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CNN International: Soon: Biden Meets With Leaders Of "Bucharest Nine" In Warsaw; Putin Hosts China's Top Diplomat Wang Yi At Kremlin; U.S. Officials: Russia Carried Out Failed ICBM Test Around The Time President Biden Was In Ukraine; British Woman Who Joined ISIS As Teen Loses U.K. Citizenship Appeal; S. Korea: N. Korea Preparing Farthest ICBM Test Yet; Wagner Chief Accuses Russian Defense Ministry Of Treason; Aired 8-9a ET

Aired February 22, 2023 - 08:00 ET

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

[08:00:00]

MAC MCCLUNG, WON NBA SLAM DUNK CONTEST: Like I was saying I'm going to continue to work. I really believe in myself and, you know, I'm going to continue to prepare for that moment and I'll be ready when it happens.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Well, look, Mac, it was awesome for us to see for us to witness and I'm so happy for you. Congrats and we'll be watching as you build that career.

MCCLUNG: Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome CNN Newsroom. I'm Max Foster in London. Just ahead, Biden's final day in Poland and he's about to meet with NATO's Bucharest Nine. We'll bring you all of the moments live as they unfold this hour.

Vladimir Putin met with China's top diplomat in Moscow earlier underscoring the sharp geopolitical tensions over Ukraine. And U.S. officials say Russia conducted an intercontinental ballistic missile tests around the time that President Joe Biden was in Kyiv. Details just ahead.

What it is very busy news day, let's get right to it. Then U.S. President Joe Biden set to arrive at the presidential palace in Warsaw in about 20 minutes from now, on the third and last day of its European visit. Shortly after that, he'll meet with the leaders of the nine countries that make up NATO's eastern flank.

It's a very high-profile show of support and it comes a day after Russia suspended a landmark nuclear arms control treaty. CNN's Kevin Liptak joins me now live in Warsaw. How will the next hour play out then, Kevin?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, well, we do expect President Biden to leave his hotel in about 10 minutes or so, he'll go to the presidential palace. And that is where he will meet with these nine leaders who comprise as you said, the Bucharest Nine. These are leaders along the Eastern flank of NATO, some of whom share a border with Russia and who are watching what's unfolding in Ukraine with a lot of anxiety questioning where President Putin may have his sights on next.

President Biden will certainly want to reaffirm his commitment to the NATO alliance when he's meeting with him today. Yesterday, he said that this was the most consequential alliance in American history. And it is true that the war in Ukraine really has given NATO some new purpose over the last year.

There had been some real questions about where it was heading over the last decade, the conflict has forced these countries together. And you do see a new commitment to that alliance, whether it's through new troop deployments through the eastern flank that the U.S. announced last year, including here in Poland, or the diplomacy that you'll see today.

And what President Biden will really want to do is reassure them that the U.S. is committed to the Article 5 treaty, that is the treaty in the NATO charter that says an attack against one is an attack against all. But the other thing I think he'll want to do in this meeting is really steal these leaders for the uncertain months ahead as the war in Ukraine enters this new, more complicated phase, according to the U.S. officials.

As Russia prepares for its spring offensive, as Ukraine works to regain territory that it may have lost over the last year. President Biden set that in motion last night in his speech when he said that there would be dark days ahead. And that is kind of his message as he departs Europe later today, after what has been quite a momentous three-day visit here.

He talks about the last year, he talked about the resiliency of the Ukrainians, including during that secret visit to Kyiv. But what he didn't necessarily talk about was how this war will end, what the end game will look like. And it is true. There are no negotiations underway right now.

U.S. officials don't believe that Putin is in a place where he wants to negotiate. Certainly, he didn't sound like he was when he gets delivered that speech yesterday in Moscow. And so, when President Biden gets on Air Force One and flies back to the United States this afternoon, that will be the question that is still looming over this region as he departs, Max.

FOSTER: OK. Thank you, Kevin. We'll be checking with you later in the hour as we see the red carpet they're lined up outside the palace in Poland. A big focus really on Poland at the moment as well showing the strength of that alliance with the U.S.

In Moscow, Russia and China then reaffirming their ties. Meanwhile, at a meeting at the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin told China's top diplomat Yang Yi -- Wang Yi, the Chinese Russian relations are reaching what he called new milestones and that cooperation between both sides is needed to grow to stabilize the international situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): International relations today are complex, they have not improved after the collapse of the bipolar system. On the contrary, they have become more tense. And in this regard, cooperation between Russia and the Chinese People's Republic on the international arena are very important for this stabilization of international situations as we have said many times.

[08:05:06]

FOSTER: Earlier, Wany Yi met Russia's Foreign Minister. This is Beijing again deflected U.S. claims that China may be considering sending lethal support to Russia in Ukraine. Let's get more from Moscow. Fred Pleitgen is there. I mean, what are the optics here in -- as far as Russia is concerned?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, as far as Russia is concerned, I think what we saw there right now on our screen, Vladimir Putin with Wang Yi simply shows how important China is for the Russian Federation at this point in time, as of course, one of the things that the Russians are trying to do is offset some of those sanctions that they are now under both from the European Union and/or from European countries and the United States and replace a lot of things with Chinese products.

Now, of course, the U.S. has essentially they haven't accused the Chinese but they certainly have said that there are concerns about China, possibly thinking about providing lethal aid to Russia, as the U.S. believes that Russia is having problems, resupplying some of its own forces, because of the war in Ukraine that they're running low on ammunition.

But also, quite frankly, Max, that they're running low on some high- tech military products, and certainly some of the things that they need to manufacture high tech military products, like for instance, computer chips. And so the U.S. is saying they are concerned about some of the things that they've been picking up.

The Chinese have been brushing that off, they've been saying, look, in effect, it's the U.S. that keeps fueling the conflict that Chinese say, in Ukraine by providing weapons, a steady stream of weapons to the Ukrainian side. And the Chinese are saying, look, we're the ones who are calling for peace. We're the ones who are calling for negotiations.

And they're certainly brushing off any accusations from the United States. That, of course, makes this visit in Moscow by Wang Yi, even more important to the Russians. You saw that meeting with Sergey Lavrov, the two, they're talking about the big friendship between China and the Russian Federation, but also Vladimir Putin himself.

And one of the things, Max, that we have to point out is that, of course, there are very good relations for a very long time already between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping of China, the two have said that they have a deep friendship, they've been trying to make the ties even closer, over the past really, several years that both have been in office.

So this is something that has been built up for a very long time, those very strong relations, and certainly the Russians, now very much trying to capitalize on that and try and deepen those ties, even more than they have already. And if you look at, you know, some of the fundamental things here in the Russian economy, like for instance, car sales, the way that Chinese cars are going into the market here, right now in Russia, at a huge pace where before that you would have European, Japanese, and American cars on the roads, you can really see how all of that is already deepening in how important Russia is, or China is for the Russians.

And with Vladimir Putin meeting Wang Yi once again, we can see that Vladimir Putin takes it very seriously. And he also said that Xi Jinping will be coming to Russia fairly soon as well. This is something also that over the past couple of years, we've seen on several occasions, those two leaders meeting, both those two leaders saying that they have a deep friendship, a deep understanding.

And of course, right now you have that situation where the U.S. keeps warning the Chinese you also generally have difficult situations right now, between Washington and Beijing, like, for instance, over that blue in that the United States shot down over a U.S. territory. And the Russians, quite frankly, trying to capitalize on that.

But also, of course, in general, understanding that they need China at this point in time to keep their economy afloat, and possibly also to keep their war effort going on as well, in the long run, as they of course themselves are burning through munitions, are losing a lot of hardware on the battlefield as well, Max.

FOSTER: OK, Fred, in Moscow, thank you.

Let's get more on this with Marc Stewart. He has a perspective from Asia joins us from Tokyo. Obviously, the Chinese will be aware that the West might be sensitive about this meeting, particularly in this particular week. Why do you think China has gone ahead with this? And how did they see these images that Fred was just showing?

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Max, there's so much symbolism in these visits. We've been talking a lot about alliances lately, the strength of NATO, the strength of the E.U. And this was a chance for China, a very large dominant power in Asia to say to the world that we too have friends. We too have in alliance, in this case, been Russia.

So when we heard Wang Yi today in Russia speaking with his counterpart on the diplomatic front, as well as Vladimir Putin, he made a point to say that the relationship between China and Russia is mature and that it's solid as a rock. And while a lot of hair has been used, not to perhaps target the U.S. directly, China has made a big point to basically condemn the West, not necessarily calling the conflict in Ukraine a war but a brother a special military operation.

[08:10:02] With that said, he did make some remarks about the purpose of this relationship with Russia. And he made a distinct effort not to mention any particular nation. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WANG YI, CHINESE SENIOR DIPLOMAT (through translation): We want to emphasize here that the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Russia never targets a third country. Hence, it won't be affected by any interferences or instigation from a third country. We certainly wouldn't doubt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: So that's how it has been portrayed on the world stage. We're very curious to see how this has been presented and received in mainland China. It's very late now here in Asia, but it's something we're going to be certainly monitoring overnight.

I mean, the sheer picture of China's top diplomat meeting with Vladimir Putin does send a strong message especially in anticipation of a meeting between Chinese leader Xi and Vladimir Putin perhaps as early as this spring, Max.

FOSTER: OK, Marc Stewart in Tokyo, thank you.

U.S. officials tell CNN Russia conducted a test of an intercontinental ballistic missile around the time that President Joe Biden was in Kyiv. But they say it appears that that test failed, and involves a Sarmat missile, which is capable of delivering multiple nuclear warheads.

One official told CNN, Russia had notified the U.S. of the tests in advance. For more details, let's bring in CNN Pentagon Correspondent Oren Liebermann. What else do you know, Oren?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Max, we've learned from two U.S. officials that Russia carried out a test of its Sarmat ICBM intercontinental ballistic missile around the time that President Joe Biden was in Ukraine. And one of those officials tells CNN it's likely that this test failed.

The test carried out shortly before President Vladimir Putin, Russian president, gave his State of the Nation Address on Tuesday and hadn't succeeded. It is likely the officials tell CNN that Putin would have mentioned this as a victory in his speech. He doesn't have a victory on the battlefield in Ukraine to crow about in this speech, so this was likely what he intended to talk about, and he has bragged about this missile before.

Russia successfully tested this missile last April, after which Putin said it was a warning, essentially a threat to anyone who would choose to threaten Russia. So he has boasted about it -- about this missile before. But notably, when he spoke on Tuesday, there was no mention of the Sarmat missile, which is a heavy ICBM capable of carrying multiple warheads up to 100 tons of warheads and delivering them to many points around the globe.

Its NATO nickname is The Satan 2 missile. One of the U.S. officials tells CNN that there was proper notification through deconfliction channels ahead of the launch. So the U.S. was aware, the U.S. didn't view it as provocative or anything like that. But it is still noteworthy, of course, given the timing, not only of the test right before the State of the Nation Address by Putin, but also because of Biden's visit to Ukraine.

It is also worth noting in this case that the U.S. conducts its own ICBM tests, because there was one of the Minuteman III missile carried out from the Vandenberg base earlier this month. So that also had notification given to Russia through those deconfliction channels.

When a CNN reporter asked earlier on Wednesday, what the Kremlin response was to the failed test, the Kremlin demure. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the test, instead pointing to the Ministry of Defense, saying the matter is the prerogative of Russia's Ministry of Defense. So we'll see if there's any more comment about it coming from there.

Of course, all of this coming in the -- in light of and given the tensions between Washington and Moscow. So certainly, worth monitoring here to see, Max, if there's any additional fallout. I'll also point out one more thing earlier in the week on two separate occasions in as many days, Russian fighters and bombers flew in or near Alaska, the air defense identification zone, the aid is there.

Both times NORAD fighters scrambled to intercept nor as stressed that the didn't view these as provocative and was ready to handle and intercept those Russian fighters and bombers. Max?

FOSTER: Oren, thanks for joining us from the Pentagon.

A British woman who left the U.K. as a teenager to join ISIS has just lost an appeal against the decision to strip her of her British citizenship. Shamima Begum was 15 when she flew to Syria with two school friends to join the terror group. Her citizenship was taken away in 2019 around the same time her newborn son died in a refugee camp.

Begum's lawyers have criticized the ruling as a, quote, lost opportunity to put into reverse a profound mistake. The ruling does not determine if Begum now 23 can return to the U.K.

Still to come, South Korea's military believes the North is waiting for the right time to test another long-range missile at a farther distance than ever before as well. A live report on this just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:17:11]

FOSTER: South Korea's military says it believes North Korea is capable of firing an intercontinental ballistic missile further than ever before and it's preparing to prove that with an upcoming tests. The goal is to put pressure on the U.S. This new warning comes just days after North Korea carried out the third known test of its long-range weapon in less than a year.

CNN's Paula Hancocks has just interviewed the South Korean foreign minister. She joins us now live from Seoul. Paula?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Max, we spoke exclusively to Park Jin and I asked him about exactly what North Korea has been doing recently, an ICBM launch and military parade, threatening to use the Pacific Ocean as a firing range. And the foreign minister said that North Korea is on the wrong path pointing out that what it is threatening at the moment saying it will develop and deploy tactical nuclear weapons is a clear and present danger to South Korea.

So I asked him about Kim Jong-un's nuclear ambitions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Do you think Kim Jong-un would ever give up his nuclear weapons?

PARK JIN, SOUTH KOREAN FOREIGN MINISTER: He may not voluntarily renounce nuclear weapons, but the important thing is that we have to create an environment where North Korea has no choice But to come back to the negotiation table.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Now Park also rejected what's become a growing call here in South Korea for this country to have its own nuclear weapons program saying that it was neither reliable nor viable. He's saying that the U.S. extended deterrence is really the only way to protect themselves against the threat from the North.

But saying that Seoul is in discussions with Washington at this point to try and enlarge and strengthen that extended deterrence. They also spoke about Pyong -- about Ukraine saying that Pyongyang is really taking lessons from watching the war in Ukraine saying that they have become emboldened by what they are seeing, that they are taking advantage as well of the world looking the other way.

And then finally, we spoke about Taiwan and China's threats to take control of the island and not ruling out by force if need be. Let's listen to what the foreign minister said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIN: We are opposed to unilateral change of status quo by force. So in that sense, we will make sure that if something happens in the Taiwan Strait, we have to maintain peace and stability on the Korean peninsula because it will have a direct impact on our country.

HANCOCKS: But on North Korea, the main message really was that there had to be a way of convincing Pyongyang to come back to the negotiating table. I asked him though whether there was any talks on going with any back channels at all were open at this point and he said there were none. Max?

[08:20:10]

FOSTER: OK, Paula, thank you.

Coming up, the head of the Wagner mercenary group accuses Russia's Defense Ministry of treason, saying military leaders are refusing to provide munitions as thousands of soldiers are dying. What we know next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Welcome back. We continue to follow today's diplomatic events of the week. In the anniversary really leading up to Friday, which is the anniversary of the war in Ukraine starting, you'll be looking at live pictures here. They are any moment a, U.S. President Joe Biden expected here at the presidential palace in Warsaw.

He'll meet leaders the Bucharest Nine, NATO's most Eastern members. They really representing that flank up to Russia. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi at the Kremlin in Moscow, where he reportedly said that whilst international relations are quite complex, Russian and Chinese relations are reaching new, quote, milestones.

The head of the Wagner mercenary group meanwhile, accusing the Russian Defense Ministry of treason. In a telegram audio recording, Yevgeny Prigozhin claims the ministry has failed to provide his forces with ammunition. He says that has resulted in a high number of deaths amongst Wagner fighters to underscore that message. He posted a video showing dozens of dead Wagner soldiers.

Clare Sebastian joins me on all of this. This is intriguing because from the outside it looks as though Wagner and the Russian defense forces are working together. But there's a huge amount of tension between these two groups.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think it's actually unclear sort of the level of animosity between the two. We had back in January from the MOD acknowledging Wagner's role in the capture of Soledar. And sort of some warmer comments. And now what we have appears to be an escalating war of words.

Prigozhin, the second time in a week, saying that they are withholding ammunition from Wagner, that they can't access it in the warehouse is not helping with that support. Now, of course, adding treason to these accusations is saying, this is nothing more than an attempt to to destroy private military companies.

Now these agents' comments come after the minister of defense, the Russian Ministry of Defense essentially dismissed him on Tuesday saying that these accusations are absolutely untrue. And this only plays to the advantage of the enemy. So clearly, they don't like how this looks.

But I think this matters because, one, it doesn't sound exactly a picture of efficiency if two groups are allegedly fighting for the same thing are at war with each other. And secondly, it could also give a hint as to the state of ammunition levels in the Russian Army as a whole which is something that the U.S. defense secretary, for example has been noting that they might be running low on ammunition as well

[08:25:03]

FOSTER: So Prigozhin is very close to Putin if we look at a lot of the images that we've seen over the years. What would he make of this tension, because there's some suggestion that he thinks that competition is good between the two groups.

SEBASTIAN: Yes, I think there have been moments where it has played to Russia's strengths to be able to have that competition on the battlefield. I think you can judge by those comments from the Ministry of Defense that they are not happy about the PR of this at the moment. Prigozhin while lamenting the fact that more of his soldiers allegedly are dying than would otherwise have been the case if he'd had the ammunition is also posting these pretty graphic gruesome images of, you know, piles of bodies.

We've got that new video as well. So I've seen on social media of coffins piled up in the Russian city of Novosibirsk. I think this does not --

FOSTER: These are Wagner's soldiers.

SEBASTIAN: Yes, yes, supposedly Wagner's soldiers. This, of course, does not paint the kind of picture of strength and success --

FOSTER: No.

SEBASTIAN: -- that see that Putin is trying to foster right now with his rally in Moscow, you know, drumming up patriotism ahead of the anniversary,

FOSTER: Well, presumably would antagonize President Putin, as you say, a day of patriotism. He doesn't want to celebrate the losses does. He wants to celebrate the successes and this speaks directly against Putin's narrative.

SEBASTIAN: Yes, and you see him, you know, certainly at this rally that we're seeing this afternoon in Moscow ahead of the Defender of the Fatherland Day, which is tomorrow, sort of annual holiday in Russia that they're, acknowledging there have been losses they're bringing on parents of soldiers who've died, and things like that.

But the way that Prigozhin presents, this is very much counter to the message of sort of command and control and organization that we didn't want it to seem like he has over this war.

FOSTER: Amazing. Clare, thank you very much indeed.

Coming up, President Biden rallies, NATO's Eastern allies as he wraps up his trip here in Europe and it comes at a critical time more on that in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:07]

FOSTER: Let's take you to Warsaw. You can see the U.S. presidential motorcade closing down the streets there in order to make their way to the presidential palace with this crucial meeting of members, NATO members along the eastern flank of Europe. All the leaders are there. So you can imagine all of this security is justified.

All the roads closed off and a huge motorcade as well for the president. Security throughout this trip to Eastern Europe has been on this level, and it's been seen as a success from the American side. This is President Biden's last day in Europe before he heads back to the United States. He's due to meet those leaders in the coming minutes and make some comments with the cameras. We'll bring them to you live.

We have to live, we have no other choice. Those are the words from one earthquake survivor in Turkey as he tries to retrieve some of his belongings from his damaged home. Nearly 900,000 people are living in temporary shelters trying to rebuild lives after losing their loved ones and their homes.

Strong aftershocks after the initial earthquake more than two weeks ago are compounding problems for people just trying to get by. CNN's Nada Bashir joins us live from a coastal city in Turkey's hardest-hit Hatay province. Nada?

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, Max, you can see the destruction, the devastation behind me. And here in Antakya, honestly, it feels like a ghost town. There are few people still here. Authorities say 80 percent of those who had been living in this area of southeastern Turkey have now left because the buildings are simply destroyed.

And if they're not destroyed, they are too unsafe to return to. And you can see there is a bit of a bustle behind me. These are construction vehicles, rescue vehicles, and they're trying to remove the rubble. But this is going to be a long, long process. And for those who have been impacted, for those who have not been made homeless, thousands and thousands of them.

Many are now living in tent cities. And as you mentioned there, there are around 900,000 people currently living in those tents across southeastern Turkey. The authorities say that they have already distributed some 300,000 tents. And you can see just behind me in the distance one of those camps that have been set up.

We actually visited one little earlier on it's about an hour's drive from here in Iskenderun which was also hard hit by this latest earthquake as well as the aftershock on Monday. We spoke to some of those there. The majority of them are Syrians who have already been made homeless by the war in Syria now displaced once again.

And we spoke to one man. He spoke off the pain and how distraught he felt following that loss. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAHA AL-SAJAWI, SYRIAN REFUGEE DISPLACED IN TURKEY: So I came here from Syria three years ago. Maarat was destroyed. Maarat al-Numan was destroyed. We came here. We fled the bombardment. And here we are now. How does God do this to us?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: On that Max, this city as the Southeastern Turkey tries to get to grips with the scale of the destruction. That rescue effort is now over but there's still so much to be done. We've seen the authorities on the ground trying to support those who have been made homeless but we are talking about thousands and thousands of people. This is going to be a long process, months if not years. Max?

FOSTER: Thank you to Nada there in Turkey.

Back to Warsaw in Poland now. Live pictures President Biden arriving at the presidential palace in Warsaw, where he'll meet soon with the leaders of the so-called Bucharest Nine. They are nations that run along the eastern flank up against Russia.

We are expecting President Biden to be greeted by the Polish president, the Slovakian president and the Romanian president outside. Perhaps hear some remarks from them before they head inside to meet the other members of that grouping.

Kevin Liptak is in Warsaw for us. What sort of words do you expect us to hear from the President?

LIPTAK: I think we'll hear more commitment to NATO reassuring words for these countries who are situated very close to Russia and are watching what's happening in Ukraine with a certain degree of anxiety. And I do think it's important to note that President Biden is appearing for a second day with the Polish President Andrzej Duda, who is technically hosting this meeting of the Bucharest Nine.

He actually contributed to its forming in 2015. And so he was highly influential and actually getting this grouping together. That was around the time that Russia invaded the Crimean Peninsula. Of course, that remains occupied by Russia. And but this group was really formed in response to that invasion.

And you'll hear President Biden I think, talk about how important this grouping is it and sort of maintaining the line against Russia and maintaining the line against Russian invasion and these NATO allies are so important to the sort of the larger NATO mission that really has been reinvigorated over the last year.

[08:35:14]

You know, there were some real questions about where NATO was heading in the decade before Russia invaded Ukraine. Now, I don't think that there really is any question about what its purpose is and the importance of it to European security. I think President Biden will talk about that a little bit and sort of talk about how important this transatlantic partnership has been.

And it is important to note that President Biden has really reinvigorated a transatlantic partnership that was deteriorated under President Trump. There's no question that European leaders were anxious to know how that alliance would be repaired when President Biden came into office.

And I think this chip has demonstrated the importance that he places on U.S.-Europe relations, particularly at a moment when Europe, there is a war on the European continent. And so, you'll see President Biden meeting with these leaders, particularly President Duda, who has been sort of rehabilitated in the eyes of the American government.

There was a lot of skepticism of him when Biden came into office, because partly, he was very closely aligned with President Trump. He's a far-right leader, there were some concerns about his human rights record, there were some concerns about democratic backsliding, and Poland. But that has all changed with the war in Ukraine, where the U.S. is really relying on Poland to act as something of a logistics hub for the weapons that are being sent across the border into Ukraine.

But also because they've absorbed so many of the refugees who fled Ukraine during the war. President Duda has become really a very important ally of the United States, perhaps the most important ally in Eastern Europe, as this war precedes, Max.

FOSTER: OK, Kevin, we're hearing the sirens there obviously in Warsaw because all the streets have been closed off for the motorcade as it arrives. But all the leaders of the eastern flank are there. So this is a massive security operation.

We should note, shouldn't we, Kevin, that the perspective that these leaders are coming into this meeting with it's not often they would have the U.S. president in a situation like this, and they are genuinely worried about being future threats, seen as a future threat to Russia, they could be invaded by Russia, if they don't succeed in Ukraine. And that's the reality of their context to this meeting.

LIPTAK: Yes, and I think that's why you hear from so many of these leaders, a push to send more advanced weapons into Ukraine, things like fighter jets or longer-range missiles, the type of weapons that President Zelenskyy says are needed to sort of turn the momentum around on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Many of these leaders have advocated for those kinds of weapons to be sent. President Biden certainly sent a lot of weapons to Ukraine, a lot of advanced weapons, but he has held off on some of the more high- tech, high-powered weapons that President Zelenskyy says he needs.

Now we should note this is not necessarily a uniform block, there are differences between the leaders, differences in types of leadership that they're demonstrating. For example, Hungary is one of the members of this Bucharest Nine, its leader Viktor Orban is not actually at the summit today. He sent an emissary, of course, he's an authoritarian that the U.S. government has very serious concerns about us.

So he won't be there today that won't put President Biden in something of an awkward position to sort of shake his hand and talk to him at a moment when the U.S. is skeptical of what he's doing in Hungary. But these other leaders, by and large, are focused on this one issue, which is Ukraine, which is European security.

And what President Biden said last night was that NATO is the most consequential alliance in U.S. history. That just gives you an idea of how he places this in his priorities as he confronts what is the sort of the worst violence in Europe since World War 11. He really does see this as sort of a buffer against your Russian aggression going forward.

FOSTER: And image there of President Biden arriving at the presidential palace in Warsaw today with the President of Poland, but also with the remaining presidents and the Slovakian president as well. The photo marking the beginning of this meeting of nine leaders in that region highly concerned about what Russian motives are beyond Ukraine and whether or not they may or may be under threat.

What would they want from President Biden, specifically, Kevin, today away from the very positive optics of having him there at a meeting? Well, I certainly think what everyone in Europe -- whatever in really in the United States wants to know is where this war is heading.

That isn't necessarily is something that the President can answer with any sort of definitiveness when he's talking them today -- to them today but I certainly think he will want to brace them for what is certain to be an intense period of fighting in the coming weeks and months as Russia prepares for this offensive, as Ukraine prepares to try and retake some territory that was lost over the last year.

[08:40:23]

And I think that wants to know is what the President thinks of the battlefield tactics of President Zelenskyy. There have been some questions about how he has used this massive influx of weapons to sort of defend areas that aren't necessarily of huge strategic importance. A cities like Buck move, which the U.S. says does not carry huge strategic importance on the battlefield, but which Zelenskyy has been defending in this bloody battle that's been waged on for weeks.

He places a sort of at symbolic importance on that city of the U.S. I think, would prefer if Zelenskyy sort of consolidated his efforts to regain territory as this war rages on. They're not going to sit up publicly. And I'm not sures that they would even say that to his face. But they certainly do want the momentum to be turned around on the battlefield there.

When President Biden was meeting in Kyiv with Zelenskyy on Monday, that was one of the things they talked about is what the next several months will look like. And on the way into key if that was something that the President really tried to strategize was how he would approach Zelenskyy to talk about those issues. And I think that that detail is telling because there is so much concern in Europe, in among these leaders on the eastern flank about what the next a year will bring. For as much as this anniversary is about the resiliency of the Ukrainians over the last year, it really is the question hanging over everything is what the next year will bring. And that I think is one of the important things that President Biden will want to talk about in this meeting.

But of course, all of these losers will come with their own questions will come with their own ideas and recommendations. And President Biden will certainly want to hear them out. Listen to those anxieties and try and reassure them that as much as it can, the United States will be a behind them over the next year.

FOSTER: OK. Kevin, we'll be back with you a bit later on. So the meeting is underway between the President of the United States and the eastern flank members of NATO a crucial meeting for the whole alliance. We'll bring you any updates as they come through to us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Welcome back. We've just seen U.S. President Biden arrive at the presidential palace in Warsaw. He's meeting with NATO's Bucharest Nine. Let's bring in Nigel Gould-Davies. He's the editor of Strategic Survey and a senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia, the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Thank you so much for joining us.

One of the members of that grouping is Estonia. I was very much struck by what the leader of Estonia said earlier in the week, for the West I would argue this is a 1939 moment.

[08:45:11]

Again, if Putin emerges from this war with something that he didn't have before, then the consequences for the entire West will be catastrophic. This very much speaks to the view of those leaders, as contrasted to leaders further away.

NIGEL GOULD-DAVIES, SR. FELLOW, INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES: Yes, I think that that Estonian quotation reflects in turn a degree of thought leadership and activity among the countries of NATO's eastern flank that we haven't seen to this degree before, it is very significant. So to get to that, the Bucharest Nine are taking such a firm position in this conflict.

One might expect those on the front line to be more anxious about escalation and more willing to accept some form of compromise in the outcome to Russia's war in Ukraine. On the contrary --

FOSTER: Just to explain, sorry, just explain what we're seeing. We're just saying that the family photos, it's called of those leaders with President Biden, they're going into the meeting, at least. Carry on.

GOULD-DAVIES: Yes. So on the contrary, we've seen some of the firmest and most resolute resistance to any outcome to the war that would leave Russia better off from the frontline states. And I think President Biden's visit to spend time with them. And also NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg is also there. And that's important too, as the alliance works out the full implications of the Madrid summit in June of last year, and what that means for the alliance.

But I think the big picture here, as we approach, the first anniversary of this terrible war, is how strong and unified the West remains. It's the opposite of irresolute, the opposite of divided and fatigued, all the things that President Putin has counted on, he believes that he can outlast the West in a contest of political resolve.

And the journey of the past year has been that the West has remained strong across nation states, except Hungary has to be set -- across civil societies, and even significant parts of the private sector in the West, voluntarily amplifying sanctions by withdrawing from Russia.

So seen as unity and escalation of purpose. And the larger record of recent major wars is that prolonged conflicts are always ultimately won by the economically bigger side, and the West dwarfs Russia, in terms of the economic resources it can bring to bear in defending and supporting Ukraine.

FOSTER: So just wondering, is that -- some people might find alarming about the the counter photo, if I can call it that in Moscow that we've got today of, you know, the Russian leadership with a senior member of the Chinese leadership?

GOULD-DAVIES: Yes, all eyes now on China. In fact, they have been, I think, very circumspect, have hinted, perhaps more than hinted at their unhappiness with the launching of this war in recent months. I think you saw that at the Semakan (ph) summit a few months ago.

Is Russia -- is China shifting its position? Is there a possibility in particular that it will start to supply Russia with various forms of lethal support? I think the question of Chinese calculations now and whether those are changing will be uppermost in western policy minds.

FOSTER: OK, we've got there some images, I think of the leaders all gathering around the table. I get -- I understand that they each get to speak for three minutes. There will, of course, be some sort of discussion as well. Then if we've got these images, but there they are, there you see the Polish president, sort of chairing this meeting.

The the head of NATO will also be there, obviously, as well. We're just going to listen for just a moment. So if you've got a translation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDRZEJ DUDA, POLISH PRESIDENT: Today's summit is of particular importance. We are meeting almost exactly on the anniversary of the event, which has forever changed the history of our part of Europe, and which has an impact on the security situation across the world.

I'm speaking about the brutal, full scale Russian aggression of Ukraine, which started on February 24 last year. One day later, we met in this hall to discuss the most significant challenges facing our states, facing the entire North Atlantic Alliance and to speak about their ways to support our friends in Ukraine.

[08:50:15]

What we wish to do today is to think together among our closest allies, about about our next steps in the run up to the B9 summit in Bratislava and the NATO summit in Vilnius, and about the possibilities to provide further support to Ukraine.

Thank you. Now, and I give the floor to the president of Romania. Mr. Klaus Iohannis, co-host of the summit.

KLAUS IOHANNIS, ROMANIAN PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. The President Biden the President Duda, dear colleagues, dear Secretary General Stoltenberg, this extremely relevant to meet again in the Bucharest Nine format, which I launched in 2015 together with Andrzej Duda, President Duda in in the eve of the one year mark since war returned to Europe.

The war has brought nothing but suffering and despair, killing and displacing of millions of Ukrainians. Unprecedented destruction and uncertainty. With the leaders of the eastern flank have the duty to stand firm in defense of our peace. We must continue to stand firm in delivering on our commitments to support Ukraine for as long as it needs to win this war.

This is what Romania will continue to do. We are not alone in this endeavor. Our effort is one of transatlantic scale and scope. And I welcome the presence today of President Joseph Biden reconfirming, the substance of our Bucharest Nine format and the commitment of the U.S. administration towards the eastern flank security.

This commitment is very solid and forward-looking, increased U.S. military presence that needs to continue, and the preparation of a U.S. strategy for the Black Sea. I also welcome the participation of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for timely and open coordination.

Almost one year ago, Russia tried to destroy the European and Euro Atlantic security and the rules based international order. Russia is acting on a pattern of aggressive conduct, which we have already witnessed in the Republic of Moldova, in Georgia, and in Ukraine itself.

Today, these partners benefit from allied support for their long term resilience, which is needed to help them achieve lasting peace, stability, and prosperity. We also strongly support Ukraine's Euro- Atlantic perspective, to make sure that this brutal war against Ukraine is Russia's final act.

We also must be resolute in deterring further aggression and rolling back the current one. NATO is standing strong and showing clear commitment towards Ukraine and its people. The B9 is stronger than ever. I just look forward to continue our coordination on our way to a successful NATO summit in Vilnius. Thank you very much.

DUDA: Thank you very much, Mr. President, and the summit. To the president of the Slovak Republic, Madame Zuzana Caputova.

ZUZANA CAPUTOVA, PRESIDENT OF SLOVAKIA: Thank you very much. The President Duda, the President Iohannis, the President Biden, Secretary General, their allies. As you mentioned, Mr. President Duda, we are meeting in very special time because of first anniversary of Russia aggressions in Ukraine.

This year has made us stronger and more united. And we the countries on the eastern flank are more protected than ever. And we together you passed the test of solidarity and humanity because of our help to Ukraine.

[08:55:05]

President Biden, your presence here is another proof that our that our transatlantic unity is stronger as ever, and is an opportunity to discuss our expectations from NATO Summit in Vilnius. For example, how we ensure that there are no gray zones in our defense, or how we adapt our defense spending to our security environment, and how we ensure that Ukraine is able to defend itself as long as it takes and how to move practical but also political relations between NATO and Russia.

This is what we will discuss today, but also in B9 summit in Bratislava, in June, and in will news in July. I thank you President Duda for hosting us. And I look forward to our discussions. Thank you.

DUDA: Thank you very much, Madam President. Excellencies, dear friends, we are all delighted to have with us today a special guest, who has accepted the invitation to the Summit, the President of the United States of America, Mr. Joseph Biden. Welcome, sir. We ask you to take the floor, please.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, thank you all very much. And I'm delighted to be here. As some of you may remember, years ago, when we were expanding NATO, I was the one in the United States Senate who was pushing the hardest to expand NATO for membership of many of you sitting around this table.

And the irony is that one of the last conversations I had with the -- our friend in Russia was I said, "You keep asking for the Finlandization of NATO. You're going to get the NATOization of Finland." Well, it happened. Not only are we strong as we were, we're stronger.

And I say to my fellow presidents that I'm honored to be with you here -- and so many strong NATO allies -- and the Secretary General, who I think has done an incredible job, an incredible job for a long time, and I rely on his judgment a great deal.

You know, the B9 was founded in 2015, after Russia attempted annexation of Crimea. And today, as we approach the one-year anniversary of Russia's further invasion, it's even more important that we continue to stand together. And I think this is proof of this -- how strongly we feel.

That's why I wanted to meet all of you in person here today. As NATO's eastern flank, you're the frontlines of our collective defense. And you know better than anyone what's at stake in this conflict not just for Ukraine, but for the freedom of democracies throughout Europe and around the world.

You know, when -- that's what President Zelenskyy and I spoke about when I was in Kyiv two days ago.

And the leaders around this table have repeatedly stepped up to reaffirm our shared commitment to all these values. We provided critical security assistance to Ukraine and critical support to literally millions of refugees. We've helped ensure Ukrainians can access basic services. And together, we'll continue our enduring support for Ukraine as they defend their freedom.

Over the past year, with your countries -- with countries around this table providing collective leadership, we've also strengthened NATO.

The commitment of the United States to NATO -- and I've said it to you many times; I'll say it again, is absolutely clear. Article Five is a sacred commitment the United States has made. We will defend literally every inch of NATO -- every inch of NATO.

And it's -- this is an important moment. And I look forward to the discussion and the next steps we can take together and to keep our alliance strong and to further deter aggression. Because what literally is at stake is not just Ukraine, it's freedom.

The idea that over 100,000 forces would invade another country, after war -- since World War II, nothing like that has happened, things have changed radically. And we have to make sure we change them back.

So, thank you all very much for allowing me to be with you. And I look forward to our private discussions.

DUDA: Thank you very much, Mr. President. And now I pass the floor to the NATO Secretary General Mr. Jens Stoltenberg. Please?

JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY: Dear Andrzej. It is a pleasure to be back in Warsaw. And to meet with all the B9 heads of state and government, and also with President Biden. And then Joe, I would like to say to you that I am so pleased and so impressed by the outstanding leadership you show. And your visit to Kyiv sent a clear message of our steadfast support to Ukraine. And America's ironclad commitment to the security of Europe.

Let me also thank you for hosting the next NATO Summit after Vilnius in the United States. One year since the launch of Russia's invasion, President Putin is not preparing for peace. On the contrary, he is preparing for more war. So we must sustain and step up our support for Ukraine. We must give Ukraine what they need to prevail.

We don't know when the war will end. But when it does, we need to ensure that history does not repeat itself. We have seen the Russian pattern of aggression over many years. Georgia in 2008. Crimea and Donbass in 2014. And then the full-fledged invasion of Ukraine last year.

We cannot allow Russia to continue to chip away at European security. We must break the cycle of Russian aggression. NATO allies have never been more united. We will protect every inch of allied territory based on our Article 5 commitment to defend each other. One for all, and all for one. Thank you so much.

DUDA: Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary General, ladies and gentlemen, this concludes the part of the summit open for media, so I kindly ask the media to leave the room, please.