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Brittney Griner Is Flying Home After Prisoner Swap With Russia; Putin Vows To Continue Targeting Ukraine's Power Grid; Trump Organization Guilty In Tax Fraud Trial; U.S. Diplomat's Wife Gets Suspended Sentence For Fatal UK Crash; Moldova Feels the Heat from War in Ukraine; World Cup Quarterfinals; Mixed Reaction to Release of Royal Couple's Docu-Series. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired December 09, 2022 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us all around the world. Appreciate your company. I'm Michael Holmes. Coming up here on the program, American basketball star Brittney Griner, expected to touch down in the U.S. soon after being released by Russia in a prisoner swap.
If one falls so my others all lies on the war in Ukraine but Kyiv's next door neighbors also feeling the heat. Our own Christiane Amanpour sits down with the President of Moldova.
And the World Cup quarterfinals will be getting underway what to expect, when do we expect it and why today could be the biggest day of Lionel Messi's career.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN Newsroom with Michael Holmes.
HOLMES: American basketball star Brittney Griner is expected back on U.S. soil soon after nearly 10 months in Russian custody. She's used to arrive at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas then head to an Army Medical Center for evaluation. Russia agreed with the U.S. to swap Griner for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. The two crossed paths briefly in Abu Dhabi where the swap took place you can see it there.
Griner had been serving a nine-year prison sentence after authorities found cannabis oil in her bag at a Moscow airport. Her attorney said it was prescribed by a doctor for severe chronic pain. U.S. President Joe Biden announcing the prisoner swap at the White House on Thursday.
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JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: She's safe. She's on a plane. She's on her way home. After months of being unjustly detained in Russia held under an intolerable circumstances. Brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones and, and she should have been there all along.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Griner has released undeniably good news. There is a disappointing side to this story. U.S. Marine veteran Paul Whelan remains in a Russian prison, not part of the swap with Viktor Bout. He has 12 years left on his sentence for espionage or crime he says he never committed it never occurred. Whelan spoke exclusively to CNN producer Jennifer Hansel by phone on Thursday. He says he's greatly disappointed the Biden administration has not done more to secure his release after four years in prison.
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PAUL WHELAN, AMERICAN DETAINED IN RUSSIA: The President and his team are going to have to look at what they have that is valuable that these people want and hopefully give it to them. Or I'll be here for a long time. And to be quite honest in these conditions, who knows how I'll come back or if I'll come back. What I don't understand is why nothing has happened to this point. And what the roadmap is for my release in the future.
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HOLMES: Now President Biden and others at the White House say they will never stop working for Whelan's release.
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JOHN KIRBY, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL SPOKESPERSON: There was only one choice, the only person that they were willing to treat for with respect to Mr. Bout was Brittney Griner. That was either get one American out in this case, Brittney are getting none.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: More now and how this delicate prisoner swap unfolded from CNN senior us national security correspondent Alex Marquardt.
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ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR US NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The dramatic moment of the high stakes prisoner swap Brittney Griner in the red coat walking towards the American plane. Coming towards them State Department official Roger Karstens accompany Viktor Bout, who was hugged by a Russian official. This new video from Russian state media shows Griner leaving Russian detention and boarding the plane in the snow. Her passport returned. Griner smiles knowing she's heading home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you ready for flight?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
BIDEN: Congratulations.
MARQUARDT: Back in the U.S., Griner's Cherelle was invited to the White House.
CHERELLE GRINER, BRITTNEY GRINER'S WIFE: Today I'm just standing here overwhelmed with the motions. But the most important emotion that I have right now is just sincere gratitude for President Biden and his entire administration.
MARQUARDT: The release was the culmination of many months of negotiations with Russia.
BIDEN: This work is not easy. Negotiations are always difficult. There are never any guarantees. But it's my job as President of United States make the hard calls and protect American citizens everywhere in the world.
MARQUARDT: The WNBA star who was caught with cannabis oil entering Russia spent 10 months in Russian detention, but now she's spared from a brutal nine-year sentence in a Russian penal colony.
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U.S. officials said that the trade for notorious Russian weapons smuggler Viktor Bout was finalized in the past 48 hours. Griner was moved from her prison to Moscow before being flown to Abu Dhabi, where the exchange took place on the tarmac of a small private airfield.
BIDEN: I'm glad to be able to say that Brittney is in good spirits. She -- she's relieved to finally be heading home.
MARQUARDT: The U.S. wanted to trade boot for both Griner and American Paul Whelan. But Russia refused. In an exclusive interview from his penal colony, Whelan told CNN he's surprised he wasn't included.
WHELAN: I'm greatly disappointed that more has not been done to secure my release. I'm happy that Brittney is going home today and that Trevor went home when he did. But I don't understand why I'm still sitting here. My bags are packed. I'm ready to go home.
MARQUARDT: Whelan told CNN that the Russians see him at a higher level than Griner. He's been charged with espionage and sentenced to 16 years.
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: This was not a choice of which American to bring home. The choice was one or none. I wholeheartedly wish that we could have brought Paul home today on the same plane as Brittney.
MARQUARDT (on camera): The big question now is how to get Paul Whelan home, who will the Russians want in exchange and is the U.S. willing to do it? Whelan clearly frustrated told CNN that Russia got the better of Thursday's deal. He said the Griner was traded for what he called a world class felon. And that now Russia is dangling him Paul Whelan over President Biden's head and will ask for something big. Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.
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HOLMES: For more I'd like to bring in Jonathan Franks. He worked to get the former American prisoner Trevor Reed released from Russia so knows a bit about how this all goes. He joins me from Clearwater Beach, Florida. I appreciate you joining us. So first of all, what do you make of the deal done for Griner and its implications and what it means for the others left behind.
JONATHAN FRANKS, FOUNDER, LUCID STRATEGIES: And thanks for having me, Michael. You know, today is a bittersweet day. I just -- I kind of describe it as the epitome of a Pyrrhic victory. Because, you know, we're overjoyed all of us like the hostage family community, our prayer hostage family campaign. For the Griner's, right. Cherelle is beloved in our group.
But a lot of us, me included, right, because when I was selling -- trying to sell a deal for Trevor was trying to sell a deal for Paul too. So it felt like a gut punch, right. And he's now been left behind three times by two different presidents and somebody pointed out today I read it somewhere that he deserves better from his government. And I agree.
HOLMES: And to that point, Paul Whelan, he said that, he told CNN, he's happy for Griner, but he also said, I don't understand why I'm still sitting here. What do you see as the answer that question? What would the U.S. have that Russia would have accepted for Paul Whelan?
FRANKS: Well, for one thing, right, they see Paul's case very differently because of the concocted, you know, espionage narrative, right. They've made him out to be the second coming of the Rosenbergs. And so it's a little hard to back off that position. And one thing that they never do over there is look weak to their domestic constituency.
And so I think it might be a little bit of a harder sell. But we do have a, you know, there are still, let's just put it this way, there's still targets for trade in this country.
HOLMES: Yes. You just -- you said at the beginning, you worked on the case of the American Trevor Reid, who was free, just how complex complicated, just plain difficult are these sorts of negotiations with equally with the Russians?
FRANKS: They're incredibly difficult. The people that play hostage diplomacy, right, the Chinese Venezuelans, Iranians, the Russians, at times, the Belarusians, you know, none of these places are run by stable geniuses, right? So they're very difficult. These folks are fickle. They're easily offended. And, you know, it can get pretty petty.
But, you know, I've got to say the government negotiators, you know, once they actually get to the table do a great job, right. And, you know, if they really could not get Paul in this deal, they had a moral obligation to make the deal they did, and they should be commended for it, but doesn't mean we have to sit here and be happy that Paul is still there. And I think our goal is a family campaign. And certainly the Reid's goal as a family is to continue the pressure on these books. So that we make sure that they do in fact, go back from Paul.
And, you know, I take especially Secretary Blinken, and you know, the President himself with their words, that they're not going to forget and they're, you know, that they're going to go back for Paul. And I hope that's the case.
HOLMES: There's no shortage of people, particularly in the political realm, and that includes some Democrats in Congress while they're happy for Brittney Griner. They're saying, you know, deals like this prisoner swaps just embolden adversaries to scoop up Americans because they might get a quid pro quo for that person's release. What do you say to that?
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FRANKS: So I would ask those very same people. And I was kind of hoping I'm kind of disappointed that it devolved into that, right. I'd ask the same people who are making these claims. What's the empirical evidence? Right. There is none. Right? This is a speculative boogeyman, right? Does it make some logical sense that perhaps doing these deals might increase Austin shaking? Absolutely. But it hasn't.
And so there's no empirical evidence for that yet. And even if there was, it would be immoral, let our current hostages rot in a, you know, for some speculative hope that we might prevent hostage (INAUDIBLE) to. This is a real problem, it is happening all that -- is happening with alarming frequency, and people need to be aware of it when they leave the country.
HOLMES: I just quickly, so I wondered if you had thoughts on, you know, whether Griner's profile as a sports woman impacted her importance if that's the right word to the Biden administration versus, you know, other cases?
FRANKS: Certainly, her prominence, you know, made this a special case, right? So, but I've seen a lot of people, you know, who have no idea what they're talking about, you know, sort of belly aching on social media that she got special treatment. She never asked for special treatment. That's just nonsense.
But because of her prominence, I've said, you know, since February got out, we, including Trevor, 10 Americans released in prisoner trades this calendar year, and had Brittney Griner, you know, zero of them had occurred before Britney got arrested.
So in a sense, we are soaring on a thermal created by Brittany. And, you know, this is all -- she's accomplished all this without actually, you know, while she's still in jail and unable to speak, so I can only imagine I can't wait to see what she accomplishes now that she has her voice back.
HOLMES: That's a really good point. I mean, her profile really giving, you know, oxygen to the cases of other people. It's a very good point. Jonathan, really appreciate it. Jonathan Franks, thanks so much.
FRANKS: Thank you.
HOLMES: The Russian President Vladimir Putin says Ukraine has itself to blame for Moscow strikes on its energy system. Russia has been pounding it of course in recent weeks, temporarily cutting power to millions of Ukrainians, just as bitterly cold weather is setting in. But Mr. Putin claims none of that is Russia's fault. Here's Sam Kiley.
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SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Vladimir Putin has made a rare public admission that the Russian forces have gone after civilian targets. Notably, lately the energy sector here in Ukraine, saying it was indeed though, as a result of the Ukrainians in his word, starting it. He said that a consequence of the attack blamed on Ukraine, unexplained attack so far on the illegal bridge that connects the Crimean peninsula to mainland Russia, which destroyed one at least of the lanes there and blocked the bridge for some time that being a Ukrainian attack on a civilian structure meant that Russia had struck back.
He also has recently said that any attempt to use nuclear weapons in this conflict or any other would not come from Russia. He said that Russia would not use first strike. He said we would -- we haven't gone mad and are not holding a knife at the throat of the world.
The reality is, of course, that it is Russia that is most recently threatened to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Now Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor is saying that the threat from Russia though had gone down. He said as a result of pressure being put on the Russian leader by the international community. Sam Kiley, CNN in Kramatorsk.
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HOLMES: Donald Trump sustained a number of embarrassing setbacks this week as he tries to get his reelection bid off the ground. On Tuesday, two companies within the Trump Organization were found guilty of criminal tax fraud and falsified business records. Trump and his family members were not charged in that case.
Now that same day, Herschel Walker Trump's handpicked candidate for Georgia's Senate seat went down in defeat in the state's runoff election, the wind giving Democrats a solid majority in the Senate. And on Wednesday, attorneys for Trump found classified documents at a storage facility in Florida and discovery only reinforcing the Justice Department's belief Trump still has more government documents he shouldn't have.
And on Thursday, the House panel investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol said it will soon finalize its list of criminal referrals to the justice department.
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Sources tell CNN that list may include Trump and at least four close associates.
Now just days after those classified documents were found in Florida, his sources tell CNN the U.S. Justice Department is asking a federal judge to hold Trump in contempt of court. The U.S. Justice Department argues that Trump has not complied with a subpoena to return all classified materials. A hearing is set for Friday. CNN's Katelyn Polantz explains what a contemporarily might mean for the former president.
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KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER (on camera): A new development in the criminal investigation about the handling of documents at Mar-a-Lago after the Trump presidency. The Justice Department has recently gone to court under seal and asked a federal judge to hold Donald Trump in contempt of court for failing to turn over additional records that he may have in his possession that could be national security secrets.
So this comes in a long running tangle between the Justice Department and Trump, where they have subpoenaed Trump months ago, for any records he may still have, especially ones that have markings that are classified on them. There was a search of Mar-a-Lago in August, very well publicized and confirmed by the Justice Department.
But since then, there has been steps that the Trump legal team has taken to try and satisfy the justice department to make sure that there are no documents that they still have. And the Justice Department is not satisfied. They believe that there is the possibility that Trump and his team still could have records in his possession that need to go back to the federal government.
And so they have gone to court just in the past week or so asking for this contempt proceeding a judge to potentially find Trump hold him in contempt if he doesn't comply with this long running subpoena. And this all comes in an ongoing, very significant investigation for the former president. This is a special counsel's investigation being led by Jack Smith.
And just on Thursday, the latest in that investigation is that a federal courts formal order came down saying that the Justice Department is going to be able to get access to thousands of more records that were seized at Mar-a-Lago back in August, they are going to be able to incorporate those records as part of the evidence as they continue to build that case. It's not exactly clear what will happen in this case, but the contempt proceeding will become part of it. And there's going to be a hearing on Friday in federal court in Washington, DC. Katelyn Polantz, CNN, Washington.
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HOLMES: In Peru, tempers flaring on the streets of the capital for a second day as riot police faced off against a crowd of supporters of the ousted leader Pedro Castillo. The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered Castillo detained for at least a week. He's accused of rebellion for attempting to dissolve Congress the day before, just 18 months into his presidential term. That move promptly led to his impeachment and arrest.
Peru's new president Dina Boluarte says she won't make a decision about holding early elections until she's discussed it with other political leaders.
German authorities say they expect more raids and arrests to be made as they investigate a far-right plot to overthrow the government. Police said on Thursday they've identified more than 50 suspects and there could be more. We get the latest on the investigation now from CNN senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen in Berlin.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): It could have been a January 6 style insurrection in Germany. Violent protesters trying to storm German parliament in August 2020 when the leading groups the Reichsburger or Citizens of the Reich now accused of plotting a coup in Germany.
This is obviously one of the largest terrorist organizations that has existed in the right-wing sector in recent years. Bavaria's (ph) interior minister said it certainly seems to be the worst we have seen so far in the spectrum of the Reichsburger and QAnon scenes.
German authorities say they believe there will be more arrests after massive raids on Wednesday. The number of suspects has already risen to more than 50 possible co-conspirators of the group, allegedly led by this man, 71-year-old Prince Heinrich XIII of the House of Reuss.
CNN efforts to reach him for comment have so far been unsuccessful. Residents of Heinrich's hometown say that suspicious activity was already well underway. His followers had even demanded citizens ditch their German passports.
We were told that we were not German because our passports were not German. We were then given the opportunity to apply for our German origin documents with the Reuss administration the deputy mayor said.
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Authority say that Reichsburger want to set up a monarchy in Germany and have scores of right-wing extremists in their ranks. Among those arrested several former soldiers and a former member of German parliament from a far-right political party. German extremism experts warn like in the U.S., the number of extremists looking to undermine democracy is growing.
ALEXANDER HAUSLER, UNIVERSITY OF DUFFELDORF (through translator): It's a development which shows that right wing extremism is moving from the margins to the center. And that protagonist from the scene can imagine overthrowing the state order. It's a very dangerous development.
PLEITGEN: German criminal authorities say they are continuing to identify people possibly involved in the planned coup. And while that plan may have been thwarted this time, groups like Reichsburger pose an increasing threat to Germany's democratic order. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin. (END VIDEO TAPE)
HOLMES: A U.S. diplomat's wife won't serve jail time for the death of a British team in a collision but the team's mother's still satisfied with the outcome. We'll explain when we come back. Also, this man says he's received death threats for defying China's censorship and sharing protests videos Beijing did not want you to see. We'll be right back.
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HOLMES: A U.S. diplomats wife convicted of causing the death of a British teenager saw her sentence suspended Thursday by a court in the UK. Harry Dunn was killed in a fatal collision in August 2019. American Anne Sacoolas received an eight-month sentence after pleading guilty in October, despite the fact that Sacoolas won't spend time in jail. Dunn's mother was happy with the conviction.
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CHARLOTTE CHARLES, MOTHER OF HARRY DUNN: Job done, promise complete properly, properly complete now. You know, Anne Sacoolas has a criminal record for the rest of her life. That was something that, you know, they never -- she never thought she'd see, the U.S. government never thought that they'd see. And we've worked tirelessly and relentlessly to make sure that she in the end still had to do what you and I would have had to have done. So, yes, Harry, we've done it and we get wicked.
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HOLMES: Shortly after the accident that killed Dunn, Sacoolas fled back to the U.S. which refused to extradite her to the UK. She initially claimed she could not be charged due to diplomatic immunity.
Widespread protests gripped China in recent weeks as the public pushback against the communist government strict COVID policies.
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Videos shared online gave a rare glimpse at the harsh realities on the ground, defying China's giant censorship apparatus. And it's so called Great Firewall against the -- around the internet. Now the man behind sharing many of those videos says he has received death threats. He spoke exclusively with CNN's Selina Wang.
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SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): China is starting to unravel it's zero-COVID policy that the country has clung on to for years. The sudden move comes on the heels of a wave of unprecedented protests across the country against harsh COVID restrictions. The government crackdown on protesters hard and fast erasing images of unrest inside China's Great Firewall. But authorities can't stop the information from spilling overseas. I spoke to one man who is risking his life to save history in China from being erased. WANG (voiceover): Video after video of historic anti zero-COVID protests in China broadcast on the world's television screens everywhere inside China, where authorities censored all evidence of the protests.
So how did these images managed to get beyond China's controlled internet? Newsrooms around the world, including CNN have been relying on information from this Twitter account. And there's only one man behind it Lee, a Chinese painter in Italy, whose identity were hiding for security reasons.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This account may become a symbol that Chinese people are still pursuing freedom of speech. When you post something within China, it will quickly disappear. This account can document all these historical events that cannot be saved inside the country.
WANG: His account quickly turned into one of the world's key sources for protest information. Lee says he received thousands of submissions per day as the demonstrations unfolded. Apps like Twitter, YouTube and Instagram are banned in China. But people used virtual private networks or VPNs, which are prohibited in China to access Twitter and send their videos to leave.
WANG (on camera): What's the motivation behind all the work you do?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): To let people inside of China (INAUDIBLE) of great firewall to see what's happening is very (INAUDIBLE).
WANG (voiceover): That's exactly what authorities want to prevent. Here's what happens if you search for information about any of the protests on Chinese social media, you get a notice that says Sorry, no relevant results are found. Meanwhile, on Lee's Twitter account, he was rapidly uploading videos of demonstrations across China for Umurqi, Nanjing (ph), Chengdu, to Shanghai, will protesters chanted for Xi Jinping to step down, calling for freedom and did end to zero- COVID.
And researchers say the Chinese government is even trying to bury information about the protests from social media users abroad, search on Twitter and Chinese characters for cities that had protests. And you get this a flood of spam and porn advertisements. The spam campaign researchers say appears to be the work of Chinese authorities. Twitter did not respond to a request for comment.
WANG (on camera): Are you worried about your own safety?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Of course I'm very worried. I get a lot of anonymous harassment saying I know who you are, where you live, and I will kill you.
WANG (voiceover): As parents frequently call him in fear, he says, and the Chinese authorities have been harassing them too, making midnight visits to their home in China.
WANG (on camera): What price do you think you have to pay for the work that you do?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This account is more important than my life. I will not shut it down. I've arranged for someone else to take over. If something bad happens to me. I'm mentally prepared. Even if authorities won't let me see my parents.
WANG (voiceover): Authorities in China try to keep the country in a parallel universe. But Lee is playing a pivotal role in breaking that bubble. Lee spends hours a day on the account only taking breaks to feed his cat and barely slept during the peak of protests.
As he sorted and verified the endless stream of video submissions, each one urgent and historic. He's doing the work that he hopes one day Chinese journalists and Chinese citizens from within China will be able to do without fear.
WANG (on camera): Lee told me that every day he's still going through hundreds of submissions and spending six to seven hours on the account. So he started using Twitter just as a personal outlet because all of his accounts on Chinese social media kept on getting banned. But he never expected to become this influential and he told me he hopes that one day he isn't needed.
But as people in China try to find ways to get around censorship, authorities, they're cracking down even harder. The government recently announced that internet users in China could be punished for even just liking posts that authorities consider are illegal or harmful so the space for people inside China's Great Firewall to express themselves well it's just getting smaller and smaller.
[01:29:46]
Selina Wang, CNN -- Beijing.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: The war in Ukraine taking a toll on one of its neighbors, Moldova. Its president spoke about that on CNN and faced this question from our Christiane Amanpour.
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CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL Anchor: If Ukraine loses, you could lose.
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HOLMES: More on that interview when we come back.
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HOLMES: Ukraine's neighbors are feeling the heat from the war that has been raging for more than nine months now. One of them is Moldova, a country sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania.
Russian meddling is nothing new to Moldova, which is home to a breakaway territory called Transnistria. It's been hosting Russian troops since the early 1990s. And Moldova's government has practically no control over that.
But the developments in Ukraine hit close to home in this week. That's where Moldovan police found fragments of a rocket that apparently crossed over from Ukraine during Russian airstrikes. It is still unclear who launched the exact rocket.
Now Moldova's President Maia Sandu paid a visit to the U.S. this week, asking for more support for her country. During the trip, she spoke with CNN's Christiane Amanpour.
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AMANPOUR: President Sandu, welcome to the program.
MAIA SANDU, MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT: Thank you for having me.
AMANPOUR: You are in the United States at a very key time for your country and for, obviously, Ukraine and what is going on around you. You met with the top, top administration officials, many female leaders as well. I just wonder what they say to you behind closed doors.
SANDU: They are very supportive. They keep encouraging us. I have been, together with my team, been encouraged over the years to fight for democracy, to fight against corruption. And now, of course, when we have the political opportunity to do what is right for my country, we do get a lot of support. And we are very grateful for that.
AMANPOUR: Well, what is it about -- you have just come and you have got an award actually, a democracy award from former secretary of state Madeleine Albright's organization.
And a new report says that Moldova is a democratic bright spot in a world that is shifting towards autocracy.
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AMANPOUR: How do you explain that you, your government and your country can maintain this brightness in that dark part of the world?
SANDU: We believe in democracy. We have been fighting for democracy together with the motherland people for many years. Of course, Moldova is still a fragile democracy. But our objective was to strengthen the institutions, the democratic institutions, the democratic processes. And we are trying to do this, as we promised, to the people.
Of course, the Russian aggression against Ukraine makes our life and everybody's lives much more difficult. And our government has to spend a lot of time on managing different crisis situations. But we're still committed to our major objectives. And our major objective is to keep Moldova part of the free world, to make Moldova a true democratic country.
AMANPOUR: It is extraordinary to hear you speak like this because we know that it is one of the poorest countries in the region, if not the poorest. You are sandwiched right there, slap against Ukraine.
Obviously Romania, your ally -- and you have Russian forces in part of your country, some 1,500 so-called peacekeepers in a separatist part called Transnistria.
So can I just ask you are your American friends and others concerned, like everybody was at the beginning, that Moldova may go the way of, I don't know, Georgia or Ukraine? And that Putin had eyed, you know, other countries on the border? Do you think that that threat has passed for you, given the direction of the war?
SANDU: Well, of course, Ukraine defends today it's freedom. But it also defends Moldova's freedom. And we are very, very grateful to the brave Ukrainians.
But the risks are still there. And even though there is not a military threat to Moldova these days, thanks to Ukraine, we are facing the hybrid war. And there are attempts by Russia to destabilize the situation in Moldova.
And the fact that we have the Transnistria region problem and we have the illegal -- the illegal Russian troops stationed there for decades, of course, this increases the security risks for my country.
AMANPOUR: And you say hybrid warfare -- I just wonder if you can expand on that. We know, for instance, that Russia is cutting off and, you know, severely restricting your access to gas and energy. I think you depend almost entirely from on energy from there.
And as you said, there have been, I don't know, debris and fallout from missiles that have actually hit your territory. Tell me how dangerous that is.
SANDU: The propaganda is part of the hybrid war, weaponizing energy is part of the hybrid war. And the Russian Gazprom just cut gas supply to Moldova by 60 percent, despite the contract that we have and despite the fact that we have been paying, despite the very high prices.
We have seen that corrupt groups in Moldova, together with pro Russian political forces and supported by Russia have been organizing protests in Moldova to destabilize the situation.
But no matter how difficult it is, we have to -- we have to find the solutions. And we do get support from our international partners, from our development partners. You know, that we had the Moldova support platform recently. I am in the U.S. these days to ask for more support.
And we hope to be able to help our population overcome this difficult winter. We are buying the necessary gas on the market. The problem is that it is very expensive.
And just to give you some examples, the tariff for gas in Moldova increased by 7 times in the last 12 months. And the tariff for electricity increased by four times, again, in the last year.
This has significant implications on our population, because we are the poorest country in Europe and people have low incomes.
Also, the fact that Russia attacks the Ukrainian energy network has implications for Moldova. And we have blackouts every time they do bomb the Ukrainian network.
AMANPOUR: I mean honestly, it just sounds absolutely awful. And I wonder where you think your protection comes from. You are not a NATO nation. But we just heard recently in their recent meetings, NATO said that it's going to help countries like yours, like Moldova, quote, "before it is too late".
[01:39:56]
AMANPOUR: Secretary General Stoltenberg said "better to support them now rather than see developments that go absolutely in the wrong direction, as we saw with the invasion of Ukraine."
What kind of help have you've been offered? And has it come your way yet.
SANDU: We have been cooperating with NATO before. And now the support is becoming bigger. We also received more support from NATO member countries in order to strengthen our defense capacity. Of course, we cannot do miracles in a short time.
But yes, we have been making specific requests for our defense sector. And even though we understand that Ukraine is the priority, and should be the priority, we hope to receive some support to increase our defense capacity.
AMANPOUR: And you have actually applied to join the E.U. And your candidacy is being reviewed. You decided and were invited along the same time as Ukraine was.
Russia, of course, snapped back and said that this was an attempt, as you heard them say before, to enslave neighboring countries by the E.U.
Are you worried about Russia's response? Or at this moment, do you think it's got too much on its plate to do anything about, you know, these moves?
SANDU: We are free country. And it is our decision how we want to develop our country and what model of development we want to apply. And we have been talking for years that E.U. integration is our aspiration. And we are very happy that Moldova has received E.U. candidate status.
It is our decision and, of course, the decision of the E.U. member states -- and it is not Russia's business. We believe in the free world and we believe in the fact that every nation has the right to decide on its fate.
We are committed to implement the conditions that were formulated by the European Commission in its letter to the European Council. We have the same commitments towards our population, because this is mainly about justice reform (ph), this is about fighting corruption. You know that corruption has damaged my country significantly.
And we are taking steps to build proper justice and to have strong and independent anti-corruption institutions. We also are counting on international support so that dirty money would not move around as it did before.
And the biggest corruption cases in Moldova happened with the help of some networks of anonymous companies through which the money from Moldova ended up in different jurisdictions. Now we are also asking for help to recover this money. And we hope to have more international cooperation on that.
But again, this and other reforms are high on our agenda. We are going to do our best. And it should be our decision, not Russia's decision, how Moldova wants to develop and where Moldova wants to get.
AMANPOUR: Yes. I mean look, those are brave and fighting words but that is what Ukraine said as well. And look what it got from Russia.
And you mentioned, you know, corruption. It is pretty staggering. You said that in 2014 Moldova endured the largest bank fraud in history relative to your GDP. I mean here it is. Almost 12 percent of your GDP was stolen in a matter of months.
Can you actually do what you are saying now, get your house in order? Because your economy and your people desperately need that money.
SANDU: Well, it's unfortunate that this money was stolen instead of being invested in energy security or in other projects for the country. Now we would have been in a much better situation.
But now we have to fix this. Now we have to make sure that it won't repeat in the future. Now we need to do our best to recover this money. It is difficult because of all the crisis situations, because of the energy crisis, because of the refugee crisis that we have to manage. But there is no other way around.
This is our choice. And we will do our best. But we do count on the support of our development partners. Because it is difficult to achieve all these objectives to strengthen the resilience of our economy given the impact of the war on Moldova's economy.
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AMANPOUR: Yes, yes. So how do you -- I mean bottom line, do you have promises of help from, as you say, your international partners, the E.U., the United States? Let me just say -- you mentioned, you know, refugees. Just after the war started, your foreign minister told me that 10 percent of children in Moldova right now are Ukrainian kids. I mean is that still the statistic?
SANDU: Well, some of the refugees left Moldova. But just to give you some figures, since the war we saw 700,000 Ukrainian refugees entering Moldova, a country of 2.6 million people, which was a huge number. And I'm grateful that the Moldovan people opened their houses and their hearts and they helped the state provide shelter to the refugees.
Today we have 80,000 Ukrainian refugees in Moldova and half of them are children. We stay in full solidarity with Ukraine. And we are going to continue to help as much as we can helping the refugees, helping with the solidarity lanes.
Again, Ukraine is defending today Moldova, and we are very grateful for that.
AMANPOUR: And I would just say, to quote the Estonian prime minister -- he basically said, for you it's existential, right? If Ukraine loses, you could lose.
SANDU: Well, this should be understood by everybody, that this is not just about Ukraine. This is about Moldova. This is about the region. And we cannot allow any country not to respect the territorial integrity of its neighbor and of its sovereignty. So Ukraine should be helped to recover its territory and the war should end.
AMANPOUR: President Maia Sandu, thank you so much indeed for joining us.
SANDU: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
F1: We got some news just coming in to us here at CNN.
A large fire breaking out at a major shopping mall in the Moscow area. Video shows flames spreading throughout the massive building. You can see it there. Russian media says the blaze engulfed more than 7,000 square meters and was caused by short circuit.
Known as the mega shopping mall, the mall is home to a number of retail chains, including one of the first IKEA stores in the Moscow area. No immediate reports of casualties at the moment, no suggestion the fire was the result of an attack of any kind.
After several days off, the last eight teams in the World Cup returning to the pitch. We will have a preview of the upcoming quarterfinals. That's when we come back.
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HOLMES: Have a look at that, a whole lot of orange appearing in a certain section of the Hague, the street filled with football fans. And they have been wrapping up houses and buildings with bright orange sheets. That flag is flying high.
It's a show of support, of course, for the Netherlands football team, as they get ready for their quarter final clash against the mighty Argentina in the World Cup.
Now that group of eight showdown will get underway in the hours ahead. But first, we will see 2018 runner-up Croatia challenge world number one Brazil.
On Saturday, Morocco will try to pull off yet another stunning upset against Portugal and possibly Cristiano Ronaldo, if he plays this time.
And then we have the eagerly awaited duel between England and defending champions France.
Now, all of these teams are just 3 matches away now from winning the World Cup. But for Argentine legend Lionel Messi, it will likely be his last chance at the one trophy that has eluded him.
CNN's Amanda Davies is in Doha with details.
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AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT CORRESPONDENT: This is a tournament where emotions have been running high within this Argentinian squad. Not only because of what it means for Lionel Messi and his chance of winning the World Cup but also after that shock opening game defeat to Saudi Arabia.
As you can see, all look pretty relaxed at the moment. they have started to build some momentum after those victories against Mexico, Poland and the last game against Australia.
Just a couple of question marks in terms of fitness ahead of the Netherlands regarding Angel Di Maria and Rodrigo de Paul.
LIONEL SCALONI, ARGENTINA COACH (through translator): After a match, there's always players who train individually, always, of which only do half a training, because they have played a lot of minutes or other reasons.
And today, we will take the decision based on our game plan for tomorrow.
DAVIES: Despite the Dutch efforts to play down the focus on Lionel Messi, it is impossible given the stakes to build up to this match, to talk about this team without a focus on the 7-time Ballon d'Or winner.
NATHAN AKE, NETHERLANDS SOCCER PLAYER: As I said before, it's probably not the greatest player to play the game. So, it will be tough. It will be, also, a good challenge, I think, for the team, not just for the defenders but the whole team.
DAVIES: There's a whole lot of history between these two sides and sets of personnel. Lionel Scaloni helped out (INAUDIBLE) to the title in Spain in 2000 peeping Van Hauls Bara (ph) to -- and -- helping Maria , the worst manager He's eve had after their spell together at Manchester United.
And it was 8 years ago in the semifinal in Brazil that these 2 last met, when Argentina wen through on penalties. The message from Louis Van Holle (ph) though is. It's clear this side have a score to settle.
Amanda Davies, CNN -- Qatar.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: A new series on the duke and duchess of Sussex is raising eyebrows. But has it delivered any huge shocks yet. Ahead, what the documentary did divulge and how the British public is reacting. Stay with us. We will be right back.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a personal fan of Harry and Meghan. I just think it's fair that they're telling their version and speaking their truth.
[01:54:53]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think they have been treated badly, yes. But then I think also the same as a lot of celebrities. A lot of people who are in the public eye -- that kind of comes with it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel they're just doing it for money.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think she needs to have a bit more respect for the royal family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: People in the U.K. they're weighing in on the new docu-series about the duke and duchess of Sussex.
There have been no comment so far from Buckingham Palace. King Charles attended an event -- advent service on Thursday but gave no indication that he has watched the show.
The first few episodes were pretty short on bombshells but there is speculation that initial release could be just setting the stage for shocking revelations when the rest of the series drops next week.
CNN's royal correspondent Max Foster started watching the series right when it was released and has is our report.
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MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: The first three episodes have dropped and the verdict is in. Harry and Meghan's Netflix docuseries hasn't had any major bombshells yet.
But there was a targeted attack on the media.
PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: No one knows the full truth. We know the full truth. The institution has the full truth and the media know the full truth because they've been in on it.
FOSTER: Suggesting the royal press package simply an extension of the palaces PR team. And the family is afraid of challenging the media. The series shines a light on their childhoods. Harry talks about his
mother, her battle with the press and the difficulty he had growing up as a royal child in the spotlight.
KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL HISTORIAN: For them this is very much all tied together. Harry feels he is being chased by the press ever since he was a child. It's continued into his marriage. And it was unsustainable and that is why he had to leave the royal family.
FOSTER: Then there was Meghan's perspective, learning to live in the royal fold. The first senior royal she met was the Queen.
MEGHAN MARKLE, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: I remember, in the car and driving up and, you know how to curtsey, right? And I just thought it was a joke.
FOSTER: Then there was this anecdote, when she first met Kate and William.
MARKLE: I remember, I was in ripped jeans and I was barefoot. It was like I was a hugger. I've always been a hugger. I didn't realize that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits.
I guess I started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside carry through on the inside.
FOSTER: The episode are peppered with intimate moments and what was billed as an inside look into their relationship from the start. And it includes moments like this.
MARKLE: Oh my God, Jess, it's happening. It's happening. It's happening.
FOSTER: Videos and pictures never made public before, of the moment Harry proposed.
PRINCE HARRY: There was leaking, but there's also planting of stories.
FOSTER: But with the trailer teasing dramatic moments that weren't included in the first three episodes, any bombshells the palace fears may be still yet to come.
Max Foster, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @HolmesCNN.
Stick around, I will be back with another hour of news in just a moment.
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