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Zelenskyy Pleads for More Weapons at Emergency G7 Meeting; New Wave of Russian Missile Strikes on Ukraine Overnight; Today, GOP Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) to Rally for Walker in Georgia. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired October 11, 2022 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:01]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Overnight, President Biden offering Ukraine another round of security assistance, which includes those advanced air defense systems, Biden promising to hold Russia accountable for its war crimes and atrocities.

This morning, Ukrainian Armed Forces say they have shot down more than a dozen missiles as Russia launches a fresh round of attacks. Now, it comes just one day after at least 19 people were killed and more than 100 injured in Russian missile strikes on Kyiv and several other cities.

CNN has every angle of this developing story covered. Our reporters, correspondents and guests are standing by to bring you the very latest.

And let's begin this hour with CNN International Security Editor Nick Paton Walsh in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine. Nick, officials say Ukraine has intercepted at least 20 missiles this is morning in two waves of attacks. They intercepted some 40 missiles yesterday after Russia barraged them with over 80. What more are you learning?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Yes. I mean, it is hard, frankly, to keep track of exactly the numbers here. Last count appears to be 18 missiles intercepted by Ukraine. We don't know the full total they're aware of being fired by Russia. It appears these interceptions took place in two waves between 9:00 and 9:30, there were four, and then up until 1:00 today, another 14.

I have to be honest with you, a feeling that it has been less of an onslaught by far by Russia today. And that may be a reflection of the finite number of these missiles that Russia indeed has and possibly the improvement by Ukraine in intercepting some of those missiles. But, still, strikes against energy infrastructure, something that Russia's ministry of defense has indeed admitted in Lviv, in Vinnytsia, cities like Odessa. The sirens blaring, we heard them overnight in Dnipro and it has been something that Ukrainians have obviously been hearing over the past month.

But in some of the major populations, like the capital, like those cities in the west, there have begun to be a slight feeling of normality returning shattered by the horrors of yesterday, from which the death toll has now reached 19, more injured. Amongst them, a children's doctor, and I think many Ukrainians outraged by the ferocity of the onslaught yesterday but also too expressions of resilience and at the same time questions about what is Russia's long- term strategy here, because it may not be able to keep up the horrors of yesterday over the days ahead. That may have been a display of military might and they may begin to target infrastructure slowly.

But I should point out that this is not a sea change in Russian barbarity. They have been hitting civilian targets since the beginning of the war. What we just saw yesterday was an uptick in the volume and intensity. Bianna?

GOLODRYGA: This with a new general leading that war, known for his brutality in Syria in the past.

Nick Paton Walsh, thank you.

Well, this morning, President Zelenskyy joining a G7 emergency session, pressing world leaders to do more for his country, this as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reaffirmed support for Ukraine.

CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson is following all of this from London. Nic, the message from President Zelenskyy has been a consistent one, they need more air defense and they need it now. How are allies responding given what we've seen over these last two days from Russia?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, Germany holds the rotating presidency of the G7. And yesterday, right after the first round of those strikes by Russia on Ukraine, President Zelenskyy talked with the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, he said that Germany was going to be sending one of four sophisticated missile defense systems that Germany has committed to send to Ukraine, one of those is on its way. The United States also, President Biden saying that he is committed to sending sophisticated air defense equipment.

This is something that Ukraine has been asking about for some time. I think the message now gets re-galvanized, and, certainly, this is what President Zelenskyy will be pushing. He'll be pushing for unity amongst allies in the G7 and he'll also be reminding them as well, not that they need reminding, but reminding them, but saying, look, very clearly, the military support, the economic support, the humanitarian support you're giving us is working. We're pushing Russia back on the battlefield. They're lashing out. And this really is very much in keeping with what we heard just a few minutes ago from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: Ukraine has the momentum and continues to make significant gains while Russia is increasingly resorting to horrific and indiscriminate attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure. President Putin is failing in Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: And the message there from Stoltenberg, one we've heard before but, it is up to Russia to end this war. He said Putin needs to end the war by pulling his troops out of Ukraine, meanwhile Putin, as we've seen, doubling down with many of those indiscriminate strikes.

[10:05:00]

GOLODRYGA: And adding hundreds of thousands of more troops, as we speak. Nic Robertson, thank you.

Well, let's get right to CNN's Phil Mattingly at the White House. Phil, the president has been in communication with President Zelenskyy. We heard from President Zelenskyy speaking before the G7 this morning. President Biden pledged to continue to support Ukraine with everything that it needs, including more air defense, but what is expected to come out of this specific meeting, because it appears that Ukraine is asking for even more sophisticated air defense systems in lieu of what is going on from the Russians at this point?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. President Zelenskyy has not been subtle about that fact, actually having one-on- one phone calls with six of the G7 leaders, including, as you noted, President Biden in the lead-up to this morning's meeting.

Now, that meeting concluded about 15 minutes ago. It lasted about an hour and 33 minutes. President Zelenskyy was scheduled to speak at the top of the meeting, but the leaders obviously had many issues to discuss.

The most acute, however, was made clear, laid bare, really, over the course of the last several days with those missile strikes. And Nic really gave you a really good sense of the fact that this is not just a U.S. specific issue in terms of what they could provide in military assistance as it relates to anti-aircraft systems, the French, the Germans, there are several countries involved. The U.S. has been working with Slovakia in terms of transferring S-300 missile systems over as well.

The expectation is there will be another U.S. assistance package coming in the next few days. President signed off on an expedited basis to get more advanced anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine a couple of months ago, those are expected to be delivered in the next couple of weeks. Whether or not the U.S. is willing to consider even more advanced, longer range missile systems is still an open questions. Officials making clear they have a process here as an interim process and one that they've been utilizing, in their view, successfully for the course of seven to eight months. That is not going to diverge.

We expect a readout coming from this meeting at some point in the next hour or two, which will lay out some details about what may be coming next.

I do want to note, Bianna, and you understand this better than most, this is not just about the acute issues in terms of weapons assistance for Ukraine, this was also about very acute issues in the energy space for those European leaders that were on this call. This is now very much a test of wills between where Russia stands and where Europe stands.

Energy has been kind of the cudgel, the almost anvil that President Putin has believed that he could utilize as this continues to drag on and the U.S. efforts, the by European leaders to fill very significant gaps on natural gas and oil over the course of the last several months are really hitting a tipping point here as we head into the colder months. That was expected to be a central point of the discussion as well as leaders continue to work through how to implement that oil price cap, their finance ministers agreed to last month, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, and President Zelenskyy calling for that price cap on Russian oil as soon as possible. Phil Mattingly, thank you.

And later this evening, President Biden speaks exclusively with Jake Tapper. This interview begins at 9:00 Eastern on Jake's new primetime show, CNN Tonight with Jake Tapper.

Well, joining me now from Odessa, Ukraine, is Michael Bociurkiw, a global affairs analyst and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. He's formerly served as a spokesperson for the organization for security and cooperation in Europe. Michael, thank you so much for joining us.

So, as we're hearing from the Ukrainians desperately demanding more air defense systems, they are in a position right now where they're having to choose between whether to defend civilians in some of these larger cities in the west and obviously using these systems on the battlefield there in the east and the southeastern part of the country. How quickly can the west provide them with these additional systems they desperately need?

MICHAEL BOCIURKIW, GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Good to be with you. Well, my understanding is that if you tapped all of the supporting armies in the world, you would not have enough air defense systems to protect all of Ukraine. It is a very, very big country, as you know. However, tough choices will have to be made. And I think from the Ukrainian side, it will be a balance between protecting women and men on the field on the battlefront but also protecting vital infrastructures, especially decision-making centers.

Look, the other thing the Ukrainians are going to be asking for I'm sure or had asked for at that G7 meeting is lifting of restrictions on the range of those HIMARS missiles. I think the time has come for the United States to allow that, and it wouldn't be, as one former general said yesterday, fighting terrorism with terrorism. After all, it is the Russians who attacked Ukraine, not the other way around. Ukraine has a right to defend itself.

And one more thing, Bianna, I'm glad the NATO secretary general made it clear as well, is that should Mr. Putin not be pushed back or defeated, it wouldn't only be a loss for Ukraine but also for the globe as well.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And it was interesting to hear the NATO general secretary say that NATO will continue and plans to hold the nuclear weapons exercise next week. This is something that he says has been routine. But in terms of previously planned exercises, we know that have been put off to de-escalate the situation.

[10:10:05]

It does seem to be telling that this test, this nuclear test and these exercises will go forward. What does that suggest to you?

BOCIURKIW: Well, I think it is the wise thing to do. As I said in my CNN opinion piece yesterday, is that what Mr. Putin does, he probes and probes and probes for soft tissue. And if he doesn't hit any resistance, he goes forward even further.

And, you know, I got to say, I had a -- go down my back when I heard that three missiles for Western Ukraine violated Moldova air space, triggering alarms there and triggering demand that the Russian ambassador come into speak to the foreign ministry. Imagine if those missiles had hit civilian aircraft, which are operational there.

So, a lot at stake here, and I think, again, the west finally realizes that a show of strength and a show of unity has to happen very, very quickly and in unambiguous terms.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. I noticed that and I read that too, that those missiles flew over Moldovan airspace. Moldova obviously not a member of NATO and a vulnerable country, but what would happen if that had taken place next door in Romania? Those are some of the questions that NATO members are asking themselves.

BOCIURKIW: Exactly.

GOLODRYGA: What is the situation there in Odessa, one of the cities that was bombarded by Monday's attack by the Russians? These are defiant people. This is a city that Putin desperately wants to gain back and gain hold of.

You filmed this wedding that took place just hours after this barrage of missiles struck the country. Talk about that and what the people there and the residents, how are they feeling in light of everything?

BOCIURKIW: Sure, yes. I was just outside of my window here. And it was so heartening to see this ray of light in the darkness. But let there be no mistake, I mean, as much as the Ukrainians are concerned about what is happening, a lot of them are telling me that we're not as anxious or scared as at the beginning of the war, that we will go on with our lives, as that wedding video shows.

And I've met restaurant owners here, business owners here who are saying, we are going ahead with renovation plans, reopening plans, because there is no other choice for us. And I think it is the irrepressible resistance that is going to be another weapon thrown to the Russians' way.

And, Bianna, just quickly, there is even talk here in Odessa between now and the end of the year of having a fashion/symphony orchestra show not only to promote brand Ukraine but also to show that defiance, that life goes on. And the message there for those types of events will also be the west has to support Ukraine in many different ways but also buying Ukrainian products because a lot of their export markets are not closed off.

GOLODRYGA: Those residents are leading by example. The opera house continues to show case performances as well, life goes on, even weddings that you captured in the midst of missiles coming down on these people.

Michael Bociurkiw, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

BOCIURKIW: My pleasure.

GOLODRYGA: Well still to come, two top Republican senators head to the battleground state of Georgia today to rally behind embattled Senate Candidate Herschel Walker. The critical race could help determine if Republicans get control of the Senate.

And later, Donald Trump defends his mishandling of classified documents and accuses former presidents of taking millions of presidential documents with them. We will fact-check these claims.

Plus air travel this Thanksgiving holiday is expected to be the most expensive in five years. How much are ticket prices now expected to increase? That is all straight ahead.

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GOLODRYGA: Republicans rallying around Georgia Senate Candidate Herschel Walker following reports that Walker asked a woman to terminate two pregnancies. This afternoon, Florida Senator Rick Scott and Arkansas' Tom Cotton will be in Georgia to rally with Walker, the move highlighting how critical the race is with a 50/50 split in the Senate.

CNN National Politics Reporter Eva McKend is in Carrollton, Georgia, this morning. And, Eva, how are Republicans defending their support for Walker amid all of these revelations?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER: Well, Bianna, they aren't dealing with the substance of the allegations at all. Their primary focus is flipping this Senate seat. That is why we're seeing the full weight of the Republican establishment coming into Georgia today, really, a show of force.

And it is not that they didn't know that Walker was a flawed candidate. They knew that. That is why Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader initially, had reservations about Walker but they quickly deduced that he was their best chance of winning in this state, and that is why we've seen them go all-in and double down.

Meanwhile, Democrats here on the campaign trail aren't emphasizing this too much, but a Democratic-aligned group, a PAC, up with a new ad seizing on these allegations. I actually saw the ad just this morning as I was waking up here in Georgia. And the ad uses Christian Walker, Herschel Walker's son's own words against him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Six times in six months running from the violence, showing up at his ex-wife's house with a gun and refusing to leave, even making violent --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: So, here is what we're hearing from Democratic Candidate Raphael Warnock. He is continuing to sort of stay above the fray here. We're getting a statement from his press secretary this morning and she says that Georgia seniors deserve a senator who will stand up for them, not someone who sees a friend in a politician who wants to slash their benefits.

[10:20:10]

So really blasting the visit from these campaign surrogates and trying to steer the conversation back to the policy differences between Warnock and Walker. Bianna?

GOLODRYGA: Eva McKend, thank you so much.

Well, joining me now to discuss, David Gergen, former presidential adviser to Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton, and Reverend Dr. Robert M. Franklin Jr., he's a professor in moral leadership at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Welcome both of you.

David, let me begin with you, because, clearly, there is a lot of tension within the party now behind the scenes, but, publicly, you have two well-known conservative Republican senators going down to campaign for Herschel Walker. My question to you, just from a political standpoint, this close to the midterms, does the Republican Party have any other choice but to embrace him at this point?

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Not really. I do think it is worth noting that in almost any other race with any other candidate, that candidate would be gone by now given all of the lack of trust, the lies, the misstatements that have come out of the Walker campaign.

But he's not only got the Republican establishment now rallying to his side, but he's also got the Christian right, which is coming in and we don't see -- we see that in some races and not in others, but they're critical. And they're emphasizing essentially the passages in the bible with regard to forgiveness.

And that may work for them. We'll have to wait and see. It is a critical, critical race, though, in terms of who controls the Senate. This race and may be one or two others are going to be determinative of that question. GOLODRYGA: And, Reverend Franklin, on that support, in terms of the Christian right, really embracing now and coming and rallies behind Walker, I want to read to you a piece, you're actually quoted in The New York Times today on this issue. And they write, the loyalty to Mr. Walker reflects an approach conservative Christians successfully hone during the Trump-era overlooking the personal morality of candidates in exchange for political power to further their political policy objectives. After some hesitations in 2016, white evangelicals supported Mr. Trump in high numbers after reports about his history of unwanted advances toward women and vulgar comments about them.

Now, you were quoted in the piece saying, we are witnessing two dimensions of Christian faith, both the justice dimension and the mercy dimension. Can you explain further what you mean by that?

REV. ROBERT M. FRANKLIN JR., PROFESSOR IN MORAL LEADERSHIP, CANDLER SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY AT EMORY UNIVERSITY: Yes. I believe that democracy really requires virtue and leaders of virtue. All of the founding fathers and mothers believed that. And one of the things that I see happening here is that the justice dimension illustrated by Jesus entering a temple in his day overturning tables and insisting that people not trifle with holy and sacred things for material or political good.

The mercy dimension, Jesus stands, that same Jesus stands with a woman who was broken and she is being accused of adultery. And Jesus says, he that is without sin cast the first stone. No one casted a stone and he says to her, neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.

And that important message of mercy and justice must always be held together and part of what I am worried about is I see many on the evangelical right engaged in what Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the great theologian during the time of Adolf Hitley, he said this is cheap grace. It is Christianity without the cross. It is achieving grace without repentance and hard work. And I think Mr. Walker would be well-advised to spend time with his pastor, with his family, to do the soul repair, and then at a later time perhaps pursue office and other things. But I think right now, he's not ready.

GOLODRYGA: Well, David, what makes this race so unusual or that much more unusual is the Democratic opponent, and that is current Senator Warnock, who is known and well-known in that state, before he became a senator, having been a reverend at the famed Ebenezer Baptist Church. We heard from him the first time now, as we heard from Eva's piece, but he's been relatively quiet throughout this scandal.

I'm just curious given the number of presidents, Republican presidents you've advised specifically on implementation of religion and its role in their campaigns, how would you respond or what do you make of Raphael Warnock's actions or inactions throughout all of this?

GERGEN: Well, I think it is another rule of politics when the other side is digging a very big hole for itself, you just sort of stand back and watch.

[10:25:06] You don't have to contribute very much. And I think it is perfectly obvious to everybody that what we have is a flawed, deeply flawed candidate.

What it strikes me as interesting, Bianna, and it's not much to discuss, is there is something about Herschel Walker that is primal in nature. There is a quality about him that I think sort of attracts a certain group of people that we don't talk about very much, but I think it's pretty important in this race.

I do think the pastor is right about bringing up Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a wonderful role model for so many, and the issue of cheap grace. I do think he's right about the fact that Walker would be well-advised, not for political reasons but for his personal reasons, to look inward. I can't -- it is hard to do during this race. But as a human being and given everything else that is going on in his life, I do think seeking more serious grace would be wise.

GOLODRYGA: Well, Reverend, it is interesting that this strategy to embrace Christianity and religion comes just weeks away from the election, and I'm curious from your perspective, do you sense perhaps a bit of cynicism with that strategy given the timing of it all.

FRANKLIN: I do perceive cynicism. I wonder how much these Republican leaders really care about the man, Herschel Walker, and his children and his family. If the family is crying out in pain, that man has a moral obligation to attend to them, to repair the breach, to make things whole and right with them, then he could go and claim to serve the public. And I believe many of those who advised and are using him for their political ends really ought to be ashamed of themselves.

Walker knows as a professional athlete, former athlete, if he was not ready, not trained and ready to go on game day, he would not go. And so I think that this is a time for all of us to remember that the words of the great Irish poet, Oscar Wilde, who said, every saint has a past and every sinner has a future. But he needs to do the soul repair in order to have a political future.

GOLODRYGA: Well said. Reverend Dr. Robert Franklin Jr. and David Gergen, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

Well, coming up, Donald Trump claims other former president's mishandled millions of pages of classified documents. We'll fact-check the claims, up next.

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