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U.S. And Germany Announce Plans To Sends Tanks To Ukraine; Meta Allow Donald Trump Back On Facebook And Instagram; Families Celebrate As China Lifts COVID Restrictions; Russia Intensifies Battle For Bakhmut. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired January 26, 2023 - 00:00   ET

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

[23:59:45]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks for joining us. I'm John Vause.

Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM. So, how about those F-16s with Germany and the U.S. setting battle tanks, Ukraine has renewed a push for fighter jets and long range missiles.

Suffering in silence as the pandemic spreads like wildfire beyond China's cities, many seem unaware it was COVID that was making them sick.

[00:00:07]

And the winter energy crisis has arrived not in Europe, but in Asia, hit by a brutal cold snap, as the cost of natural gas remains sky high.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.

VAUSE: Getting the tanks was just the start it seems now that months of bickering is over and the U.S. and Germany have announced they'll send dozens of modern highly sophisticated tanks to the front line. Ukrainian officials are renewing their push for Western made fighter jets, a request which is once considered a non-starter by NATO Allies because of fears of escalation.

Similar fears over sending tanks were debated for weeks, but on Wednesday, the U.S. president announced the deployment of 31 M1 Abrams tanks, the equivalent of a Ukrainian battalion, while acknowledging they are unlikely to arrive before long awaited Russian spring offensive.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Germany will send 14 Leopard 2 tanks which could be ready in three to four months with more to come.

Training for Ukrainians will begin soon. But the risk of escalation remains a major concern for the German Chancellor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLAF SCHOLZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): In everything we do, we must always make it very clear that we are doing what is necessary and what is possible to support Ukraine.

But at the same time, we are preventing the war from escalating into a war between Russia and NATO. And we will always continue to observe this principle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Germany has also cleared the way for NATO allies to send their Leopard tanks to Ukraine, which means Ukraine will receive about 80 of the tanks in total. Kyiv has said it wants 300 tanks to defeat the Russians.

Still, President Volodymyr Zelensky says the commitment from the U.S. and others means "Freedom is only getting stronger."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Speed and volume, the speed of training our military, speed of supplying tanks to Ukraine, the amount of tank support. We have to form a fist of tanks, a fist of freedom, which will not allow tyranny to rise again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The Kremlin though warning the decision to send tanks is extremely dangerous and will take the conflict to a new level of confrontation.

The U.S. president says the tanks pose no offensive threat if Russian troops return to Russia.

CNN's Phil Mattingly has more now reporting in from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are fully, thoroughly, totally united.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): For President Biden made a diplomatic breakthrough with dramatic battlefield implications.

BIDEN: Today I'm announcing that the United States will be sending 31 Abram tanks to Ukraine, the equivalent of one Ukrainian battalion.

MATTINGLY: U.S. tanks set to significantly expand Ukraine's battlefield capabilities.

JENS STOLTENBERG, SECRETARY GENERAL, NATO: That makes it possible for Germany but also for other European NATO allies to provide Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, and that will significantly strengthen their combat capabilities.

MATTINGLY: At the same moment, Europe's largest land war in 80 years sits in its most brutal and grinding phase. BIDEN: These tanks are further evidence of our enduring and unflagging commitment to Ukraine.

MATTINGLY: And after weeks of U.S. officials dismissing the idea as untenable with complex operating systems and significant maintenance requirements.

SABRINA SINGH, PENTAGON DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY: The maintenance and the high cost that it would take to maintain an Abrams just doesn't make sense to provide that to the Ukrainians at this moment.

MATTINGLY: But their inclusion, a central demand from German officials in order to clear the way for more immediate delivery of their own tanks and to sign off on the delivery of German made tanks by other allies. Now the trigger for a deal to unleash significant armor contributions from U.S. allies across Europe.

BIDEN: Germany has really stepped up and the Chancellor has been a strong strong voice for unity.

MATTINGLY: Biden's praise of German Chancellor Scholz intentional officials said, even as it served to cover intense and often frustrating negotiations over the last several weeks, but ultimately leading to U.S. commitments that will take months if not longer to reach the battlefield.

BIDEN: Delivering these tanks in the field is going to take time. Time that we'll see we'll use to make sure the Ukrainians are fully prepared to integrate the Abram tanks into their defenses.

MATTINGLY: But those commitments unlock immediate results from allies.

BIDEN: The American contribution will be joined by an additional announcement, including that will be -- will be ready to available and more easily integrated for use in the battlefield in the coming weeks and months from other countries.

MATTINGLY: The Russian ambassador to Germany declaring the moves "extremely dangerous" to take the conflict to a "new level of confrontation". But U.S. officials downplayed the escalatory risk, as did Biden.

BIDEN: There's no offensive threat to Russia if Russia troops returned to Russia, they'll be there -- where they belong, this war would be over today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[00:05:01]

MATTINGLY (on camera): White House officials are candid, they see no near term into the war, don't really have a good sense of how things may end. Whenever they in fact do, they make clear that the support is both durable and will be long lasting as long according to President Biden as that support is actually needed. And in fact, it's worth noting that we are a month away from the one

year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. That is a moment the White House officials are keying on right now, understanding that this is a long term effort and the symbolism, the importance of demonstrating the assistance has been delivered up to this point and will continue to be delivered in the weeks, months and potentially years ahead is just as important as those tanks that will be delivered over the course of the next year.

Phil Mattingly, CNN, the White House.

VAUSE: Joining me now Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst of defense strategy and capability at the Australian strategic policy institute in Canberra. Malcolm, thanks for being with us.

MALCOLM DAVIS, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Pleasure.

VAUSE: OK, so assuming the Ukrainians get these tanks about 80 in all in three to four months, should the Kremlin be worried?

DAVIS: Look, I think the key thing is that the Ukrainians are racing against time here, as are we, in the sense that we've got to get these tanks to the Ukrainians before the Russians launch a spring offensive in the Donbas region, particularly in the Luhansk area. And we've got to get them trained up, not only to fight with the tanks in terms of driving them and shooting the cannon at a target. But essentially also sustaining and maintaining those tanks, both for the Leopards, and also for eventually the M1s.

So, I think the challenge is time, how quickly can we get sufficient numbers of tanks to the Ukrainians, and get them trained so that they can use them effectively.

VAUSE: Spring in Ukraine begins in 34 days, and some of them suggested the Russian offensive could begin before that. It doesn't seem time is on their side, these tanks are not going to arrive in time.

DAVIS: I think that's correct. We should have been making this decision about three months ago, then the Ukrainians would have had large numbers of Leopards, and potentially M1 and Abrams.

But instead, we've left it till the last minute, we've had an unseemly tussle within NATO to get the Germans on board. And of course, the Biden administration has prevaricated on the M1s.

So, we're now at the point where we're getting the tanks to the Ukrainians. But there's not enough time really to get them properly trained and ready to use them to counter this Russian offensive. So, the Ukrainians are going to have to defeat that potentially even without the tanks and have the tanks then in place to launch counter offensives after that.

VAUSE: With more of the timing of the Russian offensive, I want you to listen to John Kirby, the White House National Security spokesman, here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KIRBY, PRESS SECRETARY, PENTAGON: As the weather conditions improved, you can expect that the Russians are going to pick up the tempo. We have to be -- we have to be ready for that. And I know the Ukrainians feel they have to be ready for that. So, it's about helping Ukraine defend itself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: OK, so the reality is that's not going to happen. But in that statement where he says it's about helping the Ukrainians defend themselves, it seems this decision to commit tanks goes way beyond helping Ukraine in defense, it seems as this is taking it to a whole new level of confrontation, just what the Kremlin actually suggested it is.

DAVIS: Look, I think that we are conscious of the fact that really this war does have to end but it cannot end in a negotiated settlement that ultimately sees Ukraine have to give up territory and its people to the mercy of the Russians.

So, we have to ensure that Ukraine wins. The tanks give the Ukrainians the chance to launch counter offensives to reclaim territory, ultimately, including Crimea. And I think that is the way the war ends with a Ukrainian victory over the Russians.

But we're in a dangerous phase here in the sense that the Russians are determined to launch these offensives in Luhansk and possibly out of Belarus, and the Ukrainians have -- will have a fight of their lives on their hands to try and defend against that whilst they're getting ready to use these tanks.

VAUSE: The hope is that Ukraine will have a decisive victory can dictate terms of any ceasefire or peace negotiations. But what we had from Ukraine was just after this announcement by (INAUDIBLE) in Washington, the defense minister spoke of the need for more weapons during an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, he's part of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLEKSII REZNIKOV, UKRAINIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: I sent a wish list card to the Santa -- Santa Claus last year and fighter jet is also in -- was included in this wish list.

Winston Churchill, he told it very famous quote, give us the tools, we will finish the job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So, clearly, there is a need for the fighter jets, which has been seen as a nonstarter for quite some time, but maybe the line has shifted on that.

But given these requests coming in from three high ranking government officials from the president on down for fighter jets and other weapons, in the hours after receiving the tanks, is there a perception there that you know, this will never end? The Ukrainians just keep asking for more and more and more, maybe a pause for a day would have been helpful.

[00:10:08]

DAVIS: I don't know. I think that we have to understand that the Ukrainians are not only fighting for their territory, and for their people's survival, but they're fighting for us as well.

If the Ukrainians lose this war and Russia emerges as a winner, then Putin will be emboldened, he will regroup and rearm his forces, he will launch a further war against Ukraine or he will launch a war against NATO potentially through the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, we cannot afford that.

So, we have to defeat the Russians here and now. And it could mean that this war goes on for some time, but we have to sustain our support for Ukraine to ensure that at the end of the day, they recover all their territory, including Crimea, and they win the war.

VAUSE: As always, thank you so much. Good to see you.

DAVIS: Thank you very much.

VAUSE: Well, now to a CNN exclusive. Multiple sources say the dozen or so classified documents at Mike Pence's home last week included briefing memos for foreign trips. One person says the materials were nothing unusual, described the classification markings as lower level.

And other source tells CNN the documents may have been overlooked during the packing process.

Well, former U.S. President Donald Trump may soon be back on Facebook and Instagram. Facebook's parent company Meta says it will restore his accounts more than the two years after he was banned for inciting violence when his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol January 6th.

The decision comes on the heels of a similar move by Twitter. CNN's Donie O'Sullivan explains why Meta made this decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Meta announcing the most politically consequential decision in its history, certainly here in the United States announcing on Wednesday that it was going to let Former President Donald Trump back on its platforms which include of course Facebook and Instagram.

Now, you might remember Trump was kicked off the platforms in the days after the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Facebook at the time saying was too dangerous for Trump to be able to have that megaphone that he might incite further violence.

And two years later, Facebook Meta has now said that it is reassessed its ban, it has determined that there isn't as greater risk of imminent violence or harm caused by -- posed by Trump, and that they are going to allow him back on the platform in the coming weeks.

Now, this is a boon in Trump's campaign for 2024. He has of course announced that he is running for president.

Again, we have seen in the past, the Trump campaign really effectively used and spent hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising on Facebook, because it is a very effective way they have found of targeting voters but also fundraising.

As you can imagine, a lot of people on both sides of the political spectrum here speaking out for and against this decision. Of course, many people saying it's important to be able to hear from a former president and candidate for president that's including the ACLU who had this statement.

They said this is the right call. Like it or not, President Trump is one of the country's leading political figures. And the public has a strong interest in hearing his speech.

They said, indeed, some of Trump's most offensive social media posts ended up being critical evidence and lawsuits filed against him and his administration. And we should know we filed over 400 legal actions against him. And that's a very important part of all of this, of course, the ACLU saying there.

Although we might not like Trump, we believe that what he's saying should be able to be seen by voters and citizens in the United States and people around the world whether it be good, bad or ugly, back to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Still to come here on CNN, a CNN team followed by government minders as they report on COVID in rural China. Watch what happens during an interview at a local market.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh OK, so I was interviewing the girl and then the minders literally took her away from us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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VAUSE: At least two people are dead, several others injured after a knife attack on a passenger train in northern Germany Wednesday. The suspect was arrested at this train station. Unclear if the train was stopped at the station or traveling nearby when the attack happened. The motive so far is unknown.

In Spain, the suspect in the machete attack into churches has now been detained by police. They say the man wounded a priest at one church in southern Spain then killed an assistant at another church. The assistant initially managed to escape but officials say the

suspect chased him down and literally killed him before police arrived.

The incidents are being investigated as terrorist attacks.

The suspect of the shooting rampage in Half Moon Bay, California has been charged with seven counts of murder. One count of attempted murder.

66-year-old Chunli Zhao appeared in court Wednesday. Arraignment was postponed until February 16th when Zhao is expected to enter a plea. The district attorney is confident the Half Moon Bay shooting is not a copycat of the shooting just a day earlier in Monterey Park.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN WAGSTAFFE, SAN MATEO COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Question was whether this is any evidence of copycat on Monterey Park and we believe the answer is no to that. Not just simply we're not sure, we believe the answer is no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: This is the first time ever that San Mateo County has had seven murders at once. Zhao was being held without bail.

China says severe COVID cases and deaths are down more than 70 percent since their peak earlier this month. But health experts are warning of a surge in cases in rural areas as millions of people travel home for the Lunar New Year holiday.

CNN's Selina Wang and her team visited a village in southern China with government minders watching them every step of the way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WANG: This is how people celebrate the Lunar New Year in Dali Village.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cheers!

WANG: This year's celebration is particularly special. The adults around this table all work in factories in the cities. This is the only time when many of them can see their children.

The man next to me says we got to go wherever we can make money and China's zero COVID policy over the last three years has made it all even harder.

He says the policy prevented them from going home. But now that the country is open, they can all be together.

We came to this place in China Southern Guizhou province to see how a part of rural China is celebrating the Lunar New Year without pandemic restrictions. We visited villagers home. Sanja (PH) greets U.S. with a treat and

alcohol, both made from rice from the paddy fields nearby. Drinking is a big part of celebrating here.

About a thousand people live in this village and for hundreds of years, they've lived in these traditional wooden houses and you can hear the chickens crowing and there are these ducks as well that they raised for food.

In many ways, this place is like a time capsule. Its physical isolation has preserved their way of life for centuries. They're China's (INAUDIBLE) ethnic minority. They have their own language, tradition and culture, but they can't escape the economic realities of modernity.

Normally, this village is full of the elderly and young kids with most of the working age adults gone, working in faraway factories sending money home.

This couple works in a factory 500 miles away in Guangdong Province, making circuit boards.

He tells me he hasn't seen his kids for a year. Last time he left his son couldn't even walk. He says it's emotional to see them grow so much.

For the first time in three years, millions of Chinese migrant families are finally able to reunite without the fear of COVID lockdowns.

[00:20:05]

Almost everyone I speak to on camera says no one around them has gotten COVID like this elderly woman who makes traditional crafts. She says she has not been wearing a mask and points to her shoulder saying she had the vaccine shots.

But we run into another group of young people who say otherwise. The man in the brown jacket with his back turned is a doctor at a hospital in a nearby city. He says almost all of the villagers have been infected. I asked him if they just don't realize they have COVID. In response, he says they've never been tested, but clearly they had COVID symptoms.

So, we've got the three government minders following us.

It's common for local officials to keep a close eye on foreign journalists in their jurisdictions, but they were especially persistent in this village following our every move.

So, we drive out of the village to visit a public hospital in a neighboring county about two hours away, hoping these government minders won't follow us so people will feel more comfortable speaking freely. We walk inside the fever clinic.

It's almost entirely empty. In the main hospital area, there are more people but it's not packed.

It's a stark contrast to the images of overflowing hospitals in major cities across China from weeks before.

I asked the nurse on another floor of the hospital if it was packed with patients a few weeks ago, she says it's always packed and busy here. We try to ask why, it looks empty here. But another doctor interrupts ending our interview, we find one woman, a patient's family member who is willing to speak to us. She says everyone around her has already gotten COVID and recovered.

Soon after, we've realized we're being followed apparently by a whole different crew.

There's at least two three government minders, they're still following us all the way here. It's very obvious. They follow us to hospital after hospital preventing anyone from speaking to us.

I try confronting them. I asked them why they're following us everywhere and he ignores me.

He's walking away. So, I tried this official, she refuses to, even ignores my question.

And what happens next during my interview with this girl shocks us.

Oh, OK, so I was interviewing the girl and then the minders literally took her away from us.

The man pushes the girl and her family away, then later leaves them alone. But our interviews in the marketplace are over.

Chinese CDC says the COVID peak across the country has passed. But in rural areas like this, experts say there's likely far more silent suffering, people who died at home because they couldn't afford to go to the hospital or were unable to get there on time.

Back in the village, we're greeted by the sounds of squealing pigs getting ready to be slaughtered. It's a Lunar New Year tradition. Decades ago for most countryside families, this was the only time of the year when they could afford to eat meat.

So, this is a whole family of relatives all getting together for the New Year, enjoying freshly killed pig meat.

Sandya (PH) shows me the fabric she made herself. Sewing just a thin strip of this cloth takes her more than a day. Whether it's in the village or in faraway factories, they're hardworking people. They'll do whatever it takes to give their kids a better life, even if it means long bouts of separation from them, making reunions like these all the more meaningful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WANG (on camera): Now, Chinese Health officials say that the COVID peak in the country has already passed. The spread has been so fast in China experts say because China's population had almost no underlying immunity before reopening. So it appears that one massive wave ended up sweeping over the whole country hitting the urban and rural areas almost simultaneously.

But people in the countryside, there are a lot poor and there are a lot less resources. So, in rural areas like this, experts say there's likely far more silent suffering, people who died at home because they couldn't afford to go to the hospital or were unable to get there on time.

Selina Wang, CNN, Beijing.

VAUSE: When we come back, Russia revs up its offensive on Bakhmut in Eastern Ukraine (INAUDIBLE) already one of the most brutal and bloody battles of the war is getting worse. But why? Why so many dying over this small town.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:25:59]

VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.

Months of bickering and debate is over (INAUDIBLE) Washington have decided to send their main battle tanks to Ukraine, but could be seen as a turning point in this 11 month long war.

Germany finally bowed to intense Western pressure agreed on Wednesday to provide 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv, other allies have pledged dozens more. The Leopard 2s are more modern than Ukrainian tanks, which are the old Soviet era ones. And these Leopard 2 tanks will be a huge asset when ground fighting picks up in the warmer months to come.

The U.S. will say more than 30 Abrams M1 tanks, but they're more complex or may take longer to arrive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Ukrainians are fighting an age old battle against aggression and domination. It's a battle Americans have fought proudly time and again. It's a battle we're going to make sure that Ukrainians are well equipped to fight as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The tanks will arrive despite early concerns that too much military support for Ukraine could escalate the conflict. It's no surprise the tanks are not going over well with the Kremlin.

Spokesperson said if U.S. made tanks are delivered to Ukraine, they will burn down just like all the others and he claimed European taxpayers will be stuck with the bill.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian military says Russia is ramping up its assault on Bakhmut and the battle for this key eastern city is becoming even more intense.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen explains

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Russian army claims its overwhelming firepower is decimating Ukrainian defenses on the most brutal front in this war around the town Bakhmut.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 50 men just ran into this house. Yes, target hit, it managed to collapse in the middle of the building.

PLEITGEN: Ukraine has now acknowledged losing its last foothold in the small town Soledar north of Bakhmut. The Russians there mostly mercenaries from the Wagner private military company judging by their own claim.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We first select the target, charge up and hit it. We hit it precisely, we hit the building right in the place where the ATGM was located.

PLEITGEN: But despite sources telling CNN the U.S. has advised Ukraine to withdraw from Bakhmut, even Wagner commanders admit Kyiv's forces are fighting back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The enemy puts up fierce resistance to our fighters. The enemy is holding on and is getting additional reserves and military supplies.

PLEITGEN: And the Ukrainians continue probing in other areas far from Bakhmut. The military releasing this video of a daring rate across Dnipro River in South Ukraine, taking out a Russian command facility there.

But to go on the offensive, Ukraine needs hundreds of main battle tanks, so far western partners have pledged about 100.

Moscow has vowed to hit those tanks when they enter Ukraine and is conducting a show of force of its own. Sending the frigate Admiral Gorshkov, Moscow says carries hypersonic missiles to ocean drills with the Chinese and South African navies.

[00:30:12]

But for now, Bakhmut is the epicenter of this conflict, and Ukrainian soldiers here say they will fight for every inch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): One day their artillery works, and the next day their infantry assaults. It's a difficult time now, but our boys keep standing their ground.

PLEITGEN: Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the front lines in and around Bakhmut who were contacted by CNN say they are absolutely elated to hear that Western main battle tanks could be coming to Ukraine in the not-too-distant future. They say that tanks are a huge part of the equation here, and have

been helping the frontline troops a lot. Of course, they understand it's going to be awhile before any Western=made battle tanks can get here.

But right now the Ukrainians say they need all the help they can get as the Russians are making a big push to try and go towards the west and take Bakhmut.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Kramatorsk, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: The international Olympic committee will allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals in upcoming Olympic qualifiers, as well as next year's summer games in Paris and the Milan Winter Games in 2026.

The decision which will be highly criticized by Ukraine and others, here's part of a statement from the IOC: "No athlete should be prevented from competing just because of their passport." The IOC statement also expressed solidarity with Ukrainian athletes, said its current sanctions against Russia and Belarusian officials would continue. It also promised to prohibit Olympic events in either country.

But the athletes' rights group Global Athlete, along with Ukrainian athletes, issued a blistering rebuke of the IOC, and warned that Moscow would, quote, "use athletes once more to bolster the war effort and distract from the atrocities in Ukraine on one of the biggest multi-sport stages in the world."

Well, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency is warning that Iran has enough enriched uranium to make a number of nuclear weapons, but he does not believe they built one, at least not yet.

The IAEA director-general, Rafael Rossi, is expected to visit Tehran next month, for what he called much-needed political dialogue. He claimed his agency has been effectively blind to Iran's nuclear activities ever since 27 of its monitoring cameras were removed by Tehran last year.

Briefing European lawmakers on Wednesday, Rossi admitted that the 2015 joint comprehensive plan of action -- the Iran nuclear deal -- is all but dead. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAFAEL ROSSI, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, IAEA: The situation with regards to Iran is very challenging, there was an effort for more than one year and a half trying to revive the JCPOA after the unilateral withdrawal from the United States in March 2018 and the subsequent retaliatory actions taken by Iran, which are -- at this point mean that the JCPOA is an empty shell.

Nobody has declared it dead, but no obligation is being pursued, and as you just heard, every limit that existed in the JCPOA has been violated several times.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: According to Rossi, Iran has amassed about 70 kilograms, or 150 pounds of uranium enriched to 60 percent. Once it's enriched to 90 percent, it can be used to make a nuclear bomb.

Still ahead, the energy crisis hits China during a record cold snap. Sky-high prices and shortages making it nearly impossible to stay warm in sub-zero temperatures. That story in a moment.

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[00:35:44]

VAUSE: Welcome back. The death toll in anti-government protests in Peru has now risen to at least 57. Police and protestors have been clashing daily since December as the country faces its first outbreak of violence in decades.

Peru's president has promised to investigate alleged abuses by authorities against demonstrators. Dina Boluarte also says the violence has caused more than $1 billion in damages to public and private property.

Protesters have been calling for political changes since the impeachment and arrest of former president Pedro Castillo.

Extremely cold weather is sweeping across much of East Asia during the busy lunar new year travel season, temperatures plummeting in many places to record lows.

Officials in Japan say at least four people have died working to clear snow in the frozen conditions.

In South Korea, heavy snow forced hundreds of flight cancellations. The capital saw temperatures fall to minus 15 degrees Celsius.

Meantime, forecasters in China are expecting the mercury to plunge, as well, in some parts. Experts say such extreme weather events are the new norm.

For more, we turn to meteorologist Britley Ritz.

You know, there's something about minus 20, when you get below that. It is a unique type of cold that you've got to experience to know what it's like.

BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it's -- it's brutal and then when you add the wind on top of that, John, it just makes it feel so much worse. And that's exactly what's happening right now in Eastern Asia.

We have this massive area of high pressure that's setting up behind the front that moved through. So it pulls in a northernly wind, and that wind cranks up as we get that pressure gradient. So it's cold. And on top of that, the Japanese -- dealing with snowfall, which of course, makes it even colder.

Temperatures right now across China, well, we're at one below in Beijing. And here we are, bringing in really cold temperatures earlier this morning. Beijing at 16 below early on, and Shenyang (ph) at 23 below. That was this morning.

And now we move into the central parts of Japan, in the central parts of the Alps, the Japanese Alps. And temperatures were nearly 16 below zero. Record temperatures, by the way.

The temperatures forecast. Low temperatures rolling in over the upcoming days. Look at this. Eighteen, 15 below, parts of Japan as we roll into the weekend.

In Tokyo, at least we're trying to warm up here with some sunshine, Monday and Tuesday. Back up slightly above average, 11 degrees. but that front rolls through. And then when we get that wind blowing off of the ocean, it pulls in more moisture. It rises, cools and condenses over the mountain ranges of Japan, and we wind up with heavy snowfall.

Forty-five to 60 centimeters of snow, especially along the central Japanese Alps, where we can pick up the heaviest amounts of snowfall, John.

VAUSE: Britley, thank you. Appreciate the update.

Alex Munton is the director of global gas service at Rapidan Energy Group. He joins me now from Houston, Texas. It's been a while. Thank you. Thanks for coming in.

ALEX MUNTON, DIRECTOR OF GLOBAL GAS SERVICE, RAPIDAN ENERGY GROUP: Yes, thank you. Good to be with you.

VAUSE: OK. So the much-anticipated winter energy crisis which was expected in Europe has arrived, but it's actually arrived in China. And just as an idea of how cold it is there right now, here's a weather update from the North of the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

XU LILING, HEAD OF MOHE METEOROLOGICAL STATION: Under the influence of an ultra-cold polar air, the lowest temperature has dropped to minus 50 degrees Celsius, for three consecutive days. The lowest temperature fell to minus 53 degrees Celsius, setting a new historic low.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: You know, cold weather, even regular cold weather is not usually a big problem for China. But as "The New York Times" reports, "When Russia halted exports to Europe last summer, nations bid up world prices as they stockpiled supplies from elsewhere." This is natural gas. "A seemingly warm winter has since helped push gas prices lower in Europe, but the bitter cold is now pushing them even higher in China." So, the cold has arrived, and in many ways, people in China just

cannot afford to heat their homes. So was this the end result of the law of unintended consequences, or could this have been avoided in the first place?

MUNTON: Well, it's unfortunate. You know, China is experiencing this extreme cold spell. And of course, natural gas is critical for heating, heating buildings and people's homes. And the demand has increased, but in many parts of China, there just isn't the money to bring in the additional gas.

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VAUSE: Yes, that's because a lot of the locals authorities, the local governments, have basically been left broke because they spent so much money on the pandemic.

And then, whatever natural gas there is, a lot of it is being diverted to the factories to keep the production ticking over. So, that leaves the consumer, what, last in line for any supplies that are out there.

MUNTON: Yes, that's right. There's several problems here, and one of them, of course, is that China's gas market is a regulated market. So even if companies wanted to bring in additional supply, you know, and pay those very high international prices, they can't actually pass those costs on to consumers, and so they would be selling at a loss. They have been selling at a loss.

And companies, even if they're fully state-owned, will always seek to minimize the amount of losses that they're accruing, and that's one of the big problems.

VAUSE: And what we see in Europe is a lot of countries trying to wean themselves away from that cheap Russian oil and gas. Is that an option for China and other countries in Asia?

MUNTON: Well, China's, you know, gas market is mainly met through its own domestic production, and that has been a relatively bright spot for China. Its domestic gas production has been growing year on year for the last few years.

But it's just not enough to meet the entire country's needs. And, therefore, additional supplies are going to be required. And that's going to come from Russia, and from the global LNG market.

And, you know, as we all know, global LNG prices, even though they've come down, in the last few months, they've come down from an extremely high level. So they're still very high.

VAUSE: And then there are the -- sort of the unintended, or unexpected crises which develop. And because in Pakistan, which has struggled to pay the soaring prices for energy, on Monday, almost the entire country lost power.

Officials there plan to reduce electricity usage by shutting down the national grid overnight. From OilPrice.com, we have this reporting: "The problem came when

technicians tried to reboot the electric system in the morning, and found out that the infrastructure wasn't capable of booting up the entire nation's energy grid all at once. Major cities, as well as smaller cities and towns across the country were left in the dark for 15 hours."

You -- often what happens is that one crisis exposes a whole lot of other problems which is just beneath the surface. So as this energy crisis goes on, what are you expecting in terms of, you know, problems around the world? What will we see of this?

MUNTON: Well, it's the product of this extreme volatility. And of course, the -- the epicenter is in Europe, but it's had a huge ripple effect worldwide.

And the many markets, emerging markets in Asia, that were happy when gas prices were very low, and they reached record lows in 2020, have been badly caught out as gas prices have skyrocketed as Europe has had to switch from Russian supply to global LNG.

And there just hasn't been enough LNG globally available, and certainly not at a price that is affordable in countries like Pakistan. And so the consequence is that, you know, there isn't enough supply, and the lights are out.

VAUSE: That's what happens when you can't pay the bills, I guess. Alex, thank you for being with us. Alex Munton there. Appreciate it.

MUNTON: Thank you.

VAUSE: Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause. Back at the top of the hour with more CNN NEWSROOM. In the meantime, WORLD SPORT starts after a short break. See you back here in 16 minutes.

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