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Ukraine Marks Two Years of War; Wounded Ukrainian Troops Remain Determined to Fight; Families of Killed Palestinian Americans Demand Answers; Russia Vows to Press Ahead in Ukraine; Trump Says Haley's Support Comes from Democrats, Calls Biden "A Racist"; Nvidia Names Huawei Top AI Competitor; Film Highlights Atrocities of Russian Invasion. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired February 24, 2024 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A very warm welcome to our viewers from all around the world. I'm Paula Newton in New York.
Ahead right here on CNN NEWSROOM, Ukraine marks two years since Russia's full-scale invasion and world leaders show their solidarity with the embattled nation.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled his plan for a post-war future in Gaza. And many see the details as controversial. We'll have a report from Tel Aviv.
And voters in South Carolina go to the polls today to make their choice for the Republican nominee for U.S. president. It's an important contest for former governor Nikki Haley.
But can she defeat Donald Trump in her home state?
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NEWTON: Russia is on the offensive. U.S. aid is in limbo and encouraging news is hard to come by as the war in Ukraine enters its third year.
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NEWTON (voice-over): Those air raid sirens ringing out in Kyiv as Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, unleashing the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II.
This is what the city looks like now, with a makeshift memorial to fallen Ukrainians standing downtown. European Commission chief meantime, Ursula van der Leyen arrived in Kyiv Saturday morning for the anniversary.
Short on troops and ammunition, Ukraine is fighting on, saying it shot down a Russian spy plane Friday. And president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Kyiv will launch a new counter offensive.
With some $60 billion in U.S. aid stalled by congressional Republicans, a group of U.S. senators visited Kyiv Friday in a show of solidarity. Mr. Zelenskyy told them it's not just the future of his country that's riding on continued support from Ukraine's allies.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: I know that Americans are on the side of truth, and we share common values. And thank you very much. You are helping us to save democracy, not only in Ukraine, of course, fight for democracy and freedom in the world.
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NEWTON: CNN's Sebastian Shukla is following developments for us from Berlin.
A significant show of force on the ground in terms of giving support from these allies.
But what is the message from allies, now that Ukraine is going into its third year of this war?
SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Paula, I remember being in Mariupol the day Russia invaded on the 24th February 2022. And the shock and horror that was on people's faces as they queued for cash, scrambled to get out of the city.
But the one thing that had been -- remained a constant for Ukrainians preceding the war and following the invasion was that European allies and Western partners were with Ukraine all the way until the end.
And that message is coming through today. As you mentioned, Ursula van der Leyen, the European Commission president, has arrived in Kyiv in a show of solidarity.
And she tweeted on her arrival, "More than ever, we stand firmly by Ukraine, financially, economically, militarily, morally, until the country is finally free."
And that message is continuing from other partners too. The U.K. has announced that it will send $300 million worth of munitions aid to Ukraine. But crucially, there is still an aid bill totaling somewhere $60 million -- $60 billion, rather, in the U.S. Congress that needs to be passed.
Because if they don't, Ukraine will continue to face potential losses of territory -- Paula.
NEWTON: Yes, some stark reminders there for Ukrainians that there's still a lot on the line as they enter that third year.
What are we seeing about how Russia is now marking the second anniversary?
SHUKLA: Yes, I think in Russia, the message is that we're looking to make it -- they're looking to make a propaganda message here, that everything is under control. We are calm, we are making progress slowly but surely.
We've seen the Russian defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, in the zone of the special military operation, as Russia likes to call it. But not completely clear whether that was just inside Russia or potentially even within Ukraine itself.
And whilst he was down there, he listened to reports from the commander of the central group and staff officers on the current situation and the nature of the enemy's actions in the operational area.
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The most significant gain that Russia has made this past week has been in Avdiivka, which is long beleaguered city of just on the edge of what was the previously Russian separatists' occupied territory.
It has been battered and bruised but nevertheless is a significant moment and a land grab by the Kremlin, which it desperately needs. Do not forget, Paula, that, going into March, President Putin is up for reelection, as he calls it.
And he needs to be able to send a message to the Russian people, stick with me. This is going to be long and hard but we will win in the end -- Paula.
NEWTON: Sebastian Shukla for us following developments from Berlin on what will be a busy day in Ukraine. Really appreciate it.
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NEWTON: Michael Bociurkiw is a senior fellow at The Atlantic Council. He's also a former spokesperson of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Really good to see you, Michael, and glad to have you there in Ukraine. As you were, two years ago, now, hours after Russia invaded, I'm going to quote you.
You said to me, "The world will not be the same again."
In so many ways, we have to say it, right?
Things have gone better than Ukrainians or its allies could have ever imagined.
And yet, how do you sitting there in Kyiv yet again, take the measure of the last two years?
MICHAEL BOCIURKIW, SENIOR FELLOW, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: Sure. Good to be with you again, Paula. Well, it's a split-screen reality, to be honest with you. You know, in the south in Odessa where I'm based, I mean, the port there is bustling now.
The Ukrainians with very little resources have been able to open those key global waterways so that wheat and sunflower oil can get out with very limited, limited resources.
So a huge accomplishment. But I got to say, it's just heartbreaking, Paula. I mean, just behind me as you can see is Independence Square. And I've been watching for the past two hours. You have young mothers and their kids coming to this memorial with photos of their lost loved ones and just bawling their eyes out.
And I mentioned this because that type of scene is being played out across Ukraine. Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv is almost bursting at the seams. You have small towns in Western Ukraine, which have no men left because they've either been killed in the front line.
Then the other thing, Paula, I should mention, I'm saying for the very, very first time, pretty much this week, heads of command, commanders of brigades on the eastern front, saying that they're -- men are lacking enthusiasm, that they need reinforcements immediately, that they need ammunition immediately.
They have never spoken out as strongly publicly before. So it makes it difficult to be optimistic for the future when you're hearing kind of thing.
NEWTON: And we all know that they can speak out, which is something to be thankful for, because they do have the freedom at times to do that. And they have been quite forceful.
I want to talk to you though, about the home front and the battle front.
If we do go to what seems to be an advancing Russian military right now, what are they facing on the eastern front?
BOCIURKIW: Well, if you take it from the perspective of the Ukrainians looking toward Russia, the Russians have had time with that gap in aid to dig in, to build trenches, to put tank traps, to mine fields, sometimes up to 10 kilometers. So it's very, very difficult for the Ukrainians to advance.
At the same time, they're sending Grads and other missiles and drones this way. And then, if the Russians are looking toward Ukraine, from what I'm hearing from my colleagues on the field, Paula, they're not probably expecting much in terms of obstacles -- lack of trenches, this sort of thing.
And you hear stories of brigade commanders also saying that some of their munitions are silenced because they just don't have the ammunition. None of us thought that this delay in aid would have such a rapid impact on the battlefront.
But apparently it is.
NEWTON: Yes, and it is heartbreaking, as you say, when you hear that from the front lines, you hear people on the front lines themselves say, we need that aid and
they are hanging on every motion from Capitol Hill.
And I will say the House right now on recess in fact and not back until this coming week.
If we go to the home front now -- you talked a little bit about, you know, really the grim reality for Ukrainians. They've been through so much.
And yet, how do you think they are going to muster the strength and the manpower, womanpower as well to enter a third year of war?
BOCIURKIW: Yes, it's gotten to the point where there is no family in Ukraine that has been untouched by this two-year conflict, either relatives or friends dead, injured or missing, prisoners of war in Russia. So that's taken a very, very big toll.
The other thing we have to remember as well is that there are millions and millions of Ukrainians.
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BOCIURKIW: Ukrainians displaced either internally or outside of Ukraine's borders. And they're not seeing any end of sight to this war. So it's very difficult for them to plan whether to come back.
And then finally, there's a very, very big problem with recruitment right now. And my suspicion is that President Zelenskyy will be forced to call up mobilization.
Because, you know, if you're a young 20-year-old or something and you hear about all of this death and carnage on the front lines, you may be a bit resistant, even though you are the most patriotic person in Ukraine to go fight.
So that's playing out all over Ukraine as well.
NEWTON: Such a grim reminder though that the future of young people being staked on these battlefields, right now, the young going. Michael, I don't have a lot of time left but you know, we began a couple of years ago saying that, look, Vladimir Putin would wait out Ukraine.
Do you still think the long, the long game will work for Vladimir Putin?
BOCIURKIW: I don't think so. As long as Western leaders are united and have a solution, that solution is to send everything they can Ukraine's way in terms of munitions, sanctions are fine. I happen to think they're a convenient way for Western leaders to pat themselves on the back.
But they need desperately more munitions, more tanks, more aircraft, the ability to close those skies. That has to come immediately. Otherwise, Mr. Putin will not stop at Ukraine. He will go further, and it will become a lot more expensive for the West.
NEWTON: And that has been the message time and again over these two years. Michael Bociurkiw, thank you so much for all your insights there from Ukraine today and over the last two years. Really appreciate it.
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NEWTON: Now as you've just been listening to, despite two years of brutal war and countless casualties, Ukrainians are not losing their will to fight. CNN has gained access to one of Ukraine's busiest trauma centers, which treats soldiers who suffered debilitating injuries.
As our Christiane Amanpour reports, after all of this, they still want to contribute to the war effort.
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CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): The parking lot at Dnipro's Mechnikov Hospital is jammed with ambulances.
These patients are the lucky ones. Fully stabilized here after their wounds have been treated, they are being evacuated to hospitals in 10 other Ukrainian cities. It's a bloody carousel because they're making room for the next wave of casualties.
In the resuscitation ward, director Serhly Ryzhenko tells us in the two years of Russia's full-scale invasion, 28,000 front line soldiers have been brought to this hospital alone.
SERHLY RYZHENKO, DIRECTOR, MECHNIKOV HOSPITAL: From 50 to 100 patients, very, very serious. Very, very serious.
AMANPOUR: Every day, every night, 50 to 100 patients from the Avdiivka Donetsk region?
RYZHENKO: Yes.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): And the injuries are grave, shrapnel from artillery, mines and other direct fire. Avdiivka is the town that recently fell and that's where these soldiers have come from.
But in the next ward, alone in his room, Army Sergeant Vasily Hulyak (ph) was injured on Sunday, operated on Monday and had three limbs amputated.
He says, the Russians are basically just throwing meat at us. Mobilized men who run at us in an open field.
AMANPOUR: Do you have enough troops and enough ammunition?
VASILY HULYAK, ARMY SERGEANT (PH): No.
AMANPOUR: How do you fight them? AMANPOUR (voice-over): We are on our own lands, says Vasily (ph), we fight to the last and do not give up. If they get past us, our families will be next. We have no right to lose.
Waiting in the corridor outside, his worried parents.
You know, he didn't ask us to go, said Mykola (ph). We didn't tell him not to. He said he had to. And his mother, Halina, tells us, he said, I'll do everything I can and everything that's in my power.
Like so many Ukrainians, they've given their son to the defense of this land ever since Putin started robbing them of it 10 years ago. The director tells us nonstop surgery every day, all day in all the operating rooms contributes to the 95 percent survival rate of which is higher now after 10 years of improved combat surgery and techniques.
Every operation, every patched-up patient is a matter of patriotic duty. Even giving blood is marked with a celebration.
Here we run into American hedge funder and philanthropist, Whitney Tilson, who's raised money for ambulances, generators, battery packs but beyond the humanitarian, he sees the big picture.
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WHITNEY TILSON, INVESTOR AND PHILANTHROPIST: I think the stability of the entire world depends on the West helping Ukraine stand up to this aggression. Because if we let Putin win, I think this is just the beginning.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): And somehow, incredibly, like the other wounded warriors we've spoken to, Vasily (ph) says he wants to get back to his comrades on the eastern front.
AMANPOUR: Are you and your soldiers still highly motivated?
You've been fighting for 10 years.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): I have no choice, he replies. Do you understand?
Of course, I'm motivated.
As for the lost limbs, he says he can be a trainer. He can still be useful in this fight. Which from here, looks like it'll last a lot longer than anyone thought -- Christiane Amanpour, CNN, Dnipro, Ukraine.
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NEWTON: The team that worked for Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny says his mother was given an ultimatum by Russian officials after he died in prison: agree to a secret funeral for her son or he would be buried in the Arctic penal colony where he was imprisoned. She says she refused to negotiate. Navalny's team is also asking for those with knowledge of his death to
come forward anonymously. They are offering a reward of more than $20,000 and say they will arrange for informants to leave Russia.
U.S. President Joe Biden marked Navalny's death and the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine by announcing a massive round of new sanctions. CNN's White House reporter Priscilla Alvarez has that.
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PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The Biden administration on Friday announcing the largest single-day sanctions package against Russia, ahead of the two-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
And also following the death of Alexei Navalny. Now U.S. officials have already been working on a sanctions package to mark that two-year anniversary but supplemented it following the death of Navalny, culminating in a sweeping package.
It includes over 500 targets. Now broken down, that includes hundreds of military industrial base entities, 26 third country entities helping Russia evade sanctions and, separately, the State Department imposing sanctions on three prison officials connected with Navalny's death.
And U.S. officials say that this will choke off Russia, that it will slow down their ability to obtain goods and their ability to build weapons. But of course, the U.S. has already levied a series of sanctions against Russia since its invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has adapted to some of them. But U.S. officials say that this is hampering their economy. Still they're keeping the focus on that funding for Ukraine, $60 billion in additional aid that has been stalled in Congress.
And President Biden, taking a moment to reflect on that at a gathering of governors earlier on Friday, saying that it is necessary for House Republicans to act on it.
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They have to come back. They have to come back and get this done because failure to support Ukraine in this critical moment will never be forgotten in history. It will be measured and it will have impact for decades to come.
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ALVAREZ: Expect the president to continue that steady drumbeat for the days and weeks to come. The president also expected to speak to G7 leaders on Saturday to reaffirm U.S. support for Ukraine -- Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE) NEWTON: Israel's prime minister shares his plan for a postwar Gaza. Still ahead, what Benjamin Netanyahu is calling for and what he's not.
Plus, two U.S. citizens killed weeks part in the West Bank. Their families are still waiting for answers from the U.S. and Israel. They speak with CNN.
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NEWTON: So we're waiting to see what, if anything, might emerge from negotiations taking place this weekend about the war in Gaza.
Meantime, while this is going on, while Israel is taking to the streets with frustration going, Israel sent a delegation to Paris for talks and a potential ceasefire and hostage deal.
They are expected to meet with senior officials from the U.S., Egypt and Qatar. Now it's not clear how long the talks will last, with one official noting it could go through the weekend if it doesn't fall apart.
Now before the talks started, a senior Hamas official told CNN, its position has not changed. Meantime, in Tel Aviv, protesters staged this demonstration on Friday to demand all hostages be returned home.
Families of hostages and their supporters blocked a main highway and set up a dinner table with empty chairs representing the more than 100 people still being held in Gaza.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has unveiled his plan for Gaza's post-war future but it's drawing criticism and scrutiny for what it proposes and what it does not. CNN's Nic Robertson has our details now from Tel Aviv.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, the prime minister's day after plan would have the IDF given full military freedom of movement inside Gaza. Israel would control the borders, not just with Israel that it has at the moment, but it would control the border of Gaza with Egypt.
That would be significantly new and different, and it would work on the ground inside Gaza with Palestinian officials. No real specificity around that. And Israel, in this prime minister's note, saying that it would reject any unilateral recognition of an independent Palestinian state.
And it also talks about having a security buffer inside of Gaza to protect Israel. Now there are things in there that really undermine the idea of a two-state solution, of a path toward a Palestinian state, something that would bring in Arab partners.
But this plan talks about being required to help finance and helps support this new day after plan for Gaza. And this is something that has really caught the intention and critical attention too of not only the United States but the European Union.
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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: There are certain basic principles that we set out many months ago, that we feel are very important when it comes to Gaza's future, including that it cannot be a platform for terrorism.
There should be no Israeli reoccupation of Gaza, the size of Gaza's territory should not be reduced. So we want to make sure that any plan that emerges is consistent with those principles.
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JOSEP BORRELL, E.U. HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS & SECURITY POLICY: Yesterday at the G20 meeting in Rio, everybody's sitting around the table, everybody -- U.S., U.K., European Union member states, Arab world, African people, Latin American people.
Everybody was insisting. And the only possible peaceful solution that could provide Israel to live in peace and security is the two-state solution. I didn't hear a single voice against it.
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ROBERTSON: No surprise to the Palestinian Authority of also been critical of prime minister's day after plan, calling it a reoccupation of Gaza, saying that it serves his interest to prolong the war -- Nic Robertson, CNN, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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NEWTON: Two separate killings in the West Bank have families demanding answers from the U.S. and Israel. The families say two Palestinian American teenage boys were shot and killed by Israeli gunfire in recent weeks.
And they are growing frustrated about the lack of response from either government. CNN's Alex Marquardt has more -- and a warning. His report contains graphic content.
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ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): These are the final moments of Mohammad Khdour's life, picnicking with his cousin, driving through the bumpy hills of the occupied West Bank.
Then cries, as people rushed to the car, Mohammad shot in the head, his body limp, his hair covered in blood as he's carried away.
The 17-year-old U.S. citizen mortally wounded.
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He died in the hospital. The second American teen in just weeks believed to have been killed by Israeli bullets.
RANAA FARRAJ, AUNT OF PALESTINIAN-AMERICAN TEEN KILLED IN WEST BANK: He was such a beautiful child, like inside and out.
MARQUARDT: Mohammad's aunt and uncle live in Cleveland. They promised Mohammad, who was born in Miami, that they would bring him back to the U.S. after graduating from high school.
ADNAN KHDOUR, UNCLE OF PALESTINIAN-AMERICAN TEEN KILLED IN WEST BANK: Why you killed him?
For what?
What's he doing for you?
Nothing. Nothing. Just you see him. He's happy in his life with his cousin, that's it. He killed -- killed a man in cold blood, man.
MARQUARDT: Who do you think is responsible?
FARRAJ: The government.
KHDOUR: The government men.
MARQUARDT: Israeli government?
KHDOUR: Yes.
FARRAJ: He's innocent. Kids not doing nothing, just being shot and killed to cold blood for no good reason. All from the Israeli government not doing nothing much to prevent these type of things.
MARQUARDT: Another 17-year-old American citizen, Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, who grew up in Louisiana, was killed in January. He had just moved to the West Bank last year and in an almost identical incident, he was out for an afternoon with friends when his family said he was shot multiple times.
AMIR ABDEL JABBAR, BROTHER OF PALESTINIAN-AMERICAN TEEN KILLED IN WEST BANK: He was driving, going to our own property that we have on that mountain, to do a simple cookout with him and his friends.
MARQUARDT: Tell me what Tawfic was like as a brother.
ABDEL JABBAR: He was my right-hand man. A brother I can go to for anything. He was very kind, unselfish, outgoing in the amount of friends I seen that he made in this small period of time was outrageous. MARQUARDT: The families of both boys say that Israeli gunmen were responsible. It's not clear exactly who. A U.S. official told CNN their deaths are being investigated. In Tawfic's case, the IDF told CNN they're looking into the possible involvement of an Israeli soldier.
During almost five months of war in Gaza, violence by Israelis against Palestinians and the West Bank has soared. More than 400 Palestinians have been killed about a quarter of them were under 18.
The Biden administration has since imposed unprecedented sanctions against Israeli settler extremist.
ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: We insist that people be treated fairly, that they be treated with due process and that they be treated humanely.
MARQUARDT: Last week, I asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the string of American deaths and detentions at the hands of Israelis.
When it comes to the investigations into the teenagers' deaths, where do those stand?
BLINKEN: We've made clear that with regard to the incidents you've alluded to, there needs to be an investigation, we need to get the facts. And if appropriate, there needs to be accountability.
MARQUARDT: He says the safety and security of American citizens around the world is their biggest priority. Do believe that?
FARRAJ: No.
KHDOUR: No.
MARQUARDT: What do you want the U.S. government to do?
KHDOUR: To move. Not just talking. We don't need talking, man. We need something. We want to see something.
MARQUARDT: Are you confident that there will be some kind of justice in the end?
FARRAJ: I'm hopeful, yes but wouldn't be out of the ordinary if we don't get to justice that we're hoping for.
MARQUARDT: The controversial U.S. support for Israel's war in Gaza now, even further complicated by American citizens getting caught up in the violence.
What power do you think the U.S. government has that they're not using right now to figure out what happened?
ABDEL JABBAR: I believe that they have every power in the world to resolve my brother's death, to know who killed him. I feel like they don't want to. They're waiting for this story to be quiet, just to vanish away. But that's not going to happen. MARQUARDT: Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has, in the past, condemned extremist settler violence against Palestinians. He has not commented on the deaths of these two American teenagers, which a U.S. official tells me Israel is investigating.
And the Biden administration is watching closely. That official saying that if they feel those investigations are not conducted properly, these cases will get escalated to more senior members of the Israeli government -- Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: So at this hour, there's an environmental disaster unfolding in the Red Sea, where a cargo ship that was struck by a Houthi missile is slowly leaking and sinking. Now the damaged ship has created a slick that stretches for more than 18 miles or 18 kilometers.
You see it there. Authorities have not said what kind of substance is spilling out into the sea. The ship was carrying 41,000 tons of fertilizer when it was hit by a Houthi missile on Monday. It's potentially the most significant damage to the environment since the Houthis began launching attacks in the Red Sea.
U.S. Central Command says it destroyed seven anti-ship cruise missiles on Friday as the Houthis were preparing to launch them
No regrets, no remorse and no signs of backing down. Russia's president sends a clear message about his plans in Ukraine as the conflict enters its third year.
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That's ahead.
Plus, in the coming hours, South Carolina Republicans will go to the polls to make their choices for the party's 2024 presidential nominee. That story and much more ahead here on CNN.
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NEWTON: Allies are showing their support for Ukraine on the second anniversary of Russia's brutal full-scale invasion. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has arrived in Kyiv for the second anniversary of the Russian invasion. That's according to a government source, who is traveling with the prime minister.
Meantime, E.U. commission president Ursula von der Leyen has also traveled to Kyiv in a show of solidarity.
She posted on social media, "More than ever, we stand firmly by Ukraine."
And the U.K. is stepping up its commitment by pledging to send more than $300 million worth of ammunition to Ukraine.
Meantime, Russia marked its defender of the fatherland holiday Friday. CNN's As Matthew Chance reports, its president is pledging to press ahead in Ukraine despite the costs.
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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two years into his special military operation, the Russian leader seems increasingly isolated. But as Putin commemorates Russia's war dead, he's also vowing to press on, his country on a war footing, in everything but name.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We will continue to strengthen the armed forces in every possible way. We know it is difficult for you and we will do everything possible to help you complete the mission you have been assigned.
CHANCE: After months of hard fighting, Russian forces are making gains on the Ukrainian battlefield, recently taking the ruined town of Avdiivka, in the country's east.
But this was a costly and fragile victory. Even planting a Russian flag on the debris is fraught with risk.
But with Russian presidential elections next month, Putin seems keen to bolster his image as a war leader, recently flying in a strategic bomber for the cameras. With no real opponents, Putin doesn't need sky high ratings.
But he seems to enjoy public adulation, meeting carefully organized crowds on a campaign visit to the Russian region.
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"You're the best," cries one young girl in the crowd. In fact, he's the only leader in for nearly 24 years that many Russians have ever known.
We have a good president who will help us and we will win, says this mother. I think the end is near, she adds. Once we get our lands back and destroy all those scum, says this woman, we will win. Yes, we pay a big price, she admits but it's worth it.
But not all Russians agree. For more than a week now, people have been laying flowers at makeshift memorials to Alexei Navalny, the late Russian opposition figure, was provoked outrage.
Privately, many Russians hope this country's direction, well eventually change but few believe that change can happen soon -- Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.
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NEWTON: A New York judge has formally ordered former U.S. president Donald Trump to pay nearly $0.5 billion in his civil fraud trial. Now that means Trump has exactly 30 days to put up the cash or post bond to cover the $355 million judgment and about $100 million in interest in order to be able to appeal the verdict.
Trump has said he does plan to appeal. Judge Arthur Engoron rejected a request from Trump to delay the official judgment for 30 days. The judge said Trump did not explain or justify a reason for that delay.
Now in just a few hours, U.S. Republicans in the state of South Carolina will go to the polls to choose a presidential nominee. Trump has maintained his commanding lead in the polls. But rival Nikki Haley insists she's not bowing out.
South Carolina's primaries are open, so people don't have to be registered as Republicans in order to participate. The only requirement is that they did not vote in the state's Democratic primary that was held earlier this month.
Now some see former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley as betting it all on her home state, a primary contest that ranks among the most important in this nominating season. A loss there could spell the beginning of the end for Trump's lone rival, who has yet to win a primary race and is currently trailing Trump in the South Carolina polls.
But she vows to stay in the race no matter what. Here's what she said to supporters at a rally last night.
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NIKKI HALEY (R-SC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We had 14 people in this race. I defeated a dozen other fellows. I just have one more fellow I got to
catch up to.
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NEWTON: CNN's Kylie Atwood is traveling with Nikki Haley.
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KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Ahead of the South Carolina primary on Saturday, Nikki Haley reminding voters that she believes that they deserve better than two 80-year olds potentially running for president, reminding them that she believes that they need a leader who has moral clarity.
Making a pitch that we have heard from her time and time again over the course of the last month here in South Carolina, where she has been busy campaigning with more than 30 events across the state, spending a tremendous amount on advertising in the state.
Outspending Trump and his allies by $15 million. And Nikki Haley also telling them that it's important for them to show up at the polls tomorrow, even if the voters aren't typically ones who vote in primaries. They just vote in generals, she's urging them to show up because the stakes couldn't be higher. Now Nikki Haley has said earlier in the week that she will go on,
she'll keep her campaign alive on Sunday the day after the South Carolina primary, effectively, no matter what happens here in the state.
But the stakes are incredibly high for her because it is her home state, because she hasn't won any of the first three contests in the Republican primary contests. And next week is going to be a tremendous week for her as she tries to look ahead to Super Tuesday.
But we will have to see what happens here in South Carolina -- Kylie Atwood, CNN, Moncks Corner, South Carolina.
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NEWTON: Now what's interesting here is, despite his large polling lead over Nikki Haley, Donald Trump hasn't ignored his Republican rival. He's been swinging hard at her from the campaign trail in recent days.
In Rock Hill, South Carolina, on Friday night, Trump said that a vote for Haley was a, quote, "vote for Joe Biden" this November. He also claimed that most of Haley's financial support comes from Democrats. Listen.
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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Nikki Haley is relying on Democrats and liberals. Democrats are financing the biggest supporters she's got right now are the Biden supporters, the Biden bunglers, the Biden cheaters. They're the ones that are doing it for decades. Tomorrow, we're going to win this state.
[03:40:01]
And then we're going to tell crooked Joe Biden, you're fired, get out of here.
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NEWTON: Natasha Lindstaedt is a professor of government at the University of Essex and she joins us now from Colchester, England.
Good to have you, as we really are in the last few hours now before that essential primary, at least for Nikki Haley. You know, she's facing defeat in her home state. She knows that.
What role do you see her taking on though in the coming weeks and months given the fact that she said she's not going anywhere, she's going to continue to run?
NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: That's right. I think some of this is personal. I think that she's enjoying getting underneath Donald Trump's skin by staying in the race, by being defiant. And someone who is about saving face that she's made the claim that
she's going to stay in this race for as long as it takes and that she was someone who came from way behind in the polls, only 2 percent polling in the beginning of her campaign.
And she has emerged as the number two in this contest. I do see her staying in it, although I'm not sure what that's going to do. I think what we have to look for is how big this lead is going to be. It could be just a monstrous defeat by Donald Trump. He's ahead in the polls over 30 points.
But she might do better than expected. There would be have to be some sort of massive polling error if that was true. But if she does better than expected, she's going to use that to justify the reason why she's she should stay in the race.
And she's going to keep hammering this idea that if she were to go head-to-head with Joe Biden, she would probably have a better chance of defeating Joe Biden than Trump would.
And that's something that she'll have to connect with with voters. But the problem is in the primaries, of course. The voters are more extreme and more rapid and more committed to Donald Trump.
NEWTON: Yes, in the words of our own John King, who's been around the country talking to people about this, specifically in South Carolina, he says, they like Nikki Haley but they love Donald Trump, at least when it comes to those Republican primary voters.
In many ways, though, to touch it, we have to say it's already a Trump-Biden rematch. The campaigns have cranked up the volume. I think it's a good time to remind everyone where we're at, right, despite Nikki Haley. Where we're at in this campaign already and again, what a crucial role those swing states will play.
LINDSTAEDT: Definitely. I mean, this nomination is pretty much wrapped up. South Carolina is really important. It's a springboard to Super Tuesday. I can't imagine a case where Donald Trump doesn't win the nomination. And of course, Biden is going to win the nomination on the Democratic side.
And it looks like it's going to be really close because of the polling that we're seeing in some of these swing states. Like you mentioned, like Michigan, like Arizona, like Georgia, which became a swing state and Biden was able to win in 2020.
And we're seeing right now the polling is not good for Joe Biden. And his campaign is really going to have an uphill battle to win some of these states. And we're seeing with some of the foreign policy events going on, like the war in Gaza and the state of Michigan, which has some 250,000 plus air voters.
This could affect Joe Biden at the margins there. I mean, Biden won the state of Michigan by only 178,000 votes. So it's going to be an incredibly close contest, a very nasty, ugly contest. And it's also a contest that most Americans are not particularly excited about. NEWTON: And it's a good point that they're not excited about it. They
don't want this rematch. That's almost unanimous in the polls, whether you speak to Democrats or Republicans. I do want to say, though, the language, the rhetoric is already so coarse. I want you to listen to Donald Trump speaking on Friday night. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It's the only thing he's really been good at his entire career. You know what that is?
Being a racist because he's a racist. Biden spent years palling around with notorious segregationists.
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NEWTON: Now, we should say Natasha, Joe Biden has in the past called Donald Trump a racist as well.
But is this really a preview of what's to come and a good reason why voters just don't want any more of it?
LINDSTAEDT: Yes, I could see that this campaign is going to get incredibly ugly as the 2016 and 2020 campaigns were when it involved Trump. And American politics had been sliding down this path of very negative style campaigning.
And that seemed to be the way of fearmongering and instilling fear and frustration in voters to get them to the polls, to vote for whoever was being attacked.
We see Trump has made a name for himself by basically being a huge bully and tapping into the resentment and anger of his base, making racist comments, making sexist attacks, particularly against women of color.
[03:45:04]
And that's been shown that already in the way that he's gone after Nikki Haley and using dog whistles to communicate with some of the worst elements and most extremist, racist elements of the U.S. population.
I'm very concerned, of course, about the way the campaign is going to go and how ugly it's going to get. But on top of that, I think we're also going to see Donald Trump delegitimizing our elections, delegitimizing our vote and trying to sow confusion and fear, that the election isn't going to be valid, as he did in 2020.
NEWTON: Yes, you have so many people who are up for the V.P. position -- or want to be candidates for the V.P. position already saying they would not certify the vote if they had been in Mike Pence's shoes in 2020. Natasha Lindstaedt, we will have to leave it there. Thanks so much. Really appreciate it.
LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me. (END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Now for the fourth time in the past six months, the U.S. government is facing a partial shutdown if members of Congress fail to reach an agreement to pay its bills.
On a Friday night conference call, House Speaker Mike Johnson told fellow Republicans they're still working to finalize the wording on four spending bills, which are set to expire next Friday.
According to Republican sources, Johnson says they may need to pass a short-term bill to avoid a partial shutdown. The House passed bills at the last minute in September, November and January, just to keep the government running.
OK. Just ahead for us, the battle for AI supremacy between the U.S. and China is heating up. We'll bring you the latest after the break.
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NEWTON: American chipmaker Nvidia, joined the ranks of Apple and Microsoft on Friday when its market value topped $2 trillion, bringing AI fever to Wall Street and heightening tensions between Washington and Beijing over semiconductor and AI technology. CNN's Anna Stewart has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Well, it's been quite the week for NVIDIA. a huge surge in profits, a massive gain in value and a prediction of even more growth in its AI chips.
Now the company has made a surprising revelation. For the first time ever, NVIDIA now considers Huawei as one of its top competitors according to its annual report.
The controversial Chinese chip maker is now a major rival in four out of five of NVIDIA's main businesses, including the crucial production of AI processes.
Now it's significant because Huawei spent the last four years facing tough U.S. restrictions, banning its access to technology. Despite that, last year,
Huawei shocked the tech world by launching a new phone powered by advanced chips. It's all part of a wider battle between Washington and Beijing over semiconductor technology.
Several countries, including the U.S. and Japan have imposed a series of measures to try and limit China's access to advanced computer chips.
[03:50:04]
And Beijing has been investing heavily to try and develop its own domestic chip industry.
These rising tensions and restrictions have already hit NVIDIA sales in China and the company warned that things are unlikely to change anytime soon -- Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
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NEWTON: At least 15 people are dead as a fire swept an enormous high- rise in China. State broadcaster CCTV reported that an electric bike is believed to be the source of the flames. The bicycle was parked in an open floor of the building in Nanjing. More than 40 other people were injured.
Meantime, the death toll in an enormous fire in Valencia, Spain, now stands at nine. Flames spread quickly in the 14 story apartment building Thursday. Some people were rescued from their balconies.
The cause of the fire is not yet known but officials are looking at the building's construction and its siding materials. The city is observing three days of mourning and Spanish sports teams, several of them, postponed matches as a gesture of respect.
The Odysseus lander managed the hoped-for soft landing on the moon. But according to its manufacturer, Intuitive Machines, the spacecraft is not actually upright as they originally thought. It's apparently tipped over on its side. Listen.
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STEVE ALTERNUS, CEO, INTUITIVE MACHINES: I'm going to pretend that's the rock that the lander is leaning on. We think we came down with, like I said, about six miles an hour this way and about two miles an hour this way and caught a foot in the surface.
And the lander has tipped like this. And we believe this is the surface, the orientation of the lander on the moon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: There's your high-tech explanation.
Meantime, we're also seeing this new image of the U.S. spacecraft as it -- as it headed down to that lunar south pole. The Intuitive Machines CEO stressed Friday, the spacecraft is in stable condition and solar batteries are recharging.
Now at this point, officials are trying to figure out what objectives the mission can still fulfill, even though, as we said, it's tipped over.
Now, we'll have more on Ukraine marking the second year of the full- scale Russian invasion in a moment, including some of our conversation with the video journalists who produced the award-winning documentary, "20 Days in Mariupol."
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NEWTON: As the world marks two years since Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukrainians vow to continue the battle to defend their democracy. The documentary, "20 Days in Mariupol," might help energize support.
The film, about the besieged city of Mariupol in the early days of the war, won the prize for Best Documentary at the British Film Awards last Sunday. And it's a top contender for an Oscar.
In March 2022, as Russian troops advanced on the city of Mariupol, a team of Ukrainian journalists documented the atrocities of the invasion. Take a look.
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[03:55:00]
NEWTON: Earlier, my colleague Anna Coren spoke with the director of "20 Days in Mariupol," a video journalist for the Associated Press. And she asked him what he wants viewers to take away from this documentary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MSTYSLAV CHERNOV, VIDEO JOURNALIST, ASSOCIATED PRESS: The story of Mariupol is more than just about one city. It's about all those cities that have subsequently been obliterated by Russian bombs there -- Bakhmut, Avdiivka recently, Maryinka (ph).
So that's what we are trying to say. This film is not only about Mariupol; it's about all the cities and about what's happening right now, as we speak.
ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Two years on, there is genuine fatigue within the country and also the world's appetite and concern for this war.
How do you combat that, knowing full well, there are many years ahead, if Ukraine can stay in the fight?
CHERNOV: Look, as journalist to journalist, I want to say, we don't want it. We don't need combat. We are not soldiers. We are here to inform people. We are here to remind them that what's happening in Ukraine is not a political argument, is not -- Ukrainian lives are not a bargaining chip.
This is a humanitarian catastrophe that has to be resolved in -- and civilians have to be saved. And really, that's all. That's the main thought that has to be there. And it's not a -- it's not a TV show, that -- the wars are not TV shows that are competing for popularity.
More wars are happening in the world means more attention we have to pay to what's around us and more efforts we have to make to fix the world we're living in.
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NEWTON: Now Canada is among nations around the world honoring Ukraine as it observes the second anniversary. The Peace Tower at Canada's parliament buildings in the capital in Ottawa is lit up in the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
Meantime, prime minister Justin Trudeau posted these photos on social media. He said the display honors the Ukrainian people and Canada's support for Ukraine remains unwavering and unequivocal. And as we reported, Justin Trudeau on the ground right now in Kyiv, along with other allies, to show their support for Ukraine.
I'm Paula Newton. I want to thank you for your company. Kim Brunhuber picks things up from here with more CNN NEWSROOM.
