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Middle East Diplomacy; January 6 Committee Seeks Secret Service Text Messages; Gang Fighting In Haiti; COVID-19, Banking Scandal Take Toll On Chinese Economy; Celebrations In Sri Lanka; Biden Vows Executive Action After Manchin Knocks Climate Agenda. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired July 16, 2022 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting live right now from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
We're covering a pivotal day of talks with President Biden and the world leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council+3, Iraq, Egypt and Jordan. United Arab Emirates here, hours after the controversial meeting with the Saudi crown prince. The President of the United States is here for critically important talks.
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And I'm Kim Brunhuber, live at CNN Center in Atlanta, where a deadly heat wave is baking parts of Europe, sparking wildfires along its path. We'll look at what's causing these record-breaking temperatures.
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BLITZER: It's now noon here in Saudi Arabia and the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council+3 will soon be gathering for their rather important summit. President Biden will be meeting one-on-one this hour with the president of the United Arab Emirates.
Earlier he talked with the leaders of Egypt and Iraq. The summit officially gets underway in the next hour after President Biden and others assemble for what's called the classic photo, which is expected at the top of the hour.
The brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi certainly cast a pall. President Biden is hoping this trip will help move the two countries forward, while still making clear, he says, that he holds Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince, responsible for the killing. Here's what he said after meeting with the crown prince in Jeddah on Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I made my view crystal clear. I said very straightforwardly, for an American president to be silent on an issue of human rights is inconsistent with who we are and who I am. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: But some find it difficult, especially the president's critics, to square the president's rhetoric with his greeting the crown prince with a so-called fist bump. It was President Biden who labeled Saudi Arabia during the presidential campaign in the United States a pariah.
That was just a couple of years or so ago. President Biden says he doesn't regret the remark but both men chose to ignore reporters' questions as their meeting started here in Jeddah.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Jamal Khashoggi, will you apologize to his family, sir?
QUESTION: President Biden, is Saudi Arabia a pariah?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Let's bring in our chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins. She's with me here in Jeddah.
This is a real delicate and diplomatic dance that the president of the United States has to go through.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. That was his most problematic part of the trip. The White House thought the political cost was worth it because they think they need to be able to work with Saudi Arabia.
And, of course, it was the president's own words that made that so awkward. And an interesting meeting that everyone was paying attention to see how they were going to handle that.
You saw president come out pretty late in Jeddah to explain what happened in the meeting. There are differing accounts because the president said he did bring up the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, not at the end but at the top to share his views.
The Saudis said it wasn't as contentious as Biden framed it because Biden said he believes he was responsible for the killing. That's each side saying their own spin about what happened and how they believe the meeting went.
So this was the most controversial part of the trip. He's got these meetings with other world leaders today. It's going to be focused on oil production and Iran. And you'll see President Biden lay out basically his mission statement for the Middle East.
BLITZER: He did make that statement. He met with reporters and read a prepared statement, highlighting what he called the achievements that occurred during the course of the meetings so far. And that was a previously unscheduled media event.
COLLINS: It was. It was more about what they accomplished and making sure he put his side of the story out there. The Saudis made sure to put out photos quickly.
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COLLINS: They were the ones who captured the fist bump at the beginning of the meeting.
The achievement, some already in the works. Some of them are modest but some are significant, including the one they announced before he arrived here, which was opening the Saudi airspace so Israeli commercial flights could come here. That's a big deal.
The other is cease-fire in Yemen, the Red Sea islands. There are things they're pointing to where they say, this is, we believe, the biggest thing. It's the fact this meeting happened and now the relationship can go forward. That's really what they wanted to accomplish.
BLITZER: They keep stressing how concerned they are. If the U.S. were to withdraw for the Middle East, there would be a vacuum and Russia and China could fill that vacuum.
COLLINS: They're concerned that's already happened. Look what's happening with Russia and Iran. Russian officials visited Iran in recent weeks to look at some of their equipment, equipment that the national security adviser in the U.S., Jake Sullivan, warns they're potentially preparing to send to Russia to use in Ukraine.
BLITZER: Those U.S. concerns are very, very significant indeed. All right. Kaitlan, don't go too far.
Our Kaitlan Collins, chief White House correspondent.
Meanwhile, Jamal Khashoggi's killing back in 2018 remains a very sensitive issue. A declassified report concluded that the crown prince was most likely behind it. Saudi officials apparently consider the matter completely closed. I spoke yesterday with the Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs. Listen to this.
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ADEL AL-JUBEIR, SAUDI MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS: I don't believe that that was specified in those terms, one.
Number two, it was an assessment.
Number three, we know what the intelligence community's assessment was with regards to Saddam Hussein having weapons of mass destruction.
The Kingdom of Saudi have investigated this crime. The Kingdom of Saudi have held those responsible for accountable and they are paying the price of the crime committed as we speak. We investigated, we punished and we put in place procedures to ensure that this doesn't happen again.
This is what countries do in situations like this. This is what the U.S. did when the mistake of Abu Ghraib was committed. This is what the U.S. does in other situations that involve combat operations or that involve any situation where somebody transgresses or makes a mistake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs, Adel Al- Jubeir, speaking to me yesterday.
Let's head over to some other top stories, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Thanks, Wolf.
Ukraine says Russian forces are stepping up strikes across the board. Odessa, Dnipro, Mykolaiv and the Kharkiv region all coming under rocket or artillery fire Saturday morning.
Some cities are still reeling from similar strikes the day before. Dnipro was hit by a barrage of rockets yesterday that killed at least two people. A separate strike in the Kharkiv region left three elderly people dead.
But Ukraine says it pushed back against Russia gaining more ground in the Donbas region and that includes repelling an attack aimed at a strategic highway. Scott McLean joins us live from Kyiv.
Let's start with the latest attack in Odessa.
What more can you tell us?
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kim, yes. My colleague, Ivan Watson, has managed to get to the scene. He said the air raid sirens had gone off in the industrial area, from speaking to the folks in the residential areas nearby.
They're not being allowed to get close to that area, so it's hard to know what was hit, other than some kind of industrial site.
But the reality is Odessa has been a popular target for Russian missiles, especially over the last couple of months, because Russian troops have not been able to get anywhere close to the actual city.
And that's because the city of Mykolaiv nearby has really been a brick wall for Russian forces attempting to push further eastwards. So Mykolaiv, the Russians not really able to make progress on the ground, have shelled it relentlessly.
The local mayor saying, of 142 days of war, there have only been 21 days of quiet with no shelling inside of the city. They had shelling yesterday at a university. They had more this morning.
They're still trying to figure out exactly what's been hit and what kind of casualties there are. You mentioned the rocket strikes elsewhere. Dnipro a popular target now. Officials saying a total of 57 rockets as of late have been fired in the direction of the city.
[05:10:00] MCLEAN: The one bright spot for the Ukrainians for the moment is the situation in the east seems to be stabilized or a stalemate at the moment. The Russians took the entire region of Luhansk. Now they're trying to quickly capture Donetsk.
But despite trying to surround the region from three sides, the south, the north and the east as well, the Ukrainians say the front lines have barely changed at all. They've managed to keep them off a major highway and repelled whatever has come their way.
But it seems the Russians are still able to lob bombs at the towns and villages on the other side of the front line.
BRUNHUBER: Absolutely. Scott, that horrific attack in Vinnytsia, what's the latest on the victims?
MCLEAN: Well, 23 people are confirmed to have died. There are still eight people who are missing. They managed to identify 19 of them. Most of them were identified through DNA. The bodies have been burned beyond recognition in many cases.
So yesterday I was at a hospital and I saw two women outside the doors, very upset, crying. Of course, the hospital, this kind of thing happens all the time. They wouldn't speak on camera.
But I did manage to speak with them briefly and they said they had gone around to all of the hospitals in the region, looking for their missing relative and this was the final stop. This was their final hope to actually find them alive, hoping they had ended up at this hospital and didn't manage to get in touch with anyone. They weren't there.
That's why they were so upset in that moment. They assume their body is somewhere within the rubble, somewhere that is probably destroyed beyond recognition. There are dogs onsite going through, looking for any kind of human remains.
But considering the damage that was done to the building and nearby buildings and pavement between them, even the parking lot between them, you have to imagine that any human body in close proximity to where those missiles actually landed is not going to be in good shape.
That is the sad reality of what's happened in Vinnytsia. Remember, there are children who are victims among them.
BRUNHUBER: Heartbreaking. Scott McLean, thanks so much.
Well, a new first in the 2020 election probe. Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, the January 6 committee sets its sights on the U.S. Secret Service over missing text messages. We'll have details on that in a moment.
Plus, scores of migrants are arriving at the border of Mexico. We'll have details why that's happening. That's coming up ahead. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: For the first time, the January 6 committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol has issued a subpoena to the Secret Service for information about text messages that were later arrested. CNN's Jessica Schneider has the latest.
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JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari on Capitol Hill. He briefed all nine January 6 committee members on his claim that the Secret Service erased text messages from January 5th and 6th, 2021. Now that the committee heard his take they want to talk to the Secret Service.
REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D-MS): One of the things we have to make sure is that what Secret Service is saying and what the I.G. is saying that those two issues are in fact one and the same.
SCHNEIDER: The inspector general says he raised the issue of erased text messages with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas more than once but ultimately turned to Congress for help, telling congressional committees this week that many U.S. Secret Service text messages from January 5th and 6th, 2021, erased as part of a device replacement program.
The U.S. Secret Service erased those text messages after OIG requested records of electronic communications.
But the Secret Service quickly shot back, saying the loss of text data was part of routine phone replacement.
The insinuation that the Secret Service maliciously deleted text messages following a request is false, adding that the inspector general requested electronic communications for the first time on February 26, 2021, after the migration was well underway.
The Secret Service notified DHS OIG of the loss of certain phone's data but confirmed to OIG that none of the text it was seeking had been lost in the migration.
The Secret Service says they have been cooperating with the I.G., handing over almost 800,000 redacted emails and nearly 8,000 Microsoft team's chat messages.
The agency has been at the center of intensifying questions after Cassidy Hutchinson testified last month. She was a top aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
And she recounted how she was told by Deputy Chief of Staff Tony Ornato that President Trump lunged at Secret Service Agent Robert Engel in the presidential SUV and tried to force his detail to take him to the Capitol on January 6th.
CASSIDY HUTCHINSON, FORMER AIDE TO WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF MARK MEADOWS: The president reached up toward the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel. Mr. Engel grabbed his arm, said, sir, you need to take your hand off the steering wheel.
SCHNEIDER: Trump has dismissed Hutchinson's testimony but a Washington, D.C., police officer who was in that motorcade corroborated details of the heated exchange to the committee. That's according to a source familiar.
HUTCHINSON: Mr. Trump then used the free hand to lunge toward Bobby Engel. And when Mr. Ornato had recounted the story to me, he motioned toward his clavicles.
SCHNEIDER: The Secret Service has not given a public account of what happened. One official telling CNN that the agents dispute Hutchinson's account but Hutchinson's lawyers say she stands by her testimony.
REP. PETE AGUILAR (D-CA): If people want to come forward and have a different recollection, we would encourage them to come forward give testimony under oath. That is different than putting out anonymous statements.
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SCHNEIDER: The committee has just announced plans for an eighth and possibly final hearing. It will happen Thursday at prime time, 8:00 pm and it will focus in what was happening in those 187 minutes when Trump was out of public view and not stepping in as rioters attacked the Capitol -- Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.
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BRUNHUBER: Georgia's investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election is now focusing on top state Republicans. Georgia's Republican Party chairman David Shafer has received a target letter from Fulton County's district attorney, warning him that he may be indicted.
Shafer helped organize a slate of fake electors in the state. Shafer has also faced inquiries from federal investigators and the House Select Committee. The investigation was triggered after former president Donald Trump's infamous phone call to the secretary of Georgia's state to find more votes and here's part of that call.
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TRUMP: So look, all I want to do is this. I just want to find, uh, 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have.
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BRUNHUBER: Democrats are hoping to expand their Senate majority in midterm elections this fall since the Senate's 50-50 split means every lawmaker carries outsized weight. Joe Manchin represents West Virginia, which voted overwhelmingly for president Trump in 2016 and 2020.
In an interview on Friday, Manchin said he told Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer he won't support climate provisions or tax packages at all. Here he is.
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SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): So, I said, "Chuck, until we see the July inflation figures, until we see the July basically Federal Reserve rate, interest rates, then let's wait until that comes out so we know that we are going down the path that won't be inflammatory, to add more to inflation."
He says, "Are you telling me you won't do the other right now?"
I said, "Chuck, it's wrong. It's not prudent to do the other right now."
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Manchin said he's open to allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices. Manchin sees the increased federal spending as the main driver of inflation and won't support climate or energy provisions or tax increases.
Parts of the U.S. border with Mexico are being overwhelmed by migrants seeking asylum in the United States and, unlike past years, they're not mainly from Mexico and Central America. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez has more from Yuma, Arizona.
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PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mass migration is landing at the U.S. doorstep.
With conditions getting worse in their countries of origin, migrants are arriving in droves, relieved as they cross the border.
Sometimes the situation at home eliminates any possibilities, she says. In this part of the border, U.S. authorities arrest up to 1,000 migrants daily. The influx is an alarming trend made even more difficult by the nationalities of the people crossing the border.
Here past midnight in Yuma, hundreds of migrants have crossed into the U.S. and turned themselves over to Border Patrol. They come from a range of countries, including as far as Russia. They all, after speaking with them, said the same thing. They are looking for a better life here in the United States.
Yuma Border Patrol chief Chris Clem described the situation as dynamic.
CHRIS CLEM, YUMA SECTOR CHIEF PATROL OFFICER, U.S. BORDER PATROL: We are having countries from Mexico, Central America, things we could process and take biometric data and put them in proceedings and/or return them back to Mexico.
The countries we are receiving now, those nationalities, are flying in, arriving to the border. And, you know, they're having to be processed. There are just so many of them it is posing a challenge to the workforce.
ALVAREZ: Authorities can turn back migrants at the southwest border, back to Mexico or their home countries under a Trump era pandemic rule, known as Title 42. But it doesn't apply to everyone. That couple with frosty relations with countries like Venezuela and Cuba, keeps the U.S. from removing certain people, meaning they might be released while going through immigration proceedings.
CLEM: With technology and resources not only for our agents but the overall mission, former surveillance systems and then we continue to add to the processing and the humane care of the migrants in custody. Wrap-around medical services, food contracts to make sure we've got plenty of food to be able to take care of those in custody.
ALVAREZ: The pace of people journeying north presents a steep challenge for President Biden and one he raised with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador this week.
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One of those is migration, at historic levels throughout our hemisphere. Like us, Mexico has become a top destination of migrants. And here's what we're going to do to address it together.
ALVAREZ: The U.S. has looked to countries further south for help, including Costa Rica, where many migrants travel through. An agreement between the two obtained by CNN outlines commitments to strengthen enforcement, exchange information on migrant flows and stabilize host communities.
Biden continues to face political pressure from Republicans who say he is not doing enough. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed legislation to shore up funds for border security and following the example set by Texas, he has sent 25 buses with migrants to Washington, D.C.
Even so, people continue to come with hope of a new life on the horizon.
The Yuma sector chief tells me in the coming days they anticipate they'll reach 250,000 arrests just in this sector. So far this fiscal year, that would surpass all of the last fiscal year -- Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Arizona.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Day two of President Biden's journey is well underway. We'll take you live for the latest. Stay with us.
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BLITZER: Welcome back to our viewers from around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting live from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. U.S. President Joe Biden is here in Saudi Arabia.
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BLITZER: As leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council+3 begin gathering here in Jeddah. The so-called class photo is expected to be taken near the top of the hour. We'll, of course, share that photo with you.
The summit follows a rather eventful day on Friday, when President Biden said he directly challenged the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi in 2019, who denied direct involvement. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I made my view crystal clear. I said very straightforwardly, for an American president to be silent on an issue of human rights is inconsistent with who we are and who I am.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The president's remarks came after rather fierce criticism of this photo, showing the two men greeting here in Jeddah with a fist bump. It was President Biden who labeled Saudi Arabia a pariah just a few years ago during his presidential campaign in the United States.
I want to bring in our CNN international correspondent, Nic Robertson. He's here in Saudi Arabia.
How do you think they handled this controversy over Jamal Khashoggi and that murder?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: MBS could have met President Biden inside the royal palace and we wouldn't have seen the greeting. He got the fist bump shot. That's what the Saudis wanted.
People will remember this. President Biden says we may see a benefit, we may see oil come down at the gas pumps. The Saudis have pushed back on the notion that they'll give gas for security in the region.
But of course, security is the other part that's come up here. One of the gains here, President Biden outlined it last night, Saudi is going to invest in U.S. technology, 5G, 6G cell phone networks.
Why is that important?
Remember the conversation, when the former Trump administration said you can't buy your equipment from China, it's not safe.
That looks like a longer-term commitment to a security partnership with the United States now. The Saudis already buy a lot of Chinese high-tech equipment.
How does that look?
We don't know. But these are indicators that are something to build on.
BLITZER: It's also significant the President of the United States is here for the GCC Summit+3. The United Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, these other countries, plus Jordan, Egypt and Iraq. That could have implications as well.
ROBERTSON: Yes, President Biden has tried to build this regional security alignment against Iran and the threat of getting nuclear weapons. Israel's position is clear. Saudi's position is it wants that deterrence against what Iran wants in terms of nuclear weapons and the regional threats.
In Yemen here, a few months ago, Iran backed Houthi rebels fired cruise missiles that landed in the city. So there's a reality for the Saudis.
But when he meets with the other leaders like he met already with the prime minister of Iraq, the message there was, you know, he doesn't want to get into a regional security alliance that could threaten Iran.
His meeting with President Mohammed bin Zayed of the UAE, it's the same message there. So President Biden faces a range of views. We all know how hard it is to get consensus in the Middle East.
Where is he going to be able to land that security package?
For the Saudis, it's going to be a lot more defensive missile systems.
BLITZER: I think it's significant especially for those who have covered the Middle East like you and me for a long time. This new deal, the president was involved, Saudis are directly involved, handing over a couple of islands that Egypt controlled since the Camp David accords going way back, handing over control to the Saudis right now.
Israelis are on board. This is something they're ready to accept.
ROBERTSON: I think President Biden really framed this in his press conference. I would add to the fact that Saudi Arabia is allowing all commercial airlines to overfly over Saudi Arabia, including Israel. He himself flew directly from Israel.
Both steps on these islands, where Israel has a security interest as well, Saudi has given some ground on the overflights and Israel has given some ground.
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ROBERTSON: These strategic islands, at the mouth of the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. It's hugely important who controls those. So both sides have made concessions. President Biden listed these as the top of his gain since last night. This, I think, shows a path forward. But it's going to be a long path.
BLITZER: I thought it was significant, as far as Israel was concerned. In the interview I had with Adel Al-Jubeir, he said they were close to a peace arrangement, normalizing relations with Israel.
But he linked it directly to Israel accepting a two-state solution. He said then it won't be a problem for the Saudis to do so. I thought that was significant in the course of the interview, that the Saudis were linking a two-state solution to the normalization with Israel.
ROBERTSON: The Saudis' problem with that at the moment is they don't think there's an Israeli leader who can deliver that. That's one of the big issues about getting into this improved relationship scenario, leadership and also the position they have to take, the king's custodian of the two sites in Islam.
That carries a lot of baggage and influence in the region. They've got to get the mood and temperature right so they would have to -- among the wider Muslim world that have always felt passionate about the Palestinian issue, although I have to say here in the Gulf, it's becoming less so.
It needs to be a partner in Israel that's really going to be able to deliver.
BLITZER: Linking progress on the Israeli-Palestinian front to normalization of relations, significant for the Saudis, apparently not so significant for other Gulf countries, like the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
ROBERTSON: It's that position in the Islamic world. Millions of people come here. It's a huge revenue winner. This is something that -- I say carries a lot of baggage. For them to take a step in the Muslim world, it would seem to be breaking with what the majority of Muslims around the world, rather than in their countries here in the Gulf.
And the leadership, I think there's a genuine feeling the Palestinians need to catch up with the reality in the world, which is the position, I think, that the UAE has very clearly stated.
But for the Saudis to do that, they have to remember what the rest of the wider Muslim world feels. And that sentiment about Palestinians is not the same.
BLITZER: Yes. It is significant that the Saudis have agreed to allow Israeli Arab Muslims to fly directly from the Israel to Saudi Arabia. That's a major breakthrough as well. Nic Robertson will continue our coverage for what's going on.
That does it for me in this hour from Jeddah. A lot more coverage. There's a lot going on. In the meantime, let's head to Atlanta for other top stories, Kim?
BRUNHUBER: Thanks so much, Wolf. A war behind the front lines that's turning food into a weapon. Russia
sets Ukrainian wheat fields on fire, raising concerns millions could go hungry around the country. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: I want to show you what Ukrainian farmers call a second front in Russian's invasion of their country. Have a look. You'll see it right here.
Wheat fields on fire, sparked by Russia's shelling. If Ukraine doesn't produce an export, it means tens of millions around the world could struggle to put food on the table. Ivan Watson says farmers are scrambling to save whatever they can.
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IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT WATSON (voice-over): A war against one of the biggest bread baskets in the world. Ukraine's fertile farmland now a battleground. Military drone footage exclusively obtained by CNN shows Russian artillery pounding wheat fields, burning the summer harvest charcoal black.
Farmer race to protect their crops. Until Russia's invasion Ukraine was the world's fifth largest exporter of wheat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
WATSON: All right, this looks like some kind of munitions over here.
WATSON (voice-over): Now Ukrainian farmers are harvesting a deadly crop.
WATSON: Mikael (ph) says these are pieces of Russian rockets that they gathered out of the fields.
WATSON (voice-over): Mikael Lupchenka (ph) takes me on a tour of his farm.
WATSON: He'll show us, that's another shell strike?
WATSON (voice-over): Acres of wheat waiting to be harvested within earshot of pounding Russian artillery.
WATSON: This is absolutely surreal. We're amid the wreckage of previous battles, armored personnel carriers, military vehicles and then you've got farmers out here that are harvesting wheat right now.
The vehicles that have been destroyed here this could have happened back in March, February, much earlier. But we're also seeing these impact craters from shell strikes that we're told probably took place within the last couple of weeks.
WATSON (voice-over): Despite the threats these brave farmers still bring in their harvest only to face another obstacle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
WATSON: This is 3,000 tons of wheat from last year's harvest.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language)
WATSON: He can't sell this wheat because the Russian military has blockaded Ukraine's ports. So there's no way for this to be sold except at an enormous loss.
WATSON (voice-over): Ukrainian ports where ships once carried millions of tons of grain a month to global markets now blockaded by the Russian Navy. The log jam driving up global food prices triggering warnings of famine in some of the world's poorest countries.
Last month the Ukrainian military forced Russian troops to abandon Ukraine's Snake Island in the Black Sea. The Snake Island victory freed up channels to the Danube River. Ukraine reactivated Soviet era ports on this waterway as an alternative route for the export of grain.
But experts warn the river can only handle a fraction of Ukraine's prewar cargo.
[05:45:00]
WATSON (voice-over): This week Ukrainian, Russian and U.N. delegations meeting in Istanbul say they reached a deal in principle to resume shipments of grain by sea.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
WATSON (voice-over): But Ukrainian farmers continue to face deadly threats on land making it too risky for many to plant crops for next year.
WATSON: This front line farmer vows not to give up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
WATSON: "Our soldiers are fighting and dying to get rid of these occupiers," he says. "We need to feed our country, the soldiers and help the whole world with our food. That's why we'll keep working."
He calls his farm the second front in this deadly war -- Ivan Watson, CNN, southern Ukraine.
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BRUNHUBER: United Nations is optimistic talks could lead to a deal on exports of food. Turkiye says follow-up talks are to continue next week. They want to export food through the Black Sea, which would bring food to millions worldwide, who otherwise wouldn't get it. The U.N. secretary-general called the progress a sign of hope.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GHEBREYESUS: We have seen a critical step, a step forward to ensuring the safe and secure export of Ukrainian food products through the Black Sea.
In a world darkened by global crisis, today at last we have a ray of hope, a ray of hope to ease human suffering and alleviate hunger around the world, a ray of hope to support developing countries and the most vulnerable people, a ray of hope to bring a margin of much- needed stability to the global food system.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: But if any deal is reached, can Russia be trusted to keep its side of the bargain?
I spoke with Tymofiy Mylovanov, a former Ukrainian government minister. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Russia seems to be targeting farm fields, accused of stealing and reselling Ukrainian crop. They are accusing them of waging a war on wheat. Is that how you see it?
TYMOFIY MYLOVANOV, PRESIDENT, KYIV SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: That's correct. They also target infrastructure, agricultural infrastructure as well as logistics by shelling. And the areas that they have occupied and later left, they took away the equipment, the farmers' equipment.
BRUNHUBER: So right now, aside from what you said, from the targeting of fields, the dangers that farmers face as well, there's also the problem of what to do with the products because of Russia's blockade of the Black Sea ports.
But there's news, a hope of a deal to allow Ukraine to export from those seaports.
How close are we, do you think, to an actual deal here?
MYLOVANOV: I'm more optimistic than let's say a week ago. I talked to the government, some officials, who are informed about the process, the progress of the talks. So there's actually a realistic hope.
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BRUNHUBER: Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said some 25 million tons of grain are held up because of the blockade.
We'll have details from the CNN Weather Center ahead. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Several intense wildfires are burning throughout Portugal, Spain, France and Croatia, fueled by a record-breaking heat wave across Europe. That includes France, where two large forest fires have destroyed over 18,000 acres, forcing evacuations.
In Portugal, firefighters have been battling almost a dozen active fires. Health authorities say around 240 deaths between July 7th and 13th are likely caused by the heat wave.
Spanish officials say it's believed at least 84 people are thought to be dead because of sweltering temperatures. They think the death toll will rise. Scientists have a dire warning. The fires and heat waves we see now may be only the beginning. Isa Soares has more.
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ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With each leaping flame, nature's full wrath on display. A warming planet facing the consequences. Fires raging throughout southern Europe and into North Africa.
Thousands of hectares scorched as firefighters throughout the region struggle against high winds to try and contain the rapidly spreading danger. The extreme heat and drought fueling what scientist say is a sign of the effect of climate change.
MICHAEL MANN, DIRECTOR, EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE CENTER, PENN STATE: One of the things that we're seeing increasingly is not only have we got extreme heat and drought or extreme floods but they stay in the same location for day after day. So you are subject to that deadly heat for multiple days.
SOARES: In France, President Emmanuel Macron visiting an emergency command center after thousands were evacuated from their homes to escape the blaze.
EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): We already have three times more forest burned than in 2020. And we have both a spring that has been very dry and fires that have spread with force.
SOARES: Temperatures peaking above 45 degrees Celsius in parts of Spain and Portugal on Thursday. And dire warnings for the week to come in the U.K. The Met office issuing its first-ever red heat warning for Monday and Tuesday.
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SOARES (voice-over): Residents flocking to beaches and doing whatever they can to escape the stifling heat that threatens to turn deadly for at-risk populations like the elderly and the homeless. And in Spain, farmers struggling to save their livelihoods. The drought wiping out grain and other crops, adding to global food shortages amid already rising inflation.
JOAN VIDAL, FARMER (through translator): Depending on the areas and lands, some have resisted better than others. It would be a loss of 30 percent to 40 percent. And in some areas of the province of Lleida (ph), we're talking about 60 to 70 to 80 percent loss.
SOARES: As the mercury climbs, scientists again warning that without addressing the climate crisis, whether events like this would just grow more common and more extreme.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We ask ourselves, how is this going to end?
Either we will see a water shortage or a desert.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It's not so much for us but for our children and grandchildren.
SOARES: The global population growing ever more aware of just how uncertain the planet's future may be -- Isa Soares, CNN, London.
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BRUNHUBER: That wraps up this hour of CNN. I'm Kim Brunhuber. CNN "NEW DAY" begins next. Please stay with CNN.
