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Biden and Putin Deliver Dueling Fiery Speeches On Ukraine; Russia To Suspend Participation In Nuclear Arms Treaty With U.S.; U.S. Supreme Court Hears Arguments In High-Stakes Tech Case; CNN Special Report Uncovers Dozens Of 'Black Sites' Used For Torturing Protesters. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired February 22, 2023 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead here on CNN Newsroom, dueling speeches from Biden and Putin, one filled with delusional claims in a twisted narrative, the other delivered by the U.S. president.
From the frontlines of Ukraine to war with Russia to pack stadiums around the world, how Ukrainian resistance have mobilized in a battle for hearts and minds.
Also ahead social media responsible for the harmful content it promotes. The future of big tech could be decided by nine Supreme Court justices who admit they're really confused.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: In a move seen as both symbolic and retaliatory, Vladimir Putin says Russia will suspend participation in New STAR, the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty with the US. The announcement came Tuesday during his delayed State of the Nation Address in Moscow. Just hours later though, Russia's foreign ministry issued a statement saying the decision is reversible. Still, there are concerns the era of formal arms control may be coming to an end.
During his speech, which was scheduled for December but postponed because of Russian losses in Ukraine. Putin repeated many of his unfounded false claims about Ukraine, including an accusation, the West is to blame for escalating the conflict.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSINA PRESIDENT (through translator): They're responsible for the escalation of the situation in Ukraine for the huge numbers of casualties. And of course, the Kyiv regime is essentially alien to the people of Ukraine. They are not protecting their own interests, but those of their minder countries.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: In Poland, the U.S. President delivered a fiery speech of his own, calling out Vladimir Putin by name 10 times as the war hits one year mark. Biden declared Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia made clear that Western result is strong in the face of Putin's assault on democracy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: When President Putin ordered his tanks to roll in Ukraine, he thought we would roll over. He was wrong. He thought he'd get the Finlandization of NATO, instead he got the NATO'ization of Finland and Sweden.
He found himself at war with a nation led by a man whose courage will be forged and fire and still, President Zelenskyy. Democracies of the world will stand guard our freedom today, tomorrow and forever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: A source close to the Ukrainian president has told CNN more Ukrainian victories on the battlefield, are the only thing that will lead to real peace talks. The source also saying that faster Ukraine receives the weapons it needs, the sooner the war will be over. US State Department spokesperson weighed in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NED PRICE, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: We do see the nexus between what happens on the battlefield and what will ultimately happen at the negotiating table. We know just like President Zelenskyy knows that this war will have to end with diplomacy, it will have to end with negotiations. And right now we're focused on strengthening our Ukrainian partners so that when, and I say when that negotiating table emerges, our Ukrainian partners have as strong a hand as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: CNN correspondents following developments at this hour Kevin Liptak live in Warsaw, Clare Sebastian live for us this hour in London. But first you Kevin, this was a big day for Joe Biden. He came to Bali, came to Warsaw to rally the world in support of Ukraine. Mission accomplished, it seems.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, it seems as if that is the case, John, the President really trying to reaffirm American commitment to its allies in the region, but also prepare them for what the President said would be a bitter months ahead. And you will see that continue today. When the President meets with leaders from what is called the Bucharest nine. Those are NATO allies along the eastern flank, many of whom share a border with Russia, many of whom have seen heightened anxiety over the last year as they wonder where Putin may be setting his sights on next.
And certainly, his announcement yesterday that he would suspend participation in that New START treaty only heightens the anxieties in the region. And so President Biden will run to recommit his pledge to protect those countries under the NATO charter. That was one of the most impassioned parts of his speech yesterday, when he talked about NATO, talked about it being the most consequential alliance in American history. And so you can expect the President to continue that message today.
But I think the other thing that he will want to do is sort of steal these countries for what American officials say is an uncertain phase that we are now entering in the war in Ukraine, a more complicated phase as Russia prepares for a spring offensive and as Ukraine seeks to regain territory that it has lost over the last year.
And I think that is sort of the overarching message that the President brought to Europe this week, certainly talking about the resiliency of the Ukrainians on the battle.
[01:05:00]
The resiliency of President Zelenskyy when he visited Kyiv, on Monday, but also talking about what the next 12 months will bring. The uncertainty of that is looming over all of that is sort of the palpable undercurrent of this entire trip to Europe.
And for as divergent as President Putin and President Biden's speech were yesterday, that was sort of the one thing that they seem to agree on, which is that there is no clear end game to this war and that the fighting will be waged for the next several months, at least, John.
VAUSE: Yes, this is not going to end anytime soon. But to you Clare there in London, we've had the situation with Russia, the president of Vladimir Putin had the symbolic gesture of withdrawing from New STAR, which seems more symbolic than anything else.
But at the same time, this test of an ICBM around the same time that Biden was in the region and in Ukraine, and failed, which does not look like it -- doesn't look good for the Russians, if you know, in that sense, right.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, that's probably why we didn't hear anything about it and Putin speech, the sense certainly from the sources that our Washington colleagues have spoken to is that it had it gone well, he may well have mentioned it. This obviously continues. The theme that we're seeing from Russia, President Putin announcing in December that money was no object. When it comes to the military, they can have everything they asked for he said, and not the first time we've seen Russia test an ICBM of ballistic missile.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, they carried out a successful test of the same type of missile, the Sarmat known in the West as the Satan 2 which is capable of delivering nuclear warheads. They carried that out in April, and it was successful.
They are, you know, trying to show off amid the defeats on the battlefield and the struggles on the battlefield in Ukraine. The strength of their armed forces and nuclear saber rattling has really become one of the talking points President Putin has many speeches, including the hour and 45 minutes that he spent delivering his State of the Nation on Tuesday. So I think it can be viewed in that context. Obviously, the suspension of the New START treaty is concerning to the west, but does of course continue with basically the status quo because Russia was not allowing inspections to happen anyway. And the Russian foreign ministry has said that that decision could be irreversible. So they continue to dangle this but without really any sort of concrete steps beyond what we've already seen.
VAUSE: Clare Sebastian in London, thank you. Kevin Liptak also there in Warsaw. Thank you both for being with us. There is Kevin. Thank you.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in the case of Gonzalez versus Google case, which has the potential to upend the internet. It's the first of two cases the court will hear this week about online content.
Tuesday's discussions focused on whether or not tech companies can be held liable for search recommendations. Justice has spent hours asking questions and presenting hypothetical situations about different types of online content, and whether the current laws and protections for companies should actually change.
The family of Nohemi Gonzalez is suing Google, YouTube's parent company, claiming the site's algorithm promotes terrorist videos. Gonzalez was killed during the 2015 ISIS terror attack in Paris. Her parents claimed YouTube was instrumental in radicalizing viewers and urging the court to take action.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEATRIZ GONZALEZ, NOHEMI GONZALEZ'S MOTHER: We go through in this fight, because we're seeking justice, nothing is going to give me back my daughter, but at least that as something good is going to be accomplished.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Supreme Court justices tried their best to make sense of the case but admitted that even they were confused. One justice suggested that this might be a job best suited for Congress.
Economists and not ruling out a recession in the United States after some disappointing retail reports sent financial markets plunging. The Dow lost nearly 700 points on Tuesday, the S&P 500 down 2 percent. NASDAQ dropped two and a half percent. CNN's Rahel Solomon has details now reporting in from New York.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (on camera): U.S. stocks dropped Tuesday after mega retailers, Walmart and Home Depot warns of softening business this year. The dim forecast sending all major U.S. averages down by around 2 percent. Walmart CFO John David Rainey, weighing in on the cautionary outlook in their fourth quarter earnings call saying there was a great deal of uncertainty looking out over the balance of the year. While the supply chain issues have largely abated, prices are so high and there was considerable pressure on the consumer attempting to predict with precision these swings in macroeconomic conditions and their effect on consumer behavior is challenging.
We'll hear from other retailers like Target, Best Buy, Macy's and GAP later this month. And the meantime, investors await minutes from the Federal Reserve's last meeting, where we'll learn more about the discussion that Fed policymakers had during their last interest rate meeting and information coming out Wednesday afternoon. Rahel Solomon, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:10:00]
VAUSE: Right now U.S. futures are all in positive territory if just by a touch but different story on the Asian markets. Let's take a look at those numbers right across the board the Nikkei down by 1/3 percent, Hong Kong down by a third of 1 percent, Shanghai Composite down by almost half a percent, Australia S&P ASX 200 down by a third of 1 percent as well.
There is growing anger and outrage among earthquake survivors in Turkey to those involved in the construction of buildings that collapsed may have cut corners to boost profits, as one main tragically found out and expensive newly constructed building was not a guarantee of safety. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): He spends his day sifting through the rubble, watching excavators desperately searching for traces of his father. Mehmet not his real names already recovered and buried the bodies of his grandparents and his mother. His parents had only moved into what was a brand new high rise development in Intakya last summer.
MEHMET, LOST RELATIVES IN EARTHQUAKE: This is the newest one. This is the latest one building this area and also this the most expensive one. They said this building is OK proof and there's a new one. So we truly believe that nothing's going to happen.
KARADSHEH: Not only were people here sold luxury and comfort, but the illusion of earthquake safety.
KARADSHEH (on camera): As you can see, most buildings around here sustained a lot of damage but they're still standing. According to residents here, this collapsed within seconds like a house of cards.
KARADSHEH (voiceover): Several other buildings in the city owned by the same developer also came crumbling down. The lucky ones who survived are now homeless in makeshift camps overlooking a life they once had gone in an instant. Families of victims still grappling with their loss and grief are blaming developers after easy profit for cutting corners and using cheap construction material. MEHMET: This is basically murder. They just disobey all the rules. They did everything wrong. And this is the result. They just build a cemetery with sand.
KARADSHEH: The government's launched investigations across the earthquake zone and has so far rounded up dozens of building contractors that many say it's not just the contractors who are to blame.
This is a systematic problem says Kureta (ph) from the Chamber of Architects. This is a complex problem. The system is not an individual one. The country's Chamber of Architects says a construction boom lacks inspections by authorities and government amnesties for developers who didn't abide by building codes introduced after previous disasters, all contributed to this catastrophe.
In the city of ?skenderun residents picking up what's left of their shattered lives are still in shock. But anger is now setting in.
The drive for earning more profits led to this destruction nothing else this woman tells us. This local mayor says he's lost 700 people in his district alone. Choking back tears he tells us how he held the hand of a relative under the rubble for two days waiting for help that never came.
We don't care about buildings, he says. We just want our people alive. He tries to comfort his people, too scared to go back into their homes, begging for a safe roof over their heads. Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Antakya, Turkey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Here on CNN a powerful storm takes aims at part of the opening statements part of East Africa. We're tracking tropical cyclone Freddie, as it makes landfall.
Also protesters say they were brutally tortured in secret detention centers across Iran and exclusive reporters (INAUDIBLE). And later we'll hear from former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the war in Ukraine. His take on a visit to Moscow and China's top diplomat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Why would Beijing now want to be contaminated by what Putin is doing? Why would they want to be associated?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:16:07]
VAUSE: He was once Mexico's highest ranking law enforcement official but now a convicted felon. Your federal grand jury convicted Genaro Garcia Luna of drug trafficking charges on Tuesday. He served as Mexico Secretary of Public Security from 2006 to 2012. According to the U.S. Justice Department, Garcia Luna, who used his official position to assist Mexican drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, and in Sinaloa Cartel in exchange for millions of dollars in bribes. Garcia Luna could receive 20 years to life when he sentenced in late June.
The past five months tens of thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets and nationwide protests ever since a 22-year-old woman died in state custody. Mahsa Amina had been arrested for not wearing a headscarf correctly.
In December, a CNN investigation found evidence will be pushed by Iranian authorities to condemn and execute protesters using sham trials and forced confessions. Many human rights organizations tell CNN at least 60 protesters were executed in January alone.
In a special report CNN has found over three dozen black sites or illegal detention centers that Iran has used to dole out the worst the most barbaric for tortures. CNN spoke with over two dozen survivors whose stories cooperate a clear mythology of unprecedented torture.
Our chief international investigative correspondent Nima Elbagir has this exclusive report, and it has a warning. It contains graphic descriptions of torture and sexual violence.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIMA ELBAGIR, CHIEF INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): For the last six weeks, Kayvan Samadi has been on the run. Each night he moves to a different safe house, brutally tortured for 21 days at the hands of the Iranian regime. He is terrified they will find him. His crime, organizing medics to help wounded protesters. But even with his fear of being tracked down, Samadi still wants to identify himself. He wants to show the regime they didn't break him.
KAYVAN SAMADI, MEDICAL STUDENT (through translator): I set up a group of underground medics, we treated around 700 people. The regime was committing war crimes forbidding treatment of the injured, I promised my friends to fight for them.
ELBAGIR: His friends like so many Iranians have been on the streets, protesting against the clerical regime that has for so long dictated their lives. For his defiance, Samadi, a medical student was picked up by Iranian security forces and brought to a black site, a clandestine interrogation facility outside the rule of law, where many survivors tell CNN false confessions are extracted through the most brutal of torture methods. These false confessions have at times been used in court to execute protesters for crimes against the state. Samadi refused to sign what he believed would be his death warrant.
SAMADI (through translator): Why should I have signed something that I hadn't done? I'm not a terrorist, not a murderer or a saboteur. Only save lives. That's it. My team and I did nothing more.
ELBAGIR: Unlike so many other victims of torture that CNN interviewed, Samadi was not blindfolded during his detention. Based on his testimony, CNN commissioned the following images to take you inside the ordeal that he and so many other Iranian protesters have been subjected to.
SAMADI (through translator): I was forced into building hidden by trees next to a girl school. On the first day, the two guards kicked me. I vomited blood. Each day the torture got worse. There was a closet in the corner of the room filled with torture tools. Electric cattle prods, different cutters, some syringes, They drugged me. They wanted me to stay alive longer to torture me more. The guard started kissing me and licking my neck. They touch my genitals and my buttocks.
[01:20:02]
On day 16 of my arrest, I descended into hell. They tied my hands and shackled my legs. They wanted to break me to destroy me. They pulled my trousers down. I thought they were going to give me an electric shock again, but I couldn't believe they were going to do this. He took the baton and went behind me. I was waiting to be beaten up. He kissed my neck and shoved the baton into my anus. And he said, This is what us soldiers of the revolution do to gay boys like you. I was shocked and didn't know what to do. I couldn't even scream. I was dumbstruck and just cried in silence.
ELBAGIR (on camera): I can see the dark circles around your eyes. Do you sleep?
ELBAGIR (voiceover): Samadi believes that if he had signed the false confession as the gods wanted him to, then they would have hanged him for treason. He doesn't know why his torturers released him. He thinks they wanted him to die on the streets, a chilling warning to others.
Based on Samadi's detailed eyewitness testimony and cross referencing with satellite imagery, CNN has been able to locate the blog site where he says he was tortured. In his hometown of Oshnavieh. These are the trees that hide the unnamed building he was brought into, and this is the girl school where he had children playing in the courtyard.
But this is not the only black site. Cross referencing testimony from over two dozen sources with satellite images seen and found dozens of these black sites, which can be divided into two types and declared illegal jails inside government facilities such as military bases and intelligence centers, and makeshift clandestine jails that typically crop up temporarily near protest sites.
For instance, in this city, known for its religious pilgrimage sites, they've been using some mosques as detention centers according to multiple sources CNN spoke with.
This person can be seen in different cities across the country. In Sanandaj, we found at least six unofficial detention centers. Zeidan Five (ph), and Tehran, the capital where CNN was also able to locate eight different pop up torture sites.
After speaking to dozens of eyewitnesses who were tortured in these different unofficial detention centers, the barbaric treatment used on Samadi was not unique. His experience tallies with other eyewitness testimony.
In total, CNN located over three dozen clandestine jails across the country. It paints a picture of a regime meeting out torture on an industrial scale, designed to crush an uprising that has posed the biggest existential threat to the regime in decades.
These are photos of just some of the protesters that state hospital physician Dr. Mohsen Sohrabi and his colleagues treated in the city of Sanandaj, a major flashpoint in the crackdown of the uprising. It was an illegal act, according to the Iranian regime. For that he too, was brought to a black site and tortured
DR. MOHSEN SOHRABI, MEDICAL DOCTOR (through translator): They are a power in and of themselves. They don't follow any kind of human race, there is no supervision. What kind of supervision do you have to have when people are being raped? They don't have any more boundaries. They just want you to confess so they can prosecute you.
ELBAGIR: Dr. Sohrabi is also now in hiding.
ELBAGIR (on camera): You've had to risk so much just to do your job?
SOHRABI (through translator): If I cry, it's not because I feel like it's not because of what I have lost. It's for the cruelty that people are facing.
ELBAGIR (voiceover): Even as evidence of torture on an industrial scale points to the desperation of the regime, Iran's young protesters are equally defined, even in the face of the unimaginable torture and death. Nima Elbagir, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: We (INAUDIBLE) CNN reached out to Iranian authorities to comment on our findings and our report. We have not yet received a response. Still ahead this hour.
From recording studios and concert halls to the theater of war, Ukrainian musicians joined the resistance to Russia's invasion.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:27:16]
VAUSE: Welcome back, I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN Newsroom. The British Prime Minister is urging Vladimir Putin to reconsider his decision to suspend Russia's participation in the New START nuclear treaty. Spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said this is another example though, of Putin jeopardizing global security for political gain.
Putin made the announcement during a national address to the Russian people in which he railed against the West over the war in Ukraine. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): A determined Russian leader entering center stage, Vladimir Putin showing Kyiv will not back down from the war in Ukraine calling Kyiv's leadership in legitimate.
The Kyiv regime is essentially alien to the people of Ukraine, he said, they are not protecting their own interests, but those of their minder countries. Putin squarely blames the West for the conflict even though it was Russian forces that invaded Ukraine almost a year ago. The Kremlin claims Russia is under assault from the west even more so after President Joe Biden went to Kyiv to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, showing the U.S. has resolved to help Ukraine stand up to Moscow.
The elite of the West does not conceal their ambitions, which is to strategically defeat Russia, he says What does that mean? It means to finish us off once and for all.
While Putin praised his army, he acknowledged they need better gear as progress has been hard to come by and losses mount in the face of stiff Ukrainian resistance. Still support among Russians both for what Putin called the special military operation and the Russian leader himself remain rock solid. Russia's top independent pollster tells CNN.
DENIS VOLKOV, DIRECTOR OFLEVADA CENTER: Now it's about 80 percent because again, situation come down a little bit by the end of the year, people can updated get used again. And the rating -- his rating stabilized.
PLEITGEN: And patriotism is on full display in Moscow, though not everyone wants to talk about it.
The operation is going sluggishly this man says, we must strike the centers like Germany, London.
I think the West will bend and be forced to make concessions, he says.
[01:29:48]
What opinion can there be? We should not have barged into where we weren't wanted, this man says.
Putin saved arguably his biggest message for last, announcing Russia is suspending its participation in the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty after Moscow, last year accused Ukraine of striking an airbase for strategic bombers.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We know that NATO is complicit in the attempts by the Kyiv regime to strike our air bases. And now they want to come and inspect our bases?
PLEITGEN: While Putin says the treaty could be revived if relations between the U.S. and Russia improve, on this day the gulf between Russia and the West further widened.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN -- Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: One of Ukraine's biggest and most vocal supporters since the earliest days of the war's former British prime minister Boris Johnson.
During an interview on CNN, Johnson was adamant about the U.S. providing F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine and he did not mince words about Putin's speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I think he is pretty desperate, and what he said is, of course, ludicrous. The West had absolutely no role in starting this war.
This was a war of choice that he initiated. It was his vicious, non provoked attack on Ukraine on February 24th of last year that started this war.
Ukraine was never going to join NATO in any realistic terms. He knew that, he did this for his own, principally for his own domestic reasons and he wants to rebuild the Soviet empire.
Why would Beijing, now, want to be contaminated by what Putin is doing? Why would they want to be associated with this gangsterism and adventurism? I think it would be a disaster for China. And I hope very much that it won't prove to be true.
But if it is true, it shows all the more clearly why we must now accelerate our support for Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So apparently China has a plan for ending the war in Ukraine. It is just not sharing those details publicly. Beijing's top diplomat is in Moscow where he is scheduled to meet with the Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in the coming hours.
Ukraine's president says he hasn't seen any official peace plan from Beijing. Volodymyr Zelenskyy though did welcome Italy's prime minister to Kyiv on Tuesday, urging international support for Ukraine's own peace plan.
CNN's Kristie Lu Stout following these developments from Hong Kong. So at this meeting with Wang Yi scheduled for later on today. But he's also talking -- he actually may get to meet with Vladimir Putin which would be a big deal in and of itself. So what are we looking for to come out of these meetings? What are the key words here, if you'd like?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, so far, the key words are very different than what we have been hearing in the last few days. And Wang Yi was on his tour of Europe, talking to European leaders, talking about China's commitment to a peace plan for Ukraine. That language, we are not hearing so far coming out of meetings so far
inside Russia, instead we are hearing language such as strengthening cooperation with Russia.
Right now we know that Wang Yi, China's top diplomat is in Moscow. He is due to speak with Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister in the next hour or so. This according to the Russian state news agency, TASS. The Kremlin has not ruled out the possibility of a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Wang Yi. And MOFA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in China has said that this meeting in this visit, is an opportunity for China to exchange views on the relationship between China and Russia and to talk about international hot spot issues, which would include the war in Ukraine.
On Tuesday you had that interesting meeting that took place between Wang Yi and the head of Russia's security council. There they described their opposition to a Cold War mentality that is out there. They also expressed a desire to strengthen cooperation.
The issue of Ukraine was also mentioned, but no details, no specifics were released in any of the official documents after that meeting.
This visit is under extreme international scrutiny. Just a couple of days ago the U.S. Chief diplomat warned Wang Yi of consequences if China was to go forward and provide any material support to Russia for its invasion, for its war in Ukraine.
China has fired back multiple times and now, through "The Global Times", the state tabloid newspaper, China is accusing the United States of sabotage. You know, we have a clip for you here in "The Global Times" saying this quote, "The U.S. has been wearing thick, tinted glasses to view China-Russia friendly ties from the very beginning.
The suspicions, the provocations, sabotage in Washington toward China- Russia ties have never stopped and now they have reached a peak because of the conflict," unquote.
And lastly John, you know, we are continuing to follow up on that reporting that came out from the "Wall Street Journal" saying that the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, is in fact planning a meeting, planning to go to Moscow for a summit with the Russian President Vladimir Putin. The timeframe would take place after the National Peoples Congress. It would take place in April to May. Back to you.
VAUSE: Well, that will be interesting. Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, thank you. Appreciate the update.
[01:34:51]
VAUSE: The president of Poland has thanked (ph) not just the U.S. president but U.S. lawmakers and the American people as well for supporting Ukraine. Both leaders held talks Tuesday before addressing a cheering crowd of thousands at the Royal Castle of Warsaw Tuesday.
In an exclusive interview, Poland's president told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that Biden's surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday was a powerful show of support.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDRZEJ DUDA, POLISH PRESIDENT (through translator): The first that the president traveled to Kyiv, that he was there it sends an incredibly powerful signal -- a political and strategic signal. It's a demonstration of strength of the United States, indeed.
It is like saying that the American leader who as a matter of fact is the leader of the free world, is able to travel even where war is raging, even to a place where there is a potential danger.
He is not afraid because the United States is strong enough to protect him. That is number one.
And number two, he was there and today he is in Warsaw. He gives a speech to the whole world. And he sends a signal of the defense of the free world, of the defense of NATO, of the defense of every inch of the territory as the president said today.
So to us, to Poles this American signal, this allied signal not only within NATO but first of all a signal sent by the greatest superpower in the world, a signal sent by our friend and ally today, is so significant.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The full interview can be seen on "AMANPOUR" Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. in Warsaw, 6:00 p.m. in London.
Ukrainian musicians are answering the call to action and adding their voices to those resisting Russia's war. From rock stars to opera singers, classical pianists to punk bands -- this musical mobilization took the fight to Vladimir Putin where he could never win, the hearts and minds in Ukraine, Russia, and around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: From the moment the sounds of war rumbled cross Ukraine, some of the biggest names in Ukrainian music --
DON LEMON, CNN HOST: Take Tina Karol (ph) for example. She's a popstar and actress, often called the Britney Spears of Ukraine.
VAUSE: Back with fame, talent, a platform, and a determination the world would not forget. Ukraine.
Pop star Tina Karol formed the International Center for Information Resistance.
TINA KAROL, UKRAINIAN POP STAR: I knew the Russian language, and I can explain to the Russian people what is true.
VAUSE: Sasha Zaritska lead singer from pop band Kazka -- led Ukraine and used an already -- using a cover of Bob Dylan's masters of war to embrace awareness of their country's plight. SASHA KARITZKA, LEAD SINGHER KAZKA: We need this war to stop right now
because as a civilian, people are dying every day.
VAUSE: Kalush Orchestra gave the Ukraine reason to pause and celebrate after winning last year's Eurovision contest.
OLEG PSYUK, KALUSCH ORCHESTRA: We decided to take part in it because there are attempts to destroy and kill our culture, and we took part in it to show that our culture is alive. It does exist and it is very beautiful.
VAUSE: Just days later though, any celebrations were cut short when Ukrainian forces in Mariupol surrendered to the Russians.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 24 hours before it was a battle here, you can see now the smells of the war.
VAUSE: From the front man to the rock band Antytila, the frontline medic, singer Taras Topola (ph) was among many Ukrainian performers who signed up for active duty.
TARAS TOPOLA, SINGER: We understand that music is an international tool to express to people, to express what we feel. And my main task is to save their lives, to rescue one endangered soldiers from the battlefield.
VAUSE: And when the band wasn't saving lives and dodging bullets, they recorded a music video, "Two Step" with Ed Sheeran.
Bono (ph) and the Edge turned up one weekend in May for a surprise performance with Talas Topola in a subway turned bomb shelter.
BONO, SINGER: Younger people know what's going on and I trust in the younger people in Russia to throw this man out of his office that was so high and is so low right now.
VAUSE: And maybe Bono is on to something.
As the war chants rang out at a punk rock concert in Russia's St. Petersburg, and the constant thorn in Putin's side known as Pussy Riot released their own protest song called "Mama, Don't Watch TV".
[01:39:50]
NADYA TOLOKONNIKOVA, PUSSY RIOT: One thing we need to understand about Russia and opposing the war in Ukraine is that number of people who are against the war are actually much higher than those who condone it.
The rise of participating (INAUDIBLE) is increasingly high.
VAUSE: Ukrainian punk band Beton called on the world to help defend their country from the Russian invasion, with a new cover of The Clash classic "London Calling".
Their version, "Kyiv Calling", was re-written and recorded close to the frontline after the surviving members of The Clash gave their blessing.
ANDRIY ZHOLOB, SINGER, BETON: We are not to the band who pretends to be those who resist. We do the resistance. Is this part of the resistance? Yes.
VAUSE: There were songs of celebration as well. When the pride of Putin's Black Sea fleet, one of the most lethal ships in the Russian navy, the Moskva was sunk by two Ukrainian anti ship missiles.
Russia's humiliation was inspiration for Vadim (INAUDIBLE), lead singer of Mad Head, writing a tribute song. "Crews of Moscow", with lyrics like "Oh the ship, oh the ship. Moscow burn, burn, burn in hell forever."
Well maybe not hell -- but what is left of Moskva remains at the bottom of the Black Sea, a poignant reminder of an overconfident Russia and an underestimated Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: And Taras Topola who we just saw in that report joins us now live this hour from London.
Taras, thanks for being with us.
TOPOLA: Hello.
VAUSE: I just want to ask you first off about the anniversary which is coming up, this one year mark. When you look back at the last 12 months, I'm just wondering how you see it. Do you see it in terms of Ukraine defying the odds, fighting off the Russian military, sort of a heroic victory or in terms of lives lost, lives cut short, families who are made refugees, and all the destruction in cities and towns laid to waste. How do you reconcile with this?
TOPOLA: First of all, I want to say that Russia is acting like -- Russia is making a side against Ukrainians and it became standard but also became -- when the old form has gone for us, and for all the world, it became clearly understandable that Russia needed to get any goal.
And what we can see that this provocation that was before the war, that we can really resist Russian military forces and Ukrainian nation are fighting, are resisting, and altogether we established that we are getting this through victory.
And everything became clearly understandable during this year of this full scale invasion of this full scale war.
VAUSE: When you released your first recording back in 2008, you are one the fewer Ukrainian performers singing in Ukrainian, not the Russian language. It was a struggle back then, but a lot has changed now. Do you feel kind of vindicated that you made the right decision back then?
TOPOLA: Yes, it was my deep feeling. In the past it was deeply feelings that it was very essential, very important to singing Ukrainian and use my own language, my native language, the language of my motherland.
It was not like brain understanding, it was on the level of feelings that I need to do this. I need to sing Ukrainian. For now, it also became clearly understandable that it was strategically right decision to speak Ukrainian, to communicate Ukrainian, to share they information using Ukrainian language.
It is strategically really essential because as we see, Russians are trying to destroy everything Ukrainian, to make the Ukrainian language not to exist because the language identification us as Ukrainians, not like the Russians.
And for now, I hope everyone in the world knows that we are different countries and that the Ukrainian language has a different language. It is not Russian language. And a lot of Ukrainian musical content, video content -- musical content and everything, helps us to speak with the world and to share our feelings using our native language.
[01:44:52]
TOPOLA: It is essential. What I wish, for example Belarusians, they too save their language, but for now we are seeing that they losing their language. It is of course a big tragedy, a big tragedy for them. And I think that it is good.
It is good that we have a language and millions of people use the language to explain their thoughts.
VAUSE: What's interesting is over the last 12 months the Ukrainian national anthem has been played more times in more countries around the world than ever before.
So if Putin I guess was trying to exterminate that, it sort of worked out very badly for him. But part of this mobilization of musicians in Ukraine it has been out there to try to other performer in the world or at home, so how do you see your role in this as a musician? What is your goal here at the end of the day?
TOPOLA: You know, before the war, we would gather in stadiums. We have had huge audience. And before the war started, we would speak to our audience and say to most people who are listening to our music, that the war will happen and you need to prepare. And of course all the people hurt us, and made some steps, some decisions like we made, like on our example.
And when the war started, we became volunteers, military volunteers. Musicians in particular bands became a paramedic squad and we were working for six months on the front lines.
Of course it was useful for our battalion because we saved a lot of lives and of course it was useful on informational level because a lot of people were wishing us and are now still getting and understanding that we are fighting. That we are all together and that we will get this victory united. So the role of musicians are very essential on the war because
musicians speak with a lot of people, a huge audience on the level of feelings. By their songs, musicians trying to explain what is happening inside the country, using songs that make feelings.
VAUSE: Absolutely.
TOPOLA: And it is very important.
VAUSE: It is very important. And Taras, thank you so much for being with us, we appreciate your time. I know that you're in London for performance and then you head back to Ukraine after that, so please stay safe. Thanks for being with us. We appreciate it. Thank you.
TOPOLA: Thanks. God bless America.
VAUSE: And you can watch our half hour "MUSIC THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE" special Saturday at 9:00 in p.m. in Kyiv. That's 7:30 p.m. in Sydney.
And we'll be right back.
[01:47:58]
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VAUSE: In South Africa small medium businesses contribute more than a third to the country's GDP. Until recently though they had very limited access to digital payment platforms. This month, "INSIDE AFRICA" meets Yoco, a financial technology company that changing the game for hundreds of thousands of businesses.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT BROWNELL, VP FOR COMMERCIAL YOCO: Fintech and companies like Yoco are already about livening the things here. I think for many years, access to digital payments has been something that has been really exclusive to the few, particularly larger businesses.
But with technology like Yoco's technology, anyone can get access to the basics of digital payment.
And this gives small businesses a digital footprints for the first time and allows them to really grow.
Hi. My name is Matt Brownell. I'm the VP of commercial of Yoco. Yoco is an African technology company, what we really do is we make access to digital payments simple for small businesses throughout South Africa.
The concept of Yoco really began more than ten years ago when our founder and CEO Katlego Maphai was on holiday in the United States and came across a little hole in the wall eatery, that when he went to pay for his hamburger was really surprised that they could offer a card payment service. This was done through a little plug-in on a mobile phone and he looked at that and having had a lot of experience in the software and market in the African continent, just ask the simple question of why does this not exist in Africa and in South Africa?
I think the biggest achievement is simply moving from position of completely brand-new product, brand-new category, to a position now where we really are the market leader within the space and we provide services literally every single day to hundreds of thousands of small business owners.
80 percent of them had never utilized card services before they came across Yoco. We believe that small business owners should really just be able to get on with what they love, the passion of their businesses and grow their businesses and not let the basics of technology get in the way of that.
So for us, we are really in the process of developing a full ecosystem of products and therefore we can look forward to a consistent release of products that solve those problems for small business owners.
We do also look for the first time to expand beyond the South African borders and are looking at a number of countries on the African continent that we believe are ready for services like Yoco.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Tropical cyclone Freddy is lashing Madagascar after making landfall Tuesday local time, bringing heavy rain and powerful winds.
Meteorologist Britley Ritz live at the CNN Weather Center with more. So Britney, what are we looking at here. This is one that's been hanging around for a while?
BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely and it has slowed down since it hit the friction of the land, not only slowing down but also weakening but still dropping quite a bit of rain.
What we are looking at is when Freddy made landfall in (INAUDIBLE) 8:00 on the 21st as a strong tropical storm with winds gusting at 100 and -- rather 230 kilometers per hour.
[01:54:50]
RITZ: Right now current winds around what is left of the center, 130 kilometers per hour, moving west at 26 kilometers per hour. It's going to move right into the channel and when it does the friction of the land disappears and that warmer water takes hold and the system itself will restrengthen before it makes landfall on the eastern coastline of Mozambique.
So as it moves through that Mozambique channel it will again restrengthen over the next 48 hours making landfall on that southeast coastline of Mozambique with winds of 110 kilometers per hour.
Not as strong as it made landfall at Madagascar, but still strong enough to do some damage once again. So the winds will stay fairly strong as it hits the coastline, it will once again weaken. But the heavier rains are going to be one of the bigger concerns once again.
So you will see the yellows and the red starting to fire up as it pushes on to the coastline of Mozambique. These areas can pick up roughly 100 to hundred and 50 millimeters of rain over the next three days time.
Now isolated higher amounts are possible as it moves towards South Africa, but again this is an uncommon situation for Madagascar to be dealing with. On average they get one tropical cyclone.
Take a look over the last year. 2022, they had six named storms. So quite an uneasy situation for them, John.
VAUSE: Yes. Britley, thank you. We appreciate the update. Britley Ritz there.
Now actor and activist Jane Fonda appealed to delegates gathered at the U.N. to negotiate with love as they discussed (INAUDIBLE) global ocean protection treaty. Fonda delivered five and half million signatures to officials on behalf of Greenpeace and the environmental Earning Fund (ph).
According to Greenpeace, less than 5 percent of the World's ocean is now protected from pollutions, over fishing, and deep sea mining. The treaty aims to have countries agree to protect 30 percent of the ocean by 2030.
Here is Jane Fonda.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE FONDA, ACTRESS AND ACTIVIST: We depend on the ocean. You know, even dogs do not poop in their kennel because they know that the kennel provides security and a home for them.
We are pooping in our kennel. We are supposed to be so smart. We are destroying things we do not even understand. We are not behaving right and why the treaty is important is that it will force us to behave right.
These are our friends, the ocean is our ally. Let us love it and respect it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: This is the fifth time the U.N. has tried to negotiate such treaty, the last attempt was back in August but it fell apart when there is disagreement over how to finance the bill.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.
CNN NEWSROOM continues with my friend and colleague Paula Newton.
Hope to see you right back here at the same time tomorrow. [01:57:35]
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