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Biden Returns To Washington After Visiting Poland, Ukraine; Putin Meets In Moscow With Top Chinese Diplomat; "Body Collector" Returns Soldiers' Remains To Families; At Least 11 Palestinians Killed In Rare Daytime Raid By Israel; Nigerians Set To Vote For New President Of Saturday; Millions Under Winter Weather Alerts As Storm Sweeps U.S. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired February 23, 2023 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:00:33]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, coming up on CNN Newsroom. A big mistake, the U.S. president's blunt assessment of Russia's decision to suspend a nuclear arms control treaty. The Palestinians call it a massacre. The Israeli's counterterrorism operation. It was the deadliest Israeli raid in the West Bank since the Second Intifada two decades ago.
And a winter storm warning for areas around Los Angeles with blizzards forecasts for the land of palm trees, beaches and (INAUDIBLE).
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: U.S. president has returned to Washington after a historic visit to Kyiv and then a two day stop in Warsaw intended to build support for Ukraine as the war with Russia enters a second year. Before returning to the U.S., Biden met with NATO Secretary General as well as a group known as the Bucharest Nine, countries along NATO's eastern flank.
The leaders reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine and a shared commitment to stand with Ukrainian people. President Biden made clear the U.S. will defend, quote, literally every inch of NATO territory. And when he was asked about Russia suspending involvement and its last nuclear arms treaty with Washington, Biden had a blood assessment of Vladimir Putin's decision.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's a big mistake to do that. Not very responsible. And -- but I don't read into that, that he's thinking of using nuclear weapons or anything like that. I think it's not sure what else he was able to say in his speech at the moment. But I think it's a mistake, and I'm confident we'll be able to work it out.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: As the U.S. president was wrapping up his visit to Eastern Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared at the Defender of the Fatherland rally, drumming up support for his special military operation in Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): I have just been meeting the top military leadership, and I heard from them that right now there is a battle going on, on our historical frontiers for our people. And this battle was waged by the same courageous soldiers who are standing by us here. They are fighting heroically, courageously, bravely. We are proud of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Putin also met with China's top diplomat on Wednesday and later said relations between the two countries are reaching new milestones. The visit comes at mid-accusations Beijing is considering providing lethal military aid to Russia, move the Pentagon says would lead to consequences for Beijing.
CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins us now live from Hong Kong before this. So the meeting between Wang Yi and Vladimir Putin seems like, they're what this close relationship really is between Beijing and Moscow. It seems pretty close and getting closer by the day.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. In fact, China's top diplomat Wang Yi told Vladimir Putin that the China-Russia relationship is resilient and rock solid as he wrapped up his visit to Moscow. While there he met with the Russian president, he met with the Russian Foreign Minister as well as the head of the Security Council.
And it's believed that this visit is setting the stage for meeting between Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader and Vladimir Putin. That Wall Street Journal report saying that such a meeting is to take place and other April or May. But on Wednesday, Vladimir Putin said that the relationship between China and Russia in front of Wang Yi he made these comments are reaching new milestones.
And Wang Yi, he doubled down on the relationship as well in his opening remarks during his meeting with Vladimir Putin, let's bring up the statement. This is what China's top diplomat said. He said, quote, "China-Russia relations stand the test of changes in the international climate. It is mature, resilient, and rock solid."
And of course, this visit has been under intense scrutiny on Wednesday. We heard from the Pentagon and the Pentagon is now warning of consequences if China goes ahead and provides lethal support to Russia and its ongoing war in Ukraine.
Now China has pushed back multiple times on that allegation. But since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, we've seen both sides edge ever closely together. We've seen it happen economically with China buying energy from the Russians. We've seen it happen militarily with large scale military drills taking place. In fact, one this week. And of course, politically as China refuses to condemn the Russian invasion as we near the one year anniversary. Back to you, John.
VAUSE: We have this report from The Wall Street Journal that the Biden administration is looking at the release of intelligence on this potential arms transferred from China to Russia. If that was to go ahead, what are the consequences here for China?
LU STOUT: You know, it's interesting because that was certainly be violating or crossing the red line that the Biden administration has laid out in front of China but the consequences are still not clear.
[01:05:04]
We've heard earlier from the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and then overnight from the Pentagon both warning of consequences if China provide material support or lethal support to Russia. But what those consequences would look like, we're still awaiting clarity on that.
We know up to now that China has been very careful with his actions to avoid anything that would trigger secondary sanctions. Of course, that is something that China cannot afford at the moment. Its economy still hammered from three years of that zero COVID policy, John.
VAUSE: Kristie Lu Stout live for us there in Hong Kong. Thank you as always.
The number of Ukrainian troops killed in battle is at best an estimate. U.S. military leaders say somewhere around 100,000, most likely more. It's a staggering number considering for every dead soldier their loved ones at home grieving and mourning a loss. But a small group of Ukrainian volunteers have been risking their lives to ease the pain a little by collecting the bodies of the fallen, bringing them home for a final goodbye.
Here's CNN's Clarissa Ward.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In most days, (INAUDIBLE) noise sets out before dawn, part of the volunteer group called bulldozer that transports the remains of Ukraine's fallen soldiers back to their families.
At a morgue in the Kyiv suburb of Bartlesville, a group of servicemen are waiting to meet the body of private Alexei Ledfinov (ph). It's somber work and the men move quickly. Repno hands over the soldier's personal effects.
At the moment, we have 18 bodies, he tells us and each family wants to get them as soon as possible.
(on-camera): So why do you do this work?
Few people are willing to do this work for free, he says. And not everyone has the psyche for it.
They are lonely seemingly endless hours on the road as he crisscrosses the country. Emblazoned across the side of his truck is the number 200. A military term for the transport of dead bodies, the dates back to Soviet time.
On occasion, per sessions of people line up on their knees to greet the truck, mark of respect for the dead. At a morgue in the city of Dnipro, Repno stops to pick up more bodies. Overwhelmed by the number of casualties, the hospital has taken to storing them in a shipping container in the parking lot.
As the men work morning relatives file past. Ukraine does not release information on how many of its soldiers have been killed in action. But Repno says that his daily load has soared in recent weeks, as fighting has raged in eastern Ukraine.
(on-camera): Do you have any idea how many bodies you have taken back to their hometowns at this stage?
(voice-over): In this van he says around 1,000.
WARD (on-camera): And now we're at a stage in the war where more and more Ukrainian soldiers are being killed. Are you seeing that?
(voice-over): At the moment, yes, he tells us. Right now, it's a large amount.
36 hours after Repno drops off his body, private Ledfinov (ph) is given a proper funeral in Bartlesville. Killed in the Donbas region on February 11, his mother Marina can finally say goodbye to her son.
(on-camera): How important was it to you to have his body returned so that you could give him this beautiful funeral today?
(voice-over): The main thing is to have him at home not laying somewhere even by birds. You understand how awful it is when people just disappear, she says. We cannot change anything. But thank God he is here and I can come to visit him.
This is the reason Repno does this work. But seeing the family's grief is also incredibly painful.
The hardest part is when you drop them off, he says, when there are relatives present to look them in the eye. It's very hard, he says. There's so much emotion. So many tears. But there's no time for tears tonight. Repno still has more bodies to deliver. And across Ukraine, many families are still awaiting.
Clarissa Ward, CNN, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:10:06]
VAUSE: Israelis and Palestinians once again appear to be locked in a cycle of retaliatory strikes and attacks. Israeli forces say within the past few hours, a weapons manufacturing site and a military compound in Gaza belonging to the militant group Hamas was targeted by airstrikes. That's after six rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza.
Most were intercepted when they fell in an open area. So far, there's been no claim of responsibility but that rocket fire, likely retaliation for an Israeli military raid in the West Bank that killed at least 11 Palestinians Wednesday. Palestinian officials say more than 100 others were wounded in Nablus many by live fire during what they have called a massacre.
CNN's Hadas Gold follow this report from Jerusalem.
HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: This was an unusual midday Israeli military raid into Nablus. Typically, these military raids within the occupied West Bank take place overnight or in the early morning hours. Israeli military saying that the timing was because of intelligence they received showing that these militants they say we're going to carry out an immediate attack.
Then when they reached the house where the men were located as they tried to get themselves to -- get them to turn themselves in, a large firefight broke out, as well as ensuing clashes with Palestinians in the area. Now, we know of several Palestinians that were killed according to Palestinian authorities. Six of them have been claimed by militant groups, including from Hamas and Islamic Jihad saying two of their commanders were killed.
But it's likely based off of the ages of at least three of the victims as well as eyewitnesses that some bystanders were killed as well. Some videos we're seeing which I should warn are graphic show what appears to be some men running away down the street before at least one of them is shot and falls down.
CNN does not know the condition of the man and the Israeli military says they're looking into the incident to see what happened before the clip begins. Then there's the sheer number of injuries, more than 100, most of them from live ammunition, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, one of the most violent days in the West Bank in years.
Now this is also likely the result of the time of this raid, middle of the day when the market in the Old City of Nablus are busy. And then just more people out in the street. We can see from the videos of the ensuing street clashes of young Palestinian throwing things at the Israeli military vehicles, just the number of people out there.
The Red Crescent director saying, quote, bullets were everywhere and an Israeli military spokesperson painting a picture of a large chaotic event, which he acknowledged got, quote, very messy. In preparation for reaction, Israeli police are saying they're beefing up their own security preparations.
Meanwhile, many eyes are turning south toward Gaza where the major militant groups there, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, so their members were killed in the operation. The armed factions in Gaza met and issued a warning saying their patience is running out.
Hadas Gold, CNN, Jerusalem.
VAUSE: Well, in two weeks, it's a massive earthquake and Turkey is now ramping up relief efforts as the death toll passes 49,000 across both Turkey and Syria. Turkish government has launched an economic relief plan and banned layoffs in 10 provinces as authorities moved to demolish damaged buildings.
There are reports suggesting the government had provided amnesty to contractors in the past for developments which did not meet the necessary safety requirements. Turkey's presidential spokesperson concedes mistakes were made.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IBRAHIM KALIN, TURKISH PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON: I don't want to, you know, deflected responsibility here in any way. We are in a position of responsibility and we have to take action know that. But it's also a matter of a culture of understanding and everybody, you know, following this guidelines and regulations on individuals, constructors, private sector, municipalities, central government, everybody.
You know, I think we are all learning really great lessons. Very costly, sad, but you know, great lessons from from all this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: According to the justice ministry, at least 160 of nearly 600 suspects have been arrested, many more detained over unsafe construction.
Three candidates now hoping to become the next president of Nigeria. When we come back, we'll explain why many young voters are being drawn to one candidate in particular. A preview of Saturday's election in a moment.
Plus, more than 1,000 flights canceled across the U.S. as winter storms batter dozens of states by the forecast and what to expect this weekend.
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[01:16:22]
VAUSE: Ahead of Sunday's thought, the latest polling in Nigeria shows three main candidates locked in a tight race for president. With the economy struggling and militant unrest on the rise, young Nigerian voters appear especially energized this year. CNN's Stephanie Busari has more now reporting in from Lagos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN SENIOR EDITOR, AFRICA (voice-over): Nigeria's political future hangs in the balance. With sitting President Muhammadu Buhari standing aside after two terms, voters will decide on his successor on February 25. Three candidates lead the race.
Ruling party veteran Bola Tinubu, whose campaign slogan Emi Lokan translates to, it's my turn.
BOLA AHMED TINUBU, ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am proud to be that candidate.
BUSARI (voice-over): Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who's run for presidency on five previous occasions and lost each.
ATIKU ABUBAKAR, PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC PARTY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No party will decide mine. No party will be marginalized.
BUSARI (voice-over): An outlier candidate Peter Obi, he enjoys a large social media following and it's galvanized the country's young people, many of whom are still angry over the 2020 Lekki tollgate shooting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)
BUSARI (voice-over): When according to a judicial panel, the Nigerian Army opened fire on unarmed protesters.
DEBO "MR. MACARONI" ADEBAYO, ENTERTAINER AND ACTIVIST: What this generation of young people want to do now is translate the anger into words, into electoral participation.
BUSARI (voice-over): With almost 40 percent of the registered 93 million voters under 34 years old, the youth vote could prove crucial.
61-year-old Obi hopes to break the two-party system which has dominated Nigerian politics since the end of military rule in 1999. His rackets nicknamed obedience is the only candidate with integrity. His critics, however, say one man alone cannot carry an unknown political party.
(on-camera): Many people have said you will be easily impeached as president because of your lack of structure.
PETER OBI, LABOUR PARTY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That has happened to me before.
BUSARI (on-camera): It happened to you before.
OBI: So I know how will you deal with it, how to navigate it.
BUSARI (on-camera): How will you deal with it if you become president and you're impeach?
OBI: Do the right things.
BUSARI (on-camera): Which is?
OBI: You know, govern with the people.
BUSARI (voice-over): Earlier this month, a predictive poll gave the lead to Obi in a high turnout scenario. However, in a low turnout scenario, Tinubu and his ruling party are expected to prevail.
MICHAEL FAMOROTI, CO-FOUNDER/HEAD OF INTELLIGENCE STEARS: It's time for a new era. What about that looks like and I think that is probably most reflected in the levels of engagement that we're seeing heading up to the polls, which are unparalleled again.
BUSARI (voice-over): Nigerians will be cautiously hopeful that whoever wins will tackle the key issues, security and the economy. Nigeria's economy is teetering on the brink of financial collapse, skyrocketing public debt and criminals stealing hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil every day from the nation's primary source of income.
And a recent attempt to redesign a currency led to a cash crisis and widespread frustration, leaving people queuing for hours to get their own money.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BUSARI: Ultimately, the winner has achieved the highest number of votes nationwide and receive 25 percent of the votes cast in 24 of the 36 days. If not, there will be a second-round runoff within 21 days between the top two candidates.
It's the first time since Nigeria began democratic rule that none of the candidates is an incumbent or former military ruler. So whatever the outcome, Africa's most populous country will soon welcome a new dawn.
Stephanie Busari, CNN, Lagos.
[01:20:11]
VAUSE: French police are investigating the possible premeditated murder of a teacher by one of her students. CNN affiliate BFM TV reports the 16-year-old student claimed to be possessed, saying a voice in his head told him to stab the teacher which he did in the chest. She later died.
The student is now in custody, according to prosecutors. French officials are set to hold a news conference in the coming hours.
A massive winter storm has millions of Americans on alert as it sweeps across the country. While an 800,000 customers in states across the nation are without electricity because of heavy winds, snow and ice. Here's CNN's Brian Todd.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Wyoming, a state trooper has to scramble out of the way as a runaway truck almost hits him. Dangerous conditions on a snowy road in Truckee, California caused this car to flip.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here's (INAUDIBLE).
TODD (voice-over): In Flagstaff, Arizona, the snow was so violent that this man told CNN it literally knocked him backward as he and his dog struggled to see and keep their footing. A sweeping massive storm system is pummeling much of the country from California to Maine.
More than 65 million people under winter weather alerts across the West, Midwest and Northeast. The Minneapolis St. Paul area could get around 20 inches by the time it's over. It could be the most snow that area has seen in three decades. Minnesota's Governor discussed the dangers they prepared for.
TIM WALZ, MINNESOTA GOVERNOR: The goal is to not to have to pull somebody off the interstate but we're prepared to do so if that happens. The goal is to make sure that we're ready if there's power outage being able to keep the highways and move emergency vehicles as quickly as we can.
TODD (voice-over): Conditions so severe in Minnesota that ambulances have to be specially equipped.
RYAN MAYFIELD, ASST. CHIEF. HENNEPIN HEALTHCARE EMS: We do have shovels on our ambulances. We have salt and sand mixtures as well to help us out. And we have a few sleds if we need to use them.
TODD (voice-over): California getting hit with snow in places that don't often experience it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are going to see low snow all the way from the Oregon border to the Mexican border. North of Los Angeles, a long stretch of vehicles is stopped on State Route 58 as the Highway Patrol warns motorists.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are asking everybody to avoid the area. Make alternate plans, drive a different day.
TODD (voice-over): But in different areas, different impacts. Near San Jose, high winds snapped trees brought down powerlines and caused widespread power outages.
DIANE CHERMAK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA RESIDENT: This old Victorians, the wood is so old if there's a spark. That's what really worries me.
TODD (voice-over): High winds caused so called brownout conditions and several vehicle accidents in the Texas panhandle. And with this massive system, thousands of flights have been canceled, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware. It says the airports in Minneapolis St. Paul, Detroit and Denver are getting hit hardest.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Meteorologist Britley Ritz joins me now with more and yes, there's a lot of snow ice out there in the LA. In fact, the forecast there that's crazy.
BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. John, the last time they actually had a blizzard warning for parts of southern California, it's back in 1989. So it's been a few years and they are forecast to get up to 5 feet of snow and some of the higher elevations there. That starts Friday into Saturday.
But over 60 million people under some sort of winter weather alert still dealing with blizzard warnings, by the way, across parts of the northern plains and upper midwest. That is not include Minneapolis but so wideout conditions of possibility and then ice storm warnings as well just north of Chicago back just off to the west of Detroit where some of these areas have already picked up over half an inch of ice that's crippling ice totals by the way hence the power outages.
There's the snow moving through. This is the second wave of moisture where Minneapolis is expected to pick up an additional 10 to 12 inches of snow. On top of what we've already picked up. You'll see the pink's including Buffalo back into Detroit that is freezing rain and sleet. All of this is pressing into New England which is why they are now under winter storm warnings.
All right, snowfall totals. Keep in mind these are preliminary so more snow expected on top of all of this Wyoming. 48 inches in Battle Lake. In Arbor, already picked up over half an inch of ice, 0.6 to be exact and more to come. Here's that feature cache showing you most of it moving through the Great Lakes by Thursday night.
Everything's settling down out that direction but now moving into New England, freezing rain expected and snowfall and then another way of trying to make its way on in by the weekend.
All right, snowfall totals additional through the rest of today, 6 to 8 inches across the upper Midwest in the Great Lakes. As for ice, expect an additional quarter inch of ice across the Great Lakes and then back over into parts of New England and New York, up to a quarter under an inch. John?
[01:25:01]
VAUSE: Britley, thank you. We appreciate the update as bad as it was for that weather.
RITZ: Yes.
VAUSE: Thank you.
With a short break here at CNN, back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back, I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN Newsroom. U.S. President Joe Biden back in the United States after visiting Ukraine and Poland. Before leaving Warsaw Wednesday, he described Russia's decision to withdraw from the New Start nuclear treaty as a big mistake.
But and also met with members of the Bucharest Nine, a group of Eastern European NATO countries formed in 2015 in response to Russia's annexation of Crimea. Biden says U.S. committed to NATO is ironclad and promised every inch of NATO territory will be protected.
Meanwhile, in Moscow, Vladimir Putin addressed a cheering crowd celebrating Defender of the Fatherland Day. Putin praised Russian forces on the frontlines claiming they were defending the country by heroically fighting in Ukraine.
Joining us now from Warsaw is David Sanger, CNN Political and National Security Analyst and Whitehouse and National Security Correspondent for The New York Times. Thanks for getting up early, David.
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Great to be back with you, John.
VAUSE: Thank you. Now for the past year, China has tried to have this bet each way, you know, highly critical the U.S. and Ukraine sort of domestically what appearing to be this neutral party for the rest of the world. So with that in mind, I want you to listen to China's top diplomat, meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister in Moscow.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WANG YI, SENIOR CHINESE DIPLOMAT (through translation): Although crisis and chaos appear from time to time, crisis has opportunities in crisis can be turned into opportunity. This is infected dialectic of history. This requires us to be more proactive in identifying and responding more positively, and to continuously deepen our comprehensive strategic partnership.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: A lot of words there, but has China finally picked aside here, because it seems a stretch to argue neutrality? We talk of shared opportunities to say nothing of blaming U.S. hegemony for the Russian invasion Ukraine.
SANGER: They picked aside John, but they're not entirely sure how far they want to go in supporting that side. So what we've seen trying to do in the past year is give economic support to Russia. They're continuing to buy Russian oil and gas. They're continuing to trade with Russia, supply them with dual use technology, chips and so forth.
But now the U.S. has picked up evidence that the Russians have come back again, and said we need weapons, we need ammunition, we need intelligence support, satellite imagery and so forth. And the warnings that the U.S. issued last weekend at the Munich Security Conference were basically to the Chinese don't go down that road or you're going to pay the same sanctions price that others who supply Russia well.
[01:29:49]
So you know John, this is really the week in which we have seen these two camps harden into place. But it is interesting that the Chinese denied that they were getting ready to provide those weapons to Russia.
VAUSE: Well, a few hours ago, we received a video statement released by the Kremlin, by the Russian president. Here's part of it. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): As before, we will pay increased attention to strengthening the nuclear triad. We will continue to inundate our forces with advanced technology.
There are new strike teams, intelligence gathering in communications equipment, drones and artillery systems. Our industry is now rapidly boosting production of all types of conventional weapons.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Well, we've seen the conventional weapons in play in Ukraine and so far not so good but when it comes to the nuclear stuff, is this like making a threat of a nuclear war without making an actual threat because it seems Putin's been doing this for about a year now. Making nuclear hints and threats. At what point do those threats have some kind of diminishing credibility?
SANGER: Well, there are sort of two separate issues at work here. So the other day, at the end of his hundred minute long speech John, he said that he was going to suspend participation in new START -- that's the last nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia that exists to this day.
Later on, they said but don't worry, we are not going to increase the numbers under that treaty, both sides are limited to 1,550 weapons each deployed, many more in storage.
And they said that they would let the treaty run for its next three years. What they won't do is allow inspections. What he just said -- what you just played before is something they have said something that Americans could say which is within those numbers, they're improving their nuclear arsenal. And so is the United States.
The worry John that I have is twofold. What happens when the treaty expires in February 2026 and the tactical nuclear weapons that they at various points threatened to use in Ukraine, which aren't even covered by the treaty.
VAUSE: Well, Biden was asked about the withdrawal from the START. And here's his response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, in reaction to Mr. Putin saying he's pulling out of New START?
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't have time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No time.
BIDEN: No. It's a big mistake.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: At one point he seemed almost dismissive of what Putin has done and he went on to say that, you know, he hopes that Putin will reconsider and that everything will be ok. They will try and work with him to get them back into the treaty but where does that confidence come from?
SANGER: Oh, you know, at this point, I don't think the worry is really about the treaty John. Because in some ways, what Putin has done just sort of solidifies the status quo ante. I mean there has not been mutual inspections -- American inspectors going to Russia, Russian inspectors coming to the United States since before COVID.
And the Russians would not restart it after that. The United States has other ways of making sure that their weapons are roughly where they say they are. I think that the bigger concern here is this may well be the end of arms control -- traditional arms control. Because it is almost impossible under these conditions to imagine the United States and Russia negotiating sitting down to negotiate a follow-on treaty, much less actually agree on one.
VAUSE: David, as always, it is so good to have you with us. Thank you for your reporting.
SANGER: Thank you. Great to be with you.
VAUSE: Millions of Ukrainians have fled their country over the past year sparking the biggest wave of refugees in Europe since World War II.
The U.N. reports the Russian invasion has created more than 8 million Ukrainian refugees, most are women and children. While another 5 million people have been forced from their homes inside the country.
UNICEF says children have been especially hard hit during this conflict by missing out on school as well as vaccines. They're at serious risk of mental health issues and 82 percent of children living in Ukraine are now living in poverty.
Joining me now for more on all of this, James Elder, global spokesperson for UNICEF, he's live this hour in Kyiv. Thank you for speaking with us. We appreciate your time.
JAMES ELDER, GLOBAL SPOKESPERSON, UNICEF: Hi there. Good morning, John.
VAUSE: This is a staggering number of refugees and returning home right now seems unlikely, at least anytime soon. So what happens to, you know, mostly women and children who are out there relying on the kindness of strangers and living in limbo.
[01:34:47]
ELDER: It is staggering numbers, all of them aren't they, John. As you rightly point out, there really is not a boy or a girl in Ukraine, all the millions who've had to flee their country, who have not being impacted by this war by almost 365 days of seemingly endless attacks. So yes, you've got millions of children outside. Mental health
stresses, wanting to be back with their moms, financial stresses, children in poverty almost doubling.
UNICEF has reached around a quarter of a million households with cash. Remember, also that so many dads are (INAUDIBLE) in Ukraine who just dream of the day when they are back with their wives and their children. But at the moment, given the ferocity of attacks and so frequently in places where boys and girls should be safe those dads know they are not going to see their wives or children anytime soon.
VAUSE: And for so many families with kids and they're internally displaced, they don't have a home really, they face a sort of different set of problems than the refugees. There's sort of need to be constantly on the move as the frontlines moves and that battle comes closer to them.
And that can cause emotional harm to children who are already living with so much uncertainty, right?
ELDER: Yes, absolutely. I mean mental health for UNICEF is a really lifesaving part of our work and we have reached millions of children, whether it is counseling or getting them into school is such a priority for us.
We've reinforced bunkers. we trained teachers but at the end of the day, these children are in a country of war, they spend their time listening to air raid sirens. They're constantly heading to bunkers.
Just two days ago, John, I was again in a hospital sitting with a 15- year-old boy, brave, articulate, he'd been out near the contact line. The family had not had water for days. He said no, mom, enough. You need water.
He went to try and get the family some water hit a mortar hit him. He sat talking to me. Body, you know, littered with shrapnel.
This is a reality. This is what children face in a country that is still very much under attack.
VAUSE: It's just cruel, it is hard to comprehend. Even if this war ends tomorrow, what will Ukrainian children be dealing with here in the long term. Not just in terms of mental health but also it's (INAUDIBLE) one you described just then.
ELDER: Yes. It's a great question and unfortunately UNICEF has learned from all the countries where we operated and operating right now -- you know, Syria and Yemen. The longer a conflict goes on, the more chance children have of longer term mental health issues.
It impacts their learning, it impacts their emotional ability, John. It can be -- future earning capacity. And you know, we want Ukraine to be back on its feet as quickly as possible.
So for UNICEF, it is about children in schools, or blended learning. It's about counselors. It is about anything we can do online because they are at grave risk.
The boys and girls of this country has sadly learned that the world can be an unstable and a terrible place. And that loss of a basic sense of safety can be really, really damaging.
We know that and we work every day to try and keep them safe and you give them some of that mental health stability. Yet they still are very much in the country under attack.
VAUSE: The cruelty of this war knows no bounds. James, thank you for being with us. James Elder there from UNICEF in Kyiv, thank you sir.
Well, endangered African penguins are struggling to breathe. Coming up, how conservationists are building artificial nests to help the population bounce back.
[01:38:13]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: On the shores of southern Africa, endangered African penguins are struggling to breathe as the destruction of their nesting site has left them exposed to rising temperatures.
Today on "Call to Earth", scientists are deploying artificial nests to help the seabirds and their chicks beat the heat.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Antarctica is known to have the largest population of penguins in the world. But not all penguins live in snow and ice. Some can be found waddling along the balmy shores of southern Africa on barren and windswept islands like this one.
But in the last century, populations of the endangered African penguin have plummeted due in part to human disturbance, egg poaching and climate change.
TRUDY MALAN, CONSERVATION MANAGER, DYER ISLAND CONSERVATION TRUST: On the island in the 1970s, there's about 20,000 breeding here. At the moment we counted about 1,100 breeding (INAUDIBLE). that's quite a severe collapse.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Historically, African penguins made nests in burrows of guano, layers of accumulated seabird and bat feces.
But in the 19th century, humans began to exploit guano supplies and sell it as fertilizer leaving penguins and their eggs exposed to predators and the scorching sun.
KEVIN GRAHAM, ASSOCIATE CURATOR, DALLAS ZOO/AZA SAFE: At one point, the colonies, it ranged from 3 to 10 meters in depth and even deeper in some areas. Right now the deepest guano remaining any of the colonies, measures in the centimeters. The only thing left is bare gravel, bear soil -- nothing that they can burrow into and that took away their entire nesting ability. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In 2016, the African Penguin Nest Project dive to
the rescue. A coordinated effort between Dyer Island Conservation Trust, Dallas Zoo, and other organizations, its mission is to design and deploy artificial nests to give penguin parents a safe and cool place to raise their chicks.
After two years of development and studying of guano nests, project expert settled on a final design. They started to deploying in late 2018. The aim was to emulate Mother Nature as closely as possible.
GRAHAM: We made the entrance hole small so that the penguins can squeeze in and as soon as they turn around, they can protect that he entrance hole from any predator. It looks a little bit strange when you look at it, but it is an exact copy of what the penguins build themselves if they were given the opportunity.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Each nest is fitted with a sensor that measures temperature and humidity, which enables researchers to track the nest's micro climate.
GRAHAM: Eggs are an extremely delicate structure. They're only set to be incubated at about 38 to 39 degrees. Any higher than that and there is a very real risk of the eggs dying.
We're going to constantly be looking at the performance of the nests when it comes to the usage rates. Are the penguins using them? Are the eggs hatching? Are the chicks fledging?
But so far, what we're seeing is that the artificial nests are fledging chicks at a much higher rate than any other option that they have.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Funded by donations or by people sponsoring individual nests, Graham says the project has so far installed more than 1,500 nests around South Africa's penguin colonies.
Next year, the project hopes to expand the penguin colonies in Namibia. The end goal is that every -- penguin that leaves the nest will get one.
But while nests are vital to populations bouncing back, the birds still face threats from climate change and overfishing.
GRAHAM: It's not just a single, we give them a nest, the species is saved. This is part of it, it's a big part of it. But there has to be more.
MALAN: I think we have got a responsibility as humans because, you know, we've kind of intruded on to the place and messed things up a little bit. But we also can fix it.
I never think of an African penguin as cute and cuddly. I think of an African penguin as absolutely tenacious. I think they are such survivors. And they should be an example to all of us that you can overcome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Let us know what you are doing to answer the call with the hashtag "Call to Earth".
And with that, we'll pause for a moment. We're going to take a short break and we're back in just a moment.
[01:44:41[
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Well, let's take a look at CNN Gaza just a short time ago where an Israeli air strike targeted a weapons manufacturing facility as well as a military compound.
The Israelis say both sides were operated by the militant group Hamas. These are strict come after six rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza just a few hours earlier.
Now to Jerusalem and Elliott Gotkine. And Elliott once again it seems both sides are now locked into this cycle of attack and retaliation.
It seems there was an off ramp negotiated by the U.S., and agreed to by the Israelis and Palestinians and that's just gone away.
ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: That's right John, we saw it yesterday, a very rare daytime raid by Israeli security forces in search of three militants in Nablus. And now they said that they surrounded the house, that they asked for the militants to surrender, they refused, one fled. He was shot and killed.
And then the Israeli Security Forces say they came under fire. And things, in the words of the Israeli -- the IDF international spokesman got very messy, in his words. And then they had to escalate and said that they fired rockets into the house. And so the other two militants were also killed.
Now, we know that Islamic jihad and also Hamas have claimed that three of their members were killed. The Lions' Den militant group also says that it was involved in the gunfight with the Israeli Security Forces. Although we don't have further details on how many members, perhaps, of its group were killed. We do know that 11 Palestinians in total were killed, including one man in his 60s from smoke inhalation.
And as you say, John, this is already shaping up and we're just in February, this is already shaping up to be one of the bloodiest years in the Israeli Palestinian conflict.
We have also heard from the Egyptians, the Jordanians, the Saudis, and the Emiratis condemning Israel's actions, and the U.S. State Department also putting out a statement saying it is extremely concerned by the levels of violence in Israel and the West Bank, John.
VAUSE: Elliott, we appreciate the update. Elliott Gotkine there in Jerusalem.
(MUSIC)
VAUSE: There is an odd and haunting contrast there. The simple, soulful sounds from a piano and a lone voice amid the ugliness of the destruction of war.
Somehow it seems that music brings calm where there has been chaos, civility where there was once brutality. And for a year now, Slava Vakarchuk has traded sold out stadiums for solo impromptu performances.
Almost everywhere Putin's forces have laid waste, Vakarchuk has been there too. Lt. Vakarchuk has brought the light of music to some of the darkest corners of this conflict and along the way lifting the morale of a nation at war.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: This was life in Ukraine before the war. It's a warm June summer's night and one of the country's most popular singers Slava Vakarchuk is performing to a full house. Tens of thousands crammed into Kyiv's Olympic stadium, barely enough room to swing their arms in the air.
But then came the Russians.
For the past year, Vladimir Putin's troops have laid waste to Ukrainian towns and cities in what Putin himself has strongly implied as war against all things Ukrainian -- their culture, traditions, and law, their art and music.
[01:49:47]
VAUSE: And that's when Slava Vakarchuk drew a line in the sand. Promising himself he would never be silent and neither would Ukrainian music.
SLAVA VAKARCHUK, SINGER: When you get there you feel surreal because it is a surreal. But once you start doing music, you know, music makes it feel as usual because music is such a powerful tool. So you just close your eyes and you just, you know, you are almost there. But then you open your eyes and you understand it is not a usual day, not a usual performance, and you see around the debris and it is horrific, yes.
VAUSE: No Ukrainian performance come close to Vakarchuk in terms of longevity and popularity. He's been compared to Bruce Springsteen or Paul McCartney. But when he enrolled to serve in the home defense, think Elvis and the GI Blues.
But Ukraine needed more than another foot soldier on the frontlines. So Vakarchuk set out on a one-man mission, traveling across the country, stopping at trenches and foxholes, schools and hospitals, refugee centers, anywhere he saw an audience and there he would perform. And at last count there had been 175 performances.
VAKARCHUK: I want to see the troops. I got to understand that these people need something more than just, you know, ammunition so I think that what I'm giving to them and many other, you know, musicians and poets and others, it's an ammunition for their hearts. And that is what warriors also need.
VAUSE: It seems what you are giving them, also, is a reminder of all the things that are worth living for. But also what it means to be Ukrainian as well -- Ukrainian songs. This is their language and you know, this is important. This is why they're in a fight for survival you need to know about these things, you need to be reminded.
VAKARCHUK: I think what we do with the songs, with being there, not even performing, just you know, sometimes just smiling to them, joking, hugging. You know how many times I was asked by the soldiers just they were giving me their phones and ask me to shoot a video for their beloved, for their mothers, for their kids. And just saying that they wanted me to say that everything would be all right.
And I was saying that because I am really convinced that everything is going to be all right sooner or later.
VAUSE: He traveled to Bucha to see for himself atrocities committed by Russian soldiers. The difficult and at times a painful journey, which we shared on social media.
VAKARCHUK: I am in Bucha, near Kyiv (INAUDIBLE) and at the back of me or behind me you can see destroyed buildings. They were destroyed by Russian tanks and Russian missiles, airstrikes, and soldiers.
VAUSE: This is a story that was well documented and was well covered by the press. So why did you go there? What needs did you have to fill to go there and to see it, and to report on, if you like, for your followers on social media.
VAKARCHUK: It was important for me to see it with my own eyes. But then I also understand that because I have a voice that may be heard by many other people so I need to tell the story. And I've become sort of a storyteller and sort of a journalist or reporter the same way as you become a soldier.
So you just need to spread the word around the world about what is going on. So I felt obliged, and I did it not only Bucha but many other places.
VAUSE: The reality of war seems to strike with a gut punch in (INAUDIBLE), a soccer stadium where he performed regularly with his fans, the players --
VAKARCHUK: You can see what is happening there now. Right in the middle is a big hole probably three or four meters depth. Also a hole from an air bomb. My question is, that everybody who is looking at us. Where these library or stadium military objects? Did they pose any threat to, so called, military operations of the Russians? I think certainly not.
VAUSE: He performed for those defending the defunct nuclear power plant at Chernobyl. And he was regularly on CNN to call out Russian atrocities as he found them.
Here he is in Kharkiv.
[01:54:55]
VAKARCHUK: I don't need to tell anything about this background, right? At the back of me is the building of one of -- the buildings of Kharkiv State University. One of the oldest in eastern Europe.
So, I don't know if it was a military objects, I'm sure not, but it was brutally ruined by Russian bombs.
VAUSE: Lt. Vakarchuk who as (INAUDIBLE) made it through boot camp and basic training, this is no grand gesture. His service to country, he says, is no more than that of most Ukrainians.
VAKARCHUK: Sometimes our duty which in English is only four letters is so simple, but it is so profound. This is what duty is about. It is not just, you know, some philosophical word or just a word of honor. It is a very practical thing, duty. Because you don't do it, then others won't do it. That's how the nation resists and win the war.
VAUSE: This past August Vakarchuk and his band toured Europe, raising money for Ukrainian hospitals, children, as well as refugees.
They went on to share stage with Coldplay. And yes, the world was listening.
VAKARCHUK: What we're doing around the world, we are trying to be also on the front line. A front line in the trenches, where we are fighting for the minds of people in the world. We want these minds to understand what is really going on.
And I've tried to do it with my music, with my arts, and I think rock and roll does a great thing -- uniting people, uniting people. And these venues, these concerts can bring a lot of, you know, emotion that is needed now.
VAUSE: And very quickly, you --
VAKARCHUK: By the way behind me I hear the anthem of Ukraine playing now. It's just very symbolic.
VAUSE: Yes, good timing.
Slava, thank you so much for speaking with us. I wish you all the very, very best.
VAKARCHUK: Thank you.
VAUSE: Please, please stay safe.
VAKARCHUK: Thank you.
Thank you very much. And please, don't stop talking about Ukraine and spreading the word about Ukraine. We all together, thanks a lot. VAUSE: You've got it. Thank you.
VAKARCHUK: Love Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: And please watch our half hour "MUSIC THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE" special Saturday at 9:30 a.m. in Kyiv. That's 7:30 pm in Sydney.
For now, I'm John Vause.
CNN NEWSROOM continues with Anna Coren, my friend and colleague in just a moment.
I'll see right back here tomorrow.
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