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Ukraine Marks Two Years Of War; Wounded Ukrainian Troops Remain Determined To Fight; Ukraine Relying More On European Aid As U.S. Aid Stalls In Congress; Israel-Hamas Hostage Deal Negotiations Could Go Through This Weekend; S.C. GOP Primary Launches in Hours; Inside A Fertility Clinic Amid Questions Over The Future Of In Vitro Fertilization; Kyiv Residents Cope With Stress Of Living In War; Nvidia Names Huawei Top AI Competitor; Film Highlights Atrocities Of Russian Invasion. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired February 24, 2024 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And welcome to all you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, the world marks two years since Russia's full- scale invasion on Ukraine. Christiane Amanpour takes us inside a front line hospital, where wounded soldiers say they want to get back to the fight.
And we'll speak with the mayor of Kyiv about how he kept the city running in the midst of the conflict.
Plus, we're hours away from South Carolina's Republican primary. GOP front-runner Donald Trump is trying to put a new twist on his legal trouble.
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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I got indicted a second time and a third time and a fourth time.
And a lot of people said that that's why the Black people like me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): We will break down his latest campaign trail statements.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from Atlanta this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Air raid sirens rang out in Kyiv exactly two years ago when Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This is what the city looks like now. The makeshift memorial to a fallen Ukrainian standing downtown.
A number of world leaders are in Kyiv to mark the occasion, including Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and European Commissioner chief Ursula van der Leyen. With two years into the fighting, some Kyiv residents say the war has become something they just have to live with.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The war is definitely a tragedy. Yes, of course, we learned how to live with, if it can be called life. No one can give an unequivocal opinion of what life is. Life is what happens now. Now war is our life.
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Despite a shortage of ammunition and troops, Ukraine is fighting on, saying it shot down a Russian spyplane Friday. And President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Kyiv will launch a new counter offensive.
Now that's happening as Russia keeps its drone strikes going, hitting a residential building in Odessa Friday night. Ukraine says one person was killed and three others wounded.
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BRUNHUBER: Despite two years of death and destruction, Ukrainians aren't 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 Christiane Amanpour reports, the wounded warriors 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.
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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.
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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BRUNHUBER: And for more, we're joined by CNN's Sebastian Shukla in Berlin.
So some Western allies have arrived in Ukraine. Take us through what's at stake here.
SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Western allies have been arriving. Ursula von der Leyen, along with the Canadian president, Justin Trudeau, have arrived in Kyiv in a show of solidarity and support ahead on the day of anniversary for the Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
And the message is really clear.
Von der Leyen tweeted as she arrived, "More than ever, we stand firmly by Ukraine, financially, economically, militarily, morally, until the country is finally free."
And as well as words, we've heard from the German chancellor Olaf Scholz, who's not in, not in Kyiv. He's, he's here in Germany as well as aid deals that are being continued to be being announced.
Particularly from the U.K., who have pledged another $300 million worth of ammunition support to Kyiv to continue to fight on the front lines against Russian aggression.
But there is still the pending question of whether the U.S. will be able to pass a $60 billion deal to be able to resupply Ukraine for much needed ammunition, particularly as it looks to be losing ground in certain areas along the front line, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right, so on this anniversary, two years since the full invasion, let's look ahead now.
What might we expect in this third year?
SHUKLA: Yes, Kim. I've spent the last couple of years going up and down different parts of the front line in Ukraine. And the one thing that we've seen is support, particularly in terms of arms.
But I think at this period, it's important to take a step back to also look forward. This time last year, we were talking about a pending counter offensive by the Ukrainians, which was both to take them into the summer to really be able to cut through the Russian defenses and be able to split the land corridor, which it currently has connecting the mainland Russia particularly toward Crimea.
That didn't materialize and it expended lots of arms, lots of weapons, lots of men, which Ukraine is now looking to try to replenish and, all at the same time, that allowed the Kremlin to continue its resupply.
It allowed it to bolster its supply lines. And we've seen that on the ground recently with that taking control of Avdiivka. And it all comes at a time now as we look forward, one foot for the next year that Ukraine has replaced its popular IN (ph) general, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, with his second-in-command, Oleksandr Syrskyi.
We will have to see how his doctrine translates onto the battlefield. And we have a presidential election looming in Russia but as well also in the White House. And that brings with it some uncertainty, too.
BRUNHUBER: I appreciate that analysis. Sebastian Shukla in Berlin. Thanks so much.
Ukraine is receiving a global outpouring of support as it marks the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion. There are vigils and monument lightings in various places around the world.
But what Ukraine really needs is money and weaponry. Europe is facing pressure to increase financial aid to Ukraine as aid from the U.S. becomes more unreliable.
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The U.S. is one of Ukraine's top contributors of military and financial aid, has struggled to pass a $60 billion aid bill in Congress, as we mentioned, and faces, further uncertainty ahead of the presidential election later this year.
When the war broke out in 2022, the U.K. was one of the first countries that welcomed Ukrainian refugees, taking in hundreds of thousands of people. The residents of one village in Oxfordshire opened their homes to dozens of them. Isa Soares went there and met families who still dream of returning home.
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ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the tiny English village of North Moreton, dubbed, "Britain's kindest village."
Picture perfect with traditional thatched cottages, one pup and a cricket club at the heart of the community. But what you don't see is that it's also been home to some 50 Ukrainian refugees over the past two years.
In 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine, the residents here threw-open their homes to welcome families fleeing the war.
POLLY VACHER, NORTH MORETON RESIDENT: We had 17 offers of hosting straight off, just like that.
SOARES: Multiple families still remain.
POLLY VACHER: You know, imagine a bomb falling on a house next door or on your house, man --
SOARES: Polly and Peter Vacher were instrumental in organizing it all themselves, hosting two different families.
POLLY VACHER: You just think if this happened to me, I'd want somebody to help look after us.
PETER VACHER, NORTH MORETON RESIDENT: It's actually everyone, not everyone in the village. And so when a shout like this comes, you know, we need help. It wasn't a matter of one person putting up their hand, 15, 17 families put their hands up straight away and as a result, we had 50 refugees arrive within a couple of months.
SOARES: Oleksandr (ph), his wife, Olena (ph) and their two sons, Gregory (ph) and Andrii, were one of the families who were welcomed into the village.
HRYHORII MAIBORODA, UKRAINIAN REFUGEE: When we just arrived, we were a really strong community, basically united with the idea of better future for Ukraine.
SOARES: They settled into life in the U.K., both boys are at school and Oleksandr (ph) and Olena (ph) are both busy working.
H. MAIBORODA: I'm currently studying and planning to continue my studies in higher education to have a chance at rebuilding everything that we've lost.
SOARES: His brother Andrii, who has seen war for most of his life, still has fond memories of home.
A. MAIBORODA: A lot of those things were very close to my heart. Lots of people, lots of friends and lots of places that I haven't even seen. My whole childhood was there.
SOARES: But the reality soon sets in.
A. MAIBORODA: I'm not even sure that the house that I lived in the last seven years will be there when I come back.
SOARES: But you would like to go back?
A. MAIBORODA: I would love to go.
SOARES (voice-over): For mother and son Oksana and Evan (ph) returning home just isn't an option.
OKSANA METELYTSYA, UKRAINIAN REFUGEE: Outside in the city --
SOARES: Look at that.
(voice-over): They show me a video of what's left of their apartment in Lyman in eastern Ukraine. METELYTSYA: I'm counting when I'll come back to Ukraine. And I don't have a home and I don't have a job, I don't have anything in Ukraine. And my son
needs to have a safe life.
SOARES: But one's life in North Moreton has provided much needed safety for this mother and son, it can't ever feel complete.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello Fred --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
SOARES: Evan's (ph) father is still in Ukraine working as a doctor and unable to leave.
METELYTSYA: I want my family living together.
SOARES: You want your family to get that?
Like any family, right?
METELYTSYA: Yes,, of course, --
SOARES: But your husband can't go, can't come.
METELYTSYA: Come --
SOARES: And you need to protect your son?
METELYTSYA: Yes, of course.
SOARES: And as a mother, that is a priority.
(voice-over): Two long years of separation and desperately hoping the end is in sight -- Isa Soares, CNN, North Moreton, England
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BRUNHUBER: Ukraine has offered a plan to end the blockade at its border with Poland. Polish farmers have been protesting against cheap Ukrainian grain imports for weeks.
Now the Ukrainian prime minister says the five-step plan would include a joint control system at the border between the two countries and also a joint appeal to the E.U. Commission, calling for a ban on Russian farm exports.
The E.U., Ukrainian officials say, unknown individuals dumped Ukrainian grain on the railroad tracks at the Polish border.
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BRUNHUBER: We're waiting to see what, if anything, might emerge from negotiations taking place this weekend about the war in Gaza. For many in Israel, taking it to the streets.
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Frustration is growing. Israel sent a delegation to Paris for talks on a potential ceasefire and hostage deal.
They are expected to meet with senior officials from the U.S., Egypt and Qatar. 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.
Before the talks started, a senior Hamas official told CNN, its position has not changed.
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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BRUNHUBER: So while negotiators in Paris pursue a ceasefire deal, the death toll in Gaza is climbing. The ministry of health in Gaza says Israeli attacks killed at least 104 people over the past 24 hours. Nearly 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7.
The vast majority of victims are women and children. Meanwhile, a U.N. special rapporteur says they are still waiting to receive a formal response from Israel after allegations Israeli troops committed sexual violence against Palestinian women and girls.
Israel has said it forcefully rejects the accusations and calls the claims despicable and unfounded.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Families of hostages protested in Israel on Friday, demanding the return of everyone still held in Gaza.
The families and their supporters blocked a highway in Tel Aviv by setting up an empty Shabbat dinner table, with empty chairs representing hostages who remain in Gaza; 134 people are still being kept in the enclave nearly five months after the October 7 attacks in Israel.
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BRUNHUBER: 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. The damaged ship has created a slick that stretches for more than 18 miles or 28 kilometers.
Authorities haven't said what kind of substance is spilling out into the area. 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 on vessels in the Red Sea. U.S. Central Command says it destroyed seven anti-ship cruise missiles
on Friday as the Houthis were preparing for launch.
South Carolina Republicans go to the polls in the coming hours to make their choices for the party's 2024 presidential nominee. A lot to look ahead after the break.
Plus Alabama lawmakers proposed legislation to protect access to IVF after the state's highest court ruled that frozen embryos are children.
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We'll have details after the break. Please stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: In just a few hours, 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. Here she is.
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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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BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, Donald Trump spoke to a group of Black conservatives in Columbia on Friday night. He falsely claimed that he was indicted for nothing. And truth is, charges are connected to efforts to overturn the 2020 election and to mishandling of classified documents.
Now Trump also suggested that his mug shot and criminal indictments would appeal to Black voters. Listen to this.
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TRUMP: I got indicted for nothing, for something that is nothing. They were doing it because it's election interference. And then I got indicted a second time and a third time and a fourth time.
And a lot of people said that that's why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against. And they actually viewed me as I'm being discriminated against.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: Even though he takes credit for overturning of Roe versus Wade, Trump is calling on Alabama lawmakers to work quickly to protect access to in vitro fertilization after the state Supreme Court ruled last week that embryos are children and would be protected under law if they're destroyed.
Now some lawmakers are pushing a bill that would establish that fertilized human eggs stored outside of a uterus aren't human beings. CNN's Isabel Rosales has more from a fertility clinic in Alabama.
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ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I'm wearing this protective gear because I am inside of a fertility clinic, inside of the room where they store frozen embryos.
Now this is Huntsville Reproductive Medicine and you're looking at what they call doers. This is where they store frozen embryos in liquid nitrogen.
Now according to the Alabama Supreme Court, these frozen embryos, they are human beings. And if these embryos don't make it, if they are lost, if they're disposed, you could be held liable for wrongful death.
Now fertility experts say the problem is that embryos often don't make it. They don't make it in the lab. They don't make it in nature. Through IVF, you can have embryos that are abnormal and they are often disposed.
So now patients are potentially facing a situation where they're going to be paying hundreds of dollars a year to store embryos that are not viable. Providers also are worried about civil liability from this Alabama Supreme Court ruling. I spoke with Dr. Andrew Harper, who calls this "cryogenic limbo."
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He is continuing with IVF treatments, despite three other clinics in the state of Alabama stopping, pausing the IVF treatments. Now he is putting a stop to the disposal of embryos. But he says he still wants to help the women in his practice. Listen.
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DR. ANDREW HARPER, IVF SPECIALIST: It's not fair to our patients. Again, they're her embryos. This is not like it's a 22-week, intrauterine viable -- this is a microscopic, 100, 120 cell.
Does it have potential life?
Of course and we treat it with all the respect. But they're her embryos. I think this is lost in all of this.
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ROSALES: And again, Dr. Harper has paused the disposal of embryos here but is continuing forward with IVF treatments.
That's not the case for all of the patients out there in Alabama. I spoke with Gabrielle Goidel, who heard this week that her clinic would not be able to move forward with her IVF journey.
So she hopped on a plane and she's in Texas right now, preparing for eventually having a baby, for her egg retrieval, and continuing that journey. She says going back and forth between Alabama and Texas is going to put her into debt -- Isabel Rosales, CNN, Madison, Alabama.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, former president Donald Trump is asking a federal judge to let him delay paying an $88 million bond in the defamation case brought by E. Jean Carroll.
In a motion filed Friday night, Trump's legal team asked the judge to put a hold on the judgment in Carroll's case until 30 days after Trump's post-trial file motions are litigated. Now the move comes just hours after a judge in New York finalized the $454 million civil fraud judgment against the former president.
Trump's attorneys say, forcing him to pay the bond in the Carroll case right now would cause him, quote, "irreparable injury," even though he is good for the money.
Ukraine marks the two-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion. Still ahead, we'll look back at the course of the war over the past two years and how Ukraine ended up where it is now, stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
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BRUNHUBER: Russia's full-scale invasion met with stiff Ukrainian resistance back in 2022. And many analysts said Vladimir Putin had miscalculated. Now Ukraine is struggling with a shortage of troops and ammunition. Jake Tapper looks back at the ebb and flow of the past two years in Ukraine.
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JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST (voice-over): It's been two years since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. After months building up its troops and armor, Russia's forces rolled across the border and brutally attacked Ukrainian cities and airports.
As the violent assault unfolded, Ukrainians naturally were terrified. People waited in line at ATMs and at gas stations, trying to get out of the country, trying to flee. Train stations became bomb shelters and seeing similar to those from World War II.
DARYA: We are independent country, Ukraine and we are totally not same as Russians. And we don't want to be a part of Russia or any other country.
TAPPER: Russian President Vladimir Putin described the invasion as, quote, a special military operation. His goal was to rewind the clock.
He was immediately met with sanctions by the international community.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Putin chose this war and now he and his country will bear the consequences.
TAPPER: At first, many people in the West worried that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy might flee the country. But instead, he took to the streets of Kyiv, defiant.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We are all here defending our independence, our state and it will remain so.
TAPPER: U.S. officials were concerned that the capital would fall within days but Russia was not prepared for the Ukrainian resistance that followed.
Is Ukraine going to win this war?
ZELENSKYY: Yes, of course.
TAPPER: As 2022 progressed, Ukraine first pushed Russia out of territory to the north of Kyiv, then later drove them back in the east and then the south.
But last year's Ukrainian counteroffensive failed, much-anticipated and with U.S. Bradley fighting vehicles, a key component, it was supposed to break through to the coast near Crimea. But Russia's defenses proved too strong and the war seemed to enter a stalemate.
Just this week, Russia captured the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka it's biggest victory in nine months and the latest sign that as the war enters its third year, Ukraine is badly short of ammunition and badly outnumbered on the battlefield.
SASHA, ARTILLERY UNIT COMMANDER IN UKRAINE'S 47TH MECHANIZED BRIGADE: I am afraid Ukraine will not be able to stand without our partners and allies.
TAPPER: Both sides have suffered significant losses and millions of innocent people have been displaced. The White House blames Congress for Russia's recent gains after failing to approve $60 billion in Ukraine aid, while Vladimir Putin continues to bide his time, hoping Western support of Ukraine will subside. (END VIDEOTAPE)
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BRUNHUBER: And we're now joined by Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv.
Thank you so much for joining us. I want to start there where we left off with Jake Tapper's report. Ukraine has been asking for more support from the U.S., support which is currently tied up in Congress.
So what is your message to the American politicians who are either reluctant or fully opposed to providing more funding for Ukraine's war effort?
VITALI KLITSCHKO, KYIV MAYOR: I understand right now, before the president election, a lot of discussion about support Ukraine or not. I want to say it's very important, the question of values (ph). If use, today's world black and white. You are for the war, you are against the war.
You for democracy or the datasheet (ph). And that why we fighting right now in defending not just our homeland, we're defending right now and the values (ph). If we have the same values (ph), we need U.S. support because without support of United States, is very difficult to survive.
The question right now about the future, not just future of Ukraine, future of democracy in the world. And that's why we counted of support of our friends. It's very important, very important, live important for us to still support Ukraine because we fighting for future, for our democratic future of our homeland, which can never attack (ph).
BRUNHUBER: Looking back now, your city and your nation mark this somber and unwelcome anniversary, two years now since the full-scale invasion, talk to me about your city.
I mean, many residents, they fled initially; they've come back. Now the city in many ways has regained some sense of normalcy.
But obviously, as you know, while it's still a target, how are people coping under the stress of two years of not knowing if a Russian missile or drone could hit at any time?
KLITSCHKO: Kyiv, capital of Ukraine, was target and still target of Russians. And we never, ever have for the front line in our hometown. But more than 800 buildings was destroyed from chemicals, drone and Russian missiles; 450 apartments building; more than 200 people I talking just about (INAUDIBLE) was killed, seven children.
It's not the special operation. It's not the war because, by the way, war have clear rules and they attach to children, womens (sic). Now all people, this terrorism, genocide of Ukrainian population. Putin need Ukraine as property. Us Ukrainians, he don't need.
[04:35:03] That why we still fighting to survive and servation (ph). I want to say very much for anti-missile systems, what we have anti-missile weapons, we protected right now much better than before.
But we still need much more protection because nobody feel him safe in Ukraine. Any second, we can listen air alarm and everyone have to go to shelters. And everyone still live on the risk (ph) who died from Russian attacks
BRUNHUBER: I'm wondering what it's been like for you personally, leading the city as its public face and spokesperson in a way. It's a lot of responsibility, a lot of stress for two years now and counting.
KLITSCHKO: Yes, of course, we're responsible not for the candy go (ph) hometown with. We are responsible for services for the city right now. People coming back to our hometown because we protect it pretty well.
Thank you for the anti-missile system and right now the city almost full. And people need protection, people need services. And we provide everything. And we have to be strong. We have to be strong not just in front line.
We have to be strong inside the country. We have to be strong politically and economically. And without support of our partners, it's actually pretty difficult. And that why one more time, thank you for humanitarian aid. Thank you for political support, for financial support.
Because we fighting and protecting, protects not just our homeland. We protect the values (ph). And right now, the world is black and white. And I know right now is a lot of speculation. We have to continue to support Ukraine or not. The world is black and white.
You're for the war, you for the peace. You're for dictatorship or you for democracy. And please don't forget, we fighting for our democratic future. If you have the same values (ph), please still support us. And we still fighting because we doesn't have another choice. We don't want back to USSR and we see our future as part of democratic world.
As we look back now over the last two years, I mean, you've been a critic of President Zelenskyy.
How do you think he's handled the war so far?
KLITSCHKO: President Zelenskyy have very important missions, leading the country. And it's very important not to never make mistakes sometime, not -- don't make the grid (ph). This isn't about if. We never have to forget what fighting for democracy.
And if we see the pressure and for breath of freedom, democratic values, the human rights, we have to talk about that. And we also understand this very unusual situation, the war. But also during the war, it's very important to save democratic principles.
And because our future is Ukraine, is part of democratic European family. BRUNHUBER: You're saying he hasn't been respecting those democratic
principles?
KLITSCHKO: Democratic principles, we have to save democratic principles also during the war. It's very critical, critical important. Press freedom, self-government is the whole base. It's what we achieve in the past time.
Finally, I want to end with this.
As we look now, though the war entering its third year looking forward, maybe, what are your hopes for the year ahead?
KLITSCHKO: We hope the -- our partners, the E.U. support Ukraine because, right now, the question not about our future. The question about democracy in the world. And we -- I'm sorry, we defending not just our homes and our city and our country.
We defending everyone of you because it's not a secret. We listened to voices from Moscow about Poland. Poland was also the part of Russian Empire and it's not secret. Putin want to rebuild the Russian Empire and we listen.
The war is about Baltic countries. I spent a lot of time in Germany. I told to them, please, never underestimate the Russians because in sick vision of Putin, big part of Germany was also the Russian Empire, where Putin spent years long as KGB agent.
[04:40:04]
And that why the Russians never pay attention for weak position. They pay attention for strong. And we -- that why we have to be strong in the front line. We have to be strong inside the country. We have to be strong politically.
And unity around Ukraine, the support of our partners make Ukraine strong and that why it's very important to still support Ukraine. If we have the same values, if you share our will to be the part of whole democratic world. And it's -- I'm more than sure it's important for generally for the future of democracy.
BRUNHUBER: We'll leave it on that message. Really appreciate your time, Vitali Klitschko. Thank you so much.
KLITSCHKO: You're welcome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: British foreign secretary David Cameron says Russia won't stop if other countries don't stand up to him. In a speech at the U.N. Security Council on Friday, Cameron said president Vladimir Putin will only, quote, "come back for more."
Russia marked its defender of the fatherland holiday on the same day. As CNN's Matthew Chance reports, its president is pledging to press ahead in Ukraine, despite the costs. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
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.
You're the best, cries one young girl 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.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: 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 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. Listen to this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IVAN ZHDANOV, DIRECTOR, THE ANTI-CORRUPTION FOUNDATION (through translator): Contact us. If you want to help in any way, if you want to do something to prevent them from tarnishing your officers' shoulder straps.
And the second very practical part is to help us punish murderers. We promise a reward to anyone who shares with us important information about the murder of Alexei Navalny.
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): And Navalny's team also said Moscow is afraid that huge crowds might attend the dissident's funeral if it's allowed to take place publicly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: All right. Just ahead the battle for AI supremacy between the U.S. and China is heating up. We'll bring you the latest after the break.
[04:45:00]
Stay with us.
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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 the story.
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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 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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BRUNHUBER: 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)
BRUNHUBER: Meantime, we're also seeing this new image of the U.S. spacecraft as it headed down to the 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.
All right. We'll be back after a short break. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Canada is among nations around the world honoring Ukraine as it observes the second anniversary of the Russian invasion. The Peace Tower at Canada's parliament buildings in the capital, Ottawa, is lit up in the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
Prime minister Justin Trudeau posted the photos on social media. He said the display honors the Ukrainian people and Canada's support for Ukraine remains unwavering and unequivocal.
Well, 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 to 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 of 2022, as Russian troops advanced on the city of Mariupol, a team of Ukrainian journalists documented the atrocities of the invasion. Have a look.
(VIDEO CLIP, "20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL.")
BRUNHUBER: 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: For the first time ever, scientists are unveiling a 240 million-year-old "dragon" -- now I'll use that in quotes -- in its entirety. The National Museums Scotland announced on Friday. The five- meter-long reptile from the Triassic period was first identified in China in 2003.
[04:55:00]
The newly discovered fossils allowed the international team of researchers to depict the entire creature.
The U.S. is tracking a small balloon spotted drifting over Utah on Friday morning. The North American Aerospace Defense Command says it appears to be heading east. The balloon's origin remains unclear but NORAD and the U.S. federal aviation authority says, it doesn't pose a risk to national security or flight safety.
It's much smaller than the Chinese balloon that crossed the U.S. last year. That one was shot down off the coast of South Carolina.
Meanwhile, the Dow Jones and S&P 500 both closed at record highs again Friday. The Nasdaq closed down slightly. All three major indices ended the week higher. Overall, it's due in part to a gangbuster rally on Thursday, led by tech firms.
As we reported, chipmaker Nvidia topped a market cap of $2 trillion, joining just a handful of other companies to reach that milestone.
I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment. Please do stay with us.
