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Biden And Putin Deliver Dueling Speeches On Ukraine; Putin: Russia Suspending Participation In Nuclear Arms Treaty; China, Russia Agree To Oppose Cold War Mentality. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired February 22, 2023 - 02:00   ET

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

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[02:00:31]

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Paula Newton.

Ahead right here on CNN NEWSROOM. Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin delivered dueling speeches just days before the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Reaction to the Russian president's national dress just ahead.

And China's top diplomat is in Moscow to meet with his Russian counterpart as the U.S. warns Beijing could increase its support for Russia's war effort.

Plus, earthquake hit areas in Turkey remain in desperate need of access to health care and humanitarian aid. We are live in Istanbul

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Paula Newton.

NEWTON: So, in the coming hours U.S. President Joe Biden is set to meet with NATO Secretary General and leaders of the group known as the Bucharest Nine during his final day in Poland. The Bucharest Nine is made up of nations that sit on the most eastern part of that NATO Alliance. You see those countries there.

And that meeting, coming one day after Mr. Biden delivered a rallying cry declaring Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia. He repeatedly called out Putin by name. And just as he did a day earlier in Kyiv, he again about unwavering support for Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One year ago, the world was bracing for the fall of Kyiv. Well, I just come from a visit the Kyiv and I can report, Kyiv stand strong. Kyiv stands proud. It stands tall, and most important, it stands free.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: CNN's Kevin Liptak is following developments and joins us now from Warsaw. Kevin, I mean, so many events here that Biden's presidency certainly making it quite historic, this trip already. You know, one of the things he said in that speech was that NATO was likely the most consequential alliance in history. So, in this day ahead, what are his goals in terms of making sure that an alliance remains united and resolute?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, I think his aim and meeting with these nine leaders later today is one, to commit American support to NATO, to these countries, as anxieties are heightened in the region. As countries sort of wonder where Putin may sight -- put his sights on next. But I think he also wants to steal these countries for what he said yesterday would be, "hard and bitter days ahead."

Really sort of warning that this war is entering a very uncertain phase. U.S. officials have -- described it as a more complicated, more complex phase as Russia prepares for spring offensive. And as Ukraine looks to regain some territory that it's lost. And so, even though this very dramatic three days in Europe has been about the resiliency of the Ukrainians over the past year, the resiliency of President Zelenskyy over the last year, really what the next 12 months holds is the question that is looming over the President's visit.

And so, when you see him sit down today, I think that will be one of the main undercurrents of his talks with these leaders from the Eastern Flank of NATO. Now, you mentioned those dueling addresses yesterday. Of course, they could not be more divergent and tone and content. But I think the one thing that the two leaders did seem to agree on with President Biden and President Putin is that this war isn't ending anytime soon.

And so, as President Biden departs Europe later today, that is sort of the question. What is the endgame here? And you didn't really hear the president layout. Any new perspective on that in his speech yesterday or during his visit to Kyiv is, what will these negotiations look like? When potentially could they start? The President did commit to providing weapons to Ukraine, continuing security assistance to Ukraine, but he didn't describe any new types of weapons, things like long range missiles or fighter jets.

Those are the weapons that President Zelenskyy says he needs to change the trajectory on the battlefield. Instead, President Biden says that he'll apply new sanctions on Russia. He'll talk to Congress about a continuing its support for Ukraine. But I think that the big question that still is looming over everything as President Biden leaves is how does this war end? President Biden making clear that that won't be anytime soon. Paula?

[02:05:02]

NEWTON: Yes. That seems to be definitely the question. There seems to be no end game at this point. And then Biden made clear he wasn't expecting one. Kevin, really good to have you there on the ground for us. Appreciate this.

Now, the President of Poland says he's thankful not just to U.S. President Joe Biden, but also to U.S. lawmakers and the American people for supporting Ukraine. The two leaders held talks before they each address a cheering crowd of thousands at the rural castle in Warsaw Tuesday. You just heard Kevin talk about that. Now, in an exclusive interview, the Polish president told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that Biden's surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital on Monday was a powerful show of support.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDRZEJ DUDA, PRESIDENT OF POLAND (through translator): So, the very thing that the President traveled to Kyiv, he was there, it sends an incredibly powerful signal. A political and strategic signal. It is 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 when 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 his pitch 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 ask the polls, 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)

NEWTON: Now you can see Christiane Amanpour's full interview with Poland's president on Wednesday. 7:00 p.m. in Warsaw, 6:00 p.m. in London.

Meantime, in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin was -- we were just saying delivered his own speech and announced that Russia was suspending a nuclear arms control treaty with Washington. He also argued the West is to blame for escalating the situation in Ukraine, claiming it wants to make the conflict even wider.

CNN's Clare Sebastian joins us now live from London with more. I mean, certainly a consequential speech and a lot of the rhetoric was what we had heard before. But what were his aims in delivering this for an hour and 45 minutes, you know, in front of all those loyalists?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, Paula, that's a little unclear. This was a lot of -- sort of recycled talking points, the likes of which we've heard repeatedly from President Putin over the last year, the West is to blame. This is about NATO expansion that Russia has tried to prevent. It's about denazifying Ukraine. It's about protecting Ukrainian civilians.

All of these things we've heard before. He did what we call in this industry bury the headline. He announced the very end of the very long speech that Russia would be suspending its participation in the New START treaty. That nuclear arms control treaty. That doesn't really change things. Russia was not allowing inspections to go ahead. Anyway, they had been suspended for COVID and had not allowed them to resume.

But take a listen to how he talked about this in the speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): They want to inflict a strategic defeat on us and climb all over our nuclear facilities. So, I'd like to make the announcement today that Russia is suspending its participation in the START treaty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: So, the idea of a strategic defeat of Russia is something that is now playing very heavily off the back of that speech. It is something by the way, the idea that the U.S. and the West is trying to destroy Russia that Biden denied in that speech on Tuesday that Macron has said that it's not part of the plan in the West. So Western leaders are trying to deny it, but it is interesting in the context, Russia's nuclear doctrine allows for a first strike if Russia feels that its very existence is threatened in a conventional war.

And we are hearing more and more pronouncements from Russian officials. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin's spokesman say that it's impossible to speak about destroying Russia without launching a world ending nuclear war. So, this is fueling what appears to be a palpable uptick in that nuclear saber rattling that we've become used to hearing from Russia over the past year.

NEWTON: Yes. And as if to give us the exclamation point, right? He did have that test. CNN has learned of an ICBM really just hours before President Biden arrived in Kyiv.

SEBASTIAN: Yes. This is according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter speaking to our colleagues in Washington. They believe that Russia carried out a test of the Sarmat ballistic missile, known in the West is the Satan II which is capable of delivering nuclear warheads. They believe that the test failed. Part of the reason for that is because President Putin did not mention it in his speech, and you would expect that had it been a success he would have made.

A lot of that he certainly has in the past. It's not seen by the U.S. as an escalation as such. It was apparently flagged through deconfliction lines which shows that there are a number of lines of communication open between the U.S. and Russia still despite the current situation. But it does show that Russia is continuing to try to sort of advance its military including its nuclear arsenal.

[02:10:05]

NEWTON: Yes. Clare Sebastian, thanks for that insight. Certainly, quite a speech. And we continue to perhaps hear more and see more of Vladimir Putin in the coming hours. Appreciate it.

Now, Oleg Ignatov, is a senior Russia analyst at the International Crisis Group and he joins me now from Brussels. It's good to have your expertise saline on here, Oleg, as we continue to parse Putin speech, and also what may be to come in the next few hours. I just want to start, what did you make of his speech?

OLEG IGNATOV, SENIOR RUSSIA ANALYST, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: I think as always, there are high expectations ahead of Putin's address in Russia. But the substance of the speech turns out to be quite routine. And this happened this time again. And apart from the suspension of new START, and a few little things, Putin didn't say anything new that he wouldn't have said last year.

And if you look at the speech, I think the key message of this speech is that Putin has no plans to change anything about Ukraine and the West. Russia will stay the course. Policy will be the same. Putin has no plans to make any compromises. And he's ready to negotiate only on his own terms. And I think he genuinely believes that Ukraine is only part of this conflict. He believes that this is a proxy war with the West.

And even if the war in Ukraine is put on hold, at some point, the conflict between Russia and the West will continue. And that -- that's what he wanted to explain the Russian citizens and to the western audience. So, I think -- yes.

NEWTON: No, go ahead.

IGNATOV: I think that Russia will continue challenging the West. And I think everybody should be preparing for a long conflict. And he thinks that this conflict will shape the future of Russia for years to come and his presidency.

NEWTON: Yes. He is certainly leaning into that in terms of this really shaping, as you said, Russia as a whole, and its posture towards the west. I in fact, was a little bit surprised. The speech was not as bellicose or menacing as others have been. And yet that issue of nuclear security. Now Putin had authorized, as we were just talking about with Clare, that ICBM missile launch, perhaps it failed.

But what do you make of these moves on the nuclear issue specifically?

IGNATOV: First of all, the Russia doesn't have much leverage on the west. Yes. And nuclear weapons are the strongest argument here. And of course, in this situation, when Russia's conventional capabilities has been decreasing, he wants to make this argument, he wants to make this leverage even stronger. And I think in the future, of course, he will use this leverage more and more.

And secondly, I think he wants to show that if the United States or other Western countries are interested in any formats and treaties with Russia, we should -- they should change the way they treat Russia and Ukraine. That is -- that was his message. So, this means, for example, that if the United States needs a new start, and if the United States needs a new system of arms control, yes, from the Cold War era, Putin believes that Washington must change its policy towards Ukraine.

So not Russia. But if it doesn't happen, Russia could launch a new nuclear arms race. And I think that's a very real risk.

NEWTON: Yes, it certainly is, in terms of when you see what he laid out in that speech. I want to point out all of you, you were based in Moscow until just after the war broke out, you said within weeks of the war breaking out that this could become a long, brutal, frozen conflict in your words. Is there anything that you see in terms of domestic pressure on Putin that would change this at this point?

IGNATOV: No, I don't see any condition for domestic pressure right now. I think Putin believes that he controls the system. He controls the Russia's political system, he controls the elections, he controls the courts. He controls the security, he controls the media. And I think he doesn't see any challenges -- any challenge inside the country. Yes. And so, I think -- so I stay on my word, so I think it will be a long conflict.

NEWTON: And I wonder, just in you looking at the conflict over the last 12 months, what has surprised you about the way this has turned out?

IGNATOV: I wasn't surprised by Ukrainian resistance. Yes. But I was surprised how Russia was bad. How Russia's military was bad. How Russia's army was weak. And for me, it was a big surprise. I wasn't surprised that Ukrainians are so strong and that they would support their serenity which Putin didn't understand. But Russia made a lot of things badly. Yes. And Russia made a lot of mistakes.

[02:15:00]

And it seems that Putin's policy -- I mean, the current Putin speech shows that Russia could make any -- even more mistakes in the future.

NEWTON: Well, certainly we believe that they are getting ready for a new offensive in Ukraine and unfortunately, a lot of peril ahead for people in Ukraine at this hour. Oleg, we'll continue to check in with you in the coming weeks and months. Really appreciate your input here.

IGNATOV: Thank you.

NEWTON: Now, back here in the United States. The foreperson for the Georgia grand jury that had been investigating former President Donald Trump spoke with CNN in her first interview since the investigation wrapped. Now, the jury reviewed evidence in her testimony related to Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. It worked for seven months and her testimony from some 75 witnesses including some of Trump's closest allies during his time in office.

Now, the jury's findings are in the hands of a judge and foreperson Emily Kohrs says she hopes all of their worst was indeed worth it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMILY KOHRS, FOREPERSON, GEORGIA SPECIAL GRAND JURY IN TRUMP PROBE: I will be sad if nothing happens. Like that's about -- my only request there is for something to happen. I don't necessarily know what it is. I'm not the legal expert. I'm not the judge. I'm not the lawyers but I will be frustrated if nothing happens. This was too much. Too much information, too much of my time, too much of everyone's time. Too much of their time. Too much argument in court about getting people to appear before us. There was just too much for this to just be -- OK, we're good bye.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Still ahead for us. China's top diplomat is in Moscow declaring ties with Russia are " rock solid" with the Alliance means for the war in Ukraine.

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[02:20:32]

NEWTON: China's top diplomat is in Moscow this hour where he will meet soon with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Now the war in Ukraine is of course expected to top the agenda. While he says ties between the countries are "rock solid." And China's Foreign Ministry reports both sides are committed to opposing the Cold War mentality.

And now we go live to Hong Kong where Kristie Lu Stout has been following all of this for us. And, you know, it is a much-anticipated visit when he had actually said that he intended to talk about a peace -- peace plan, but one of the things might be up for discussion in Russia right now?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's interesting, you know, during his tour of Europe and speaking to European leaders while he was emphasizing talks about peace plan about forging away to some sort of a political settlement for Ukraine, but so far, the messaging that we're hearing from Wang Yi while he's in Russia is about how to enhance further cooperation between China and Russia while he is currently in Moscow.

Tat meeting with Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister in Russia is due to begin surely that according to TASS, the Russian state news agency, the Kremlin has not ruled out a possible meeting between Wang Yi and Vladimir Putin, the Russian president. And MOFA has said that this visit is an opportunity for both sides to exchange views about the relationship and also to talk about international hotspot issues which would include the war in Ukraine.

On Tuesday, you had that earlier meeting between Wang Yi and the head of the Security Council in Russia. They discuss their opposition to the Cold War mentality as well as a desire to enhance cooperation. They also discussed the situation in Ukraine, but details were not provided. This entire visit and the China-Russia relationship is under immense international scrutiny.

Last weekend we heard from the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who warned Wang Yi of consequences if China were to provide material support to Russia for this conflict in Ukraine. China has fired back repeatedly and now China is accusing the U.S. of sabotage. I'm going to show you this op-ed that was published in The Global Times. It's a state-run tabloid from China. Let's bring it up for you. In it, it says this "the U.S. has been wearing thick tinted glasses to view China-Russia friendly ties from the very beginning. This suspicions of provocation and sabotage from Washington toward China- Russia ties have never stopped and now they have reached a peak because of the conflict."

I should point out that since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, China and Russia have been edging closer together on multiple fronts. Politically, economically, China continues to buy energy from Russia. Also, militarily as well. Both sides have helped join drills. In fact, Russian Chinese drills are taking place this week. And finally, Paula I want to point out reporting from the Wall Street Journal saying that the Chinese leader Xi Jinping is planning to visit Moscow for a summit with the Russian president. A meeting that's expected to take place in April or May. Back to you.

NEWTON: And we might hear more about that in the coming hours. Kristie, I know you're following. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

And now toward developing story this hour. Just moments ago, South Korea's military said 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 test. Now, the goal, to put pressure on the United States. This new warning comes just days after North Korea carried out the third known test of its long-range Hwasong-15 ICBM in less than a year.

Now more than two weeks after the deadly earthquake in Turkey and Syria hundreds of thousands of people are living in temporary shelters, unable to go home. We are live in Southern Turkey next.

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[02:28:14]

NEWTON: And welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Paula Newton and you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Monday's major aftershock in Turkey has now killed at least six people. And of course, you could imagine it's compounding the suffering and damage from the initial earthquake which struck Turkey and Syria more than two weeks ago. Right now, nearly 900,000 people are living in temporary shelters in Turkey. About 140,000 buildings throughout the country. I mean, just think of that.

Have either already collapsed or at risk of collapsing. Across Turkey and Syria, there are now more than 48,000 confirmed deaths. More on the story. I am joined by Nada Bashir who's in Southern Turkey for us. And, you know, the daunting task ahead for survivors must feel overwhelming. And tell us where you are right now and what you're seeing, especially in terms of the need.

NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL REPORTER: Well, the need is great, Paula. And we are in the city of Iskenderun which was among the hardest hit by the earthquake just a little over two weeks ago. And they also of course got that aftershock just two days ago as well. And there is a sense of real need here. We've been speaking to a lot of the families saying in this camp, a temporary camp here in Iskenderun.

The vast majority of them originally from Syria. And they've already been through so much, many of them fleeing conflict in Syria now to have to go through this to relive that trauma of having their homes destroyed. Their lives completely destroyed and many of course here have also lost loved ones. And we've been speaking to some of those around us and they've been telling us they don't have tents. You know, you see a couple of these tents behind me but the vast majority the people I've been speaking say we've been sleeping out in the cold, we have nothing.

[02:30:00]

And they are still waiting for news of how they will be cared for by the authorities, where they can go next? What are the next steps for them they say they've been provided with food with medication but a nighttime here it is absolutely freezing and there is very little here in terms of shelter. We were speaking to one man called Muhammad originally from city of Hamah in northern Syria, he was telling us that when the earthquake struck, he pulled his children to safety, but their house was completely destroyed. And it was hours and hours before help arrived, they were using their bare hands to try and dig people out of the rubble.

And you can imagine the emotional trauma that these people have been through. Now according to the authorities, there are nearly 900,000 people living in tents across Southeast Turkey. The destruction is immense, and it's hard to put into words, and this is a process that is going to take months if not years, in order to be able to provide these families with long-term residents. The Turkish government says they are planning to rebuild the affected areas within a year, but this is a huge challenge ahead. And for those living in camps like this, it is the immediate needs that are of the most concern for them. Their children are sleeping in the cold and all they want is a tent for them sleeping. Paula?

NEWTON: Yes, I mean, the governments and the agent's organizations are mobilizing. But as you're seeing firsthand, it's certainly can't come soon enough, Nada Bashir, for us. I appreciate that update. Now, there is growing outrage among earthquake survivors in Turkey, that those involved in the construction of buildings that collapsed, may have cut corners to increase their own profits. As one man tragically found out an expensive newly constructed building was not a guarantee of any kind of safety. Jomana Karadsheh has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL 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 Antakya, last summer. MEHMET, LOST RELATIVES IN EARTHQUAKE: This is the newest one, this is the latest one, you will know this area and also this is the most expensive one. They said this building is OK proof, and it is a new one. So, we truly believe that nothing's going to happen.

KARADSHEH (voiceover) Not only were people here sold luxury and comfort, but the illusion of earthquake safety.

(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.

(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 -- they did disobey all the rules, they did everything wrong. And this is the result, they just build a cemetery with sand.

KARADSHEH (voiceover) The government's launched investigations across the earthquake zone and has so far rounded up dozens of building contractors. But many say it's not just the contractors who are to blame. This is a systematic problem says Kurai (PH) to me from the Chamber of Architects. This is a complex problem of the system, 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 Iskenderun, residents picking up what's left of their shattered lives are still in shock. But anger is now setting in. To dry 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)

NEWTON: OK, still ahead for us. Stocks hit the skids after a warning from two top retailers in the United States. Well, Walmart and Home Depot are saying about their outlook for the rest of the year.

[02:35:00]

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NEWTON: So, less than an hour away now from starting trading in Europe's financial markets. Let's take a look through on how the Asia Pacific region is doing. And you can see those markets are down, the Nikkei down more than 1 percent. In fact, they're just playing catch- up off the back of some terrible U.S. numbers. We want to go to those U.S. futures markets now. And they're trying to mount a recovery but that is pretty feeble at this point, especially given what happened on Wall Street on Tuesday. I mean, those were sharp losses on Tuesday, more than 2 percent for each indeces. And that was after consumer spending in the U.S. is apparently now tapering off. CNN's Rahel Solomon has details from New York.

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: U.S. stocks dropped Tuesday, after mega-retailers, Walmart and Home Depot warned 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.

[02:40:10]

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. That information coming out Wednesday afternoon, Rahel, Solomon, CNN, New York.

NEWTON: The markets had been a bit confused here because they had said that likely it would be a soft landing, maybe not, will continue to follow that for us. And I want to thank you though, for right now, for joining CNN. I'm Paula Newton. For our international viewers, "WORLD SPORT" is up next. But the rest of you in the United States and Canada stay with me, I'll be back with more news, in just a moment.

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