, Sylhet as well as another that have been completely cut off from the rest of Bangladesh.
In fact, according to the IFRC, one of them is inundated to the level of 84 percent while the other is almost 94 percent. According to aid agencies, schools, homes, and livelihoods have been completely devastated in this area. It's very difficult for aid agencies and relief workers to get there because roads have been cut off due to the flooding.
Now, Lynda, it's very important to know that Bangladesh has 700 rivers. And during the monsoon season a lot of them overflow, and this also impacts neighboring India where India and Bangladesh are very -- obviously share a boundary. And Meghalaya is a state an India which has been deeply impacted as well along with Assam.
Now we do know that there are more than 150 casualties that have taken place in Assam ever since April this year, meanwhile in Bangladesh a few dozen people who have died, but we need to know the official figures from today as when that comes in.
The fear in Assam and India is that a lot of the embankments, Lynda, are being breached more than what they have seen before. People say both in Bangladesh and in Assam that they haven't seen flooding as such levels earlier. And that's something that aid agencies in Bangladesh have been pointing out to CNN when we spoke to them over the phone and reached out to them.
Now the environmentalist in this region are worried and concerned. Over the last few weeks, they have been flagging how climate change and these extreme weather events are interconnected and short term and long-term solutions are a must in this region. Lynda?
KINKADE: Yes, if you can donate, please do so. We have obviously lots of sites on our impact our world, cnn.com/impactourworld. Vedika Sud, thank you so much.
SUD: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, disgraced singer R. Kelly has been sentenced to 30 years in prison. He was convicted last year of multiple charges including federal racketeering, sexual exploitation of a child, violating sexual trafficking laws, and much more. Kelly's attorney say they are ready to fight for an appeal. The singer has consistently said he is not guilty of any of the charges. Seven of R. Kelly's accusers addressed the court before sentencing. One is quoted as saying, "now it's your turn to have your freedom taken from you."
Jovante Cunningham, a former backup singer for Kelly praised the sentence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOVANTE CUNNINGHAM, R. KELLY ACCUSER: I started this journey 30 years ago. I was 14 years old when I encountered Robert Sylvester Kelly. There wasn't a day in my life up until this moment that I actually believed that the judicial system would come through for black and brown girls. Thirty years did he do this, and 30 years is what he got.
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KINKADE: Well, earlier I spoke to Kenyette Barnes, co-founder of the MuteRKelly movement, a campaign to get radio stations to boycott his music. Here is her reaction to his sentence.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KENYETTE BARNES, CO-FOUNDER, MUTERKELLY: It is a little surreal, I have to be honest, I mean, you mention this is a 30 -- this is 30 years in the making. I mean, he got 30 years in federal prison in the United States. But he's also been doing this for about 30 years, so, it kind of, you know, -- I think it's almost like one year for every year that he has been doing this.
[03:55:01]
But for me, it's surreal, because one is, it should have never taken this (Inaudible). I mean, people have been talking about R. Kelly's behavior for decades, myself included, and it took so many activists so many survivors, journalists, most notably, Jim DeRogatis out of Chicago, really have been pounding the pavement. Just really, a shoe leather journalism to get people to just care. And all of that work has culminated in the sentence today. So, it's a little surreal for me. A little surreal.
KINKADE: Yes, no doubt. And for those not familiar with him, give us some more history. Because he came to fame internationally with a hit song, I believe I can fly and it seemed to use his notoriety to exploit young girls even marrying an underage girl.
BARNES: Absolutely, so Robert Kelly is from southside Chicago Illinois, in the United States. It's a -- it's a Mecca for music and entertainment but what happened, something went horribly wrong with Robert Kelly.
And as far back as the 90s people knew about his behavior but it was all a rumor about the things he was doing. But people knew something was just wrong. And I remember my mother would always say, when there's smoke there's fire. And even as a young woman I actually like R. Kelly's music but I knew you didn't go backstage when he came to town, you didn't get involved with him.
But unfortunately, there were young women who had aspirations to be, you know, a recording star and if the king of R&B once to mentor you, most people are not going to say no. And unfortunately, that was sort of the gateway to the grooming, and the abuse of behavior that so many young women and we are now learning young men experienced at the hands of R. Kelly.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Our thanks to Kenyette Barnes there. Well before we go, some taco news. Taco Bell is testing two new menu items at a restaurant in California. The experiment is a massive cheese it, 16 times the standard size. It serves as the base for the chains new big cheez-it tostada and will be part of the big cheez-it crunch wrap supreme.
Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Lynda Kincade. CNN Newsroom continues with Max Foster next. You're watching CNN.
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